Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026) s01e06 Episode Script
Come, Let's Away
1
♪
♪
I'm trying to fly a UFO ♪
Don't really do this often ♪
Plus I forgot
all the controls ♪
Me and my sexy problems ♪
If love's the drug
then I'm a mug ♪
And I've tried
plenty of them ♪
You're the best version
that I've seen ♪
No GPS, no ETA ♪
I don't know what I'm doing ♪
Now my world's exploded ♪
I was hoping
I could maybe move in ♪
If love's the key,
I've lost a bunch ♪
Something just
keeps me looking ♪
You're the best version
that I've seen ♪
And I need ♪
Somewhere to land ♪
I might as well fall ♪
Into your earthly hands ♪
So let me know ♪
TARIMA:
I'm telling you.
- CALEB [laughs]: Stop it.
- TARIMA: I'm telling you.
UFO ♪
CALEB:
Okay, tell me.
Humans aren't the center
of the universe,
believe it or not.
So, "tell me
about your first time" has
a completely different meaning
- for everyone else.
- Yeah, no, I get that,
but I'm I'm just trying
to fully grasp
what you just said.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
He was part Deltan,
and I didn't know that for Deltans,
there's this whole thing
with bowls of cleansing milk
you're supposed
to douse your body with,
and then his extended family
dances around you
in a circle with these weird
Deltan, like, tambourines.
- No.
- Yes.
- No, family tambourine dancing?
- Yes, family tambourine dancing.
So much has happened
to me in my life,
but nothing
is worse than this story.
- Yeah. Then
- I feel sick.
they drape you in the robes
of ancient star mariners,
and then you have to sing
the ancient mariner duet
called "Fruitful Coupling."
Unfortunately,
I'm gonna need to hear the song.
Well, then you're gonna have
to hook up with a Deltan
because it haunts me
and I will not be singing it.
Eh, I'd rather just
hook up with you again.
You sure?
Oh, yeah.
'Cause you know that Deltans,
they do this thing
- Uh-oh.
- [whispering]
W-What?
Are you serious?
- What, you don't believe me?
- No, I don't believe you.
- That's so--
- I'll show you right now.
I'll water your plants ♪
I'll share your socks ♪
But I can't hold your hand ♪
With my fingers crossed ♪
I thought I was sure ♪
But I guess I'm not ♪
And you're the best version
that I've seen ♪
I need ♪
TARIMA [whispers]:
Caleb
Open your eyes.
♪
♪
CALEB:
What's happening?
TARIMA:
Betazoids can mind-speak.
CALEB:
What is this place?
TARIMA:
The safest place I know.
I wanted you to feel safe.
With me.
♪
Hey, don't--
- I love you!
- Mom!
[panting]
Were we in my head?
That was in my head.
I thought we were in your head.
How did you--
I swear,
I didn't do that on purpose.
It just happened.
I'm so sorry.
Your mom--
It's not something I wanted to share.
Okay? You could have
at least warned me.
- I just said--
- I mean, do you just go around,
'cause that's
that's not cool.
Okay? If it's a weird Betazoid thing,
then you should just--
I should what?
Control it better? Hide?
You can't just go into my head
and see things like that.
It's not a weird Betazoid thing.
It's part of who I am.
I'm not for everyone. I get it.
[P.A. chimes]
COMPUTER:
Attention, Athena.
All cadets participating
in today's
joint Academy exercise
will report to the Atrium
in ten minutes.
- That's not what I meant.
- Stop.
I really am sorry.
- Tarima.
- [door whooshes open]
[door whooshes shut]
NAHLA: There was a time
when Starfleet could travel
through Federation territory
without a second thought.
Today, the galaxy is a hell
of a lot more complicated.
As future
Starfleet officers,
you'll encounter challenges
your predecessors never had
to imagine, let alone face.
It's our job to prepare you
for the unimaginable.
That preparation begins now.
Take a moment, look outside.
This is a ship graveyard.
A few years ago,
the War College began using this site
as a training ground for crisis response.
Today, the War College
and Starfleet Academy
will work together
in a joint training exercise.
We will be using that ship--
the USS Miyazaki.
It carried an experimental
warp alternative
called "the Singularity Drive."
But when the crew
first activated it,
the ship was destroyed
by a cascading series
of mechanical failures.
Her crew perished.
Half of you will go on board
to simulate
a crisis response mission.
The other half will remain
on the Athena bridge on alert
so you can learn
how to effectively monitor
and support crew members
on away missions.
Chancellor.
You will work in two teams
to reactivate life support
aboard the Miyazaki,
then restart the ship's computer
in under one hour.
Blue Team, led
by Lieutenant Commander Tomov,
will use Starfleet's newest
plasma-based life-support system
and travel over via shuttle.
No questions will be permitted.
And no additional information
will be provided
while en route.
Blue Team will have
tactical support from Red Team,
who will provide operational
and logistical support
from Athena's bridge.
Away missions only succeed
with teamwork.
Blue and Red must work together.
If you fail to revive the ship
within 60 minutes,
the away team will return
to the shuttle,
and both teams will be replaced
by the next rotations.
When shift change is called,
take your assigned stations.
Do not replace
your Red Team counterpart
until handoff has been confirmed.
KELREC:
In the field, your life
and the lives
of those around you may depend
on your ability to make the most
of limited resources.
In five years,
no team has scored above 65%.
Good luck.
DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS:
Attention, cadets.
Once you have finished
your Miyazaki shift,
please report to
the cadet master's office
for a mandatory debrief.
Are you meditating?
This challenge echoes for me.
My path to the War College began
when I first read of the Miyazaki
in Tales From the Frontier,
a source of hope in darker days.
Tales From the Frontier?
A comic book.
Adventure stories
of the Miyazaki and her crew.
I would have followed
Captain Chi anywhere.
Federation propaganda.
Feel-good, colonizing bullshit
to brainwash poor kids
into fighting the good fight
for Big Brother Starfleet.
Or inspire them.
A concept clearly
beyond your understanding.
TOMOV: Enough jib-jab.
Let's focus on teamwork.
I need you functioning
as a unit over there.
My shore leave depends on it.
SAM:
Sir?
I wagered Commander Lura
you would be the ones
who finally restore power
on the Miyazaki.
Don't let me down.
I haven't been off this ship
in six months.
ATHENA COMPUTER:
The cadets' shuttle
has departed shuttle bay,
Captain Ake.
Scans show that all systems
and sensors are nominal.
They're approaching
the Miyazaki now.
NAHLA:
Thank you, Computer.
Commander Tomov,
what's your status?
TOMOV: Athena,
we have lock. Do you copy?
GENESIS:
Affirmative, Commander Tomov.
Lock is stable.
You're clear to board.
Wake up that ship!
60 seconds, and I lose my bet
that you could jump-start life support
within two minutes of boarding.
[whistling softly]
TOMOV: Perhaps my confidence
was misplaced.
[clattering]
[Caleb blowing]
Tick-tock.
Is programmable matter permitted?
It's not forbidden.
Cadet Mir has done his homework.
Initiating reroute.
[zaps]
NAHLA:
I can't believe you bet Tomov
that Blue Team wouldn't make it
in two minutes.
- I want in.
- What's the wager?
An extra day of shore leave
against one gamma shift watch
says you lose.
LURA: Mm-hmm.
They're already down to
34 seconds.
Accepted.
30 seconds.
LURA:
And when you are
standing your lonely watch,
I will be drinking ghan'aq
and reciting your name
along with the many who have
fallen to my superior
Captain, we have power readings
on the Miyazaki.
They did it.
[chuckling]
Now I'm grumpy.
Oh
Uh-huh.
TOMOV:
Well done, Mir.
Life support is online.
You may deactivate your plasma shields.
You're welcome.
Captain, I'm getting
some weird readings here.
They look almost
like transporter signals,
but I've never seen anything like it.
No, this signature is not us.
It's not Starfleet.
Is this part of the exercise?
Nobody else has clearance to board.
- Scan for incoming vessels.
- KELREC: 15.
No. Make that 30
unknown power sources moving
in a spherical configuration
around the Miyazaki.
GENESIS: Captain,
ten new life-form readings
just appeared out of nowhere.
They're boarding the ship.
Emergency transport,
get Blue Team out now
and take us to lockdown mode.
No personnel
in or out of Academy decks.
Talk to me, Lura.
LURA: I cannot get a lock
on Blue Team.
Our transporter signal is blocked.
GENESIS: There's a massive
energy field surrounding
the Miyazaki.
It's jamming all systems.
I-I got no sensors, no comms.
- We're being hailed.
- Red Alert!
Put it through.
[alarm blares]
I am N'Duwo Skra.
And I claim this salvage
for the Furies.
I am Captain Nahla Ake
of the United Federation.
We are hungry, Nahla Ake.
I would like to resolve
this situation immediately
to our mutual satisfaction.
Latinum. 30,000 bars.
You have five hours.
No Starfleet vessels
within a light-year,
or I eat his flesh.
♪
♪
♪
♪
What's happening?
Shift rotation has been suspended.
- Is this a drill?
- Would that it were. Stay put.
[distant alarm blaring]
NAHLA: You've been
running this exercise
for years with no problems.
We scanned every inch.
They arrived just after we did,
according to the last readings
we received before
the jamming field went up.
So they likely have
a cloaked vessel nearby.
Explains the five-hour window.
They probably can't maintain
their cloak for much longer.
We're paying the-the ransom, yes?
The Latinum is set for transfer,
but, Nahla, you need to know that
the Furies have a nasty habit
of killing their hostages
even after their demands are met.
What else do we know about them?
Almost nothing, except
they're human-alien hybrids.
Skra killed 19 guards breaking
out of prison the last time.
He operates in the disputed territories
and pays his mercenaries a fortune
because their survival is never guaranteed.
All right, if their ship's cloaked,
maybe we can
take out their jamming field.
VANCE:
I have five capital ships
waiting to jump to warp
one light-year from your position.
There's no way a frontal assault
ends without bodies.
There may be another way.
Oh, but it sticks in my craw,
and I'm loath to even say it.
The Furies have had a few dust-ups
with the Venari Ral in Sector 119.
The man responsible for getting
rid of them is our old friend.
NAHLA:
You're not actually suggesting
we ask Nus Braka for help?
VANCE:
Look, I fully recognize
it's a wildly dangerous gamble.
With less than five hours,
it's the best of bad options,
- not good ones.
- Excuse me.
The man tried to take over our ship.
I'm well aware, Captain.
Starfleet intelligence indicates
that Nus used some sort
of specialized weapon
to clear the Furies out of Sector 119.
Braka might be willing to share
that information with us
for a price.
How do we even know where he is?
Venari Ral activity has increased
in the outskirts of Federation space.
Intelligence suspects he's nearby.
Command is willing to suspend
his outstanding warrants
for 72 hours if he'll come to us.
The enemy of our enemy.
Is usually just another enemy.
This one's an asshole.
My cadets are trained
to deal with hostage situations.
They know the rules.
Tomov will keep them safe
until we find a viable solution.
[growling, screeching]
[growling continues]
Who goes out of the airlock first?
[clicking, screeching]
[growling]
[screeching]
[growling]
You
You go first!
[grunting]
- Ah!
- [snarls]
[screeches]
Behind you! Look out behind you!
[screeches, roars]
[screeching]
[shouting]
[screeches]
Go! Go! Go!
Get to the bridge now!
- [screeches]
- [grunts]
[snarling]
[screeching]
- [screeching]
- [growling]
[Tomov yelling]
- [crunching]
- [screaming]
The Miyazaki bridge has
emergency seals.
Find the manual control!
- Almost there.
- KYLE: Athena, come in.
Do you read me?
Comms for our deltas are down.
It's not that bad. I'm okay.
Bridge is secured.
This might scar.
What's a soldier without a few scars?
Are you sure you are not part Klingon?
SAM: Why haven't they
transported us out yet?
Or-or sent in a-a rescue team
or something?
Because the Furies have
some tactical advantage
that they cannot overcome
without risking our lives.
- Or worst-case scenario--
- Don't.
You heard that asshole earlier.
He was gonna send
a message to Athena
by chucking one of us
out of the airlock.
- She's still there.
- Focus.
This is what we train for.
What happened back there?
- Commander Tomov
- Followed protocol.
He sacrificed himself.
Without even thinking.
A famous officer once said,
"The needs of the many
outweigh the needs of the few.
Or the one."
- [banging]
- [screeching]
Move! Move, move!
Clear the door!
The emergency lockdown system
is not enough.
The force field is off.
We must bring it back online.
I have an idea.
Computer
[singsongy]:
Can you hear me?
[screeching continues]
B'AVI: The computer
has been nonfunctional
for over a century.
Its main power is off.
It is dead.
No, not dead. Just
sleeping.
The computer was able to transfer itself
to the few undamaged sections
of the system,
but there's not enough space
left to download its data,
so it divided itself,
scattering pieces of its memory
into micro-pockets of code.
Waiting for someone
to put it back together.
A search through that many lines of code
would require years.
For you.
- [snarling]
- [high-pitched whirring]
[high-pitched whirring]
♪
What is it, Number One?
Something was just ejected
from the Miyazaki's airlock,
Captain.
NAHLA:
Enhance.
♪
[hyperventilating]
No, no. No, no.
- Number One.
- They-they killed him.
Medbay, now.
[hyperventilating continues]
I'm sorry.
LURA: Cadets, back
to your training posts now.
Let's go.
Looks like it's Nus's lucky day.
Let's hope the space pirate's
willing to parley.
♪
[phasers charging]
[jingling]
Do it.
Oh, Nahla, Nahla,
my space boo, my solar flame,
my interstellar bestie!
[cackles] The hills are alive
with the sound of murder
and I'm just, I'm wanked, spanked
and ready to be a diplomat.
[laughs]
You look terrible.
[sniffs]
Oh.
[swishes]
Mmm.
Oh, that is a slippery cat-piss aftertaste.
Lovely.
[chuckles]
[gargles]
Oh. Overtones of creamy flatworm.
Wow!
[wheezing laugh]
VANCE:
Okay, as you asked,
I think that's every añejo
certified by the Court
of Galactic Sommeliers
that our replicators are
capable of creating, so
I appreciate it.
It's quite a different bouquet
when the Federation's deciding
to be hospitable, mm?
That's, uh, that's
fancy tequila talk, you know.
VANCE:
We appreciate you
consulting with us on our problem today.
Problem?
[laughing]
Problem?
[laughing]
Yeah. Problem.
"Sorry, Mom and Dad, but, uh,
we left your kids in the shredder."
I understand you may have
identified a weapon
to which the Furies are vulnerable.
Yeah, you know why
I'm so good at my job?
- Humility?
- NUS: I know what I can do
and what I can't do.
And I can't control those savages.
Here's what you need
to get about the Furies:
they hate being Furies.
Yeah, they're in ball-clenching,
sphincter-puckering pain
all the time.
The only relief they get is to just
spooge it all over other people.
You can't rely on a species like that
to put business first.
[chuckles]
You've built up a significant
smuggling operation
in the T-Tauri System.
Oh! You noticed, Admiral. Wow.
We understand that your
operation is the only way
some populations are able
to obtain certain necessities
in that sector.
Yeah. Well, you know,
I don't want to see anybody suffer.
Here's the offer.
- Ah.
- Tell us what you used
against the Furies,
and we'll provide you
with additional humanitarian supplies.
Now, personally,
I would beat you into the next galaxy
for price gouging and extortion--
Oh Name the place, Admiral, please.
[smacks lips]
See, this is the thing
about being a good guy.
[chuckles] You don't get
what you want.
Now my dad was a bad guy
and if he wanted, he got to beat
the shit out of me hourly.
- Lucky man.
- Mm, yeah.
I've got big shoes to fill.
[groans]
Anyway.
Yeah, he always told me,
he'd say,
"Nustopher, if you want to be
a really excellent bad guy
"so people truly hate your guts,
"oh, control the flow of traffic, boy.
"You do that, you'll make more
"selling crappy Raktajino at rest stops
"than you'd ever make busying yourself
with cargo or pirates."
- Is there a point to this?
- NUS: Yes.
There is a point, Admiral.
Stick with me.
Mm? You see, once upon a time
I had my own little piece of byway.
A lovely stretch of space
between two unstable wormholes.
Anybody who wanted to get
from Taygeta I to Taygeta IV
had to go via moi.
But not long ago,
the Federation started supplying
dilithium to Taygeta I,
and now the folks over there
can just bend space-time
and go right around me.
So I'm finding myself with a lot
of cold Raktajino on my hands.
You want me to tell you
how to get rid
of that batshit cannibal out there?
Stop supplying dilithium to Taygeta I.
I'll need to speak with the president.
Yeah. Soon.
Yeah, I mean,
I'm not on the clock, but, uh,
your cadets are about to be
tender, tasty teen cutlets
in a few hours.
[growls]
Well, this is nice, right?
Alone at last, huh?
[chuckles]
I have been thinking a lot
about you, Nahla.
I haven't thought about you at all.
Maybe you should.
You're a means to an end.
You're at least smart enough
to know that.
You know
You never talk to me, do you, Nahla?
Always talking at me.
Always talking through me.
From that first day you sent me
off to prison, you were so
high and mighty.
Why don't we just
see if we can't start over
by having a conversation, hmm?
A conversation is
a fair exchange of ideas between equals.
- Ah.
- And you're right.
I don't see you as either fair
[sniffs]
or equal.
And you certainly don't set the terms.
Oh, now, now, now. See,
now that's where you're wrong.
The one who sets the terms is
the one who doesn't care.
I don't care about your problems.
I don't care about dead cadets.
Your job is to figure out
what I do care about.
So, speak to me with respect,
and, uh
[thuds loudly]
sit your ass in that chair
until I tell you to get up
or I won't help you find a way
to get your kids off that ship.
- What is it, cadets?
- See this debris displacement?
This reading was taken
just after the Blue Team's
shuttle launched.
That has to be the Furies' ship
moving through the cloud here.
So they're now somewhere between
this point and the Miyazaki.
Which means their navigator
is constantly adjusting
to remain undetected.
Excellent work, cadets.
- It was Genesis mostly.
- KELREC: Commander Lura,
we should use this to track
their most likely course
through the field since they arrived.
An ingeniously simple approach.
Uh, if the Athena starts moving
through the field
looking for them,
they'll know we're onto them.
But couldn't something
like a probe move undetected
if it goes really slow?
Like sub-impulse slow?
I've created a sensor profile
to scan for the size in debris
variation we'd need to target.
Cadet Lythe, I've read your file.
You use your eyes
with the precision of a hengra.
You will help me pilot our space probe.
Cadet Lythe, we'll start mapping
the safest route for that probe.
Reymi, you can give us a hand.
- Let's find that ship.
- GENESIS/DAREM: Yes, sir.
♪
Can't you go faster?
Any faster and I'll melt
whatever circuits
the computer has left!
Speaking of melting!
COMPUTER:
N-Nine escape pods
available on Deck 19.
[glitching]: Unauthorized
intruders on the bridge,
bridge, bridge.
200 souls remaining on board.
M-M-Mayday.
Seven escape pods. Five.
M-M-Mayday!
Computer, you've been offline
for 125 years,
- you're not under attack.
- [screeching]
Not under the same attack!
COMPUTER [glitching]:
Unidentified input.
Input error. Procedure error.
Compu-Computer, we're Starfleet cadets.
Respond as we command.
Medbay, Captain Chi's
blood pressure is dropping.
Lieutenant Nestor-Zullo
is unresponsive.
It is still trying to save its crew.
It doesn't know that they're gone.
So, how do we convince it?
The comics may be useful.
They detail the entire history
of the Miyazaki
all the way up until the moment
the crew was lost.
Computer, read media input 737.
Look at its metadate.
Stardate 898898.3.
S-Scanning to verify
historical record of
Miyazaki c-c-crew.
SAM: Computer,
bring the force field online!
Initiate command now!
COMPUTER [glitching]:
Processing data.
The crew was off
on another adventure.
This time, a rescue mission.
Something went terribly wrong.
[glitching]:
Terribly wrong.
TARIMA [echoing]:
Caleb, hear me.
Find me.
[banging]
OCAM:
Tarima, hey. Hey! Tarima.
- Hey, Tarima, hey, hey, hey.
- [hyperventilating]
Stay with me.
You're good, you're good.
- You're good.
- I just connected to Caleb.
I think they're gonna die over there.
I can feel it, Ocam,
they don't know what to do.
- They don't know what to do.
- Okay. You're okay, you're okay.
[imitates whooshing]
[chuckles]
Ah, you know,
I don't know how you do it.
Look after all these kids
when you've lost a kid yourself.
That's pretty obvious,
even for a lowlife like you.
- Time heals all, Braka.
- Yeah, but
you don't exactly
experience time, do you?
I mean, not like the rest of us.
Yeah, I've done my homework, Chancellor.
Yeah, I, uh, I read
that since Lanthanites
essentially live forever
they can lose sight
of when things begin and end.
[jazzy music playing]
Did your dad teach you
your native language?
Because you don't even have
finality words
like "end" and "done."
I'm only half-Lanthanite.
Still, I mean, uh,
without the beginnings
and ends of things,
you could get caught in a trauma loop
that just goes on and on
and on forever.
Right?
I mean, that's terrifying.
That'll keep you up nights.
Right?
Smart to become a teacher,
so you can see
the beginnings and ends
for all these kids.
[Nus scoffs]
[laughs]
Okay. Okay.
Okay. "Cards on the table" time.
You know we're scared of you, right?
Nahla Ake, the captain
who had the sand
to sacrifice her own son
to save her ship?
Oh, yeah. We Venari Ral know
all about that.
We are in awe of that.
How you got the SOS
when your boy's ship went down,
but you
you stayed with your crew.
And, uh, he was on a vessel
like the Miyazaki, right?
And like the Miyazaki,
it went down piece by piece,
system failure by system failure.
I mean, does staring at that
stir it all up again for you?
'Cause in one lifetime,
your son could've lived
the lifetimes of everyone
aboard your ship combined.
And if you'd jumped ship,
maybe you could've saved him,
maybe the two of you could've
shared that lifetime together.
I mean, we don't do
that kind of sacrifice.
No, ma'am.
Or duty.
Or whatever you tell yourself
when you can't sleep
in an endless, endless night.
Oh, and now you've got
our mutual friend Caleb Mir.
You know, alas, another child
you should've saved
a long time ago, but once again,
you chose
some strange duty instead.
Oh, no.
He's on the Miyazaki, isn't he?
With the cannibals.
Oh, no.
Ah, those crazy bastards
don't quit until they taste blood.
I've seen them pick a carcass clean,
asshole and all.
And I'm talking about a Klingon carcass.
Not to mention
the constant drain on my time,
my money, my firepower.
Oh, my, that-that is
some cosmic poetry right there!
What if he dies on that ship today?
How will you know if he forgives you?
And if you never know,
doesn't that mean
he dies for you over and over again,
every day, forever?
No, I am not lying when I tell you
I'm honestly scared for you, babe.
FEMALE VOICE [over P.A.]:
Captain Ake, your presence
is required on the bridge.
Yeah, run on back.
You've got all the time
in the world!
[cackles]
The cadets on the Miyazaki
locked themselves on the bridge.
They're safe, but not for long.
Have they reestablished contact?
No. I can see them.
Through Caleb.
I can get to him through
whatever's blocking us.
Cadet Sadal requires
a psilosynine dampening implant
for emotional control.
OCAM:
Permission to speak freely, sir?
That file's crazy old,
it's not her whole story.
It's not even accurate.
Look, Betazoids are Betazoids.
You know, we sense stuff.
But Tarima's
She's special. She's more.
When she feels a strong
connection to someone,
she can go in.
But when, when--
When I was little, I
I couldn't control it.
I couldn't
regulate.
That was before the implant.
If I got angry or hurt, I could
I did damage.
It was an accident.
I understand.
It was Dad.
She got angry and blew out
his auditory cortex.
Honestly, like, I think
she kind of did him a favor,
'cause I was trying to teach
myself the trumpet that week,
and our house was--
I'm so sorry.
I'm more in control now.
I can connect to Caleb again
and talk to him.
If something happens to him,
if something happens to any of them,
and I could've helped--
The power we'd be asking you to use,
the amount of psilosynine
flooding your system,
you could go into shock.
Or worse.
TARIMA: One of the things
the War College has taught me,
that you taught me,
is to see the task clearly.
I can see what I have to do,
and I can see I'm the only one
on this ship who can do it.
Let me try.
Twice in past exercises,
our cadets have tried
to restore power on Miyazaki
by reactivating the singularity drive.
The drive that caused
catastrophic failures
the last time it was turned on.
Last semester, my cadets installed
a program to safely restart it,
but failed for lack of time.
If Sadal can tell the cadets
to restore the drive, even briefly,
the gravimetric displacement caused
by Miyazaki's deflector
would disrupt
the jamming field long enough
for us to transport them out.
TARIMA: Sir, from what I could see,
Caleb and the others
might not be able to get to Engineering
at all.
[screeching]
Sam, we're out of time!
- Almost there.
- COMPUTER: The ship's computer
did everything it could to save them.
[glitching]:
The crew did not survive.
The crew did not survive.
I'm sorry. We're your new crew.
Now, do you understand?
The crew did not survive.
- [Furies snarling]
- Down, down, down!
SAM:
We are your new crew!
- Do you understand?!
- Come on, come on, come on.
Move, move, move!
Computer, activate force field
and seal that door!
COMPUTER: Confirmed.
Activating force field.
[screeches]
You are the new crew of the Miyazaki.
Breach sealed.
Awaiting further commands.
[screeching]
[Furies clicking, growling]
They will find another way in.
[Furies snarling]
KELREC:
What happened with Nus?
[quietly]: The expected
pedestrian mind games,
but he slipped up.
I knew he would
if I sat there long enough.
The Furies won't leave him alone.
He knows they'll make his life miserable.
He needs us as much as we need him.
But
But?
Nus is a devious guy.
This is
relatively straightforward.
Too straightforward.
I'm worried we're missing something.
This is the message to Blue Team.
Once you go under,
I'll be monitoring you
and will reactivate your inhibitor
at any sign of danger.
But how will I know when to--?
You'll be able to hear my voice
and I will tell you
when to give the order.
♪
In writing:
the Federation agrees
to all your dilithium
distribution crap in Taygeta I.
It's everything you asked for.
There's a shuttle waiting
to fly you away
once you give us what we need.
Now, uh, you wouldn't respect me
if I didn't ask
for a little sweetener, am I right?
There are incentives there
for every hostage you manage to free.
- Right, but--
- But you have a problem.
I'm sorry. I have a problem?
Yeah.
You're scared.
Ha!
Whatever you did to get
the Furies off your back
in Sector 119 won't keep them
off your back.
[chuckling]
They're crazier than you are,
which I didn't think was possible.
I have full control of Sector 119.
Bullshit. You're here because
you're a cringing
little crybaby coward
trying to get the Federation
to keep a playground bully away.
Whoa. Hey. What--?
Cowards always have multiple agendas,
because deep down,
they know they're failures.
If I was a failure, I'd be dead.
[scoffs]
We should all be so lucky.
Now, we can get rid of the maniacs,
or we can let them eat your lunch
until the end of time.
Don't be a dick.
Tell me how to stop the Furies,
tell me what I need to know
- Hey! Oh!
- or get the hell off my ship.
O-Okay! Oh!
Okay!
- They're bats?
- Part lynar.
Their inner ears are
particularly sensitive
to high sonic frequencies.
Nus used a sonic weapon
to clear them out of Sector 119.
Starbase J19-Alpha,
it's an experimental platform
for new weapon systems
not far from here.
They have an Intrepid-class ship,
the Sargasso,
that should be able to make
the necessary modifications en route
to emit a sonic disruption beam.
How long before they could arrive?
Within a half hour.
So, assuming we find
that cloaked ship by then,
Sargasso comes in hot,
hits them with the sonic weapon.
When the cloak falls,
it drops the jamming field,
and we only have
a few precious seconds
to transport the cadets out
before the Furies know what's happening.
As a backup, we use Tarima Sadal
to instruct the cadets to bring
the singularity drive online.
That breaks the field, and we grab them.
Lura, how we doing
on those coordinates?
Almost there. Braka has
departed with the shuttle.
We'll track his impulse
signature as long as possible.
Understood. Monitor his comms
while you're at it.
LURA:
Already done.
Once we start this train,
we can't stop it.
These are our cadets' lives.
Doctor. Send her in.
♪
Here we go.
[device beeping]
[hisses]
♪
♪
[force field warbling]
[Furies screeching]
They're trying to disable
the force field!
[Furies growling, screeching]
TARIMA:
Caleb?
Caleb.
It's okay.
[echoing]:
I'm here.
I didn't mean to make you
feel like a freak.
I've just never had someone
see that side of me before.
I know. Same.
- Am I about to die?
- No.
But you need to bring
the singularity drive back online.
It's the only way
we can beam you out of here.
That's impossible.
It's in Main Engineering.
Kelrec's convinced Captain Chi
would have been able
to access the drive from the bridge.
Once you do, tell B'Avi
to run Tiny Fireflies,
but don't activate the drive
until I give the order.
Tiny Fireflies.
That's the name of the program.
Is Tiny Fireflies the final name
or are you accepting alternatives?
Maybe not the best time
to workshop this?
[Furies growling]
Find that remote access
to the drive. Hurry!
Computer, I need access
to Main Engineering
on the viewscreen now.
COMPUTER: Sensors are damaged.
I will have to reroute.
I don't care! Do it! Do it now!
ATHENA COMPUTER:
Probe search of location grid
Sector 14 is complete,
Cadet Lythe.
No enemy vessels detected.
Moving to Sector 15 now.
[sighs] It's like looking
for a needle in a haystack
made of needles.
Maintain focus.
Just look for debris variation
greater than 60%.
You've got this, Cadet.
[Furies growling]
Computer, Main Engineering
on the viewscreen.
Come on, come on, come on.
COMPUTER: Main Engineering
access in progress.
Why did they stop?
CALEB: Maybe they found
a better way in.
COMPUTER: Main Engineering
access in progress.
[groaning]
[glitching]: Main Engineering
access in progress.
What was that?
Tarima's sending us
instructions from Athena.
She's
in my head.
- You and her have been?
- Yeah.
And this is exactly how
I wanted to tell you, too.
COMPUTER: Main Engineering
access complete.
- Mm-hmm.
- Hey. Look.
Welcome to the Main Engineering
access portal.
The one and only singularity drive.
B'Avi, Tiny Fireflies.
Those words mean anything to you?
They do.
ATHENA COMPUTER:
No enemy vessels detected.
- Moving to Sector 16.
- Come on, come on.
- Where are you?
- Scanning.
Scanning.
Debris variation in grid 117 at 70%.
Gotcha, you bastard.
Excellent work, Cadet Lythe.
Sargasso will arrive
at any moment.
The Doctor confirms Sadal
communicated with Blue Team.
We're standing by
to transport them aboard
the moment that jamming field drops.
Something's not right.
What do you know about J19-Alpha?
The space station
Sargasso was docked at.
What kind of technology
are they testing there?
The highly classified kind.
PILOT:
USS Sargasso here.
Deflector online, target acquired.
Transmission in two minutes.
Copy, Sargasso. Go get them.
Transporters, stand by
to lock onto our kids.
Aye, Captain.
CALEB:
Flow regulators are green,
but field strength is fluctuating.
Those are the safeties we installed.
Even then, the odds
of successfully cold-starting
a singularity drive are 80-to-one.
Didn't Chi always defy the odds?
You read the comics?
Boredom.
TARIMA:
Caleb.
Wait for my signal.
I'll tell you when.
Sargasso's deflector will
reach maximum power
in 30 seconds.
No tactical response
from the Furies' vessel yet.
Captain, we've intercepted a
transmission from Nus's shuttle.
It's encrypted,
but it was sent to that ship.
Get me that decryption.
Furies' vessel decloaking.
That isn't a Furies' vessel.
It's Venari Ral!
They were working together
the whole time.
Ah, that son of a bitch!
Maximum power to forward shields.
Evasive maneuvers.
Direct hit!
The Sargasso has been
completely disabled.
Oh, gods.
I have the encrypted message.
- No audio.
- Read it!
"They took the bait.
Bon appétit."
Doctor, tell Sadal to start the drive.
Lura, target that ship
with everything we've got!
Now, Caleb.
B'Avi, go!
[whirring accelerating]
It is working.
Tiny fireflies.
B'Avi
They're through.
Jamming field is down!
NAHLA:
Lura, get the cadets out now!
Move.
SAM: They're through the field!
They're through!
[Furies screeching]
[groaning]
LURA:
Transporter control reengaged.
Trying to lock onto the cadets.
There is too much distortion.
[screeching]
- Sam, watch out!
- [groans, glitches]
CALEB:
Sam!
- What the hell happened?
- [monitor beeping rapidly]
She-she ripped it out
before I could stop her.
[shouts]
[groaning]
[screeching]
KELREC:
Jamming field is restabilizing.
I still cannot get a lock.
[screeching]
[grunts]
[distorted]:
No!
[distorted wailing]
[echoing]: Send me back.
What happened?!
It's over.
I don't
Why are you bleeding?
There's a field of flowers
where I grew up.
I used to hide there when I was afraid.
Of what?
Me.
Tarima, come here.
Don't.
Look, I know you won't want
to be with me
after this, but at least
you'll be alive, okay?
What are you talking about?
[muted screaming]
♪
[screeching]
[muted screaming continues]
♪
[screeches]
♪
No, no. No, no, no, no.
No, no.
B'Avi, wake up.
B'Avi, please.
[cries]
SAM [glitching]:
Jay-Den, help me.
Jay-Den, please help me.
KYLE:
Open your eyes, B'Avi. Please.
VANCE:
You were right. He played us.
As soon as the Sargasso
departed J19-Alpha,
six Venari Ral ships
decloaked and attacked.
Their distress call didn't reach
headquarters right away.
Its defenses held for 18 minutes
before the station
was boarded and ransacked.
He knew we'd call in the Sargasso.
This was about him
getting on that station.
And we handed it to him.
VANCE:
We don't have final numbers
on the deceased yet.
Discovery's still
collecting escape pods.
It'll be weeks before we find out
what exactly he was after
on that station.
The president's called
for an emergency meeting
of the Security Council.
Nus Braka is about to become
the most wanted man in the quadrant.
And no one sleeps
until we hunt him down and end him.
Go back to San Francisco.
Trauma counselors will be standing by
for you and your cadets.
♪
This was my call, Nahla.
Not yours.
- He sprung a trap--
- Please.
Don't.
ATHENA COMPUTER:
Incoming message.
Source unknown.
Feel free to trace this transmission.
It'll give you something to do
while your Federation friends
count body bags.
♪
I want you to be okay, Nahla,
I really do.
Because hating you
made me better at my job.
It's such a petty teenage thing
to say, but it's true.
I hate you.
Beyond the obvious reasons,
I hate you
because you think your way
of life is better than mine.
She'll need a specialist,
but she'll be okay.
NUS:
And that gives you the right
to infect the entire universe
with the Federation's
own special strain
of bureaucratic chlamydia.
And anyone who dares
disagree with you is--
your word-- "a lowlife,"
and beneath contempt.
MALE MEDIC:
How is she?
FEMALE MEDIC:
Her vitals are stable,
but we don't know
how long she'll be in a coma.
NUS:
So you lost here today
because I see you,
Nahla.
I see you.
Fortunately, you know, all that hate
opened doors in my mind.
And now I know
what I'm truly capable of.
I know!
♪
You know, it's funny
[chuckles]
I was thinking,
you sent your kid
to his death to save many.
But this is kind of the opposite, right?
You got your kid back
and everyone else died!
[scoffs]
How's that for a trauma loop?
My gift to you.
[laughs]
But wait. There's more.
I still owe you something.
And believe me, it is coming
with a big red bow.
A special gift,
just for you.
You have no idea what a difference
you've made in my life, Nahla.
I want to thank you.
'Cause you're the best teacher
I ever had.
♪
[Furies clicking]
[Furies screeching]
[screeching continues]
[electricity sparking]
[Furies screeching]
[electricity sparking]
[Furies growling, screeching]
♪
♪
I'm trying to fly a UFO ♪
Don't really do this often ♪
Plus I forgot
all the controls ♪
Me and my sexy problems ♪
If love's the drug
then I'm a mug ♪
And I've tried
plenty of them ♪
You're the best version
that I've seen ♪
No GPS, no ETA ♪
I don't know what I'm doing ♪
Now my world's exploded ♪
I was hoping
I could maybe move in ♪
If love's the key,
I've lost a bunch ♪
Something just
keeps me looking ♪
You're the best version
that I've seen ♪
And I need ♪
Somewhere to land ♪
I might as well fall ♪
Into your earthly hands ♪
So let me know ♪
TARIMA:
I'm telling you.
- CALEB [laughs]: Stop it.
- TARIMA: I'm telling you.
UFO ♪
CALEB:
Okay, tell me.
Humans aren't the center
of the universe,
believe it or not.
So, "tell me
about your first time" has
a completely different meaning
- for everyone else.
- Yeah, no, I get that,
but I'm I'm just trying
to fully grasp
what you just said.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
He was part Deltan,
and I didn't know that for Deltans,
there's this whole thing
with bowls of cleansing milk
you're supposed
to douse your body with,
and then his extended family
dances around you
in a circle with these weird
Deltan, like, tambourines.
- No.
- Yes.
- No, family tambourine dancing?
- Yes, family tambourine dancing.
So much has happened
to me in my life,
but nothing
is worse than this story.
- Yeah. Then
- I feel sick.
they drape you in the robes
of ancient star mariners,
and then you have to sing
the ancient mariner duet
called "Fruitful Coupling."
Unfortunately,
I'm gonna need to hear the song.
Well, then you're gonna have
to hook up with a Deltan
because it haunts me
and I will not be singing it.
Eh, I'd rather just
hook up with you again.
You sure?
Oh, yeah.
'Cause you know that Deltans,
they do this thing
- Uh-oh.
- [whispering]
W-What?
Are you serious?
- What, you don't believe me?
- No, I don't believe you.
- That's so--
- I'll show you right now.
I'll water your plants ♪
I'll share your socks ♪
But I can't hold your hand ♪
With my fingers crossed ♪
I thought I was sure ♪
But I guess I'm not ♪
And you're the best version
that I've seen ♪
I need ♪
TARIMA [whispers]:
Caleb
Open your eyes.
♪
♪
CALEB:
What's happening?
TARIMA:
Betazoids can mind-speak.
CALEB:
What is this place?
TARIMA:
The safest place I know.
I wanted you to feel safe.
With me.
♪
Hey, don't--
- I love you!
- Mom!
[panting]
Were we in my head?
That was in my head.
I thought we were in your head.
How did you--
I swear,
I didn't do that on purpose.
It just happened.
I'm so sorry.
Your mom--
It's not something I wanted to share.
Okay? You could have
at least warned me.
- I just said--
- I mean, do you just go around,
'cause that's
that's not cool.
Okay? If it's a weird Betazoid thing,
then you should just--
I should what?
Control it better? Hide?
You can't just go into my head
and see things like that.
It's not a weird Betazoid thing.
It's part of who I am.
I'm not for everyone. I get it.
[P.A. chimes]
COMPUTER:
Attention, Athena.
All cadets participating
in today's
joint Academy exercise
will report to the Atrium
in ten minutes.
- That's not what I meant.
- Stop.
I really am sorry.
- Tarima.
- [door whooshes open]
[door whooshes shut]
NAHLA: There was a time
when Starfleet could travel
through Federation territory
without a second thought.
Today, the galaxy is a hell
of a lot more complicated.
As future
Starfleet officers,
you'll encounter challenges
your predecessors never had
to imagine, let alone face.
It's our job to prepare you
for the unimaginable.
That preparation begins now.
Take a moment, look outside.
This is a ship graveyard.
A few years ago,
the War College began using this site
as a training ground for crisis response.
Today, the War College
and Starfleet Academy
will work together
in a joint training exercise.
We will be using that ship--
the USS Miyazaki.
It carried an experimental
warp alternative
called "the Singularity Drive."
But when the crew
first activated it,
the ship was destroyed
by a cascading series
of mechanical failures.
Her crew perished.
Half of you will go on board
to simulate
a crisis response mission.
The other half will remain
on the Athena bridge on alert
so you can learn
how to effectively monitor
and support crew members
on away missions.
Chancellor.
You will work in two teams
to reactivate life support
aboard the Miyazaki,
then restart the ship's computer
in under one hour.
Blue Team, led
by Lieutenant Commander Tomov,
will use Starfleet's newest
plasma-based life-support system
and travel over via shuttle.
No questions will be permitted.
And no additional information
will be provided
while en route.
Blue Team will have
tactical support from Red Team,
who will provide operational
and logistical support
from Athena's bridge.
Away missions only succeed
with teamwork.
Blue and Red must work together.
If you fail to revive the ship
within 60 minutes,
the away team will return
to the shuttle,
and both teams will be replaced
by the next rotations.
When shift change is called,
take your assigned stations.
Do not replace
your Red Team counterpart
until handoff has been confirmed.
KELREC:
In the field, your life
and the lives
of those around you may depend
on your ability to make the most
of limited resources.
In five years,
no team has scored above 65%.
Good luck.
DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS:
Attention, cadets.
Once you have finished
your Miyazaki shift,
please report to
the cadet master's office
for a mandatory debrief.
Are you meditating?
This challenge echoes for me.
My path to the War College began
when I first read of the Miyazaki
in Tales From the Frontier,
a source of hope in darker days.
Tales From the Frontier?
A comic book.
Adventure stories
of the Miyazaki and her crew.
I would have followed
Captain Chi anywhere.
Federation propaganda.
Feel-good, colonizing bullshit
to brainwash poor kids
into fighting the good fight
for Big Brother Starfleet.
Or inspire them.
A concept clearly
beyond your understanding.
TOMOV: Enough jib-jab.
Let's focus on teamwork.
I need you functioning
as a unit over there.
My shore leave depends on it.
SAM:
Sir?
I wagered Commander Lura
you would be the ones
who finally restore power
on the Miyazaki.
Don't let me down.
I haven't been off this ship
in six months.
ATHENA COMPUTER:
The cadets' shuttle
has departed shuttle bay,
Captain Ake.
Scans show that all systems
and sensors are nominal.
They're approaching
the Miyazaki now.
NAHLA:
Thank you, Computer.
Commander Tomov,
what's your status?
TOMOV: Athena,
we have lock. Do you copy?
GENESIS:
Affirmative, Commander Tomov.
Lock is stable.
You're clear to board.
Wake up that ship!
60 seconds, and I lose my bet
that you could jump-start life support
within two minutes of boarding.
[whistling softly]
TOMOV: Perhaps my confidence
was misplaced.
[clattering]
[Caleb blowing]
Tick-tock.
Is programmable matter permitted?
It's not forbidden.
Cadet Mir has done his homework.
Initiating reroute.
[zaps]
NAHLA:
I can't believe you bet Tomov
that Blue Team wouldn't make it
in two minutes.
- I want in.
- What's the wager?
An extra day of shore leave
against one gamma shift watch
says you lose.
LURA: Mm-hmm.
They're already down to
34 seconds.
Accepted.
30 seconds.
LURA:
And when you are
standing your lonely watch,
I will be drinking ghan'aq
and reciting your name
along with the many who have
fallen to my superior
Captain, we have power readings
on the Miyazaki.
They did it.
[chuckling]
Now I'm grumpy.
Oh
Uh-huh.
TOMOV:
Well done, Mir.
Life support is online.
You may deactivate your plasma shields.
You're welcome.
Captain, I'm getting
some weird readings here.
They look almost
like transporter signals,
but I've never seen anything like it.
No, this signature is not us.
It's not Starfleet.
Is this part of the exercise?
Nobody else has clearance to board.
- Scan for incoming vessels.
- KELREC: 15.
No. Make that 30
unknown power sources moving
in a spherical configuration
around the Miyazaki.
GENESIS: Captain,
ten new life-form readings
just appeared out of nowhere.
They're boarding the ship.
Emergency transport,
get Blue Team out now
and take us to lockdown mode.
No personnel
in or out of Academy decks.
Talk to me, Lura.
LURA: I cannot get a lock
on Blue Team.
Our transporter signal is blocked.
GENESIS: There's a massive
energy field surrounding
the Miyazaki.
It's jamming all systems.
I-I got no sensors, no comms.
- We're being hailed.
- Red Alert!
Put it through.
[alarm blares]
I am N'Duwo Skra.
And I claim this salvage
for the Furies.
I am Captain Nahla Ake
of the United Federation.
We are hungry, Nahla Ake.
I would like to resolve
this situation immediately
to our mutual satisfaction.
Latinum. 30,000 bars.
You have five hours.
No Starfleet vessels
within a light-year,
or I eat his flesh.
♪
♪
♪
♪
What's happening?
Shift rotation has been suspended.
- Is this a drill?
- Would that it were. Stay put.
[distant alarm blaring]
NAHLA: You've been
running this exercise
for years with no problems.
We scanned every inch.
They arrived just after we did,
according to the last readings
we received before
the jamming field went up.
So they likely have
a cloaked vessel nearby.
Explains the five-hour window.
They probably can't maintain
their cloak for much longer.
We're paying the-the ransom, yes?
The Latinum is set for transfer,
but, Nahla, you need to know that
the Furies have a nasty habit
of killing their hostages
even after their demands are met.
What else do we know about them?
Almost nothing, except
they're human-alien hybrids.
Skra killed 19 guards breaking
out of prison the last time.
He operates in the disputed territories
and pays his mercenaries a fortune
because their survival is never guaranteed.
All right, if their ship's cloaked,
maybe we can
take out their jamming field.
VANCE:
I have five capital ships
waiting to jump to warp
one light-year from your position.
There's no way a frontal assault
ends without bodies.
There may be another way.
Oh, but it sticks in my craw,
and I'm loath to even say it.
The Furies have had a few dust-ups
with the Venari Ral in Sector 119.
The man responsible for getting
rid of them is our old friend.
NAHLA:
You're not actually suggesting
we ask Nus Braka for help?
VANCE:
Look, I fully recognize
it's a wildly dangerous gamble.
With less than five hours,
it's the best of bad options,
- not good ones.
- Excuse me.
The man tried to take over our ship.
I'm well aware, Captain.
Starfleet intelligence indicates
that Nus used some sort
of specialized weapon
to clear the Furies out of Sector 119.
Braka might be willing to share
that information with us
for a price.
How do we even know where he is?
Venari Ral activity has increased
in the outskirts of Federation space.
Intelligence suspects he's nearby.
Command is willing to suspend
his outstanding warrants
for 72 hours if he'll come to us.
The enemy of our enemy.
Is usually just another enemy.
This one's an asshole.
My cadets are trained
to deal with hostage situations.
They know the rules.
Tomov will keep them safe
until we find a viable solution.
[growling, screeching]
[growling continues]
Who goes out of the airlock first?
[clicking, screeching]
[growling]
[screeching]
[growling]
You
You go first!
[grunting]
- Ah!
- [snarls]
[screeches]
Behind you! Look out behind you!
[screeches, roars]
[screeching]
[shouting]
[screeches]
Go! Go! Go!
Get to the bridge now!
- [screeches]
- [grunts]
[snarling]
[screeching]
- [screeching]
- [growling]
[Tomov yelling]
- [crunching]
- [screaming]
The Miyazaki bridge has
emergency seals.
Find the manual control!
- Almost there.
- KYLE: Athena, come in.
Do you read me?
Comms for our deltas are down.
It's not that bad. I'm okay.
Bridge is secured.
This might scar.
What's a soldier without a few scars?
Are you sure you are not part Klingon?
SAM: Why haven't they
transported us out yet?
Or-or sent in a-a rescue team
or something?
Because the Furies have
some tactical advantage
that they cannot overcome
without risking our lives.
- Or worst-case scenario--
- Don't.
You heard that asshole earlier.
He was gonna send
a message to Athena
by chucking one of us
out of the airlock.
- She's still there.
- Focus.
This is what we train for.
What happened back there?
- Commander Tomov
- Followed protocol.
He sacrificed himself.
Without even thinking.
A famous officer once said,
"The needs of the many
outweigh the needs of the few.
Or the one."
- [banging]
- [screeching]
Move! Move, move!
Clear the door!
The emergency lockdown system
is not enough.
The force field is off.
We must bring it back online.
I have an idea.
Computer
[singsongy]:
Can you hear me?
[screeching continues]
B'AVI: The computer
has been nonfunctional
for over a century.
Its main power is off.
It is dead.
No, not dead. Just
sleeping.
The computer was able to transfer itself
to the few undamaged sections
of the system,
but there's not enough space
left to download its data,
so it divided itself,
scattering pieces of its memory
into micro-pockets of code.
Waiting for someone
to put it back together.
A search through that many lines of code
would require years.
For you.
- [snarling]
- [high-pitched whirring]
[high-pitched whirring]
♪
What is it, Number One?
Something was just ejected
from the Miyazaki's airlock,
Captain.
NAHLA:
Enhance.
♪
[hyperventilating]
No, no. No, no.
- Number One.
- They-they killed him.
Medbay, now.
[hyperventilating continues]
I'm sorry.
LURA: Cadets, back
to your training posts now.
Let's go.
Looks like it's Nus's lucky day.
Let's hope the space pirate's
willing to parley.
♪
[phasers charging]
[jingling]
Do it.
Oh, Nahla, Nahla,
my space boo, my solar flame,
my interstellar bestie!
[cackles] The hills are alive
with the sound of murder
and I'm just, I'm wanked, spanked
and ready to be a diplomat.
[laughs]
You look terrible.
[sniffs]
Oh.
[swishes]
Mmm.
Oh, that is a slippery cat-piss aftertaste.
Lovely.
[chuckles]
[gargles]
Oh. Overtones of creamy flatworm.
Wow!
[wheezing laugh]
VANCE:
Okay, as you asked,
I think that's every añejo
certified by the Court
of Galactic Sommeliers
that our replicators are
capable of creating, so
I appreciate it.
It's quite a different bouquet
when the Federation's deciding
to be hospitable, mm?
That's, uh, that's
fancy tequila talk, you know.
VANCE:
We appreciate you
consulting with us on our problem today.
Problem?
[laughing]
Problem?
[laughing]
Yeah. Problem.
"Sorry, Mom and Dad, but, uh,
we left your kids in the shredder."
I understand you may have
identified a weapon
to which the Furies are vulnerable.
Yeah, you know why
I'm so good at my job?
- Humility?
- NUS: I know what I can do
and what I can't do.
And I can't control those savages.
Here's what you need
to get about the Furies:
they hate being Furies.
Yeah, they're in ball-clenching,
sphincter-puckering pain
all the time.
The only relief they get is to just
spooge it all over other people.
You can't rely on a species like that
to put business first.
[chuckles]
You've built up a significant
smuggling operation
in the T-Tauri System.
Oh! You noticed, Admiral. Wow.
We understand that your
operation is the only way
some populations are able
to obtain certain necessities
in that sector.
Yeah. Well, you know,
I don't want to see anybody suffer.
Here's the offer.
- Ah.
- Tell us what you used
against the Furies,
and we'll provide you
with additional humanitarian supplies.
Now, personally,
I would beat you into the next galaxy
for price gouging and extortion--
Oh Name the place, Admiral, please.
[smacks lips]
See, this is the thing
about being a good guy.
[chuckles] You don't get
what you want.
Now my dad was a bad guy
and if he wanted, he got to beat
the shit out of me hourly.
- Lucky man.
- Mm, yeah.
I've got big shoes to fill.
[groans]
Anyway.
Yeah, he always told me,
he'd say,
"Nustopher, if you want to be
a really excellent bad guy
"so people truly hate your guts,
"oh, control the flow of traffic, boy.
"You do that, you'll make more
"selling crappy Raktajino at rest stops
"than you'd ever make busying yourself
with cargo or pirates."
- Is there a point to this?
- NUS: Yes.
There is a point, Admiral.
Stick with me.
Mm? You see, once upon a time
I had my own little piece of byway.
A lovely stretch of space
between two unstable wormholes.
Anybody who wanted to get
from Taygeta I to Taygeta IV
had to go via moi.
But not long ago,
the Federation started supplying
dilithium to Taygeta I,
and now the folks over there
can just bend space-time
and go right around me.
So I'm finding myself with a lot
of cold Raktajino on my hands.
You want me to tell you
how to get rid
of that batshit cannibal out there?
Stop supplying dilithium to Taygeta I.
I'll need to speak with the president.
Yeah. Soon.
Yeah, I mean,
I'm not on the clock, but, uh,
your cadets are about to be
tender, tasty teen cutlets
in a few hours.
[growls]
Well, this is nice, right?
Alone at last, huh?
[chuckles]
I have been thinking a lot
about you, Nahla.
I haven't thought about you at all.
Maybe you should.
You're a means to an end.
You're at least smart enough
to know that.
You know
You never talk to me, do you, Nahla?
Always talking at me.
Always talking through me.
From that first day you sent me
off to prison, you were so
high and mighty.
Why don't we just
see if we can't start over
by having a conversation, hmm?
A conversation is
a fair exchange of ideas between equals.
- Ah.
- And you're right.
I don't see you as either fair
[sniffs]
or equal.
And you certainly don't set the terms.
Oh, now, now, now. See,
now that's where you're wrong.
The one who sets the terms is
the one who doesn't care.
I don't care about your problems.
I don't care about dead cadets.
Your job is to figure out
what I do care about.
So, speak to me with respect,
and, uh
[thuds loudly]
sit your ass in that chair
until I tell you to get up
or I won't help you find a way
to get your kids off that ship.
- What is it, cadets?
- See this debris displacement?
This reading was taken
just after the Blue Team's
shuttle launched.
That has to be the Furies' ship
moving through the cloud here.
So they're now somewhere between
this point and the Miyazaki.
Which means their navigator
is constantly adjusting
to remain undetected.
Excellent work, cadets.
- It was Genesis mostly.
- KELREC: Commander Lura,
we should use this to track
their most likely course
through the field since they arrived.
An ingeniously simple approach.
Uh, if the Athena starts moving
through the field
looking for them,
they'll know we're onto them.
But couldn't something
like a probe move undetected
if it goes really slow?
Like sub-impulse slow?
I've created a sensor profile
to scan for the size in debris
variation we'd need to target.
Cadet Lythe, I've read your file.
You use your eyes
with the precision of a hengra.
You will help me pilot our space probe.
Cadet Lythe, we'll start mapping
the safest route for that probe.
Reymi, you can give us a hand.
- Let's find that ship.
- GENESIS/DAREM: Yes, sir.
♪
Can't you go faster?
Any faster and I'll melt
whatever circuits
the computer has left!
Speaking of melting!
COMPUTER:
N-Nine escape pods
available on Deck 19.
[glitching]: Unauthorized
intruders on the bridge,
bridge, bridge.
200 souls remaining on board.
M-M-Mayday.
Seven escape pods. Five.
M-M-Mayday!
Computer, you've been offline
for 125 years,
- you're not under attack.
- [screeching]
Not under the same attack!
COMPUTER [glitching]:
Unidentified input.
Input error. Procedure error.
Compu-Computer, we're Starfleet cadets.
Respond as we command.
Medbay, Captain Chi's
blood pressure is dropping.
Lieutenant Nestor-Zullo
is unresponsive.
It is still trying to save its crew.
It doesn't know that they're gone.
So, how do we convince it?
The comics may be useful.
They detail the entire history
of the Miyazaki
all the way up until the moment
the crew was lost.
Computer, read media input 737.
Look at its metadate.
Stardate 898898.3.
S-Scanning to verify
historical record of
Miyazaki c-c-crew.
SAM: Computer,
bring the force field online!
Initiate command now!
COMPUTER [glitching]:
Processing data.
The crew was off
on another adventure.
This time, a rescue mission.
Something went terribly wrong.
[glitching]:
Terribly wrong.
TARIMA [echoing]:
Caleb, hear me.
Find me.
[banging]
OCAM:
Tarima, hey. Hey! Tarima.
- Hey, Tarima, hey, hey, hey.
- [hyperventilating]
Stay with me.
You're good, you're good.
- You're good.
- I just connected to Caleb.
I think they're gonna die over there.
I can feel it, Ocam,
they don't know what to do.
- They don't know what to do.
- Okay. You're okay, you're okay.
[imitates whooshing]
[chuckles]
Ah, you know,
I don't know how you do it.
Look after all these kids
when you've lost a kid yourself.
That's pretty obvious,
even for a lowlife like you.
- Time heals all, Braka.
- Yeah, but
you don't exactly
experience time, do you?
I mean, not like the rest of us.
Yeah, I've done my homework, Chancellor.
Yeah, I, uh, I read
that since Lanthanites
essentially live forever
they can lose sight
of when things begin and end.
[jazzy music playing]
Did your dad teach you
your native language?
Because you don't even have
finality words
like "end" and "done."
I'm only half-Lanthanite.
Still, I mean, uh,
without the beginnings
and ends of things,
you could get caught in a trauma loop
that just goes on and on
and on forever.
Right?
I mean, that's terrifying.
That'll keep you up nights.
Right?
Smart to become a teacher,
so you can see
the beginnings and ends
for all these kids.
[Nus scoffs]
[laughs]
Okay. Okay.
Okay. "Cards on the table" time.
You know we're scared of you, right?
Nahla Ake, the captain
who had the sand
to sacrifice her own son
to save her ship?
Oh, yeah. We Venari Ral know
all about that.
We are in awe of that.
How you got the SOS
when your boy's ship went down,
but you
you stayed with your crew.
And, uh, he was on a vessel
like the Miyazaki, right?
And like the Miyazaki,
it went down piece by piece,
system failure by system failure.
I mean, does staring at that
stir it all up again for you?
'Cause in one lifetime,
your son could've lived
the lifetimes of everyone
aboard your ship combined.
And if you'd jumped ship,
maybe you could've saved him,
maybe the two of you could've
shared that lifetime together.
I mean, we don't do
that kind of sacrifice.
No, ma'am.
Or duty.
Or whatever you tell yourself
when you can't sleep
in an endless, endless night.
Oh, and now you've got
our mutual friend Caleb Mir.
You know, alas, another child
you should've saved
a long time ago, but once again,
you chose
some strange duty instead.
Oh, no.
He's on the Miyazaki, isn't he?
With the cannibals.
Oh, no.
Ah, those crazy bastards
don't quit until they taste blood.
I've seen them pick a carcass clean,
asshole and all.
And I'm talking about a Klingon carcass.
Not to mention
the constant drain on my time,
my money, my firepower.
Oh, my, that-that is
some cosmic poetry right there!
What if he dies on that ship today?
How will you know if he forgives you?
And if you never know,
doesn't that mean
he dies for you over and over again,
every day, forever?
No, I am not lying when I tell you
I'm honestly scared for you, babe.
FEMALE VOICE [over P.A.]:
Captain Ake, your presence
is required on the bridge.
Yeah, run on back.
You've got all the time
in the world!
[cackles]
The cadets on the Miyazaki
locked themselves on the bridge.
They're safe, but not for long.
Have they reestablished contact?
No. I can see them.
Through Caleb.
I can get to him through
whatever's blocking us.
Cadet Sadal requires
a psilosynine dampening implant
for emotional control.
OCAM:
Permission to speak freely, sir?
That file's crazy old,
it's not her whole story.
It's not even accurate.
Look, Betazoids are Betazoids.
You know, we sense stuff.
But Tarima's
She's special. She's more.
When she feels a strong
connection to someone,
she can go in.
But when, when--
When I was little, I
I couldn't control it.
I couldn't
regulate.
That was before the implant.
If I got angry or hurt, I could
I did damage.
It was an accident.
I understand.
It was Dad.
She got angry and blew out
his auditory cortex.
Honestly, like, I think
she kind of did him a favor,
'cause I was trying to teach
myself the trumpet that week,
and our house was--
I'm so sorry.
I'm more in control now.
I can connect to Caleb again
and talk to him.
If something happens to him,
if something happens to any of them,
and I could've helped--
The power we'd be asking you to use,
the amount of psilosynine
flooding your system,
you could go into shock.
Or worse.
TARIMA: One of the things
the War College has taught me,
that you taught me,
is to see the task clearly.
I can see what I have to do,
and I can see I'm the only one
on this ship who can do it.
Let me try.
Twice in past exercises,
our cadets have tried
to restore power on Miyazaki
by reactivating the singularity drive.
The drive that caused
catastrophic failures
the last time it was turned on.
Last semester, my cadets installed
a program to safely restart it,
but failed for lack of time.
If Sadal can tell the cadets
to restore the drive, even briefly,
the gravimetric displacement caused
by Miyazaki's deflector
would disrupt
the jamming field long enough
for us to transport them out.
TARIMA: Sir, from what I could see,
Caleb and the others
might not be able to get to Engineering
at all.
[screeching]
Sam, we're out of time!
- Almost there.
- COMPUTER: The ship's computer
did everything it could to save them.
[glitching]:
The crew did not survive.
The crew did not survive.
I'm sorry. We're your new crew.
Now, do you understand?
The crew did not survive.
- [Furies snarling]
- Down, down, down!
SAM:
We are your new crew!
- Do you understand?!
- Come on, come on, come on.
Move, move, move!
Computer, activate force field
and seal that door!
COMPUTER: Confirmed.
Activating force field.
[screeches]
You are the new crew of the Miyazaki.
Breach sealed.
Awaiting further commands.
[screeching]
[Furies clicking, growling]
They will find another way in.
[Furies snarling]
KELREC:
What happened with Nus?
[quietly]: The expected
pedestrian mind games,
but he slipped up.
I knew he would
if I sat there long enough.
The Furies won't leave him alone.
He knows they'll make his life miserable.
He needs us as much as we need him.
But
But?
Nus is a devious guy.
This is
relatively straightforward.
Too straightforward.
I'm worried we're missing something.
This is the message to Blue Team.
Once you go under,
I'll be monitoring you
and will reactivate your inhibitor
at any sign of danger.
But how will I know when to--?
You'll be able to hear my voice
and I will tell you
when to give the order.
♪
In writing:
the Federation agrees
to all your dilithium
distribution crap in Taygeta I.
It's everything you asked for.
There's a shuttle waiting
to fly you away
once you give us what we need.
Now, uh, you wouldn't respect me
if I didn't ask
for a little sweetener, am I right?
There are incentives there
for every hostage you manage to free.
- Right, but--
- But you have a problem.
I'm sorry. I have a problem?
Yeah.
You're scared.
Ha!
Whatever you did to get
the Furies off your back
in Sector 119 won't keep them
off your back.
[chuckling]
They're crazier than you are,
which I didn't think was possible.
I have full control of Sector 119.
Bullshit. You're here because
you're a cringing
little crybaby coward
trying to get the Federation
to keep a playground bully away.
Whoa. Hey. What--?
Cowards always have multiple agendas,
because deep down,
they know they're failures.
If I was a failure, I'd be dead.
[scoffs]
We should all be so lucky.
Now, we can get rid of the maniacs,
or we can let them eat your lunch
until the end of time.
Don't be a dick.
Tell me how to stop the Furies,
tell me what I need to know
- Hey! Oh!
- or get the hell off my ship.
O-Okay! Oh!
Okay!
- They're bats?
- Part lynar.
Their inner ears are
particularly sensitive
to high sonic frequencies.
Nus used a sonic weapon
to clear them out of Sector 119.
Starbase J19-Alpha,
it's an experimental platform
for new weapon systems
not far from here.
They have an Intrepid-class ship,
the Sargasso,
that should be able to make
the necessary modifications en route
to emit a sonic disruption beam.
How long before they could arrive?
Within a half hour.
So, assuming we find
that cloaked ship by then,
Sargasso comes in hot,
hits them with the sonic weapon.
When the cloak falls,
it drops the jamming field,
and we only have
a few precious seconds
to transport the cadets out
before the Furies know what's happening.
As a backup, we use Tarima Sadal
to instruct the cadets to bring
the singularity drive online.
That breaks the field, and we grab them.
Lura, how we doing
on those coordinates?
Almost there. Braka has
departed with the shuttle.
We'll track his impulse
signature as long as possible.
Understood. Monitor his comms
while you're at it.
LURA:
Already done.
Once we start this train,
we can't stop it.
These are our cadets' lives.
Doctor. Send her in.
♪
Here we go.
[device beeping]
[hisses]
♪
♪
[force field warbling]
[Furies screeching]
They're trying to disable
the force field!
[Furies growling, screeching]
TARIMA:
Caleb?
Caleb.
It's okay.
[echoing]:
I'm here.
I didn't mean to make you
feel like a freak.
I've just never had someone
see that side of me before.
I know. Same.
- Am I about to die?
- No.
But you need to bring
the singularity drive back online.
It's the only way
we can beam you out of here.
That's impossible.
It's in Main Engineering.
Kelrec's convinced Captain Chi
would have been able
to access the drive from the bridge.
Once you do, tell B'Avi
to run Tiny Fireflies,
but don't activate the drive
until I give the order.
Tiny Fireflies.
That's the name of the program.
Is Tiny Fireflies the final name
or are you accepting alternatives?
Maybe not the best time
to workshop this?
[Furies growling]
Find that remote access
to the drive. Hurry!
Computer, I need access
to Main Engineering
on the viewscreen now.
COMPUTER: Sensors are damaged.
I will have to reroute.
I don't care! Do it! Do it now!
ATHENA COMPUTER:
Probe search of location grid
Sector 14 is complete,
Cadet Lythe.
No enemy vessels detected.
Moving to Sector 15 now.
[sighs] It's like looking
for a needle in a haystack
made of needles.
Maintain focus.
Just look for debris variation
greater than 60%.
You've got this, Cadet.
[Furies growling]
Computer, Main Engineering
on the viewscreen.
Come on, come on, come on.
COMPUTER: Main Engineering
access in progress.
Why did they stop?
CALEB: Maybe they found
a better way in.
COMPUTER: Main Engineering
access in progress.
[groaning]
[glitching]: Main Engineering
access in progress.
What was that?
Tarima's sending us
instructions from Athena.
She's
in my head.
- You and her have been?
- Yeah.
And this is exactly how
I wanted to tell you, too.
COMPUTER: Main Engineering
access complete.
- Mm-hmm.
- Hey. Look.
Welcome to the Main Engineering
access portal.
The one and only singularity drive.
B'Avi, Tiny Fireflies.
Those words mean anything to you?
They do.
ATHENA COMPUTER:
No enemy vessels detected.
- Moving to Sector 16.
- Come on, come on.
- Where are you?
- Scanning.
Scanning.
Debris variation in grid 117 at 70%.
Gotcha, you bastard.
Excellent work, Cadet Lythe.
Sargasso will arrive
at any moment.
The Doctor confirms Sadal
communicated with Blue Team.
We're standing by
to transport them aboard
the moment that jamming field drops.
Something's not right.
What do you know about J19-Alpha?
The space station
Sargasso was docked at.
What kind of technology
are they testing there?
The highly classified kind.
PILOT:
USS Sargasso here.
Deflector online, target acquired.
Transmission in two minutes.
Copy, Sargasso. Go get them.
Transporters, stand by
to lock onto our kids.
Aye, Captain.
CALEB:
Flow regulators are green,
but field strength is fluctuating.
Those are the safeties we installed.
Even then, the odds
of successfully cold-starting
a singularity drive are 80-to-one.
Didn't Chi always defy the odds?
You read the comics?
Boredom.
TARIMA:
Caleb.
Wait for my signal.
I'll tell you when.
Sargasso's deflector will
reach maximum power
in 30 seconds.
No tactical response
from the Furies' vessel yet.
Captain, we've intercepted a
transmission from Nus's shuttle.
It's encrypted,
but it was sent to that ship.
Get me that decryption.
Furies' vessel decloaking.
That isn't a Furies' vessel.
It's Venari Ral!
They were working together
the whole time.
Ah, that son of a bitch!
Maximum power to forward shields.
Evasive maneuvers.
Direct hit!
The Sargasso has been
completely disabled.
Oh, gods.
I have the encrypted message.
- No audio.
- Read it!
"They took the bait.
Bon appétit."
Doctor, tell Sadal to start the drive.
Lura, target that ship
with everything we've got!
Now, Caleb.
B'Avi, go!
[whirring accelerating]
It is working.
Tiny fireflies.
B'Avi
They're through.
Jamming field is down!
NAHLA:
Lura, get the cadets out now!
Move.
SAM: They're through the field!
They're through!
[Furies screeching]
[groaning]
LURA:
Transporter control reengaged.
Trying to lock onto the cadets.
There is too much distortion.
[screeching]
- Sam, watch out!
- [groans, glitches]
CALEB:
Sam!
- What the hell happened?
- [monitor beeping rapidly]
She-she ripped it out
before I could stop her.
[shouts]
[groaning]
[screeching]
KELREC:
Jamming field is restabilizing.
I still cannot get a lock.
[screeching]
[grunts]
[distorted]:
No!
[distorted wailing]
[echoing]: Send me back.
What happened?!
It's over.
I don't
Why are you bleeding?
There's a field of flowers
where I grew up.
I used to hide there when I was afraid.
Of what?
Me.
Tarima, come here.
Don't.
Look, I know you won't want
to be with me
after this, but at least
you'll be alive, okay?
What are you talking about?
[muted screaming]
♪
[screeching]
[muted screaming continues]
♪
[screeches]
♪
No, no. No, no, no, no.
No, no.
B'Avi, wake up.
B'Avi, please.
[cries]
SAM [glitching]:
Jay-Den, help me.
Jay-Den, please help me.
KYLE:
Open your eyes, B'Avi. Please.
VANCE:
You were right. He played us.
As soon as the Sargasso
departed J19-Alpha,
six Venari Ral ships
decloaked and attacked.
Their distress call didn't reach
headquarters right away.
Its defenses held for 18 minutes
before the station
was boarded and ransacked.
He knew we'd call in the Sargasso.
This was about him
getting on that station.
And we handed it to him.
VANCE:
We don't have final numbers
on the deceased yet.
Discovery's still
collecting escape pods.
It'll be weeks before we find out
what exactly he was after
on that station.
The president's called
for an emergency meeting
of the Security Council.
Nus Braka is about to become
the most wanted man in the quadrant.
And no one sleeps
until we hunt him down and end him.
Go back to San Francisco.
Trauma counselors will be standing by
for you and your cadets.
♪
This was my call, Nahla.
Not yours.
- He sprung a trap--
- Please.
Don't.
ATHENA COMPUTER:
Incoming message.
Source unknown.
Feel free to trace this transmission.
It'll give you something to do
while your Federation friends
count body bags.
♪
I want you to be okay, Nahla,
I really do.
Because hating you
made me better at my job.
It's such a petty teenage thing
to say, but it's true.
I hate you.
Beyond the obvious reasons,
I hate you
because you think your way
of life is better than mine.
She'll need a specialist,
but she'll be okay.
NUS:
And that gives you the right
to infect the entire universe
with the Federation's
own special strain
of bureaucratic chlamydia.
And anyone who dares
disagree with you is--
your word-- "a lowlife,"
and beneath contempt.
MALE MEDIC:
How is she?
FEMALE MEDIC:
Her vitals are stable,
but we don't know
how long she'll be in a coma.
NUS:
So you lost here today
because I see you,
Nahla.
I see you.
Fortunately, you know, all that hate
opened doors in my mind.
And now I know
what I'm truly capable of.
I know!
♪
You know, it's funny
[chuckles]
I was thinking,
you sent your kid
to his death to save many.
But this is kind of the opposite, right?
You got your kid back
and everyone else died!
[scoffs]
How's that for a trauma loop?
My gift to you.
[laughs]
But wait. There's more.
I still owe you something.
And believe me, it is coming
with a big red bow.
A special gift,
just for you.
You have no idea what a difference
you've made in my life, Nahla.
I want to thank you.
'Cause you're the best teacher
I ever had.
♪
[Furies clicking]
[Furies screeching]
[screeching continues]
[electricity sparking]
[Furies screeching]
[electricity sparking]
[Furies growling, screeching]