Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026) s01e10 Episode Script
Rubicon
1
- No!
- Mama?
Hey. Hello, Little Fish.
Anisha Mir,
you will be placed
in a rehabilitation camp.
Ha!
Y-You said you'd help me.
A Federation officer died, Ms. Mir.
What's gonna happen to my son?
He'll become a ward
of the Federation.
Oh, yes.
Don't trust them!
Trust me.
I love you!
Hello, Ms. Mir.
This is the Athena
Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.
- You're just recovering--
- Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.
No! We can't be here.
No, we can't be here.
- It's okay.
- I-I don't know
what she told you
but we have to leave.
- Ms. Mir.
- No. How can we leave?
- We have to leave.
- Ms. Mir.
- We have a situation.
- No!
No!
No.
Captain, I was able
to punch a subspace comms hole
through Braka's wall of death.
I can get Admiral Vance and Lura
for two minutes if we're lucky.
Under any other circumstances,
I would give you a ship of your own
to go wherever you want.
Caleb too, if that's his choice.
But right now,
it's only a matter of time
before Nus Braka finds us
and shoots us out of the sky.
Please come with me to the bridge.
Is the Athena the only Starfleet vessel
- outside this thing?
- You are.
Our analysis confirms that
the wall is made up
of hundreds of individual mines,
each containing a single
particle of Omega-47,
and each surrounded by an energy field
that will detonate the mines if breached.
The energy fields are overlapping
and we couldn't find an opening.
If Nus detonates the entire wall,
what's the blast yield?
80,000 cubic light-years
of space destroyed.
We estimate 240 inhabited planets
within the blast area
will be immediately affected
and at least 160 billion dead.
It'll be worse than the Burn.
What about Discovery?
Can they jump the perimeter
through the mycelial network?
No, the fields are synchronized
on a subspace frequency.
A jump might trigger a detonation.
Nahla, what is your current complement?
Commander Reno, The Doctor, myself,
six first-year cadets
Commander Thok, Admiral Vance,
this is Anisha Mir, Caleb Mir's mother.
Ms. Mir
Save it.
I'm taking my son
and I'm getting us both off this ship
as soon as it's safe.
Ms. Mir, I understand you
Captain, we're losing them.
Admiral, is there any intelligence
on what Braka's thinking?
There must be chatter.
We're hearing he's trying
to organize a coalition
of some sort
of mutual protection pact.
A cartel of non-member worlds.
Free to pillage any planet
under threat of Omega-47.
I've transmitted all Omega data,
including classified files.
Our analysts believe
that the energy fields
surrounding the mines are controlled
by a single subspace signal,
but we can't locate it
from behind the wall.
Athena could.
If we find and isolate that signal,
we could jam it,
bring the whole thing down.
Braka isn't stupid.
If that signal controls his operation,
it's gonna be rigged with a fail-safe.
Any interference and
the entire wall could blow.
She's right.
We have to take control
of the signal without disrupting it
to shut down those mines.
There's no other way.
Do it. Contact us again
as soon as you--
Incoming warp signatures!
Venari Ral.
At least six vessels.
Warp drive isn't responding.
There's a plasma leak.
No time to lock it down.
Red Alert, shields up,
evasive maneuvers.
Keep 'em off us.
Everybody else, hold on.
Maintain power to shields.
If they drop, he'll scan us
and Braka will know he's up
against a skeleton crew.
Shields are down
to 80% and falling.
Reno, gather up all the cadets
and hide them in Airlock B.
Kraag and Sadal went undetected
for hours in there
by increasing the pressure.
- You too, Ms. Mir.
- You're going to need a reason
to be outside of Federation space.
A reason that Braka will believe.
And he thinks I'm dead, so I might
distract him for a couple minutes.
Cadet Mir,
- you're with Reno.
- No, I'm not leaving you, Mom.
No. Go, Caleb.
He'll only use you to hurt me.
Energizing.
Do you know how to operate
a tactical panel?
Take that station and tell me
if you see
incoming transporter signals.
If anything happens to my son,
I'm gonna kill you.
If anything happens to your son,
you'll be doing me a favor.
Okay. You might be hiding
in here for a while,
so remember, tiny sips of air.
You may feel dizzy or off-balance
since the air pressure is rising.
If you have shortness of breath,
take down the pressure a notch.
Also, don't leave the airlock
until I sound the all-clear.
Increasing airlock pressure by 0.029%.
What I said earlier on Ukeck
You're wasting your breath.
And ours.
Plasma leak detected.
Sensors coming back on line.
Assessing structural damage.
We just lost our shields.
Reno, make that plasma leak worse.
Uh, we don't normally do that, but okay.
Incoming transports, three, two
one.
Come on, who you kidding?
It was always gonna be me
in this chair.
Oh, my stars.
Can it be?
My two best gals?
Anisha! Well, you're alive!
Like Lazarus! But shorter.
And a girl.
Well, I, uh, I admit, I'm surprised.
But not really.
I mean, what does surprise me
is just seeing you here with her.
Nothing to say?
Hmm? Hmm?
Oh, you were awfully chatty
when I busted you
out of prison two years ago.
You practically sang
the Pledge of Allegiance.
Three Federation stooges and a ghost.
Boo.
What the hell are you all
doing out here?
You're supposed to be in there,
with the rest of the baboons.
What are the only two people
in the universe
who hate each other more than
they hate me doing together?
Hmm. What a puzzle.
Is this like an
"enemy of my enemy" thing?
Oh, uh, enemies-in-law?
Hey, I just coined that.
That's funny.
Somebody write that down.
Come on, guys, I made a funny.
Laugh!
How about this one?
Four Federation officers were
spotted shooting up
my marketplace on Ukeck.
One was a hologram.
- That would be me.
- That would be us.
Bullshit.
You people never travel light.
There isn't anybody else on this ship.
I wasn't about to risk more lives.
I made a promise to Caleb Mir
to find his mother.
I found her on a planet
you're in the middle of annexing.
Boy, that trauma loop must
really be working on you.
Hmm? To go through all this
for a family
that despises you so very much.
Ship's clear.
There's no one here.
Run it again.
Caution,
warp core containment breach imminent.
That old chestnut again?
Come on.
You pounded our hull with torpedoes.
We're pretty screwed.
You know what?
You, I don't like.
At all.
But you two
you two may be very useful today.
Yeah, why prolong the inevitable?
You're coming with me
but they're going down with the ship.
Sound good? Good.
Any last words for the
pathetically loyal, nearly departed?
"Leap clear of all that is corporeal
and make yourself greater."
Ack. Literature.
Quelle sophistication.
Ack!
Get us out of here!
What the hell was that about?
She was telling me to run
Training Mission Hermes 19.
Doc, are you sure?
We've never run this.
We're running it now.
Gently. I've had it
for almost a thousand years.
- Shields, come on.
- Impact in three
No, damn it.
two, one.
The Doctor's holographic decoy worked,
Commander Reno.
The Venari Ral ships have gone.
However, structural integrity is failing,
and there are multiple hull breaches.
Emergency bulkheads deployed.
Everyone present and accounted for?
Aye, Commander.
Where's my mother?
Braka took her. And the captain.
Where's my dad?
He's inside the main computer.
He extended his matrix
through the deflector dish
to create a hologram.
It's an illusion to make the ship
appear to have been destroyed.
Shields protected us
mostly from Braka's torpedoes.
Everybody grab a station, let's go.
Sam, don't worry, I've got him.
Reuben will tango parrot shoes
to the mango patch.
Bonding? Use more glue.
Uh, let's get him down
to the chancellor's office,
run a level-10 diagnostic on him.
- Obviously, something's wrong.
- Dad.
There's glue in the shoe.
Come with me.
- Find the shoe.
- Commander?
- Where do you need me?
- You're medical
- for the duration. Go.
- Find-find the glue.
Uh, the warp core's leaking plasma.
It's about to breach.
No, it's not. Uh, that was
just me saucing the goose.
I'm using what's left
from the power reserve
to patch the leak
with a force field.
It's not going to hold much longer.
Long and short-range sensors are down.
How much of a head start does Nus have?
- Do we have their warp trail?
- Pop quiz:
eight of us on a busted saucer
on a suicide run against Braka
and his entire armada,
or 100 Starfleet ships armed to the teeth
flying in for the rescue
once we take down the wall
like we were ordered to do
by our captain.
I thought Starfleet doesn't
leave anyone behind.
Caleb.
I know what you're feeling,
but if he blows those mines,
it's the end of the Federation
and a death sentence for
all the worlds trapped inside.
We're talking about two very
important lives or trillions.
All right, who can tell me
what I need to fix first?
Um sensors.
A minus for hesitating, but yes,
without those, we are sitting ducks.
In the meantime, Lythe, plot us a course
that's far from anything known.
We need to create space
from where we are in this spot.
Reymi, you're gonna keep us
at one-eighth impulse.
One-eighth? That's less than
1,000 kilometers per second.
We may as well crawl.
Solid B.
Good calculating
but I am gonna have to dock points
for the attitude.
That's all the power we can spare
for thrusters right now.
Look sharp in case anything
approaches our position.
Sadal, start scanning subspace
for the frequency
Braka's using to control the wall.
What am I listening for?
Something constant in the upper bands
that doesn't sound like standard chatter.
Mir, once we find the frequency,
we'll need a program that will allow us
to intercept the control
without interfering with it.
- How does that help us?
- You tell me.
If we can control it, we can use it
to send a signal to shut the wall down.
Uh-huh.
There's a lot of math
between here and there
but basically: bingo.
Everyone understand their assignments?
What do we say?
- Aye, Commander.
- Aye, Captain.
- Uh, not a captain.
- Fine.
All ships, I want those
grappling cables tight.
Tighter than every single
self-righteous Starfleet sphincter
when they realize I took
their favorite toy.
And their puberty guidance counselor.
Today, the revolution will be televised!
Caleb is alive.
Caleb is alive.
Put your arms around me.
He's safe, he's okay.
We had a plan.
Nus cannot know.
He will find them and kill them.
The only way out is together.
Showtime, girls!
And have I got a surprise for you.
Honored guests,
friends both near and far,
thank you for making time
in your busy schedules
on such short notice.
This is Nus Braka of the Venari Ral,
broadcasting to each of you
across the quadrant.
I'm speaking to the desperate,
the ignored, the left behind,
and I'm here to tell you
you're not alone.
No.
Hell, like a lot of us,
I don't know where I was born.
I only remember we had nothing.
So we just kept moving.
When we were sick.
When we were tired.
You know, the one constant in our lives
was a steady stream
of Federation supply ships flying
over our little colony.
Oh, I gotta say, to a little kid,
they were beautiful.
We waited hours to see them.
We killed time just playing
tic-tac-toe in the dirt.
And then, whoosh!
Everything we needed:
Food, water, medicine.
Every part of the galaxy.
But not for us.
They never stopped for us.
Maybe they didn't know about
our little mining colony.
Maybe they didn't see us.
They didn't know
that we were starving.
We tried to stop 'em.
We shot up flares.
We built fires.
They just kept flying.
It pushed my poor father to his limit.
He rigged up a weapon.
Crude, but he wanted
to take down one of those
life-saving ships.
He knew he was signing his death warrant,
but it was the only thing
that could save us.
And he missed.
Oh, and in response, the Federation
strafed us with missiles.
They rained red hellfire down on us.
My family didn't survive.
From our colony, eight of us survived.
Oh, the Federation survived.
The Federation that is now
rebuilding itself.
The Federation that says:
Oh, by the way,
the Burn can never happen again.
But it can.
In fact, they've developed
a weapon called Omega-47
that all but ensures it will,
and right now the only thing
standing between us and them
is me. And I am fed up!
So, today we're putting
the Federation on trial
for their lies, for their crimes
against democracy--
the true democracy.
I never got a real trial.
Neither did this woman next to me.
We did, however, receive sentences.
Oh, it's funny how that works. Right?
But we are better than they are.
Today, we will hold a fair trial,
and broadcast it to you:
you, the people, will not be kept
in the dark anymore.
You, the people,
will know that in our new world--
the world we build together--
everybody will have a voice!
Anyone who yearns for transparency,
for truth, is welcome in my tent.
I can think of no better proxy
for the Federation
than Starfleet Academy Chancellor
and Captain Nahla Ake.
And no better proxy for us
as judge and jury
than Anisha Mir,
who lost a child at their hands.
She alone will decide
whether the Federation
deserves a reprieve,
or a more final penalty.
Justice will be served here today, folks.
Piping hot.
How's our speed?
There. Put our speed up
to one-quarter impulse.
Live a little.
What was that?
According to our newly
repaired short-range sensors,
we've drifted into a gravitational eddy.
Okay, okay, got it.
Reversing thrusters.
Reymi, don't try and fight it.
Accelerate into it.
I know it's counterintuitive
I I can't.
Don't overcorrect.
- Do you want to take the helm?
- No! I'm just,
I'm trying to help.
Oh, is that what you're doing?
'Cause it doesn't sound like it.
Knock it off, you two.
And focus.
I'm just saying,
it doesn't help, it's not helping.
Your inhibitor.
You okay?
Tarima? Are you okay?
Your inhibitor.
- Is is it broken?
- It's
- It's I'm fine.
- Warning.
Gravitational shear beyond
acceptable limits.
Stabilize trajectory immediately.
Okay, got it. We're clear.
Damage is minimal-ish.
Why couldn't I compensate
for the gravitational shear?
Because you were going too fast
when we hit it and you tried
to stop.
Could've been worse.
I, uh, totaled the first
three shuttles I ever flew.
It's not easy to total a shuttle,
but I had a gift.
We learn more when things go wrong
than when they go right.
Cadets, this is what it's like
to be alone in space
with no hope of rescue
on a broken ship.
You can let your fear take you down,
or you can identify it as useless
and step into a better solution.
It's either that, or death.
Pick one.
Mir, how's the frequency hack?
Uh, it's ready,
but we need to deploy it at
the signal's point of origin.
Which is gonna be wherever Braka is.
He probably sleeps
with the master control
under his pillow. Sadal?
I'm still narrowing it down,
but I've got a few likely contenders.
Keep at it. What's next?
We only have ten percent power
to impulse engines,
no shields, no weapons.
No long-range sensors,
and our warp drive is still offline
because our patch failed,
and we're leaking plasma again.
Okay, I'm gonna need to pay
that a visit in person.
And how are we going to locate Braka
without long-range sensors?
Listen to me.
We'll get that wall down,
but we do one emergency at a time.
I'm gonna head down
and fix the warp core.
You're with me.
Reymi, you're still at the helm.
Steer clear of literally everything,
keep the short-range sensors at full
and let me know if anything approaches.
Aye, Commander.
Mir, come.
Let's go, rocket boy.
What are my orders, Commander?
The conn is yours, Cadet Lythe.
Don't screw it up. Please.
Please, please, please.
Wait.
I think I have to pee.
Now, Captain Ake,
you have the right
not to answer any questions.
You understand?
But if you don't,
I can't say what
the hardworking folks
in our audience might think.
They might think
that the Federation
has something to hide.
I have nothing to hide.
And if we're going to pretend
this is a trial,
you missed a few facts
in your opening argument.
There is no occasion
in the history of Starfleet
when we have opened fire on civilians.
- Ever.
- But who writes the history,
Chancellor?
We weren't studying Omega-47
to make a weapon.
We-we were trying to create
a new power source.
A single particle can provide
for an entire planet
for a million years.
And you're now holding not only
the Federation fleet,
but the entire quadrant hostage with it.
Oh, "hostage" is entirely subjective.
And knowing you as I do,
I bet you have a detonator on you.
I'd ask the people listening
how they feel about a man
who's making his case
with an arsenal of warheads.
Yes, I put the Federation
behind a wall!
But I had the stones
to lock the bastards up
so the truth could be revealed.
They would have kept you
in the dark forever.
I'm what you call a liberator,
Chancellor.
Liberators don't take hostages.
Oh, but you took
this woman's son hostage.
Tell us something, did he come
running to you for protection
when you brought him to the Academy?
He was on his way to a prison camp.
He would have died there.
Ah, had you not reached down
from your exalted perch
and intervened.
So, you tracked him,
stalked him and told him
it's Starfleet or jail. Correct?
- Yes.
- And when you put him
in the uniform
of his mother's jailers,
was he happy about that?
Did he want that?
No. He did not.
He didn't want to stay.
And how did you
get him to stay, by the way?
I told him I'd help him
find his mother.
Ah.
No pressure there.
And it's ironic
because you were the one
who separated him from her
in the first place, am I right?
- Yes.
- Yes.
No further questions.
I have a question for you.
The colony you were on, you said
it was a mining operation.
It's a little late
to give a damn, Captain.
- What did you mine?
- Strontium.
We signaled the Federation
that we wanted to trade.
We weren't looking for a handout.
But I guess they had
more important fish to fry.
The shuttles we deployed
went to the planets
with the worst humanitarian crises.
Plagues.
Starvation in the millions.
We had to make hard choices
in an impossible time.
Your colony, if you had strontium,
you had something.
There were worlds that, well--
as many of our observers can attest--
some of them just needed body bags.
Leadership, Braka--
it's not for the faint of heart.
Anisha Mir, come on down.
Pressure check?
Pressure check!
Anti-matter flow rate at 0.862.
I told you to let me know
if the pressure rose above 0.86.
This is the only thing you need
to be focused on right now.
I know it's hard but it'll help.
One of the relays
for our reserve nacelles
is out of alignment.
I need to lock 'em down
and then we'll check them
one at a time.
Relay 9-Gamma-6, what do you got?
I shouldn't be helping anybody.
I'm shit at it.
Eh, you never learned how.
Cue the violins.
Let me ask you something.
You already found your mom.
And you were headed off
that planet with her, right?
Just the two of you?
You had your chance
and you didn't take it.
- Why?
- They were going to get shot.
- Who was going to get shot?
- Sam.
Darem. Genesis.
They were about to get executed.
I couldn't just--
Right.
Anybody would have done what I did.
No.
I've lived in two
very different centuries.
And I'm telling you No.
Very few people
would have turned around.
Remember the first day of class
when I asked you to tell me
who you are?
You just told me.
You're not essentially broken, kid.
I know it was a bumpy road getting here,
but I'm sorry to say,
you already give a damn
about your friends,
- and about Starfleet.
- I just don't wanna keep
hurting people.
I'm gonna mess it up again.
I'm gonna act like
an arrogant little shit.
I have absolutely no doubt about that.
Pressure's at 0.8615 and climbing.
That's the misaligned relay, right?
Great job, kid.
That wasn't so hard, was it?
Turns out you don't even
need your friends
to be held at gunpoint
to do the right thing.
Well, maybe Darem.
Eh, he'll make a good pilot one day.
All right.
Let's check 9-Gamma-6 again.
Pressure?
0.86. Right where it's supposed to be.
Anisha Mir,
you have the galaxy's attention.
I-I don't know if everyone
knows what you did.
Say it.
You were convicted of felony theft.
I sent you to a rehabilitation camp.
I made your son a ward of the Federation.
It was the law.
Yes.
You were just following orders.
I am haunted that
all I did was resign.
You tracked my son down.
Like a dog.
Why didn't you track me down?
We tried.
We didn't know where you were.
- You escaped from prison.
- What did you expect me to do?
Sit in a cell while my son
was out there?
Is that what you would do?
No.
No. But it was good enough
for the likes of me?
I had no one.
Braka was the only one
who risked anything for me.
What did you risk for me?
What did the Federation risk?
I needed what they said
they believed in, I needed
understanding and decency.
I needed you.
I know you did.
I tried.
Tried what?
You made a little show of yourself.
I can guess it:
"We're the Federation.
This isn't what I signed up for!"
And that didn't work.
So then you made another
little show of resigning.
But you didn't resign before.
You resigned after.
And then took your job as what?
A teacher.
Nothing like a soft landing.
Tell me what you want from me.
I want you to have
no shelter from this.
I want you to feel it every day,
like the cold, or hunger,
or a broken bone.
I want it there when you close your eyes.
I want it there when you're laughing,
when you're drinking.
I want it there when you are grieving.
You're 400-something years old now
and for the rest of your life,
I want you to close your eyes
and see me.
That is the only way I get justice.
The only way I get
to dance on your grave.
Well, and on that note,
I'm calling a recess.
Cadet Kraag to the bridge.
- Go ahead.
- We've completed
The Doctor's defragmentation routine,
but nothing has changed.
He remains
unwell.
And Cadet Sam is becoming
un grounded.
She needs you.
How we coming on Braka's frequency?
I've almost got it.
Keep at it.
Jay-Den, I'm on my way.
Darem, you have the conn.
Aye, Captain.
Find the glue.
The glue is the bond.
Um
Why is he still spouting nonsense?
From a medical point of view,
that is a symptom.
But we cannot find a solution
until we understand the problem.
What if we reset his matrix
to its original parameters?
We could reattach him to the mainframe
and then if we reintegrate him properly,
- maybe then--
- "If"?
Are you for real?
We're going to go with "if"?
You want to make it worse?
Did you come down here
to be a hero or something?
Why would you say something like that?
Because it was the basis
of our whole relationship.
Before I left for Kasq,
you were the hero
and I was always just
a mirror for you.
Following you around like a puppy.
- Shoe is the glue.
- You might have felt that way.
But I didn't.
I'm not that Sam anymore.
I have her memories,
her-her awkward
and ridiculous memories,
but I'm not that Sam anymore.
You've been looking at me
with that same expectation
since I came back.
No, Sam. I look at you
like you're the hero.
What you came through?
How you handled it?
It'd be weird if you expected everything
to just stay the same.
It'd be weird if I did, too.
Do I miss the other you sometimes?
Sure.
But the Sam standing
in front of me right now,
that is the Sam that I love.
The Sam that's going to save her dad.
We have to be who we are right now.
Yes.
Yes.
The other me felt strongest
when I was speaking Tamza.
Because it was just mine.
And then I met you.
You communicate in a language
that makes no sense
but you understand each other.
What if your father has been trying
to communicate with us this entire time
but we simply do not
understand his language?
Yes! Don't cross the Rubincon
with glue on your shoes.
Ham Sam hued shoes.
Dad, you just said my name.
"Crossing the Rubicon," that was
an ancient military campaign.
A point of no return.
Sam, who used all the glue?
What are you trying to tell me, Dad?
Don't cross the Rubincon.
The Rubin-part.
Find the glue on your shoe.
Rubin-part?
Do you mean Rubin particles?
What's a Rubin particle?
When Starfleet created Omega-47,
they used Rubin particles
to make it easier to stabilize.
And added gluons
to increase the strength
of the molecular bonds.
- Mm-hmm.
- "Don't cross the Rubicon,
find the glue on"
A gluon is an elementary particle.
It glues quarks together.
I think he is trying to tell us
how to stabilize Omega-47.
Permanently.
If we try to get into
Federation territory,
or anyone tries to get out,
it all goes boom,
destroying everything.
Dad thinks, and I agree,
if we reduce the Rubin particles,
the remaining gluons
might be able to stabilize
those molecules
at the heart of those mines.
Computer, run a simulation
by reducing Omega-47 concentration
of Rubin particles
by one-tenth of a percent
prior to harmonic stabilization.
Running mine stability simulation.
Stability failure.
Continue reducing
concentration by one
one-hundredth of a percent.
Concentration: 67.976%.
Stability failure.
Concentration: 67.969%.
Stability failure.
The Rubin particle concentration
- Failure.
- The Rubin particle
- Stability improving.
- Stability improving.
Rubin particle concentration
- Stability improving.
- improving.
- 94%.
- Stability improving.
98%.
100%. Stability achieved.
If we can transmit an algorithm
over Braka's frequency
that adjusts the particles
to this concentration,
the mines will be stable, and harmless.
We could bring down the wall.
"Science is the captain,
practice the soldiers." Anyone?
- DaVinci.
- Nice.
Sam, get working on that algorithm.
And, uh, by the way, I've just
isolated the subspace frequency.
Okay. That means if we can get
close enough to him,
we can capture his control frequency
with my program.
So where's Braka now?
I've narrowed down the origin
of his frequency
to this star system,
but I still don't have
the exact coordinates.
But it's a big planetary system
with over 167 moons,
and our long-range sensors
are still busted.
We'd be going in blind.
Unless we find another way.
See this gas giant
in the Beithir star system?
If we approach from the right vector,
and drop out of warp
just as we reach its orbit,
it'll act like a like a mask,
distorting its sensors.
It'll give us time to keep looking.
Nicely done, Reymi.
If the Venari Ral detect us,
we won't stand a chance.
The ship is not battle-ready.
So we have to know
their exact coordinates
before we get to that gas giant.
All right, everyone, back to your stations.
Let's work on finding an answer.
Aye, Commander.
Do you trust me?
I trust you.
Please trust me.
You know, I never got the chance
to thank you for this place.
I thought you hated it.
No.
Why are we here?
Privacy.
Stop me if I say something stupid.
Stop.
Your whole life,
people have been telling you
that you're dangerous.
That you're a weapon,
and that without an implant,
you can't control
this incredible gift that you have.
It's not a gift, Caleb.
And what if it is a gift? Hmm?
What if it is?
What if every ounce of struggle
you've had with yourself
has been to bring you here?
Because I believe you can control it,
and I know you're the only one
to guide us through.
The only one.
How? I'm not magic, Caleb.
Magic is the last thing that we need.
Do you remember the whales?
How they never got lost
in the entire ocean?
Echolocation?
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
The first time you got into my head,
you found my connection with my mother.
Can you find her again, through me?
And lead us to her?
Wherever she'll be,
that's where we'll find Braka.
Are you letting me?
I am.
It's you. It's always been you.
I'm willing to put my life on it.
Okay.
Tarima's gonna use my connection
to my mother to find her.
And if we can find her,
we can find Nus.
You've got this.
Okay.
Show me.
We'll always be together.
I feel her.
Can you help me?
Adjust course to 018 Mark
291
I got it.
She found the atrium.
I love you, too.
Course plotted, Commander.
Adjusting to 018 Mark 291.
Sam, how's that
stability algorithm coming?
I'm gonna need every minute
of the half-hour it takes
to get there and then some, Commander.
The gas giant's not far
from Nus's coordinates.
Once we're inside the cloud,
we can capture the frequencies
and send the algorithm from there.
You make a teacher proud.
You guys together, I like it.
Hell of a lot better
than that simulation debacle.
All right, this is the last step.
As far as final exams go,
this one is a doozy.
If you pass, we live.
If you fail, we're all dead.
- No problem.
- Right.
Good talk. Now show me
pretty streaks of light.
Venari Ral could be anywhere.
Make sure you keep us hidden.
There's a thick pocket
of gas just ahead
that will camouflage us nicely,
if I can just
nudge us right in it.
There.
No sign that we've activated
any of their sensors.
That's some smooth flying, Reymi.
What about those mines?
Isolating their control frequency.
It's coming from the atrium.
Wait. There's something else
coming from there, too.
It's broadcasting on all
available comms frequencies.
Let's hear it.
Well, folks,
we've laughed, we've cried,
and now it would seem that at long last,
we have come to the end of the line.
I have some final questions.
Presuming this is a true democracy
and we're abiding due process.
By all means, Captain.
You want to dance on my grave.
There's another grave
you should know about.
No one wants to hear any more
about your dead son.
I'm speaking about the pilot
you murdered.
The reason you went away to jail, remember?
Anisha, you stole the schematics.
You made it possible
for Nus Braka to board
a Federation ship.
It was a supply ship.
We had no food.
I know.
The pilot was Lieutenant Akamu Lee.
He was originally from Sol III--
Earth.
A place called Hawaii.
We served together.
He stayed with the Federation
even when Earth left.
He wore this long braid
and all his kids
wore the braid as well.
A family thing.
He was
a lousy singer.
That supply ship was supposed
to be his last rotation before
he retired.
What did you think was going to happen
when you boarded that shuttle?
You both had weapons, right?
And you were prepared to use them?
Yes.
Who shot Lieutenant Lee?
Nus.
He pulled his weapon.
I had to fire back.
Self-defense.
Could you have stopped him?
I don't know.
Maybe.
Could you have saved his life?
I said maybe.
Maybe is not enough.
In that moment,
you altered the lives
of Akamu Lee's children, too.
Forever.
You altered your son's life.
So have I.
We all have to live with it.
But we don't have to live with him.
There is so much anger
in the universe.
So much atrocity.
All of it started with some guy
saying what Nus is saying
right now:
"It's us or them.
Your hate will set you free."
You hate me.
More than you'll ever know.
Ah.
You still think I'm the monster
that took your son.
Yes, I do.
The monster that took my son is time.
Because there was no time.
I had no time to save him.
I'll never be free of it.
That's the grave I cannot escape.
I promise you
you're already dancing on it, Anisha.
Nahla Ake is guilty.
You heard her!
Guilty! Nahla Ake is guilty!
The Federation is guilty!
Oh, folks, we finally got it right.
The people have spoken.
And they are pissed!
You heard her!
Guilty!
Guilty! Guilty!
This is it!
There's only one thing left
and that is the sentence.
The people of the galaxy,
they want balance.
Justice!
We have heard lies.
We have heard hypocrisies.
For this woman's crimes
against your family
and so many others, Anisha Mir,
- will you please present the s--
- Excuse me, sir.
What?
There's an incoming shuttle.
One occupant. Requesting asylum.
Signaling "Caleb Mir."
Reymi, don't let us drift
out into the open.
- Aye, Commander.
- Lythe?
Still no sensor contact.
Sam, Mir's shuttle just docked.
Stabilization's still at 42%.
42% of stable is not
Stable, I'm aware.
Caleb will buy us the time we need.
Well, hello, Little Fish.
I'm so glad you could join us.
I have something to say.
Trial's over.
You made me a part of this,
now you want to silence me?
In front of the entire quadrant?
Well played.
Clever lad.
Oh, silence you?
Never.
Share your thoughts with us, please.
Running out of time
to shut down those mines, guys.
Stabilization at 68%.
- Come on, Sam, you got this.
- This is an algorithm,
not a pineapple cake.
It takes time!
Mom,
I would ask,
in this moment, for you to listen.
I love you.
You always told me to look up at the stars.
You said the infinity that's out there
the same one was in here.
I never understood that until Starfleet.
I know it's a betrayal.
I felt that every day.
And it killed me.
You have to know that,
just like I know what the death
of that officer did to you.
But the Academy kept pushing me
until, for the first time in my life,
I realized I have something to offer.
I never knew that before.
I can be more than just a space rat.
A lost son.
I can be part of a community.
And these people, Mom,
these friends of mine?
I have to tell you, I've laughed more
in the past year
than I have in my entire life.
I didn't even know
what it really felt like
just to laugh.
But I was a coward
and I fought them.
I said horrible things.
And they deserved so much better.
I kept trying to push them away.
To just not care.
But they wouldn't let me--
you know why?
They all live for something
bigger than themselves.
And when that gets hard
we look to Nahla.
She believed in me, Mom.
She's never given up on us.
She believes that we can make
a difference. She listens.
I know what happened 16 years ago,
and she's the one who taught me
I can't stay there forever.
I can be a part of this world
without forgetting where I come from.
Without forgetting you.
And that's Starfleet.
They know what they stand for.
It's not this.
I've been searching
for you my whole life.
I've been looking for home so long.
And I think I finally found it.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
That's brainwashing!
They probably held him
in the brig for a long time
until he memorized that garbage,
along with the, uh
with the Starfleet Anthem!
Well, there-there is no Starfleet Anthem,
but what a good suggestion.
Caleb, was exochemistry one of your classes
at the Academy?
Yes.
Tell me about strontium.
It's a fuel source.
Cheap, but lethal.
Why?
Because when strontium hits
anything volatile, it explodes.
Like, say, a buildup of
toxic oxides in an atmosphere.
Yes.
What color does strontium burn?
Red. Like a match in a tinderbox.
Nus said the Federation rained
red hellfire on his colony.
That's impossible.
- Why?
- Federation weaponry,
Federation fire,
at least for
the last few hundred years,
has always been blue or green.
Not red.
Braka, the Federation
didn't destroy your colony.
Your father built a weapon
using the only fuel he had,
and it ignited the atmosphere.
That's a lie.
That is a vicious lie.
That-- Lies.
Do you hear that?
That's a lie! Lies!
Lies and propaganda!
No, it's science.
You were a little kid when it happened.
You still see everything
through the eyes of that kid.
You never grew up.
And it got us right here.
So the question I'd ask to
all these people watching:
Is this the person you want
to follow into the future?
An angry child with his finger
on the trigger
whose entire worldview
is based on a lie?
No! No, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no!
Now he's desperate.
What do we got?
Stabilization at 82%.
No, don't go!
Don't go!
Oh, no.
No!
This is not how it ends!
This is how it ends!
This is how it ends!
Error.
Error.
Computer, what the hell is happening?!
Mine field deactivated.
Omega-47 particles stabilized.
Incoming ships!
- What?
- It's the Federation.
What?
Thank you for your service, Athena.
You've gone above and beyond.
The fleet can take it from here.
Let's go!
- Let's go!
- Yeah, Sam!
Yes!
Whoopee! It's 100%!
Let's go!
Nus Braka and Venari Ral,
you are surrounded.
Prepare to be boarded.
Well, hold on to how much
you hate me, Little Fish.
It'll help keep you warm at night.
You are hereby remanded
into Federation custody.
Comply immediately.
That's it?
You call that a punch? Hmm?
Oh, Anisha Mir,
when you close your eyes,
you'll see me in your nightmares.
You too, Nahla Ake!
Oh!
Get him the hell out of here.
Can I please just have, like,
50 hours of menial labor instead?
Nope.
Please. Come on,
you gotta give me something.
- Vomit monitor.
- It's out of my hands.
You and the others will be present
in full dress uniforms
at 1800 hours for a private reception
with the president.
You gotta let her
express her gratitude.
Politicians love that shit.
Yeah, but don't they make you use, like,
ten different forks?
Yeah.
We don't cover etiquette until year two.
Maybe I should revisit that.
MALE
All final evaluations
for graduating cadets to
the Academy register's office
no later than 1800 hours tomorrow.
Go ahead.
I'll be here when you get back.
Give you the crash course in forks.
I should have told you about my mom
when I had the chance.
I didn't think you'd listen.
I was wrong.
Get out of here. Go. Shoo.
Vamoose.
Specialist Krebs,
your Talaxian Furfly
has left the replicator,
and is now mating with itself.
Does that seem okay to you?
- Hey.
- So, we're cleared to go
tomorrow morning.
First stop: Earth.
Big universe out there.
Yep.
Summer's almost here.
I'm itching to get out there.
See it with you.
Part of me hopes that
you won't want to come back.
But we both know
Well, you'll always know
where to find me, Mom.
I know.
I'm looking at you.
I'm so proud.
I know this is your home.
You always have another one here.
You too, Mom.
- Come on, I'll show you around.
- Okay.
Attention, cadets.
We have arrived at Betazed.
Please be sure to respect
and follow all local customs
when visiting cultural sites,
observing religious ceremonies,
or attending any weddings.
Don't forget your sunscreen.
Have a great summer.
And be safe, fellow travelers.
When you reach the end of a journey,
you find yourself looking back
at the beginning.
All I ever wanted was to find my mom,
and run away.
I didn't know life could be more
than survival.
That it can be an adventure.
That there are people I can rely on,
who rely on me.
Friends, family.
Home was never something
I could even imagine.
That's what I found here.
A change like that, it's not easy.
You have to trust people.
I'm still learning how.
How are you feeling, Dad?
Right as rain, Sam.
Right as rain.
Okay.
Um
- Hi, friends. Hi.
- Hi.
My name is Caleb Mir,
Cadet Second Class,
Starfleet Academy.
Stardate 869631.7.
This is my first cadet's log entry.
And the last thing
I ever would have expected.
["Beautiful Child"
by Rufus Wainwright playing]
Oh, how I'll feel
like a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child ♪
Yeah ♪
Such a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child again ♪
When I have finally found ♪
My room filled with toys ♪
Banging on my crib ♪
Excited by noise ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel
like a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child again ♪
Such a beautiful child,
such a beautiful child again ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel
like a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child again ♪
Oh, oh ♪
Such a beautiful child,
such a beautiful child again ♪
When I am older than ♪
These small ♪
Goddamned hills. ♪
- No!
- Mama?
Hey. Hello, Little Fish.
Anisha Mir,
you will be placed
in a rehabilitation camp.
Ha!
Y-You said you'd help me.
A Federation officer died, Ms. Mir.
What's gonna happen to my son?
He'll become a ward
of the Federation.
Oh, yes.
Don't trust them!
Trust me.
I love you!
Hello, Ms. Mir.
This is the Athena
Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.
- You're just recovering--
- Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.
No! We can't be here.
No, we can't be here.
- It's okay.
- I-I don't know
what she told you
but we have to leave.
- Ms. Mir.
- No. How can we leave?
- We have to leave.
- Ms. Mir.
- We have a situation.
- No!
No!
No.
Captain, I was able
to punch a subspace comms hole
through Braka's wall of death.
I can get Admiral Vance and Lura
for two minutes if we're lucky.
Under any other circumstances,
I would give you a ship of your own
to go wherever you want.
Caleb too, if that's his choice.
But right now,
it's only a matter of time
before Nus Braka finds us
and shoots us out of the sky.
Please come with me to the bridge.
Is the Athena the only Starfleet vessel
- outside this thing?
- You are.
Our analysis confirms that
the wall is made up
of hundreds of individual mines,
each containing a single
particle of Omega-47,
and each surrounded by an energy field
that will detonate the mines if breached.
The energy fields are overlapping
and we couldn't find an opening.
If Nus detonates the entire wall,
what's the blast yield?
80,000 cubic light-years
of space destroyed.
We estimate 240 inhabited planets
within the blast area
will be immediately affected
and at least 160 billion dead.
It'll be worse than the Burn.
What about Discovery?
Can they jump the perimeter
through the mycelial network?
No, the fields are synchronized
on a subspace frequency.
A jump might trigger a detonation.
Nahla, what is your current complement?
Commander Reno, The Doctor, myself,
six first-year cadets
Commander Thok, Admiral Vance,
this is Anisha Mir, Caleb Mir's mother.
Ms. Mir
Save it.
I'm taking my son
and I'm getting us both off this ship
as soon as it's safe.
Ms. Mir, I understand you
Captain, we're losing them.
Admiral, is there any intelligence
on what Braka's thinking?
There must be chatter.
We're hearing he's trying
to organize a coalition
of some sort
of mutual protection pact.
A cartel of non-member worlds.
Free to pillage any planet
under threat of Omega-47.
I've transmitted all Omega data,
including classified files.
Our analysts believe
that the energy fields
surrounding the mines are controlled
by a single subspace signal,
but we can't locate it
from behind the wall.
Athena could.
If we find and isolate that signal,
we could jam it,
bring the whole thing down.
Braka isn't stupid.
If that signal controls his operation,
it's gonna be rigged with a fail-safe.
Any interference and
the entire wall could blow.
She's right.
We have to take control
of the signal without disrupting it
to shut down those mines.
There's no other way.
Do it. Contact us again
as soon as you--
Incoming warp signatures!
Venari Ral.
At least six vessels.
Warp drive isn't responding.
There's a plasma leak.
No time to lock it down.
Red Alert, shields up,
evasive maneuvers.
Keep 'em off us.
Everybody else, hold on.
Maintain power to shields.
If they drop, he'll scan us
and Braka will know he's up
against a skeleton crew.
Shields are down
to 80% and falling.
Reno, gather up all the cadets
and hide them in Airlock B.
Kraag and Sadal went undetected
for hours in there
by increasing the pressure.
- You too, Ms. Mir.
- You're going to need a reason
to be outside of Federation space.
A reason that Braka will believe.
And he thinks I'm dead, so I might
distract him for a couple minutes.
Cadet Mir,
- you're with Reno.
- No, I'm not leaving you, Mom.
No. Go, Caleb.
He'll only use you to hurt me.
Energizing.
Do you know how to operate
a tactical panel?
Take that station and tell me
if you see
incoming transporter signals.
If anything happens to my son,
I'm gonna kill you.
If anything happens to your son,
you'll be doing me a favor.
Okay. You might be hiding
in here for a while,
so remember, tiny sips of air.
You may feel dizzy or off-balance
since the air pressure is rising.
If you have shortness of breath,
take down the pressure a notch.
Also, don't leave the airlock
until I sound the all-clear.
Increasing airlock pressure by 0.029%.
What I said earlier on Ukeck
You're wasting your breath.
And ours.
Plasma leak detected.
Sensors coming back on line.
Assessing structural damage.
We just lost our shields.
Reno, make that plasma leak worse.
Uh, we don't normally do that, but okay.
Incoming transports, three, two
one.
Come on, who you kidding?
It was always gonna be me
in this chair.
Oh, my stars.
Can it be?
My two best gals?
Anisha! Well, you're alive!
Like Lazarus! But shorter.
And a girl.
Well, I, uh, I admit, I'm surprised.
But not really.
I mean, what does surprise me
is just seeing you here with her.
Nothing to say?
Hmm? Hmm?
Oh, you were awfully chatty
when I busted you
out of prison two years ago.
You practically sang
the Pledge of Allegiance.
Three Federation stooges and a ghost.
Boo.
What the hell are you all
doing out here?
You're supposed to be in there,
with the rest of the baboons.
What are the only two people
in the universe
who hate each other more than
they hate me doing together?
Hmm. What a puzzle.
Is this like an
"enemy of my enemy" thing?
Oh, uh, enemies-in-law?
Hey, I just coined that.
That's funny.
Somebody write that down.
Come on, guys, I made a funny.
Laugh!
How about this one?
Four Federation officers were
spotted shooting up
my marketplace on Ukeck.
One was a hologram.
- That would be me.
- That would be us.
Bullshit.
You people never travel light.
There isn't anybody else on this ship.
I wasn't about to risk more lives.
I made a promise to Caleb Mir
to find his mother.
I found her on a planet
you're in the middle of annexing.
Boy, that trauma loop must
really be working on you.
Hmm? To go through all this
for a family
that despises you so very much.
Ship's clear.
There's no one here.
Run it again.
Caution,
warp core containment breach imminent.
That old chestnut again?
Come on.
You pounded our hull with torpedoes.
We're pretty screwed.
You know what?
You, I don't like.
At all.
But you two
you two may be very useful today.
Yeah, why prolong the inevitable?
You're coming with me
but they're going down with the ship.
Sound good? Good.
Any last words for the
pathetically loyal, nearly departed?
"Leap clear of all that is corporeal
and make yourself greater."
Ack. Literature.
Quelle sophistication.
Ack!
Get us out of here!
What the hell was that about?
She was telling me to run
Training Mission Hermes 19.
Doc, are you sure?
We've never run this.
We're running it now.
Gently. I've had it
for almost a thousand years.
- Shields, come on.
- Impact in three
No, damn it.
two, one.
The Doctor's holographic decoy worked,
Commander Reno.
The Venari Ral ships have gone.
However, structural integrity is failing,
and there are multiple hull breaches.
Emergency bulkheads deployed.
Everyone present and accounted for?
Aye, Commander.
Where's my mother?
Braka took her. And the captain.
Where's my dad?
He's inside the main computer.
He extended his matrix
through the deflector dish
to create a hologram.
It's an illusion to make the ship
appear to have been destroyed.
Shields protected us
mostly from Braka's torpedoes.
Everybody grab a station, let's go.
Sam, don't worry, I've got him.
Reuben will tango parrot shoes
to the mango patch.
Bonding? Use more glue.
Uh, let's get him down
to the chancellor's office,
run a level-10 diagnostic on him.
- Obviously, something's wrong.
- Dad.
There's glue in the shoe.
Come with me.
- Find the shoe.
- Commander?
- Where do you need me?
- You're medical
- for the duration. Go.
- Find-find the glue.
Uh, the warp core's leaking plasma.
It's about to breach.
No, it's not. Uh, that was
just me saucing the goose.
I'm using what's left
from the power reserve
to patch the leak
with a force field.
It's not going to hold much longer.
Long and short-range sensors are down.
How much of a head start does Nus have?
- Do we have their warp trail?
- Pop quiz:
eight of us on a busted saucer
on a suicide run against Braka
and his entire armada,
or 100 Starfleet ships armed to the teeth
flying in for the rescue
once we take down the wall
like we were ordered to do
by our captain.
I thought Starfleet doesn't
leave anyone behind.
Caleb.
I know what you're feeling,
but if he blows those mines,
it's the end of the Federation
and a death sentence for
all the worlds trapped inside.
We're talking about two very
important lives or trillions.
All right, who can tell me
what I need to fix first?
Um sensors.
A minus for hesitating, but yes,
without those, we are sitting ducks.
In the meantime, Lythe, plot us a course
that's far from anything known.
We need to create space
from where we are in this spot.
Reymi, you're gonna keep us
at one-eighth impulse.
One-eighth? That's less than
1,000 kilometers per second.
We may as well crawl.
Solid B.
Good calculating
but I am gonna have to dock points
for the attitude.
That's all the power we can spare
for thrusters right now.
Look sharp in case anything
approaches our position.
Sadal, start scanning subspace
for the frequency
Braka's using to control the wall.
What am I listening for?
Something constant in the upper bands
that doesn't sound like standard chatter.
Mir, once we find the frequency,
we'll need a program that will allow us
to intercept the control
without interfering with it.
- How does that help us?
- You tell me.
If we can control it, we can use it
to send a signal to shut the wall down.
Uh-huh.
There's a lot of math
between here and there
but basically: bingo.
Everyone understand their assignments?
What do we say?
- Aye, Commander.
- Aye, Captain.
- Uh, not a captain.
- Fine.
All ships, I want those
grappling cables tight.
Tighter than every single
self-righteous Starfleet sphincter
when they realize I took
their favorite toy.
And their puberty guidance counselor.
Today, the revolution will be televised!
Caleb is alive.
Caleb is alive.
Put your arms around me.
He's safe, he's okay.
We had a plan.
Nus cannot know.
He will find them and kill them.
The only way out is together.
Showtime, girls!
And have I got a surprise for you.
Honored guests,
friends both near and far,
thank you for making time
in your busy schedules
on such short notice.
This is Nus Braka of the Venari Ral,
broadcasting to each of you
across the quadrant.
I'm speaking to the desperate,
the ignored, the left behind,
and I'm here to tell you
you're not alone.
No.
Hell, like a lot of us,
I don't know where I was born.
I only remember we had nothing.
So we just kept moving.
When we were sick.
When we were tired.
You know, the one constant in our lives
was a steady stream
of Federation supply ships flying
over our little colony.
Oh, I gotta say, to a little kid,
they were beautiful.
We waited hours to see them.
We killed time just playing
tic-tac-toe in the dirt.
And then, whoosh!
Everything we needed:
Food, water, medicine.
Every part of the galaxy.
But not for us.
They never stopped for us.
Maybe they didn't know about
our little mining colony.
Maybe they didn't see us.
They didn't know
that we were starving.
We tried to stop 'em.
We shot up flares.
We built fires.
They just kept flying.
It pushed my poor father to his limit.
He rigged up a weapon.
Crude, but he wanted
to take down one of those
life-saving ships.
He knew he was signing his death warrant,
but it was the only thing
that could save us.
And he missed.
Oh, and in response, the Federation
strafed us with missiles.
They rained red hellfire down on us.
My family didn't survive.
From our colony, eight of us survived.
Oh, the Federation survived.
The Federation that is now
rebuilding itself.
The Federation that says:
Oh, by the way,
the Burn can never happen again.
But it can.
In fact, they've developed
a weapon called Omega-47
that all but ensures it will,
and right now the only thing
standing between us and them
is me. And I am fed up!
So, today we're putting
the Federation on trial
for their lies, for their crimes
against democracy--
the true democracy.
I never got a real trial.
Neither did this woman next to me.
We did, however, receive sentences.
Oh, it's funny how that works. Right?
But we are better than they are.
Today, we will hold a fair trial,
and broadcast it to you:
you, the people, will not be kept
in the dark anymore.
You, the people,
will know that in our new world--
the world we build together--
everybody will have a voice!
Anyone who yearns for transparency,
for truth, is welcome in my tent.
I can think of no better proxy
for the Federation
than Starfleet Academy Chancellor
and Captain Nahla Ake.
And no better proxy for us
as judge and jury
than Anisha Mir,
who lost a child at their hands.
She alone will decide
whether the Federation
deserves a reprieve,
or a more final penalty.
Justice will be served here today, folks.
Piping hot.
How's our speed?
There. Put our speed up
to one-quarter impulse.
Live a little.
What was that?
According to our newly
repaired short-range sensors,
we've drifted into a gravitational eddy.
Okay, okay, got it.
Reversing thrusters.
Reymi, don't try and fight it.
Accelerate into it.
I know it's counterintuitive
I I can't.
Don't overcorrect.
- Do you want to take the helm?
- No! I'm just,
I'm trying to help.
Oh, is that what you're doing?
'Cause it doesn't sound like it.
Knock it off, you two.
And focus.
I'm just saying,
it doesn't help, it's not helping.
Your inhibitor.
You okay?
Tarima? Are you okay?
Your inhibitor.
- Is is it broken?
- It's
- It's I'm fine.
- Warning.
Gravitational shear beyond
acceptable limits.
Stabilize trajectory immediately.
Okay, got it. We're clear.
Damage is minimal-ish.
Why couldn't I compensate
for the gravitational shear?
Because you were going too fast
when we hit it and you tried
to stop.
Could've been worse.
I, uh, totaled the first
three shuttles I ever flew.
It's not easy to total a shuttle,
but I had a gift.
We learn more when things go wrong
than when they go right.
Cadets, this is what it's like
to be alone in space
with no hope of rescue
on a broken ship.
You can let your fear take you down,
or you can identify it as useless
and step into a better solution.
It's either that, or death.
Pick one.
Mir, how's the frequency hack?
Uh, it's ready,
but we need to deploy it at
the signal's point of origin.
Which is gonna be wherever Braka is.
He probably sleeps
with the master control
under his pillow. Sadal?
I'm still narrowing it down,
but I've got a few likely contenders.
Keep at it. What's next?
We only have ten percent power
to impulse engines,
no shields, no weapons.
No long-range sensors,
and our warp drive is still offline
because our patch failed,
and we're leaking plasma again.
Okay, I'm gonna need to pay
that a visit in person.
And how are we going to locate Braka
without long-range sensors?
Listen to me.
We'll get that wall down,
but we do one emergency at a time.
I'm gonna head down
and fix the warp core.
You're with me.
Reymi, you're still at the helm.
Steer clear of literally everything,
keep the short-range sensors at full
and let me know if anything approaches.
Aye, Commander.
Mir, come.
Let's go, rocket boy.
What are my orders, Commander?
The conn is yours, Cadet Lythe.
Don't screw it up. Please.
Please, please, please.
Wait.
I think I have to pee.
Now, Captain Ake,
you have the right
not to answer any questions.
You understand?
But if you don't,
I can't say what
the hardworking folks
in our audience might think.
They might think
that the Federation
has something to hide.
I have nothing to hide.
And if we're going to pretend
this is a trial,
you missed a few facts
in your opening argument.
There is no occasion
in the history of Starfleet
when we have opened fire on civilians.
- Ever.
- But who writes the history,
Chancellor?
We weren't studying Omega-47
to make a weapon.
We-we were trying to create
a new power source.
A single particle can provide
for an entire planet
for a million years.
And you're now holding not only
the Federation fleet,
but the entire quadrant hostage with it.
Oh, "hostage" is entirely subjective.
And knowing you as I do,
I bet you have a detonator on you.
I'd ask the people listening
how they feel about a man
who's making his case
with an arsenal of warheads.
Yes, I put the Federation
behind a wall!
But I had the stones
to lock the bastards up
so the truth could be revealed.
They would have kept you
in the dark forever.
I'm what you call a liberator,
Chancellor.
Liberators don't take hostages.
Oh, but you took
this woman's son hostage.
Tell us something, did he come
running to you for protection
when you brought him to the Academy?
He was on his way to a prison camp.
He would have died there.
Ah, had you not reached down
from your exalted perch
and intervened.
So, you tracked him,
stalked him and told him
it's Starfleet or jail. Correct?
- Yes.
- And when you put him
in the uniform
of his mother's jailers,
was he happy about that?
Did he want that?
No. He did not.
He didn't want to stay.
And how did you
get him to stay, by the way?
I told him I'd help him
find his mother.
Ah.
No pressure there.
And it's ironic
because you were the one
who separated him from her
in the first place, am I right?
- Yes.
- Yes.
No further questions.
I have a question for you.
The colony you were on, you said
it was a mining operation.
It's a little late
to give a damn, Captain.
- What did you mine?
- Strontium.
We signaled the Federation
that we wanted to trade.
We weren't looking for a handout.
But I guess they had
more important fish to fry.
The shuttles we deployed
went to the planets
with the worst humanitarian crises.
Plagues.
Starvation in the millions.
We had to make hard choices
in an impossible time.
Your colony, if you had strontium,
you had something.
There were worlds that, well--
as many of our observers can attest--
some of them just needed body bags.
Leadership, Braka--
it's not for the faint of heart.
Anisha Mir, come on down.
Pressure check?
Pressure check!
Anti-matter flow rate at 0.862.
I told you to let me know
if the pressure rose above 0.86.
This is the only thing you need
to be focused on right now.
I know it's hard but it'll help.
One of the relays
for our reserve nacelles
is out of alignment.
I need to lock 'em down
and then we'll check them
one at a time.
Relay 9-Gamma-6, what do you got?
I shouldn't be helping anybody.
I'm shit at it.
Eh, you never learned how.
Cue the violins.
Let me ask you something.
You already found your mom.
And you were headed off
that planet with her, right?
Just the two of you?
You had your chance
and you didn't take it.
- Why?
- They were going to get shot.
- Who was going to get shot?
- Sam.
Darem. Genesis.
They were about to get executed.
I couldn't just--
Right.
Anybody would have done what I did.
No.
I've lived in two
very different centuries.
And I'm telling you No.
Very few people
would have turned around.
Remember the first day of class
when I asked you to tell me
who you are?
You just told me.
You're not essentially broken, kid.
I know it was a bumpy road getting here,
but I'm sorry to say,
you already give a damn
about your friends,
- and about Starfleet.
- I just don't wanna keep
hurting people.
I'm gonna mess it up again.
I'm gonna act like
an arrogant little shit.
I have absolutely no doubt about that.
Pressure's at 0.8615 and climbing.
That's the misaligned relay, right?
Great job, kid.
That wasn't so hard, was it?
Turns out you don't even
need your friends
to be held at gunpoint
to do the right thing.
Well, maybe Darem.
Eh, he'll make a good pilot one day.
All right.
Let's check 9-Gamma-6 again.
Pressure?
0.86. Right where it's supposed to be.
Anisha Mir,
you have the galaxy's attention.
I-I don't know if everyone
knows what you did.
Say it.
You were convicted of felony theft.
I sent you to a rehabilitation camp.
I made your son a ward of the Federation.
It was the law.
Yes.
You were just following orders.
I am haunted that
all I did was resign.
You tracked my son down.
Like a dog.
Why didn't you track me down?
We tried.
We didn't know where you were.
- You escaped from prison.
- What did you expect me to do?
Sit in a cell while my son
was out there?
Is that what you would do?
No.
No. But it was good enough
for the likes of me?
I had no one.
Braka was the only one
who risked anything for me.
What did you risk for me?
What did the Federation risk?
I needed what they said
they believed in, I needed
understanding and decency.
I needed you.
I know you did.
I tried.
Tried what?
You made a little show of yourself.
I can guess it:
"We're the Federation.
This isn't what I signed up for!"
And that didn't work.
So then you made another
little show of resigning.
But you didn't resign before.
You resigned after.
And then took your job as what?
A teacher.
Nothing like a soft landing.
Tell me what you want from me.
I want you to have
no shelter from this.
I want you to feel it every day,
like the cold, or hunger,
or a broken bone.
I want it there when you close your eyes.
I want it there when you're laughing,
when you're drinking.
I want it there when you are grieving.
You're 400-something years old now
and for the rest of your life,
I want you to close your eyes
and see me.
That is the only way I get justice.
The only way I get
to dance on your grave.
Well, and on that note,
I'm calling a recess.
Cadet Kraag to the bridge.
- Go ahead.
- We've completed
The Doctor's defragmentation routine,
but nothing has changed.
He remains
unwell.
And Cadet Sam is becoming
un grounded.
She needs you.
How we coming on Braka's frequency?
I've almost got it.
Keep at it.
Jay-Den, I'm on my way.
Darem, you have the conn.
Aye, Captain.
Find the glue.
The glue is the bond.
Um
Why is he still spouting nonsense?
From a medical point of view,
that is a symptom.
But we cannot find a solution
until we understand the problem.
What if we reset his matrix
to its original parameters?
We could reattach him to the mainframe
and then if we reintegrate him properly,
- maybe then--
- "If"?
Are you for real?
We're going to go with "if"?
You want to make it worse?
Did you come down here
to be a hero or something?
Why would you say something like that?
Because it was the basis
of our whole relationship.
Before I left for Kasq,
you were the hero
and I was always just
a mirror for you.
Following you around like a puppy.
- Shoe is the glue.
- You might have felt that way.
But I didn't.
I'm not that Sam anymore.
I have her memories,
her-her awkward
and ridiculous memories,
but I'm not that Sam anymore.
You've been looking at me
with that same expectation
since I came back.
No, Sam. I look at you
like you're the hero.
What you came through?
How you handled it?
It'd be weird if you expected everything
to just stay the same.
It'd be weird if I did, too.
Do I miss the other you sometimes?
Sure.
But the Sam standing
in front of me right now,
that is the Sam that I love.
The Sam that's going to save her dad.
We have to be who we are right now.
Yes.
Yes.
The other me felt strongest
when I was speaking Tamza.
Because it was just mine.
And then I met you.
You communicate in a language
that makes no sense
but you understand each other.
What if your father has been trying
to communicate with us this entire time
but we simply do not
understand his language?
Yes! Don't cross the Rubincon
with glue on your shoes.
Ham Sam hued shoes.
Dad, you just said my name.
"Crossing the Rubicon," that was
an ancient military campaign.
A point of no return.
Sam, who used all the glue?
What are you trying to tell me, Dad?
Don't cross the Rubincon.
The Rubin-part.
Find the glue on your shoe.
Rubin-part?
Do you mean Rubin particles?
What's a Rubin particle?
When Starfleet created Omega-47,
they used Rubin particles
to make it easier to stabilize.
And added gluons
to increase the strength
of the molecular bonds.
- Mm-hmm.
- "Don't cross the Rubicon,
find the glue on"
A gluon is an elementary particle.
It glues quarks together.
I think he is trying to tell us
how to stabilize Omega-47.
Permanently.
If we try to get into
Federation territory,
or anyone tries to get out,
it all goes boom,
destroying everything.
Dad thinks, and I agree,
if we reduce the Rubin particles,
the remaining gluons
might be able to stabilize
those molecules
at the heart of those mines.
Computer, run a simulation
by reducing Omega-47 concentration
of Rubin particles
by one-tenth of a percent
prior to harmonic stabilization.
Running mine stability simulation.
Stability failure.
Continue reducing
concentration by one
one-hundredth of a percent.
Concentration: 67.976%.
Stability failure.
Concentration: 67.969%.
Stability failure.
The Rubin particle concentration
- Failure.
- The Rubin particle
- Stability improving.
- Stability improving.
Rubin particle concentration
- Stability improving.
- improving.
- 94%.
- Stability improving.
98%.
100%. Stability achieved.
If we can transmit an algorithm
over Braka's frequency
that adjusts the particles
to this concentration,
the mines will be stable, and harmless.
We could bring down the wall.
"Science is the captain,
practice the soldiers." Anyone?
- DaVinci.
- Nice.
Sam, get working on that algorithm.
And, uh, by the way, I've just
isolated the subspace frequency.
Okay. That means if we can get
close enough to him,
we can capture his control frequency
with my program.
So where's Braka now?
I've narrowed down the origin
of his frequency
to this star system,
but I still don't have
the exact coordinates.
But it's a big planetary system
with over 167 moons,
and our long-range sensors
are still busted.
We'd be going in blind.
Unless we find another way.
See this gas giant
in the Beithir star system?
If we approach from the right vector,
and drop out of warp
just as we reach its orbit,
it'll act like a like a mask,
distorting its sensors.
It'll give us time to keep looking.
Nicely done, Reymi.
If the Venari Ral detect us,
we won't stand a chance.
The ship is not battle-ready.
So we have to know
their exact coordinates
before we get to that gas giant.
All right, everyone, back to your stations.
Let's work on finding an answer.
Aye, Commander.
Do you trust me?
I trust you.
Please trust me.
You know, I never got the chance
to thank you for this place.
I thought you hated it.
No.
Why are we here?
Privacy.
Stop me if I say something stupid.
Stop.
Your whole life,
people have been telling you
that you're dangerous.
That you're a weapon,
and that without an implant,
you can't control
this incredible gift that you have.
It's not a gift, Caleb.
And what if it is a gift? Hmm?
What if it is?
What if every ounce of struggle
you've had with yourself
has been to bring you here?
Because I believe you can control it,
and I know you're the only one
to guide us through.
The only one.
How? I'm not magic, Caleb.
Magic is the last thing that we need.
Do you remember the whales?
How they never got lost
in the entire ocean?
Echolocation?
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
The first time you got into my head,
you found my connection with my mother.
Can you find her again, through me?
And lead us to her?
Wherever she'll be,
that's where we'll find Braka.
Are you letting me?
I am.
It's you. It's always been you.
I'm willing to put my life on it.
Okay.
Tarima's gonna use my connection
to my mother to find her.
And if we can find her,
we can find Nus.
You've got this.
Okay.
Show me.
We'll always be together.
I feel her.
Can you help me?
Adjust course to 018 Mark
291
I got it.
She found the atrium.
I love you, too.
Course plotted, Commander.
Adjusting to 018 Mark 291.
Sam, how's that
stability algorithm coming?
I'm gonna need every minute
of the half-hour it takes
to get there and then some, Commander.
The gas giant's not far
from Nus's coordinates.
Once we're inside the cloud,
we can capture the frequencies
and send the algorithm from there.
You make a teacher proud.
You guys together, I like it.
Hell of a lot better
than that simulation debacle.
All right, this is the last step.
As far as final exams go,
this one is a doozy.
If you pass, we live.
If you fail, we're all dead.
- No problem.
- Right.
Good talk. Now show me
pretty streaks of light.
Venari Ral could be anywhere.
Make sure you keep us hidden.
There's a thick pocket
of gas just ahead
that will camouflage us nicely,
if I can just
nudge us right in it.
There.
No sign that we've activated
any of their sensors.
That's some smooth flying, Reymi.
What about those mines?
Isolating their control frequency.
It's coming from the atrium.
Wait. There's something else
coming from there, too.
It's broadcasting on all
available comms frequencies.
Let's hear it.
Well, folks,
we've laughed, we've cried,
and now it would seem that at long last,
we have come to the end of the line.
I have some final questions.
Presuming this is a true democracy
and we're abiding due process.
By all means, Captain.
You want to dance on my grave.
There's another grave
you should know about.
No one wants to hear any more
about your dead son.
I'm speaking about the pilot
you murdered.
The reason you went away to jail, remember?
Anisha, you stole the schematics.
You made it possible
for Nus Braka to board
a Federation ship.
It was a supply ship.
We had no food.
I know.
The pilot was Lieutenant Akamu Lee.
He was originally from Sol III--
Earth.
A place called Hawaii.
We served together.
He stayed with the Federation
even when Earth left.
He wore this long braid
and all his kids
wore the braid as well.
A family thing.
He was
a lousy singer.
That supply ship was supposed
to be his last rotation before
he retired.
What did you think was going to happen
when you boarded that shuttle?
You both had weapons, right?
And you were prepared to use them?
Yes.
Who shot Lieutenant Lee?
Nus.
He pulled his weapon.
I had to fire back.
Self-defense.
Could you have stopped him?
I don't know.
Maybe.
Could you have saved his life?
I said maybe.
Maybe is not enough.
In that moment,
you altered the lives
of Akamu Lee's children, too.
Forever.
You altered your son's life.
So have I.
We all have to live with it.
But we don't have to live with him.
There is so much anger
in the universe.
So much atrocity.
All of it started with some guy
saying what Nus is saying
right now:
"It's us or them.
Your hate will set you free."
You hate me.
More than you'll ever know.
Ah.
You still think I'm the monster
that took your son.
Yes, I do.
The monster that took my son is time.
Because there was no time.
I had no time to save him.
I'll never be free of it.
That's the grave I cannot escape.
I promise you
you're already dancing on it, Anisha.
Nahla Ake is guilty.
You heard her!
Guilty! Nahla Ake is guilty!
The Federation is guilty!
Oh, folks, we finally got it right.
The people have spoken.
And they are pissed!
You heard her!
Guilty!
Guilty! Guilty!
This is it!
There's only one thing left
and that is the sentence.
The people of the galaxy,
they want balance.
Justice!
We have heard lies.
We have heard hypocrisies.
For this woman's crimes
against your family
and so many others, Anisha Mir,
- will you please present the s--
- Excuse me, sir.
What?
There's an incoming shuttle.
One occupant. Requesting asylum.
Signaling "Caleb Mir."
Reymi, don't let us drift
out into the open.
- Aye, Commander.
- Lythe?
Still no sensor contact.
Sam, Mir's shuttle just docked.
Stabilization's still at 42%.
42% of stable is not
Stable, I'm aware.
Caleb will buy us the time we need.
Well, hello, Little Fish.
I'm so glad you could join us.
I have something to say.
Trial's over.
You made me a part of this,
now you want to silence me?
In front of the entire quadrant?
Well played.
Clever lad.
Oh, silence you?
Never.
Share your thoughts with us, please.
Running out of time
to shut down those mines, guys.
Stabilization at 68%.
- Come on, Sam, you got this.
- This is an algorithm,
not a pineapple cake.
It takes time!
Mom,
I would ask,
in this moment, for you to listen.
I love you.
You always told me to look up at the stars.
You said the infinity that's out there
the same one was in here.
I never understood that until Starfleet.
I know it's a betrayal.
I felt that every day.
And it killed me.
You have to know that,
just like I know what the death
of that officer did to you.
But the Academy kept pushing me
until, for the first time in my life,
I realized I have something to offer.
I never knew that before.
I can be more than just a space rat.
A lost son.
I can be part of a community.
And these people, Mom,
these friends of mine?
I have to tell you, I've laughed more
in the past year
than I have in my entire life.
I didn't even know
what it really felt like
just to laugh.
But I was a coward
and I fought them.
I said horrible things.
And they deserved so much better.
I kept trying to push them away.
To just not care.
But they wouldn't let me--
you know why?
They all live for something
bigger than themselves.
And when that gets hard
we look to Nahla.
She believed in me, Mom.
She's never given up on us.
She believes that we can make
a difference. She listens.
I know what happened 16 years ago,
and she's the one who taught me
I can't stay there forever.
I can be a part of this world
without forgetting where I come from.
Without forgetting you.
And that's Starfleet.
They know what they stand for.
It's not this.
I've been searching
for you my whole life.
I've been looking for home so long.
And I think I finally found it.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
That's brainwashing!
They probably held him
in the brig for a long time
until he memorized that garbage,
along with the, uh
with the Starfleet Anthem!
Well, there-there is no Starfleet Anthem,
but what a good suggestion.
Caleb, was exochemistry one of your classes
at the Academy?
Yes.
Tell me about strontium.
It's a fuel source.
Cheap, but lethal.
Why?
Because when strontium hits
anything volatile, it explodes.
Like, say, a buildup of
toxic oxides in an atmosphere.
Yes.
What color does strontium burn?
Red. Like a match in a tinderbox.
Nus said the Federation rained
red hellfire on his colony.
That's impossible.
- Why?
- Federation weaponry,
Federation fire,
at least for
the last few hundred years,
has always been blue or green.
Not red.
Braka, the Federation
didn't destroy your colony.
Your father built a weapon
using the only fuel he had,
and it ignited the atmosphere.
That's a lie.
That is a vicious lie.
That-- Lies.
Do you hear that?
That's a lie! Lies!
Lies and propaganda!
No, it's science.
You were a little kid when it happened.
You still see everything
through the eyes of that kid.
You never grew up.
And it got us right here.
So the question I'd ask to
all these people watching:
Is this the person you want
to follow into the future?
An angry child with his finger
on the trigger
whose entire worldview
is based on a lie?
No! No, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no!
Now he's desperate.
What do we got?
Stabilization at 82%.
No, don't go!
Don't go!
Oh, no.
No!
This is not how it ends!
This is how it ends!
This is how it ends!
Error.
Error.
Computer, what the hell is happening?!
Mine field deactivated.
Omega-47 particles stabilized.
Incoming ships!
- What?
- It's the Federation.
What?
Thank you for your service, Athena.
You've gone above and beyond.
The fleet can take it from here.
Let's go!
- Let's go!
- Yeah, Sam!
Yes!
Whoopee! It's 100%!
Let's go!
Nus Braka and Venari Ral,
you are surrounded.
Prepare to be boarded.
Well, hold on to how much
you hate me, Little Fish.
It'll help keep you warm at night.
You are hereby remanded
into Federation custody.
Comply immediately.
That's it?
You call that a punch? Hmm?
Oh, Anisha Mir,
when you close your eyes,
you'll see me in your nightmares.
You too, Nahla Ake!
Oh!
Get him the hell out of here.
Can I please just have, like,
50 hours of menial labor instead?
Nope.
Please. Come on,
you gotta give me something.
- Vomit monitor.
- It's out of my hands.
You and the others will be present
in full dress uniforms
at 1800 hours for a private reception
with the president.
You gotta let her
express her gratitude.
Politicians love that shit.
Yeah, but don't they make you use, like,
ten different forks?
Yeah.
We don't cover etiquette until year two.
Maybe I should revisit that.
MALE
All final evaluations
for graduating cadets to
the Academy register's office
no later than 1800 hours tomorrow.
Go ahead.
I'll be here when you get back.
Give you the crash course in forks.
I should have told you about my mom
when I had the chance.
I didn't think you'd listen.
I was wrong.
Get out of here. Go. Shoo.
Vamoose.
Specialist Krebs,
your Talaxian Furfly
has left the replicator,
and is now mating with itself.
Does that seem okay to you?
- Hey.
- So, we're cleared to go
tomorrow morning.
First stop: Earth.
Big universe out there.
Yep.
Summer's almost here.
I'm itching to get out there.
See it with you.
Part of me hopes that
you won't want to come back.
But we both know
Well, you'll always know
where to find me, Mom.
I know.
I'm looking at you.
I'm so proud.
I know this is your home.
You always have another one here.
You too, Mom.
- Come on, I'll show you around.
- Okay.
Attention, cadets.
We have arrived at Betazed.
Please be sure to respect
and follow all local customs
when visiting cultural sites,
observing religious ceremonies,
or attending any weddings.
Don't forget your sunscreen.
Have a great summer.
And be safe, fellow travelers.
When you reach the end of a journey,
you find yourself looking back
at the beginning.
All I ever wanted was to find my mom,
and run away.
I didn't know life could be more
than survival.
That it can be an adventure.
That there are people I can rely on,
who rely on me.
Friends, family.
Home was never something
I could even imagine.
That's what I found here.
A change like that, it's not easy.
You have to trust people.
I'm still learning how.
How are you feeling, Dad?
Right as rain, Sam.
Right as rain.
Okay.
Um
- Hi, friends. Hi.
- Hi.
My name is Caleb Mir,
Cadet Second Class,
Starfleet Academy.
Stardate 869631.7.
This is my first cadet's log entry.
And the last thing
I ever would have expected.
["Beautiful Child"
by Rufus Wainwright playing]
Oh, how I'll feel
like a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child ♪
Yeah ♪
Such a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child again ♪
When I have finally found ♪
My room filled with toys ♪
Banging on my crib ♪
Excited by noise ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel
like a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child again ♪
Such a beautiful child,
such a beautiful child again ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel ♪
Oh, how I'll feel
like a beautiful child ♪
Such a beautiful child again ♪
Oh, oh ♪
Such a beautiful child,
such a beautiful child again ♪
When I am older than ♪
These small ♪
Goddamned hills. ♪