Beacon 23 (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

Previously on Beacon 23.
[HALAN] Your ship just
crashed. I'm sorry.
The Crest.
- You're on a beacon.
- [ASTER] Yeah, I know.
I just need the samples and access to
I just said "no"!
[ASTER] Solomon's beacon
keeper is more hostile, I guess.
[HALAN] Wondering why I
don't look like Solomon?
That's 'cause I'm not
Solomon. My name is Halan.
- Who are you?
- I'm Harmony.
[BART] Solomon is no longer
alive. He was murdered.
That isn't half of the
story and you know it.
Aster, I need to get out
of here. Off the beacon.
[ASTER] What's that
condition soldiers get?
- [HARMONY] Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- No!
[ASTER] You said you
remembered something?
Aster!
Close the docking bay.
Lock everything down.
[HARMONY] They're
forcing the doors open.
They're not coming in.
[THEME SONG PLAYING]
[ALARM BLARING]
[BART] Attention, your entry
to this beacon is unauthorized!
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Attention, your entry to
this beacon is unauthorized!
Clear!
Attention, your entry to
this beacon is unauthorized!
[HEAVY BREATHING THROUGH MASKS]
Attention, your entry to this
- beacon is unauthorized!
- [INHALES, GRUNTS]
Attention, your entry to
this beacon is unauthorized!
Not in the eyes.
Attention, your entry
- to this beacon is unauthorized!
- [GRUNTS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ALARM BLARING]
The deal was stay in the debris field.
We've been crammed in
that ship for seven months.
Just to get away from the
smell, this is worth it.
- [INHALES DEEPLY]
- My contact was very explicit.
We get the wreck, we
stay away from the beacon.
The drag out there was crap,
so to hell with your contact.
Any ideas, Bart?
The hatches are sealed.
I recommend shutting off
life support below the Well.
Halan's not wearing a suit.
The lack of life support
would delay them.
And kill Halan.
A sacrifice that won't be forgotten.
Harmony, you got anything I can use?
Can you ID any of them?
Running recognition search.
[BEEPING]
This one, Madanchi Tritujuma.
Based on her mass and bone density,
she's from the mining
camps in the outer arms.
Meaning?
The ethnography states that those camps
are particularly brutal.
If they breach the upper levels
I get it, I'm dead.
Chick! Is that your helmet?
- Yes, sir.
- Pick up after yourself.
Come on.
Or let Mommy pick it up.
Bart! Tell them to back off!
Do you want to reconsider
suffocating them?
Bart, you're being given direct orders.
Yes, of course.
Attention! This is your last warning
- to vacate this
- I'm in.
[ASTER] Bart!
- Bart, answer me!
- Aster, I don't believe he can.
I'll try to interface with him.
Bart?
- Bartholomew.
- [SOUND DISTORTION]
[VOICE ECHOING]
Bart?
Can you hear me? [ECHOING]
Listen to the sound of my voice.
[BEEPING]
Hey, Battle!
Hmm, that's the good
stuff. Here, take this.
Got it. Got it!
Okay. [MUTTERING]
What do we got?
Multiple cameras. Sensors online.
Got a warm body up there.
Hold on, hold on.
There's a second AI.
Not ISA, personal.
Huh.
Okay, "Harmony."
Harmony!
I'll be taking over now.
Do yourself a favor,
stay out of my way.
- Did you contact Bart?
- I can't find Bart.
He's just being stubborn.
I think it's more serious than that.
Hey. Shh.
Battle?
Bigface? There's someone in the airlock.
[TENSE MUSIC]
- Easy.
- All right, get this door open.
Your wish is my command.
Easy, now. Look
[GRUNTS]
[STRUGGLING GRUNTS]
[THUDDING, GRUNTING]
Enough! Enough. Enough.
He's not a Beacon Keeper.
Yeah, he's military, is what he is.
Why you locked up, soldier?
Why don't you wait till ISA
shows up, and you'll find out.
[BIGFACE SPEAKING AN ALIEN LANGUAGE]
Bigface sees a lot of protein here.
Well, if you're satisfied
with med kits and pillows,
then be my guest. Throw me on the fire.
And what if we're not satisfied?
They got a safe full of Qubits
at the other end of the beacon.
But you gotta get through
five hatches to get there.
It'll take you hours.
ISA will be here by then.
Now me on the other hand
I can get up there in five minutes.
Open the whole thing up.
What do you get out of the bargain?
That.
That spit bubble won't get you anywhere.
Don't need to be
anywhere, just not here.
That's it?
No. I got a score to settle.
I need two minutes with her.
So I can express my feelings.
Can you not take over, Harmony?
Well, I can try.
[SIGHS]
[BATTLE] You want two minutes with her?
[HALAN] Yeah.
[BATTLE] And why exactly is that?
[HALAN] Who do you think
locked me in there?
[POWERING DOWN]
She's blind.
Can you get these hatches open?
It's gonna take time.
Five minutes, huh?
Maybe even four, if you're lucky.
Hmm.
All right, soldier,
you got yourself a deal.
You stick with him.
- Harmony, can you do anything?
- Just give me a second.
One of them has a biomimetic interface
and has contained Bart, somehow.
Locked him inside his own memory.
But we still have control
of the internal hatches,
and autonomic functions are firewalled,
- so they can't choke us off.
- Can you locate Halan?
No.
They've commandeered
all the internal sensors.
But based on that last
statement, you should
- I should arm myself, yeah?
- Yeah.
[KNOCKING]
Hey, man, back up.
I said back up!
Where is he?
I got something else.
Timur Ondi. Dishonorable discharge.
Numerous infractions.
There's a whole list.
I told you to stick with him!
Little chickenshit!
Hey, Battle! Leave him alone!
Or what?
[SIGHS]
There's a long list of violent offenses.
Yeah, it doesn't help me at
all. Can you find something else?
Sure.
- Think I found him.
- [BATTLE] Chick, get over here!
Come on, come on.
You're gonna like this.
Watch and learn.
[METAL CLATTERING]
[GRUNTS]
- [BLASTER]
- [GRUNTS]
- [ALL] Oh!
- [LAUGHING]
[GROANING]
[LAUGHING]
[GROANING]
God dammit, Aster.
Get off me!
Stop it! Stop it right now!
Stop it or you're gonna
get us both killed.
Do you understand me?
Harmony, when I get up,
can you scramble the feeds
- from the Living Quarters?
- Harmony, can you manage that?
- [HARMONY] I guess we'll find out, won't we?
- Get off me.
[LAUGHING]
[BEEP]
The hell?
- Get him on comms!
- I'm working on it.
[HARMONY] All clear.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Damn you.
What'd you expect?
I thought you were trying to kill me.
- I never tried to kill you!
- I don't need saving, either!
I'm not trying to save
you! You being alive
is just the result of
me saving my own ass.
- Sorry about your nuts.
- Yeah, me too.
- Do you want a derma?
- That'd be nice.
- Well, we've run out.
- Aster, I got something interesting.
Dr. Rojan Kaneddy, Minister
of Equity, Elau Colony.
Play the video.
[COMPUTER] These scenes of
destruction are all that remain
of the remote colony of
Elau in the Signa System.
After the disastrous malfunction
of the AX 129 beacon arm,
FTL freighters were
unable to resupply Elau
for over a year.
Survivors describe how the
population of six million
faced starvation, looting
and widespread civil unrest.
The events on Elau mirrored
those of the colony of Menelaus
30 years ago and highlights
the continuing danger
of colonizing the outer rings
where settlements depend
upon regular resupply.
- Find a way to contact her.
- I'll try.
- Harmony, open the hatch.
- Why would I do that?
- I got weapons one level down.
- [ASTER] So?
So, don't you think we should
at least try and cooperate?
Well, there is no "we",
'cause I don't trust you.
Oh, that feeling? I got that, too.
But we don't have much
of a choice now, do we?
No. Harm?
- You sure?
- Yup.
[WHIRRING]
Well, this is concerning.
He's military, he's not gonna cross me.
He's locked up on a
beacon, so he's ex-military.
So am I.
Or is that your point, Minister?
You can't trust someone who got
kicked out of the system, hmm?
Come on.
Where's the weapon?
You'll see.
[BEEPING]
What, you brought a change of
clothes and a massive battery?
[CLICK]
Portable charger.
[POWERING UP]
You're the weapon.
[SIGHS]
You have implants.
Brain stem, spinal column. How many?
Not sure. It starts when you enlist.
The longer you stay
And I stayed long. Maybe too long.
So you're a pilot?
- [BANGING]
- [BATTLE] Open up!
Open up!
We get caught breaking onto a beacon,
that is a life sentence.
- Is that so?
- Yes.
Well, I got some intel
for you, Minister.
Nobody gives a shit anymore.
Surprised you haven't
figured that out yet.
Hey, he is setting us up.
It's not too late to
go back to that ship
- [SLAPS]
- Shut
the hell up!
Are you gonna give me
a speech now, Minister?
[CHICK] No.
She's not.
That's the right answer.
Smart boy.
[SCOFFS]
Oh, I've always wanted one of these.
Nano-blade.
[BEEPING]
[SIGHS] We need to open
up the rest of the hatches.
[HARMONY] That isn't a good idea.
- That's your plan, split 'em up?
- Yeah, that's the plan.
- Do it, Harmony.
- Okay.
- [HATCH OPENING]
- Ah!
Ah, look at that!
[BIGFACE SPEAKS AN ALIEN LANGUAGE]
[CHICK LAUGHS]
Nicely done.
It wasn't me.
Must have been him.
Now, you see, Minister?
You gotta learn how to trust people.
- [SIGHS]
- Whoa.
- You, take the point.
- Yes, sir.
Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait.
Hang on! Why send him first?
He knows.
Tell her, kid.
'Cause I can't do the other thing.
[SIGHS]
- He's a child.
- Until he spills red,
he's expendable.
Rules, Minister, you know about those.
Clear.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[LIGHT FLICKERING]
Here they come.
Clear.
Hey, Chick, put the gun down.
Two of them, heading up.
All clear up here.
Harmony, close the hatches now!
[HATCH CLOSING]
- [FRUSTRATED GRUNT]
- This is not good.
[SPEAKS ALIEN LANGUAGE]
Kaneddy! Kid! What's going on up there?
Battle! Battle!
- Battle, we're stuck!
- Calm down!
- Battle!
- Calm down, he knows!
No, I have to get down there.
You want to impress him?
Help me find what we're looking for.
I thought Battle said we
were looking for cubes.
Qubits, that's what the soldier said,
but those'll be locked up.
There's something else here.
How would you know that?
The company that set this up,
they put a lot of
time and money into it.
So there must be something on
board worth all that effort,
'cause it's not out there.
Something more than Qubits.
[BATTLE] Kaneddy. Status?
Kaneddy! What is your status?
Why won't you answer him?
So he knows we're useless?
- Start looking.
- For what?
Something valuable.
[SIGHS]
Kaneddy, what is your status?
Kaneddy!
Are you okay, Bart?
Bart? Can you hear me?
[BART] And will he not come again?
No, no, he is dead. Go to thy deathbed.
He will never come again.
His beard was white as snow.
Solomon? Where are you?
Resequencing. Is anyone oh no.
[HARMONY] Listen to
the sound of my voice.
[BART] Murder most foul.
Can you get these hatches open?
Yeah, Mainframe Room.
I gotta get in there.
All right.
Let's go to the Mainframe Room.
[WHISTLES]
Hey, they're headed to the servers.
Good.
Another minute, I'll be ready.
That's not looking. Give me that.
There's something here,
something valuable.
Yeah, you said that.
Whatever it is, it could
mean that we don't
It can mean we don't
have to do this anymore.
This? You're dreaming.
This is our life now.
- No. No, it's temporary.
- It's who we are.
It's not who we are.
Chick, these people,
they're not our family.
- Yes, they are.
- He's not your father,
he's not your friend.
You are expendable.
- He said those very words.
- I gotta earn his respect!
- Okay.
- Okay?
That's what Bigface says.
You know what, I have to
get down there right now.
Right, so you can go down
there and "spill red"?
You think killing
someone gets you anything?
You'd know, right?
I mean, how many have you killed?
- [SCOFFS]
- Thousands?
No. More like millions.
[GRUNTS]
Don't you ever
ever point this thing at me again!
Battle, we're coming!
Hey, Battle? Just hang tight.
Presto.
Boom.
Make sure you lock off
all access to the dock.
I don't want anyone taking our ship.
You think he's here?
Yeah, that's his play.
He's here.
[BANGING]
Okay, you go stay by the stairs.
You stay alert, I'm gonna flush him out.
You get access to those doors.
You got it.
[WHISPERING] I got you.
[ASTER] One of them's back.
- [HARMONY] Aster?
- Yeah?
- I've located Minister Kaneddy.
- Connect us.
Minister Kaneddy, don't cut me off.
Things are about to
get really ugly here.
You can help me stop it.
I, uh
I doubt that.
Tell your people I work for QTA,
and that they'll pay
you whatever you want.
[SIGHS] Yeah, well,
that's not going to work.
- Why?
- Because QTA hired us.
Excuse me?
Why would they do that?
[KANEDDY] Who knows
why they do anything?
That doesn't make any sense.
Not much does anymore.
If I were you, I'd hide.
- [BEEP]
- Wait!
Chick, come here.
Look at this.
- What is that?
- I don't know.
Turn it around. Let me see.
So QTA, that's who you work for?
Well, you know I wasn't ISA.
You're not here for a
goddamn science project.
You're here to steal
whatever Solomon found.
I'd like to get us out of here alive.
- No, you want them to leave.
- Exactly, yes.
So what, QTA shows up,
and they're just gonna
- let me walk out of here?
- If I vouch for you, maybe.
Oh yeah? What kind of pull
do you think you have, Aster?
- Are you out of your mind?
- Believe what you want.
[POWERING DOWN]
What I want is this ship.
That's your grand plan, is it?
Just kill everyone and steal the ship?
If I have to, yeah.
I didn't kill Solomon, but I
never said I was a good guy.
[HATCH OPENING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
He's coming.
Let's go.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Come on, come on. Yes, yes, yes
- Yes.
- [CHIRPING]
Yes!
You see that?
Hey, Battle, I got it!
[HARMONY] Aster, they have
control of the hatches.
[RUNNING FOOTSTEPS]
[INTENSE SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[BIGFACE SPEAKS AN ALIEN LANGUAGE]
[GRUNTING]
[BIGFACE SPEAKS AN ALIEN LANGUAGE]
[SCREAMING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GRUNTING]
[SCREAMING]
- Hey, Harm?
- [HARMONY] The Wreckers
still have control of the beacon.
Can you get to the Mainframe Room?
Yeah.
[GRUNTING]
[EFFORT GRUNT]
Ugh.
That's disgusting.
You ever seen these things before?
- No.
- [HATCH OPENING]
Get behind me.
[HARMONY] The Power Level is secure.
You don't want those rocks, trust me.
Thanks for the advice.
You're from Elau?
- I don't wanna talk about
- I'm from Menelaus.
I've seen what people do to
each other when they're starving.
My mom got me out.
- Gonna shoot her or
- Shut up.
Where's Battle?
[GRUNTING]
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[WEAPON FIRING]
You want to fight or you want to talk?
I know you want to get
out with those rocks.
They're not gonna help.
Speaking from experience.
QTA made some very
risky moves to get them.
- They must be worth a fortune.
- To the company, yeah.
But unless you've the guts
or the means to blackmail QTA,
you're gonna end up dead.
I've got a better offer.
You should get back to your ship.
Okay.
- Go.
- What?
If anyone tries to stop
you, you shoot them.
It's okay. Go.
Chick?
Leave the rocks.
I'd listen to your mom.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[HATCH OPENING]
[FOOTSTEPS]
Hey, kid Hey! Watch that!
That one's dead. Go down to the ship,
get more weapons, more charge.
Go. Now!
Menelaus.
That was a terrible situation.
I'm impressed your mother
was able to get you out.
She was meant to follow
me. She never did.
Your kid's lucky.
He's so angry with me.
All we ever heard were
promises of resupply,
we thought things would get better.
The company doesn't
talk about what happens
when FTL routes get blocked.
They don't.
His father, he
Maybe he was right.
I just thought I could
keep things together.
I didn't realize that
I didn't realize what we'd
have to do to stay alive.
Things I never imagined.
Quantum Tunneler. We
had one for the council.
It was a very quick way
to find out no one cared.
I'm giving you enough Qubits
to get you two tickets to anywhere.
QTA won't give a shit.
ISA might,
but you'll be hundreds of
light years away by then.
What's my end of it?
You won't like it, but
it's non-negotiable.
[HATCH OPENING]
[FOOTSTEPS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[BATTLE] Hey! Hey, don't run.
I just wanna talk.
They always run.
Hey, listen!
I don't wanna hurt you
and I could.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
[INHALES, GRUNTS]
So why don't you just come on out
and we'll talk, hmm?
You're just making things worse.
[GROANING]
Hey!
Hey!
Hey, stop!
Hey!
Hey!
[BEEPING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY] Leave me alone.
Don't you point that thing at me, kid.
Or what?
Ask the hacker guy. And the woman, too.
You killed them?
- No, you're lying.
- [FOOTSTEPS]
Chick! Stop it!
You told me to shoot
anyone who tried to stop me.
No, no. We need him. We need him.
Look, your friend cut a deal.
- What kind of deal?
- We take you with us.
She bought you a first-class ticket.
Why would she do that?
And why would you trust me?
You could have stripped that
weapon right out of his hands
and killed him by now.
There's nothing stopping
you from taking that ship.
Take us both.
No, she won't go.
All she cares about are the rocks.
What are they?
No idea.
Well, I hope they're worth it.
So, are you coming or not?
We could go anywhere.
[SIGHS]
I'm not leaving.
She can take care of herself.
[SIGHS]
Suit yourself.
Come on. Open up.
All right.
[SHOOTING]
Chick, get those charges up here now!
You and I, we're gonna get on the ship.
A deal. Of course you made a deal.
- That's all you know how to do, right?
- We were a company colony, Chick.
- There was nothing we could do.
- We could have left!
Like Dad said, we could have run away
No, no, I was trying to
get all of us out, everyone.
I loved all of them as much as
you do, as much as I love you,
but I am so sick to death
of this conversation.
[BATTLE] Chick, I
need those charges now!
- I'm coming!
- No, no, no, no.
You get your ass on board.
You were in charge, just
like you wanted to be,
- but you didn't do anything.
- Okay, I want you to stop this.
- None of you did
- Stop it right now.
You let them die!
- No, I did not!
- Dad, the girls, everyone.
Blame the company all
you want, but you did it.
- No, I didn't!
- All those people
I want you to get your
ass on that ship right now!
What did I say about pulling a weapon
[BLASTING]
[BODY THUDS]
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[PANTING]
[SOUND DISTORTION]
[INDISTINCT MURMURING]
[ECHOED SHOUTING]
All right, I'm gonna get
in there one way or another
so you might as well come out.
[GLITCHING]
[ASTER] Hey.
Like to play games, do you? Huh?
[STABBING]
- [GROANING]
- [REPEATED STABBING]
[COUGHS]
[CLICKING]
[GLITCHING]
[PAINED GRUNTS]
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[SIGHS]
I spilled red.
[GRIM MUSIC]
[SORROWFUL MUSIC]
[HARMONY] Bartholomew, can you hear me?
[SOUND DISTORTION]
[VOICE ECHOING] You're dreaming, Bart.
You need to wake up.
[BART] What's what's happening?
I'm confused.
Listen to the sound of my voice.
Try to orient yourself.
- Harmony?
- I've lost him again.
- Can you hear me?
- Is that you?
- Bartholomew!
- What's happening?
- Everything is out of order.
- Your system was hacked.
Your short-term memory is
putting itself together again.
Wake up. [VOICE ECHOING]
Yes, of course. Now it all makes sense.
Were events aboard the beacon
resolved in a satisfactory manner?
They were resolved.
[ASTER] You're back.
I am.
[TENSE MUSIC]
You did that?
[SIGHS]
Sorry I wasn't there for you.
You didn't have to come back at all.
- Of course I did.
- No, I-I
upheld my end of the bargain.
You didn't owe me anything.
I never wanted to leave.
[CHUCKLES]
That's the derma talking.
No.
I can't do this.
What?
I can't be alone.
I can't be alone anymore.
[SOFT SORROWFUL MUSIC]