The Expanse (2015) s06e01 Episode Script

Strange Dogs

My name is Marco Inaros.
I am the Commander of the Free Navy, and we are the ones responsible for striking our oppressors on Earth and Mars.
Today and for evermore, we are free.
All Belters will have to answer for Marco's deeds now.
You know what happens when someone goes against Marco.
We'll be killed.
You will intercept and engage the Rocinante.
Make sure it is done.
Don't even twitch.
Why did you leave me? Walking away is the only choice anyone ever has.
She left us both.
Again.
Hang on, Naomi, we're coming.
What is she doing? - I've got her.
- Alex, reply.
It was a stroke.
It's a risk we all take.
He died saving me.
I'm so sorry.
Making the choice to save your family as far as last stands go, that's the one I'd pick.
Did you come here to help me? I guess I did.
Peaches, come on up.
There's been another attack at the Ring.
Marco, Marco! An entire fleet of Martians gone rogue, in league with Inaros.
He may have bought them with the protomolecule.
Why would Martians take protomolecule through the Ring after what it did on Ilus? Maybe they know something we don't.
Gruncher! Hm? Slinkervine! Sunbird.
Sun-babies! Ah! I'm gonna have to give you all names.
If I can figure out how to tell you apart.
Who's there? Xan? Is that you? It better not be.
I told you to stop following me.
Hey.
What are you? It's okay, it's okay.
You can come out.
I'm friendly, see? Are you a rock jumper? I don't think so.
You look like a dog.
Kinda.
It's okay, it's okay! You're you're gonna be okay! Marco, Marco, Marco! Marco, Marco, Marco, Marco! Now Earthers know what it feels like to be Belter.
MCRN Denali linked tracking with UNN Farragut, and in conjunction with Sentinel-16, the combined railgun barrage destroyed the three incoming rocks.
I used to like shooting stars.
I never did.
Secondary impacts? Four significant fragments made it to ground, two striking populated areas.
Total casualties under 500.
Don't try to make it sound like a success.
Well, I-I wasn't, ma'am, but we have knocked down nearly every rock Marco Inaros has thrown at us for the last six months.
That's 200 individual strikes.
And he has kept what's left of our fleet pinned down doing it, while he makes every station and rock hopper in the Belt pledge allegiance to his so-called fucking Free Navy.
Mars has assured us there will be one more Donnager class operational within the month.
And we'll have three more battleships ready for deployment by year's end.
The yards are working around the clock.
It's like a goddamn nuclear winter.
Have you read the latest biospheric assessment? Not yet.
Repurposing our atmospheric CO2 scrubbers isn't working.
Not well enough.
Meteoric contaminants are still rising, even faster than before.
Every rock kills us a little more, even when they miss.
I gave a speech at that facility when it opened eleven years ago, almost to the day.
I toured those fields.
The corn was ready to harvest.
The stalks were so heavy they bent.
Where the fuck did that come from? I don't know they must be hugging one of the rocks! PDC3 is jammed! PDC5 is also red, power out! Scratch one.
I see them.
- They're running! - Firing one.
Well, I guess that confirms the rumors of Free Navy activity in this area.
Sweeping 360.
Do you think I could convince Chrissy to pay us for every one of these assholes we take out? I'd like to see you try.
I'm serious.
We're not mercenaries.
And we're not soldiers either.
Looks like they were out here alone.
Okay.
So the question is why were they here in the first place? No way a little skiff like that could have launched rocks this big.
I'm gonna take us in for a closer look.
No, we should keep our distance.
The Free Navy loves improvised bombs and proximity triggers.
They know it gets Marco off.
I'll send in a drone.
Shrapnel took out a whole camera.
Guess I'm gonna have to go out there and see if we got any holes that need plugging.
All right.
Peaches, you still alive? If you call this living.
You catch that power out on PDC5? - Uh-huh.
- It looked to me like Like a series of transient spikes tripped the surge protectors? You took the words right out of my mouth.
That's what I thought too.
Make sure you reset the master bus before you start the diagnostic.
Come on, that's S.
O.
P.
You should have more faith in me than that.
- You know I do.
- I do.
Amos, we're sending the drone to recon the rocks, so watch your step out there.
Roger that, cap'n.
And Amos, try to salvage the optics on that hull cam if you can.
- We're out of spares.
- All right.
So Peaches, you got a plan? It's gotta be that twitchy power coupling on the mains that keeps pissing us off.
I'm on it.
Good.
No signs of stealth composites.
Good.
Earth hasn't seen a stealth rock in months.
No pun intended.
Be nice if it stayed Goddamn it, there's another ship down there.
Hang on! I don't think that is a ship.
It's a drive.
So far my projections have been right on track.
The flow of colony ships and all agricultural supplies from Earthers stopped.
They're too busy trying to knock down our rocks.
Yes, which gives us a perfect opportunity to build up our own supplies.
With the combination of hydroponics and live soil farming, we should be able to increase food production on Ceres by 15% to 20% in the first year alone.
- Dawes always said - Dawes is dead because I got tired of listening to what he had to say.
And Fred Johnson is dead.
Both of them, and all their failures swept away.
History has moved on, and so shall we.
Nice of you to join us.
Nico Sanjrani, Station Chief Administrator, - my son, Filip.
- It's a pleasure.
Did I miss much? As much as usual.
The last report from Ganymede - said crop yields were up.
- Yes, but Ganymede cannot be our only source of food.
We have to build new ag stations and farms throughout the Belt.
We must expand water purification You want something? - I do.
- I mean to drink.
That's not all you mean.
Let me know if you change your mind.
Let supplies dwindle at the current pace, and new production is not brought online immediately, our people are going to starve, sooner, not later.
Get a list.
Good news.
The Solano has taken the last Dos Arrigas ship and spaced the crew.
And the Panshin is tracking two drive signatures which could be the last Golden Bough dissidents.
Is that a backhanded way of saying that you still don't have any news about Drummer? Do you want me to tell you every time nothing happens? We've had a few scattered reports, but none of them panned out.
We could up the bounty.
More money? That the best you can do? Increase the bounty on Drummer 20%.
And the Rocinante as well.
Rosenfeld, with me.
Hey, late to a meeting with the bosmang? - That's a power move.
- I got lost on the way.
Ah, what was her name? - I'm not sure.
- Ah What's all this? Ah, alligator skin.
You like? - An animal? - Eh, it's very expensive.
Shopkeeper gave me a bargain, to honor the cause, huh? He stole your money, copain.
It's fake, synthetic.
Has to be.
Pashang, what do you know, huh? Earth is dying.
We kill it, it's not coming back.
Real things like this or all the things Inyalowda make before to sell and get rich and fat soon there won't be - any more of this.
- Yoan, we on for later? Oh, yeah, you bet.
See, you may have no taste, but they do.
They tell me they're thinking to join the Free Navy.
I tell them we can arrange for a tour of the Pella.
Marco, Marco, Marco! Marco! Marco! Marco! Marco, Marco, Marco, Marco! Marco, Marco, Marco, Marco! Marco, Marco, Marco! It has been many years since I set foot on Ceres.
But I have always considered this station to be a home.
To me and to every other Belter.
The Inners may have thought it was theirs, but it was always ours.
We forged our identities here.
And now we will turn it into the jewel it was always meant to be! Ceres will be the capital city of our Belter Nation.
A place all Belters can be proud of and forever call home! Marco, Marco, Marco, Marco! Marco, Marco, Marco, Marco! Attention, DeWalt.
This is the Free Navy hunter Jotunn.
Prepare to be boarded.
Tynan, we know you here also.
Show and declare yourself or be destroyed.
DeWalt remote link open.
Thrusters standing by.
- Take the shot.
- Not yet.
It's a direct fire weapon.
It has to line up perfectly.
On my signal.
Port thruster, ten degree yaw.
Michio! Ah On your signal.
- Now! - Ah! What did you do? I They're locking in on our transmitter.
Changing course.
Heading right for us.
Pashang! I'm I'm sorry! No pursuit.
We got 'im.
What were we able to get off the DeWalt? Moving the crew over was the first priority.
I know that.
We transferred most of the fuel.
One tank of water, two pellets of ration.
Munitions? One torpedo.
Which brings our missile load to a grand total of three.
At least we killed 'em.
Simple, quick, and dirty.
Any rock hopper with a standard mining kit could do this.
If they were willing to waste an engine.
But given the number of colony ships the Free Navy's plundered There's bound to be a lot more of these.
We have to figure out how they're being triggered.
If we could stop even a few of 'em before they're launched, it'll be an accomplishment.
The trigger module will probably be with the guidance system, which would've been an add-on to a set-up like this, so look for a box wired directly to the reactor either with or without an antenna.
I think I see it.
Thank you.
The customary response is "you're welcome.
" Sorry.
I just realized this is the first time I've flown the Roci.
First time I ever had to.
I know what that feels like.
Yeah, that's the navigation computer.
I see the diagnostic port.
You'll have to cable in and see if you can access reactor controls or a nav log.
Copy that.
Uh, uh, Naomi? Holden, what's going on? I think the magnetic bottle's cycling up.
You've started the reactor.
I must have tripped the failsafe.
No, you need to get out of there! Jim, what the fuck are you doing!? You need to get out of there now! Get behind the ridge first and I'll drop between you and the drive cone if you can.
Jim, I can put the Roci down.
Jim! God damn it! You have to get out of there! You have to move! Jim, you have to get out of there now! Jim! Jim, talk to me, goddamn it! Jim! Oh, you fucking piece of shit! Fuck! There wasn't enough time to get far enough away.
And I was sure if I could break it, shut it down Just come back inside, please.
So long story short, the power coupling is back in spec.
Good work.
Good teacher.
You hurt yourself? Poor upbringing.
Wasn't raised to tension wrenches.
I'm gonna go grab a bite.
Sounds good, I'll be there in a minute.
Is there something you need Peaches to do differently? I don't really care what she does.
You've been flying together for months now.
She's been working her ass off.
The only reason she's here is because you decided to make her part of the crew.
As if that could replace Alex.
This has nothing to do with Alex.
And you know, you made some pretty big decisions for all of us without talking to me.
Oh, so does that mean you can do whatever you like now? I'm not saying that.
But maybe you could cut Peaches a fucking break, like we all did for you.
You should find somewhere else to be.
You're right about that.
We could try for Iapetus.
We would never get there unnoticed.
There is the science station on Triton.
Fewer eyes along the way.
That's a long way to go.
We need to refuel.
We need to re-arm.
We gonna talk about the other problem? Michio is not a problem.
She made a mistake.
- We all have.
- This one cost us a ship.
It's not her first mistake.
- She hasn't been sleeping.
- She isn't built for this.
She's a salvage technician.
- So are you.
- Not anymore.
I'm a fighter now.
What you always were.
This is not a place for her anymore.
Michio is family.
We have lost so much already.
You are my captain.
Whatever you choose, I choose also.
These can be shared.
A little crowded, maybe, but we will make do.
Give us a moment, please.
Aye, captain.
I will do better, I promise.
I try harder.
You are trying your best.
No one questions that.
I don't know what to say except I'm sorry.
I am sorry too.
We will find a safe port where we can resupply.
A place where you can stay.
I don't want to leave you.
It isn't forever.
When this is all over, we will come back and find you.
When it is over? Just give me a peek.
I just want a picture to go with the words, that's all.
Really, that's all you want? No.
But hey, how 'bout I show you mine, you should me yours? - Mm.
- Deal? Mm-hmm.
That one? Ah, it's the Waxing Gibbous.
Fat, fat Earther colony ship.
Soil, fertilizers, but best of all, 30 bottles of fine Irkutsk brandy.
Oh! You ever had brandy? No, what is it? It's a drink made for the darkness.
Goddamn Inyalowda, they don't deserve it.
- Do you have any? - Yoan probably drank his share before they emptied that ship.
Shortly after.
And that one? It's the Ring Gate, Medina Station.
It's one of our greatest triumphs.
The Martians, they were so happy to see us.
Until they weren't.
See, Filip, he was the gun on the Pella.
Me, I was gun on the Connaught.
He was gunner's mate.
Filipito thinks he's funny now, huh? Were you part of the attacks on Earth? Me? No, not so lucky, no.
But he was.
You were? Hey, don't be so modest.
Filip, he was the tip of the spear.
Took stealth composite right off Mars itself, right under the noses of the Dusters.
He killed a science ship near Venus before they could spoil the plan.
Put Ashford the Ghost Knife out the door and dropped the rocks to get revenge for all of us, ah? He made the Inyalowda burn.
All that, and even better-looking than his father.
Hey, Filip.
Where you going, coyo? It's just coffee.
Sorry.
I could use something to keep me awake.
Thanks.
The Inner Fleets haven't even budged.
That was your plan.
You miss the fight.
Don't you? The fight will come soon enough.
It always does.
In the meantime Sandrani's fucking spreadsheets.
All right.
What can we spare from the supply depots? Nothing.
Ceres is not Medina.
If Sandrani wants more for the station, they can tighten the food and water rations.
Our presence on Ceres has rallied countless Belters to the cause.
Then it's served its purpose.
We owe these people nothing.
Ceres is our capital.
These are our people.
Your job is to get them what they need.
If you have any specific logistical suggestions, we'd love to hear them.
No, just just do the job.
We should discuss this further.
- I would like to - In private.
Medina needs more titanium.
A lot more.
The Laconian pieces have been harder to install than expected, and we need to reinforce the abutments.
Give them whatever they need.
Charges set.
Detonators at your discretion.
- Something up? - Possibly.
Another intel update on Free Navy assets came in.
Just going through it, and I saw this.
That's one of the rogue MCRN gunships that finished off our fleet at the Ring.
There.
See those flashes? They remind you of anything? They reminded me of the artifact on Ilus.
The thing that wiped out the protomolecule builders.
It's not our problem anymore.
Well, in the big picture, it could be.
The only reason the Rings are here is because of us.
I am out here to kill Marco before he kills us.
The only reason that I'm still out here instead of drinking myself blind on Luna is because I don't want to abandon you.
So don't abandon us.
Hey.
What's wrong? I found something.
The guidance system was set to launch the rock upon receiving a single burst transmission at a specific frequency.
It was coded, of course, but it gave me an idea.
I polled as many signal relays in the Belt as I could, looking for coded bursts at that frequency over the past few months.
Found a bunch of them.
Each of these signals launched a rock.
Which gave me another idea.
I triangulated the signals to see if I could find out where the transmission came from.
That looks like an orbit.
Probably a spotter ship that's been guiding the rocks.
They'd have to be running dark.
Passive sensors only.
Quietly watching Earth's defenses and timing them to keep them pinned down.
There were several references in the guidance logs to an Azure Dragon.
I think that's the name of the ship.
Spotters like these are highly specialized ships.
There can't be that many of them in operation.
If we could find it and take it out, it could seriously reduce Marco's ability to keep hitting Earth.
Prepare to get underway.
Aye-aye, Captain.
Naomi.
I think sometimes I convince myself the worst can't happen.
It's a way for me to get through things.
I'll be more careful.
For all of us.
I promise.
And we're not going to stop.
I tried for so long to stay away from the violence, but Marco pulled me back into it.
And now the people we're hunting and killing are the same ones I used to call my own.
I don't know how much longer I can bear it.
Madame Secretary, do you believe the MCR Commission Madame Secretary, any comments on the food rioting in Kinshasa? Not now, please.
The communications director will be scheduling a conference shortly.
Madame, is it true you reached out to Marco Inaros to discuss a peace treaty? Because that's what I've been hearing.
The only thing Marco Inaros has to offer me is his unconditional surrender.
The colonies have been incommunicado and at the mercy of the Free Navy since Inaros wiped out our forces at the Ring.
He could be starving the settlers out or using them as forced labor to That's why we're at war with him.
Has anybody in your cabinet proposed negotiations? The deliberations of my cabinet in a time of war are a matter of national security and none of your fucking business.
Madame Secretary General, the people of this planet have been through hell, and it's only getting worse.
They're just looking for honest answers.
You owe them that.
In case that wasn't clear enough, we're done here.
You know, Sergeant, if you want my advice - I don't.
- You should try to impress upon your boss the fact that she has constituents, not subjects.
She's aware of the distinction.
The one thing I always liked about you is you kinda suck at lying.
Want another? Let's get out of here.
I just got here.
I can sort it out with your bosmang.
I'm sure you can.
I know who you are.
So, let's go, then.
This all it takes with your other girls? Other girls? Oh, that's your problem? You should go find one of them.
You're fucking lucky I'm even talking to someone like you.
Here.
This one's on the house.
I'm a fucking hero! I kill the Earthers, me.
Millions of them for people like you.
Oye, Filip, you're coming in hot, huh? - I'm a fucking hero.
- Okay, come on, let's go.
- I take you back to the ship.
- Don't fucking touch me.
Hey, easy.
I'm your friend.
No, you're a fucking joke.
- The fuck gotten into you? - You're pathetic.
You know, if not for me, all these girls on the station, they laugh at you, huh? Come on, don't do this.
Why? The fuck you gonna do about it, huh? Huh? Ah! Come.
You wanted to see me, ma'am? I never thought I'd actually enjoy this sensation.
Maybe it's the lack of sensation.
The whole planet not pulling me down for once.
I can come back if you like.
No.
A little help? Time for your performance review.
My what? You hate this job.
Yes, ma'am, I do.
I understand.
I'll step down If I don't get the easy way out, neither do you.
Your problem is that you're a Marine.
You're sick of doing nothing.
So are you.
So is the whole fucking planet.
I just received word from Holden.
He believes they've located an Inaros spotter ship.
They're going to check it out, see if they're right.
If they are, that would be good.
Fuck good.
We need better than good.
We're wounded, broken, trying desperately to keep ourselves going by pretending we're not.
Gutting through it all, wearing down.
Little wins here and there will not hold us together.
We need more than that.
Something big.
Something to give us a reason to hope.
You have something in mind? I do.

Previous EpisodeNext Episode