1.07 The Ties That Blind
Beka's con-artist brother unexpectedly shows up claiming to be a devout Wayist making the Andromeda a prime target for Restorian attack.
Episode Synopsis
The Andromeda crew receives a distress call from His Serenity Vikram Singh Khalsa, a great and holy man among the Wayists. His ship has been attacked and the slipstream drive is seriously damaged. Dylan agrees to help, as Khalsa is need of a doctor. Rev Bem and Dylan meet Khalsa and his pilot, Rafe, at the hangar and bring them to safety. Beka is surprised to see Rafe, who turns out to be her con-artist brother. Rafe swears to Beka that, despite his checkered past, he has turned over a new leaf. Beka hears him out, but is still skeptical.
In the medical center, Khalsa gently refuses the medical treatment Rev Bem and Trance offer him. Khalsa is committed to the Mountain Path, the purest form of Wayism that includes complete acceptance of everything the universe presents. Rafe explains that he and Khalsa were on their way to peace talks with the Restorians, a band of eco-terrorists, when their ship was attacked. The Restorians are against colonization, and have no qualms about attacking any vessels they come into contact with. The Free Trade Alliance was planning to launch an anti-Restoration campaign, and Khalsa was trying to get the two sides to negotiate.
Rev Bem admits that he has kept in contact with fellow Wayists, especially Khalsa, thus explaining how they knew how to find the Andromeda. Beka and Rafe have a heart to heart, and it seems that Rafe has convinced Beka that his intentions are true. Moments later, Andromeda announces that Rafe has launched the Maru. Angry, Beka follows Rafe to what turns out to be a monastery of the Way. Once inside the monastery, Rafe reveals his true identity to his leader, Danyluk, who instructs him to plant an EMP trigger on the Andromeda and destroy it. Rafe objects to no avail. Outside the monastery, Rafe meets up with Beka and they return to the Andromeda. Hoping to spare her life, Rafe tries to persuade Beka to leave with him.
The crew of the Andromeda find a photo of Rafe at a Restor rally with his old girlfriend. Enraged, Beka verbally attacks him until he admits his true identity as an undercover worker for the Free Trade Alliance. He had participated in a Restor rally, but turned to the FTA when a rally turned violent and Restors killed his girlfriend. The Restor's also killed the real Khalsa and are planning to do the same to the crew of the Andromeda. Beka warns Dylan that Khalsa is a fake, but when Tyr tries to shoot him he crumbles, becoming a swarm of nanobots. The nanobots quickly and fiercely attack Andromeda, causing Rommie to collapse. The entire system has been infected, rendering the Andromeda dead in space as a fleet of Restors is upon them.
Dylan goes after Rafe, who explains he's not a Restor but with the FTA. Suddenly Rafe launches his ship, the Om Shonti - foiling them again and escaping. Beka follows close behind in the Maru, the only chance of survival is intercepting Rafe before he can give the Restors the Andromeda access codes. Rafe pleads with Beka to come with him, that they can give the Restors the codes and save themselves. Beka's only option is to destroy Rafe and the Om Shonti before it's too late. By the time the Om Shonti explodes, Rafe has already given the access codes to the Restors.
The Restor fleet surrounds the Andromeda and missiles launch all around. Beka laughs as the missiles turn around mid-air and return toward the Restor ships. A virus was put into the access code data that Rafe gave the Restors, when downloaded it infected their targeting systems. The entire Restor fleet explodes in a succession of fireballs. Later, Beka and Rafe laugh at the success of their scam. Rafe tries one last time to persuade Beka to come with him, not before stealing a few CD's from her for old times sake. The Andromeda regains all power from the emergency system and Rev Bem promises to be more cautious when contacting other ships.
Synopsis from AndromedaTV
