2.02 Exit Strategies
Dylan, Beka, Rev Bem and Tyr, pursued by a gang of Nietzscheans, are forced to make a crash landing on an icy planet.
Episode Synopsis
Returning from a mission to get parts for the Andromeda, the Maru comes under fire from a group of Nietzscheans. Beka tries to outrun them, but the ship is hit by fire. Tyr and Rev Bem work to put out an electrical fire as Beka pilots the Maru into slipstream. Tyr informs Beka that life support is failing, and that it's crucial for the ship to land. As the pursuing Nietzscheans pilot out of slipstream as well, the Maru heads towards an ice-covered planet. The crew braces themselves for a crash landing, and everything goes white as the ship lands in the snow and ice.
Meanwhile, back on the Andromeda, Rommie and Trance work on repairing the ship and cleaning up the mess left by the previous attack by the Magog. Harper is reluctant to help, still traumatized by his encounter with them. He starts to fire randomly at the dead Magog on the ground, and Rommie scolds Harper to concentrate on his work, but Harper snaps back. Trance reminds Harper that he's taking medication that is keeping the Magog larvae in his body dormant. Harper reveals that he's ready to give up the fight.
After crash landing on the planet, the crew assesses their situation. Dylan is bleeding from his forehead, but the wound isn't serious. They hear ships in the distance and realize that they're still being pursued by the Nietzscheans. Dylan orders Tyr and Rev Bem to start fixing the engines, while Beka tends to Dylan's wound. Alone in the cockpit, Rev Bem is tempted to sniff some of Dylan's blood. Later, Tyr notices that Rev Bem seems somewhat groggy. Rev Bem confesses that he has been fasting for the past three weeks as a purification ritual for all the Magog he recently killed. He was planning on resuming his feeding when they returned to the Andromeda, but the crash landing has put that on hold. Being a Magog, Rev Bem needs to kill something in order to begin his digestive process. The news makes Tyr very uneasy, and he voices his concern to Dylan and Beka. Dylan decides to go off in search of settlements on the planet, and instructs the rest to stay and work on repairing the ship, with special instructions to Tyr to protect Beka and Rev Bem.
As they continue to repair the ship, Beka tries to find out from Tyr why the Nietzscheans seem so intent on pursuing them. Meanwhile, Dylan comes across a settlement, but discovers that they are Nietzscheans, who fire upon him. As they pursue him, Dylan barely escapes a giant sinkhole. Back on the Maru, the sounds of cracking ice make everyone uneasy, and Rev Bem meditates in an attempt to forget about his hunger. Dylan is ambushed by a couple of Nietzscheans, but Tyr arrives in time to help him out. One of the Nietzscheans, Kiyama, calls out Tyr's name. Dylan wants to know what's going on, but Tyr says nothing. Dylan and Tyr make it back to the Maru just in time for it to be devoured by a sinkhole.
Rommie approaches Harper and tells him that a ruptured transfer line needs to be fixed before there is an overload. Harper is reluctant to go into the engine room because of all of the memories from the Magog attack. Harper tells Rommie he can't, and instead heads off to Medical Bay to look at the larvae inside of him through an ultrasound. While watching the larvae, Harper gets drunk and prepares to kill himself. Rommie talks him out of it, taking the gun away from him, and he breaks down in her arms.
Meanwhile, the Maru has fallen into a mining shaft seventy meters below the surface. Tyr suggests luring the Nietzscheans to the Maru and blowing it up, taking their ships to escape, but Beka refuses to blow up the Maru. Dylan, Beka and Tyr go out into the mineshafts to explore, and realize that Squorms, genetically engineered macro-fauna, inhabit the tunnels. Beka goes to check on Rev Bem, whose body is rejecting the normal food he tried to consume. He informs Beka that his body will start to ravage itself if he does not kill soon. While Rev Bem works on meditating and preserving his energy, the rest go out in the tunnels to search for a way out. Tyr learns that the Squorms are attracted to his weapon when it's activated, so he shuts it down. Dylan discovers a magnetic accelerator in one of the tunnels, when suddenly the sounds of Squorms fill the tunnels. Dylan and Beka realize that they're attracted to the Maru. They rush back to get weapons to fight them, but discover the weapons are missing. Meanwhile, Tyr makes his way through the tunnels calling out to the Nietzscheans. He offers them ammunition in exchange for calling things even. However, Kiyama wants revenge for Tyr taking off with the mummified remains of Drago Museveni. Tyr comes under attack, but is rescued by Dylan. The use of the weapons attracts the Squorms.
On the Andromeda, the reactor is close to overload because Harper refuses to fix it. Rommie confronts him and tells him she needs Harper to be there to fix her. This snaps Harper back into reality, and he fixes the reactor with seconds to spare. On the planet, Dylan and Tyr make their way back to the Maru just as Beka puts in the final preparations to launch with the magnetic coils. Kiyama and the Nietzscheans confront the ship. However, the magnetic coils attract the Squorms who arrive and devour the Nietzscheans just as the Maru is launched back out into space.
On the Andromdea, Rev Bem successfully returns to normal. Dylan informs Tyr that he found his "Wanted" poster. Tyr tells him that at first he joined the ship in an attempt to take it over, but running into the Magog Worldship has made him rethink his priorities in life. He confesses that he needs Dylan as much as Dylan needs Tyr.
Synopsis from AndromedaTV
