Beacon 23 (2023) s01e01 Episode Script
Corbenic
1
[SOFT MUSIC]
[ENGINE ROARING]
Aster!
[BEEPING]
Aster!
[WHIRRING, CLICKING]
- They're not coming in.
- They're forcing the doors open.
[ROARING]
[UPTEMPO MUSIC]
[MAN] Beacon 23, this is the Crest.
We're entering your sector.
Beacon 23, this is the Crest.
We're entering your sector.
Beacon 23, do you copy?
- This can't be right.
- Beacon 23,
we've got eight passengers on board.
We're pulling five years of
supplies for the Eshu colonies.
- [WHISPERING] What the hell is going on here?
- We'll be crossing your space soon.
Crest, this is Beacon
23. You are not cleared.
There's too much dark
matter. Do you copy?
Reroute, Crest, it isn't safe.
Beacon 23?
[LOUD SIGNAL, THUMPING]
It would've been nice to have
heard your voice, but all good.
- I see we are clear.
- Damn it!
Crest, do you hear
me? You are not clear.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[TECHNO MUSIC]
[LOUD BEEPING]
Shit!
[LOUD WHIRRING]
[WHOOSHING]
I don't understand.
Beacon 23, are we clear for passage?
[CLANKING]
- [GRUNTING LOUDLY]
- [METALLIC CLANGING]
Got it. Thanks, B23,
we are headed your way.
Maybe we'll stop in for
a beer in nine months
[LOUD WHOOSHING]
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]
[TOOL CLANGING]
No [SIGHS]
[BEEPING]
How much time do they have?
Retrieval time?
[BEEPING]
[GRUNTS LIGHTLY]
[THUMPING]
[RELIEVED SIGH]
[THEME MUSIC]
[BEEPING]
[CLICKING]
[GASPING FOR AIR]
[PANTING]
[GROANING]
Hey. Hey, it's okay.
It's okay.
You're okay.
You understand me?
[GASPS FOR AIR]
- Here.
- [SIGHS]
Don't worry, that'll stop.
You just got out of
the bubble too quick.
It crosses the wires.
I'm gonna give you something.
[EXHALES LOUDLY]
Derma-patch.
It's a strong one, all right?
That's a good soldier.
Hey, easy. Careful.
Your ship just crashed.
The Crest?
I'm sorry, all hands lost.
Did you have any family aboard or ?
No.
I I was alone.
There's a voice.
Welcome back.
What happened?
[SIGHS]
Beacon malfunctioned.
Map said stop, GWB said go.
The Gravity Wave Broadcaster.
I mean, I rebooted it.
I I tried manual reset.
I don't know. I think I'm being hacked.
You hungry?
Yeah.
Mm!
Mm, thank you.
Tastes like shit but it does the job.
- I'll let the chef know.
- [CHUCKLES]
I can get you another one if you'd like.
No. No, I'm good.
I'm gonna regret that later.
- [CHUCKLES]
- But I do feel
good.
Oddly great, even.
Mm. Yeah, that's the derma.
It'll wear off, sorry to say.
[WOMAN] We're out there, huh?
It's a pretty sweet view to wake up to.
Yeah.
I've never been this
side of Orion before.
- Feels familiar.
- Yeah, that'll happen.
Coming out the bubble sideways,
it gives you déjà vu.
Is that all from the Crest?
Yeah, those data haulers, they
really know how to pack 'em.
Especially out here,
this side of the galaxy.
It's the only way they get any updates.
Two hundred years ago,
we beamed everything
at the speed of light.
And now we're back to
stuffing shit in boxes.
- [CHUCKLING]
- Yeah, I guess so.
- [GASPS]
- [COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
No way.
Is that a beta series?
- I love these guys.
- [COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
Come here, you little bugger.
Yeah, he does that.
Don't take it personally.
Huh!
By the way, I'm Solomon.
Yeah. I know.
I said that?
Hm.
Okay.
Anyway, you're on a beacon.
Yeah, I know that too.
Right.
Look, I don't know where you were going,
- but if you need help getting back
- This this is where I was going. Beacon 23.
But they sent the thing months ago,
I can't believe no one
told you I was coming.
No.
Who are you?
Aster.
What are you doing here?
Okay, let's start again, all right?
- Uh, the reports you sent
- What reports?
The reports.
Mineral deposits, unknown isotopes,
nothing ever seen before.
Those reports, they
don't sound familiar?
Yeah um
- Yeah. Of course, I
- Yeah, those reports.
That's why I'm here. It's what I do.
Right, I just
- I didn't expect anyone to
- Well, it's been, what, a year?
I don't blame you, but
folks in Mission Control,
they're interested, so
here I am. Barely, I guess.
I just need the samples
- and access to any data
- No.
- No?
- Yeah, you can't access it
AI is malfunctioning,
I said that already.
Well, what's malfunctioning?
The AI, the whole beacon?
No! Okay? I just said no!
Didn't you hear me?
Yeah.
- Loud and clear.
- [SCOFFS]
Goddamn
[SIGHS] It's just
it's been so long since I've even
and I gotta deal with
the crash, and the reports.
- I got a lot of work to do.
- Yeah, we all do.
Yeah, and first thing's first,
I gotta figure out the protocol.
- Right. Protocol.
- Yeah, okay?
I gotta figure out what
happened with the GWB,
and then we can talk about the reports.
Why don't you
why don't you just have a rest, hm?
Yeah, you should get some rest.
Just go back down to the dock.
We'll talk in the morning, okay?
[SOLOMON SIGHS]
Um, can I take my bag?
Or is that against protocol?
[CLATTERING]
Harmony, wake.
Hello, Aster.
I'm afraid I'm not myself.
How long?
I don't have the processing
power yet to answer that.
Great.
What about the data?
Can you access the data?
Um, not yet, unfortunately.
- Aster.
- Yeah?
Is something wrong?
[SIGHS]
Solomon, Beacon Keeper, he's, um
antisocial.
Uncooperative.
- More than expected?
- More hostile, I guess.
You let me know when
you're up and running.
I'm sure I'll be fine.
Don't worry about me.
- You be careful.
- I will.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SCOFFS]
[SOLOMON] You knew
about this, didn't you?
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
So, what, they sent you a message,
and you just decided not to tell me?
[BABBLE]
If she goes poking around too much,
you know whose fault that is?
[BABBLE]
If I gotta get rid
of her, that's on you.
It's impressive. Is it true?
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
Sorry, my beep bop's a bit rusty.
What happened to Solomon?
- [BABBLE]
- I don't get ya.
Where is he now?
[BABBLE]
Do you know where the samples are?
- [BABBLE]
- Show me.
[HOLLOW WHIRRING]
[WATER GUSHING]
These the only samples?
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
[INTENSE SOUNDSCAPE, VOICES ECHOING]
[INDISTINCT VOICES]
- [ECHOING VOICES CONTINUE]
- [GUNSHOTS]
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
Can you show me files on the reports?
[BABBLE]
Show me files related to the minerals.
[BABBLE]
Hey, wait!
Hm.
[SIGHS]
Someone's been breaking the rules.
- Play three.
- [BABBLE]
[GAS HISSING]
- Enlarge that.
- Oh, Bart.
Be a dear. Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees
and print a couple
sheets of ginger, yes?
- And
- [ASTER] Freeze there.
Identify.
[SOLOMON] What are you doing?
I'm sorry. I was just, um
I said, what are you doing?
My job, really.
Did I say you could come up here?
In fact, um,
I'm pretty sure I told you not to.
- Well, they're expecting a report from me
- That's not my problem.
It's mine.
- Look, I'm just gonna head downstairs
- No, stop!
What's on that screen?
Bart, if you don't move
right now, so help me God!
[SIGHS]
I can explain.
- No need.
- No, obviously I do,
because you're wondering why
I don't look like Solomon,
and that's 'cause I'm not Solomon.
- I'm not
- My name is Halan.
Look, I I have no legal
The real Solomon stole my ship and left.
Whatever happened, I don't
need to know, I'm just gonna
You're not listening to me, are you?
I don't know Solomon! All right?
I don't know anyone!
I just collect samples
and write reports.
That's what I do.
So I'll just make my own way out.
- Oh, you will, huh?
- Yeah!
What are you gonna do, just
space walk out of here, hm?
Who's picking you up?
- My ship crashed!
- What, do you think I'm stupid, hm?
The Crest isn't coming back for you.
When is ISA picking you up?
Look, please, just back up, all right?
Or what?
What are you gonna do?
[FIGHTING GRUNTS]
[KNIFE PUNCTURING]
- [GASPS]
- [BLADE TINGLES]
[PANTING]
[GRUNTS FRUSTRATINGLY]
[GROANS LIGHTLY]
[CHAIN BLOCKING]
[VIBRATING]
Hello.
I'm sure we have a lot of
questions for each other.
Yes, I'm her personal AI.
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
- Where is she now?
- [VIBRATING]
[MOANS SOFTLY]
Aster?
Aster!
Hey.
Hi.
Who are you?
I'm Harmony.
You went AWOL, didn't you?
Hey.
You weren't stranded, you were hiding.
Where's Solomon?
I told you, he's gone.
Gone where, Halan?
- I don't know.
- [MALE VOICE] Oh, he knows.
- Of course he knows.
- Bart?
My name is not Bart, nor is it AI,
nor ship nor dumbass.
My name is Bartholomew.
My human counterpart was Solomon.
- He called me Bart.
- Bart, stop.
I'd prefer if you didn't.
I use the past tense because
Solomon is no longer alive.
Goddamn it, Bart.
He was murdered, after being imprisoned
and tortured by this person.
That isn't half of the
story, and you know it.
Aster. Aster!
Please, you gotta
[PANTING]
I saved your life!
I have a job to do.
Aster, you come back here!
Aster! Aster!
Aster!
Tout suite.
Cut!
Come on, come on.
- [SIGHS]
- Could you please
Cut it, you rusted bucket.
All right, enough.
This Solomon guy's a piece of work.
True. But not a liar.
Solomon's chemical analysis
confirms your intuition.
The element is unknown.
- Didn't I tell you I was right?
- Ah, you told us.
Mm, Coley said it was a waste
of time, but I knew I was right.
It was a bold move, Aster.
Your gamble paid off.
Well, not yet, it hasn't.
I've still got more analysis to do.
- And we got, what, two samples?
- Correct.
And he took how many
trips over the years, 100?
One hundred seventy-two
trips over nine years.
[BART] Solomon was very
security conscious.
He took every precaution
to protect his discoveries,
- even hiding them from me.
- Yeah, I know.
It just makes my job more difficult.
Oh, this this never
would have happened
if Solomon were still alive.
He would have had the silicate
beautifully arrayed for you.
- But then he was horrifically murdered.
- Hm, tragic loss.
This should've been the
greatest day of Solomon's life.
Instead, he's gone, victim
of a brutal homicide.
- I cannot
- You can, and you have.
Numerous times.
Did you hear what he called you, Bart?
The presence of an ISA official
is at least some solace.
Do you think Halan will be executed?
His crimes certainly meet
the criteria for malice
- and forethought.
- I don't know.
Bart, we need some privacy.
Would you scan the beacon again?
If anyone can find the
silicate samples, it's you.
It's my honor to assist
the Interstellar Space
Authority in any capacity.
Thank you. He's been isolated too long.
- His interpersonal skills are
- [BEEP]
Hold, please. Quantum
data packet arriving.
- Word from a cutter?
- Yeah.
Extraction team is en route.
Estimated arrival, 35 to 40 hours.
Who doesn't like soy sauce?
[DOOR OPENING]
Noticed you weren't eating.
What, are you worried
I'm gonna waste away?
How long you planning
on keeping me in here?
'Til my transport gets here.
- And when's that?
- Soon enough.
You don't have to keep me locked up.
You're an AWOL pilot who
killed a Beacon Keeper
I didn't kill Solomon!
[CLATTERING]
God!
I'm sorry.
I used to be better at this.
[INDISTINCT ECHOING VOICES]
Aster, I need to get outta here.
- I'm not letting you out of the Airlock.
- No, not the Airlock, off the beacon.
Let me take the Picker, I'll
disappear, and you'll never
- have to deal with me again.
- Not happening.
Just say I escaped, I overpowered you.
No one would blame you.
[VOICES SHOUTING]
You okay?
[ECHOED VOICES SHOUTING]
- Halan, you okay?
- No, no, I'm not okay.
I can't be here when
your ISA buddies show up.
Look, I
I came down here to talk
to you, to understand.
I can put in a good word for you.
Don't you get it? I'm a deserter.
You help me find the
samples Solomon collected.
[VOICES ECHOING]
Halan?
Hey.
Halan, look at me.
[VOICES ECHOING]
You need his rocks.
Yeah. Do you know where they are?
- [WOMAN'S VOICE] Sarge?
- [ECHOING] Halan?
[MUFFLED] Halan, look at me.
[HALAN GRUNTS]
No!
[BANGING]
[GRUNTS]
There's something
wrong with him, Harmony.
- [HALAN MUTTERING]
- He was hearing voices.
Saw something that scared him.
His heart rate's elevated,
but respirations are low.
What's that condition soldiers get?
Hallucinations, headaches?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
[BART] PTSD has been eliminated
from the service branches.
The last documented
case was 73 years ago.
Because they gave them
pharma after every mission.
- Harmony?
- Printing now.
I object very strongly to this plan.
Objection noted.
Halan is without scruples, he
is capable of any treachery.
This is a ruse, an act.
He's not a good enough
liar for this to be an act.
To enter is too great a risk.
[SIGHS] Harmony?
In the event of my demise,
please emphasize in the
report that Bart warned me.
Will do.
- [HALAN SIGHS]
- Brought you something.
- I'll pass.
- Just take it.
It's gonna help with the noises,
and the throwing things
[DOOR CLOSES]
Bart?
Open the door.
Harmony, get Bart to open the door.
He's not responding.
You weren't expecting that, were you?
In the service, that's what
we call a tactical error.
Really?
Because from where I'm
standing, it's called compassion.
[CHUCKLES] Yeah.
Look, you have Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder.
That's the dose you
missed when you went AWOL.
So what, I should just believe you?
What, you think I want to
be down here playing medic?
Those prints could be anything.
They could leave me catatonic.
Or they could make you feel better.
- It's a win-win.
- You must really need those rocks.
It was a big risk coming back in here.
Not really.
I came back here because I
know what it's like to be alone.
Completely alone, day after day.
Being in suspension doesn't count.
All right, how about 74
days in quarantine, awake,
in a cargo port in Sector 91?
I was way out on an exoplanet,
evaluating a potential mine.
ISA said I had to quarantine
before I came back in.
The cargo port was the only
place that would take me.
So what, your Harbor
Master didn't like you?
No more Harbor Masters
in those facilities.
Yeah, all right, it was nice.
There was hydration and nutrition
and everything was automated.
But there wasn't this.
There was none of this.
So, what'd you do?
- What, besides wanking?
- [SCOFFS]
I thought about all the things
I try to avoid thinking about.
I thought about how I'll
never see my sister again.
Because even if I take time off work,
she'll be dead by the time I get there.
And how I won't take time
off work because if I do,
I'm scared they'll relegate me.
And how I've spent half my
adult life in suspension,
which is great if you want
to avoid all those things,
but it's shit for relationships.
Take it, don't take it.
Trust me.
I wouldn't do anything to
make this worse for you.
Bart, open the door. I'm leaving now.
He's not gonna try to escape.
Don't say a word.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SOFT, DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[CLATTERING]
[SIGHS]
He had a hundred bags, where are they?
The story about being
stranded, that was inspired.
Bart, privacy mode.
- Very well.
- [CLICKING OFF]
He's clear.
What sector did I say, with Halan?
Sector 91, 74 days.
But then you just left the pharma.
You didn't even ask him what he knew.
- He saved my life.
- And he could have killed you.
You walked in there
without assessing the risks,
totally unarmed.
Look, he's got a condition.
What was I supposed to do?
- You are running out of time.
- Yeah, I know that.
[HALAN] Hey, Aster!
[HARMONY] Bart, turn off
the audio from the Airlock.
No, let it play.
Aster, are you listening to me?
I remembered something.
[ASTER] I'm listening.
No, you gotta come down here
and talk to me face-to-face.
[TINKLING]
[ELECTRICAL BUZZING]
- [CRASHING]
- Whoa!
Well?
You look like you feel better.
Yeah, I guess those
prints must've worked.
Thank you for that.
You said you remembered something?
- I do.
- And?
Oh, I'm not just gonna tell you.
What happened to the gratitude
you were feeling a minute ago?
Nah. No, I got a whole list of demands.
Starting with the Picker.
That won't get you
past the debris field.
That's my problem.
Finding Solomon's rocks,
that's your problem,
and I know exactly how to solve it.
- [SIGHS]
- So, we go, we check it out.
If what I tell you leads you to
the rocks, then you let me go.
Harmony, how much time do we have?
[HARMONY] Latest estimate, 30 hours.
The one time I reached for it,
Solomon didn't want me to touch it.
[BART] Aster, he's wasting your time.
- What does it do?
- It used to open
the maintenance access door
for the microwave antenna.
But the antenna's been
disconnected for 100 years.
The Antenna Silo is external.
Yes, but it can be accessed
inside on the Storage Level.
Sounds like a good hiding place to me.
[CLICK]
[DOOR CREAKING]
Looks like you might be getting
off this beacon pretty soon.
- Aster, may I have a word?
- No.
This is a matter of security.
Allowing Halan to roam freely
If you calm down, Bart,
I can explain how things actually work.
The only thing to explain
is when Aster is going to
remand him to the authorities.
Halan will be taken care
of, I can assure you.
She's making deals with him.
That means she's either
stupid or corrupt.
- I demand to know which!
- We do not demand.
And we certainly do not insult.
Our job is to use information
to support and advise.
That's it.
You're right, I spoke out of turn.
I've defended you, Bart,
because of everything
that you've been through.
But your behavior is unacceptable.
Run a self-diagnostic.
So Bart.
[ASTER] Yeah. Bart.
Now you see why I shut
off his permissions.
He'd drive anyone mental.
Makes that Sector 81 seem
much more peaceful, huh?
Ninety-one.
Right, my mistake.
[LID CLICKING OPEN]
Find something?
Aster?
It's not the rocks, is it?
No.
That's gotta be it, right?
You wanna help?
Yeah.
[FURNITURE SCRATCHING ON THE FLOOR]
Are you coming?
- Yeah.
- [ASTER GROANING]
[DOOR CREAKING]
[EERIE MUSIC]
[ECHOED VOICES SHOUTING]
[WOMAN'S VOICE] Sarge?
- Halan?
- [HALAN PANTING]
[WOMAN GASPING IN FEAR]
[PANTING]
[PANTING LOUDLY]
Hey.
- Halan, what happened down there?
- No, no, no.
Halan, look at me.
You're safe, all right?
You're safe.
Harmony, print a sedative patch.
[HALAN SNIFFLING] I'm sorry.
- What happened?
- There was something there.
It came at me, I saw it.
I couldn't I Did you see anything?
It's possible we gave
him the wrong dosage.
No!
No, it wasn't the pharma,
there was something there!
Halan, there was nothing
there. There was nothing inside.
Sedative patch ready.
I'll come back, okay?
Drink this.
Drink it.
You don't have to go back in there.
I saw something, Aster.
I swear.
Somebody better find those rocks, hey?
Or you're not getting off this beacon.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [THUMPING IN THE DISTANCE]
- [GASPS]
[GROANS IN EFFORT]
[SIGHS]
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
[LOUD CLATTERING]
How you feeling?
You found the rocks, didn't you?
Yeah.
I guess that's it then.
I'll move out, clear the perimeter
before your cutter gets here.
All you gotta do is open the door.
I can't let you go.
We had a deal.
It's better this way, trust me.
No, trusting you is what got
me here in the first place.
Look, they're not gonna
care that you're AWOL.
It won't matter to them.
This is your best chance, and mine.
I let you out, they'll think we
made a deal, that I got a cut.
Then they'll destroy my life.
And they'll come for
you, and it'll be worse.
No one is that scared of ISA.
Who are you?
Bye, Halan.
[BART] Even I believed she
was gonna let you go, Halan.
Imagine my joy, seeing
her duplicity revealed.
- Shut up, Bart.
- You'll get no pity from me.
It's your turn to suffer.
And I intend to maximize
every moment of your agony.
- I said shut up, Bart!
- Scream and rage.
No one will hear you.
I've turned off your voice.
You silenced me once.
Let's see how you like it.
[EERIE SOUNDSCAPE]
[SIZZLES]
[SIZZLES]
- Harm?
- Yeah?
Did you see that?
It it just disappeared.
I just need to slow down the element
and figure out what it is.
I could print out a
collisional cooling unit.
This is a major find.
[DISTORTED MUSIC]
[ROARING]
Aster!
Aster!
- [ALARM BLARING]
- [BART] That debris
should not have been allowed to
get this close to the beacon.
[ALARM CONTINUES BLARING]
Close the docking bay.
Lock everything down.
[LOUD BEEP]
[CLICKING]
[WHIRRING]
[ALARM BLARING]
They're not coming in.
Bring the drones, open fire.
[BART] They've attached too
close to the fusion generator.
If we fire on them, the
beacon will explode.
[HISSING]
[HARMONY] We're losing
pressure in Airlock One.
They're forcing the doors open.
Contain them to the lower levels.
What about Halan?
No one comes up.
[MUSIC SWELLS]
[SOFT MUSIC]
[ENGINE ROARING]
Aster!
[BEEPING]
Aster!
[WHIRRING, CLICKING]
- They're not coming in.
- They're forcing the doors open.
[ROARING]
[UPTEMPO MUSIC]
[MAN] Beacon 23, this is the Crest.
We're entering your sector.
Beacon 23, this is the Crest.
We're entering your sector.
Beacon 23, do you copy?
- This can't be right.
- Beacon 23,
we've got eight passengers on board.
We're pulling five years of
supplies for the Eshu colonies.
- [WHISPERING] What the hell is going on here?
- We'll be crossing your space soon.
Crest, this is Beacon
23. You are not cleared.
There's too much dark
matter. Do you copy?
Reroute, Crest, it isn't safe.
Beacon 23?
[LOUD SIGNAL, THUMPING]
It would've been nice to have
heard your voice, but all good.
- I see we are clear.
- Damn it!
Crest, do you hear
me? You are not clear.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[TECHNO MUSIC]
[LOUD BEEPING]
Shit!
[LOUD WHIRRING]
[WHOOSHING]
I don't understand.
Beacon 23, are we clear for passage?
[CLANKING]
- [GRUNTING LOUDLY]
- [METALLIC CLANGING]
Got it. Thanks, B23,
we are headed your way.
Maybe we'll stop in for
a beer in nine months
[LOUD WHOOSHING]
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]
[TOOL CLANGING]
No [SIGHS]
[BEEPING]
How much time do they have?
Retrieval time?
[BEEPING]
[GRUNTS LIGHTLY]
[THUMPING]
[RELIEVED SIGH]
[THEME MUSIC]
[BEEPING]
[CLICKING]
[GASPING FOR AIR]
[PANTING]
[GROANING]
Hey. Hey, it's okay.
It's okay.
You're okay.
You understand me?
[GASPS FOR AIR]
- Here.
- [SIGHS]
Don't worry, that'll stop.
You just got out of
the bubble too quick.
It crosses the wires.
I'm gonna give you something.
[EXHALES LOUDLY]
Derma-patch.
It's a strong one, all right?
That's a good soldier.
Hey, easy. Careful.
Your ship just crashed.
The Crest?
I'm sorry, all hands lost.
Did you have any family aboard or ?
No.
I I was alone.
There's a voice.
Welcome back.
What happened?
[SIGHS]
Beacon malfunctioned.
Map said stop, GWB said go.
The Gravity Wave Broadcaster.
I mean, I rebooted it.
I I tried manual reset.
I don't know. I think I'm being hacked.
You hungry?
Yeah.
Mm!
Mm, thank you.
Tastes like shit but it does the job.
- I'll let the chef know.
- [CHUCKLES]
I can get you another one if you'd like.
No. No, I'm good.
I'm gonna regret that later.
- [CHUCKLES]
- But I do feel
good.
Oddly great, even.
Mm. Yeah, that's the derma.
It'll wear off, sorry to say.
[WOMAN] We're out there, huh?
It's a pretty sweet view to wake up to.
Yeah.
I've never been this
side of Orion before.
- Feels familiar.
- Yeah, that'll happen.
Coming out the bubble sideways,
it gives you déjà vu.
Is that all from the Crest?
Yeah, those data haulers, they
really know how to pack 'em.
Especially out here,
this side of the galaxy.
It's the only way they get any updates.
Two hundred years ago,
we beamed everything
at the speed of light.
And now we're back to
stuffing shit in boxes.
- [CHUCKLING]
- Yeah, I guess so.
- [GASPS]
- [COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
No way.
Is that a beta series?
- I love these guys.
- [COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
Come here, you little bugger.
Yeah, he does that.
Don't take it personally.
Huh!
By the way, I'm Solomon.
Yeah. I know.
I said that?
Hm.
Okay.
Anyway, you're on a beacon.
Yeah, I know that too.
Right.
Look, I don't know where you were going,
- but if you need help getting back
- This this is where I was going. Beacon 23.
But they sent the thing months ago,
I can't believe no one
told you I was coming.
No.
Who are you?
Aster.
What are you doing here?
Okay, let's start again, all right?
- Uh, the reports you sent
- What reports?
The reports.
Mineral deposits, unknown isotopes,
nothing ever seen before.
Those reports, they
don't sound familiar?
Yeah um
- Yeah. Of course, I
- Yeah, those reports.
That's why I'm here. It's what I do.
Right, I just
- I didn't expect anyone to
- Well, it's been, what, a year?
I don't blame you, but
folks in Mission Control,
they're interested, so
here I am. Barely, I guess.
I just need the samples
- and access to any data
- No.
- No?
- Yeah, you can't access it
AI is malfunctioning,
I said that already.
Well, what's malfunctioning?
The AI, the whole beacon?
No! Okay? I just said no!
Didn't you hear me?
Yeah.
- Loud and clear.
- [SCOFFS]
Goddamn
[SIGHS] It's just
it's been so long since I've even
and I gotta deal with
the crash, and the reports.
- I got a lot of work to do.
- Yeah, we all do.
Yeah, and first thing's first,
I gotta figure out the protocol.
- Right. Protocol.
- Yeah, okay?
I gotta figure out what
happened with the GWB,
and then we can talk about the reports.
Why don't you
why don't you just have a rest, hm?
Yeah, you should get some rest.
Just go back down to the dock.
We'll talk in the morning, okay?
[SOLOMON SIGHS]
Um, can I take my bag?
Or is that against protocol?
[CLATTERING]
Harmony, wake.
Hello, Aster.
I'm afraid I'm not myself.
How long?
I don't have the processing
power yet to answer that.
Great.
What about the data?
Can you access the data?
Um, not yet, unfortunately.
- Aster.
- Yeah?
Is something wrong?
[SIGHS]
Solomon, Beacon Keeper, he's, um
antisocial.
Uncooperative.
- More than expected?
- More hostile, I guess.
You let me know when
you're up and running.
I'm sure I'll be fine.
Don't worry about me.
- You be careful.
- I will.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SCOFFS]
[SOLOMON] You knew
about this, didn't you?
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
So, what, they sent you a message,
and you just decided not to tell me?
[BABBLE]
If she goes poking around too much,
you know whose fault that is?
[BABBLE]
If I gotta get rid
of her, that's on you.
It's impressive. Is it true?
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
Sorry, my beep bop's a bit rusty.
What happened to Solomon?
- [BABBLE]
- I don't get ya.
Where is he now?
[BABBLE]
Do you know where the samples are?
- [BABBLE]
- Show me.
[HOLLOW WHIRRING]
[WATER GUSHING]
These the only samples?
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
[INTENSE SOUNDSCAPE, VOICES ECHOING]
[INDISTINCT VOICES]
- [ECHOING VOICES CONTINUE]
- [GUNSHOTS]
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
Can you show me files on the reports?
[BABBLE]
Show me files related to the minerals.
[BABBLE]
Hey, wait!
Hm.
[SIGHS]
Someone's been breaking the rules.
- Play three.
- [BABBLE]
[GAS HISSING]
- Enlarge that.
- Oh, Bart.
Be a dear. Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees
and print a couple
sheets of ginger, yes?
- And
- [ASTER] Freeze there.
Identify.
[SOLOMON] What are you doing?
I'm sorry. I was just, um
I said, what are you doing?
My job, really.
Did I say you could come up here?
In fact, um,
I'm pretty sure I told you not to.
- Well, they're expecting a report from me
- That's not my problem.
It's mine.
- Look, I'm just gonna head downstairs
- No, stop!
What's on that screen?
Bart, if you don't move
right now, so help me God!
[SIGHS]
I can explain.
- No need.
- No, obviously I do,
because you're wondering why
I don't look like Solomon,
and that's 'cause I'm not Solomon.
- I'm not
- My name is Halan.
Look, I I have no legal
The real Solomon stole my ship and left.
Whatever happened, I don't
need to know, I'm just gonna
You're not listening to me, are you?
I don't know Solomon! All right?
I don't know anyone!
I just collect samples
and write reports.
That's what I do.
So I'll just make my own way out.
- Oh, you will, huh?
- Yeah!
What are you gonna do, just
space walk out of here, hm?
Who's picking you up?
- My ship crashed!
- What, do you think I'm stupid, hm?
The Crest isn't coming back for you.
When is ISA picking you up?
Look, please, just back up, all right?
Or what?
What are you gonna do?
[FIGHTING GRUNTS]
[KNIFE PUNCTURING]
- [GASPS]
- [BLADE TINGLES]
[PANTING]
[GRUNTS FRUSTRATINGLY]
[GROANS LIGHTLY]
[CHAIN BLOCKING]
[VIBRATING]
Hello.
I'm sure we have a lot of
questions for each other.
Yes, I'm her personal AI.
[COMPUTERIZED BABBLE]
- Where is she now?
- [VIBRATING]
[MOANS SOFTLY]
Aster?
Aster!
Hey.
Hi.
Who are you?
I'm Harmony.
You went AWOL, didn't you?
Hey.
You weren't stranded, you were hiding.
Where's Solomon?
I told you, he's gone.
Gone where, Halan?
- I don't know.
- [MALE VOICE] Oh, he knows.
- Of course he knows.
- Bart?
My name is not Bart, nor is it AI,
nor ship nor dumbass.
My name is Bartholomew.
My human counterpart was Solomon.
- He called me Bart.
- Bart, stop.
I'd prefer if you didn't.
I use the past tense because
Solomon is no longer alive.
Goddamn it, Bart.
He was murdered, after being imprisoned
and tortured by this person.
That isn't half of the
story, and you know it.
Aster. Aster!
Please, you gotta
[PANTING]
I saved your life!
I have a job to do.
Aster, you come back here!
Aster! Aster!
Aster!
Tout suite.
Cut!
Come on, come on.
- [SIGHS]
- Could you please
Cut it, you rusted bucket.
All right, enough.
This Solomon guy's a piece of work.
True. But not a liar.
Solomon's chemical analysis
confirms your intuition.
The element is unknown.
- Didn't I tell you I was right?
- Ah, you told us.
Mm, Coley said it was a waste
of time, but I knew I was right.
It was a bold move, Aster.
Your gamble paid off.
Well, not yet, it hasn't.
I've still got more analysis to do.
- And we got, what, two samples?
- Correct.
And he took how many
trips over the years, 100?
One hundred seventy-two
trips over nine years.
[BART] Solomon was very
security conscious.
He took every precaution
to protect his discoveries,
- even hiding them from me.
- Yeah, I know.
It just makes my job more difficult.
Oh, this this never
would have happened
if Solomon were still alive.
He would have had the silicate
beautifully arrayed for you.
- But then he was horrifically murdered.
- Hm, tragic loss.
This should've been the
greatest day of Solomon's life.
Instead, he's gone, victim
of a brutal homicide.
- I cannot
- You can, and you have.
Numerous times.
Did you hear what he called you, Bart?
The presence of an ISA official
is at least some solace.
Do you think Halan will be executed?
His crimes certainly meet
the criteria for malice
- and forethought.
- I don't know.
Bart, we need some privacy.
Would you scan the beacon again?
If anyone can find the
silicate samples, it's you.
It's my honor to assist
the Interstellar Space
Authority in any capacity.
Thank you. He's been isolated too long.
- His interpersonal skills are
- [BEEP]
Hold, please. Quantum
data packet arriving.
- Word from a cutter?
- Yeah.
Extraction team is en route.
Estimated arrival, 35 to 40 hours.
Who doesn't like soy sauce?
[DOOR OPENING]
Noticed you weren't eating.
What, are you worried
I'm gonna waste away?
How long you planning
on keeping me in here?
'Til my transport gets here.
- And when's that?
- Soon enough.
You don't have to keep me locked up.
You're an AWOL pilot who
killed a Beacon Keeper
I didn't kill Solomon!
[CLATTERING]
God!
I'm sorry.
I used to be better at this.
[INDISTINCT ECHOING VOICES]
Aster, I need to get outta here.
- I'm not letting you out of the Airlock.
- No, not the Airlock, off the beacon.
Let me take the Picker, I'll
disappear, and you'll never
- have to deal with me again.
- Not happening.
Just say I escaped, I overpowered you.
No one would blame you.
[VOICES SHOUTING]
You okay?
[ECHOED VOICES SHOUTING]
- Halan, you okay?
- No, no, I'm not okay.
I can't be here when
your ISA buddies show up.
Look, I
I came down here to talk
to you, to understand.
I can put in a good word for you.
Don't you get it? I'm a deserter.
You help me find the
samples Solomon collected.
[VOICES ECHOING]
Halan?
Hey.
Halan, look at me.
[VOICES ECHOING]
You need his rocks.
Yeah. Do you know where they are?
- [WOMAN'S VOICE] Sarge?
- [ECHOING] Halan?
[MUFFLED] Halan, look at me.
[HALAN GRUNTS]
No!
[BANGING]
[GRUNTS]
There's something
wrong with him, Harmony.
- [HALAN MUTTERING]
- He was hearing voices.
Saw something that scared him.
His heart rate's elevated,
but respirations are low.
What's that condition soldiers get?
Hallucinations, headaches?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
[BART] PTSD has been eliminated
from the service branches.
The last documented
case was 73 years ago.
Because they gave them
pharma after every mission.
- Harmony?
- Printing now.
I object very strongly to this plan.
Objection noted.
Halan is without scruples, he
is capable of any treachery.
This is a ruse, an act.
He's not a good enough
liar for this to be an act.
To enter is too great a risk.
[SIGHS] Harmony?
In the event of my demise,
please emphasize in the
report that Bart warned me.
Will do.
- [HALAN SIGHS]
- Brought you something.
- I'll pass.
- Just take it.
It's gonna help with the noises,
and the throwing things
[DOOR CLOSES]
Bart?
Open the door.
Harmony, get Bart to open the door.
He's not responding.
You weren't expecting that, were you?
In the service, that's what
we call a tactical error.
Really?
Because from where I'm
standing, it's called compassion.
[CHUCKLES] Yeah.
Look, you have Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder.
That's the dose you
missed when you went AWOL.
So what, I should just believe you?
What, you think I want to
be down here playing medic?
Those prints could be anything.
They could leave me catatonic.
Or they could make you feel better.
- It's a win-win.
- You must really need those rocks.
It was a big risk coming back in here.
Not really.
I came back here because I
know what it's like to be alone.
Completely alone, day after day.
Being in suspension doesn't count.
All right, how about 74
days in quarantine, awake,
in a cargo port in Sector 91?
I was way out on an exoplanet,
evaluating a potential mine.
ISA said I had to quarantine
before I came back in.
The cargo port was the only
place that would take me.
So what, your Harbor
Master didn't like you?
No more Harbor Masters
in those facilities.
Yeah, all right, it was nice.
There was hydration and nutrition
and everything was automated.
But there wasn't this.
There was none of this.
So, what'd you do?
- What, besides wanking?
- [SCOFFS]
I thought about all the things
I try to avoid thinking about.
I thought about how I'll
never see my sister again.
Because even if I take time off work,
she'll be dead by the time I get there.
And how I won't take time
off work because if I do,
I'm scared they'll relegate me.
And how I've spent half my
adult life in suspension,
which is great if you want
to avoid all those things,
but it's shit for relationships.
Take it, don't take it.
Trust me.
I wouldn't do anything to
make this worse for you.
Bart, open the door. I'm leaving now.
He's not gonna try to escape.
Don't say a word.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SOFT, DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[CLATTERING]
[SIGHS]
He had a hundred bags, where are they?
The story about being
stranded, that was inspired.
Bart, privacy mode.
- Very well.
- [CLICKING OFF]
He's clear.
What sector did I say, with Halan?
Sector 91, 74 days.
But then you just left the pharma.
You didn't even ask him what he knew.
- He saved my life.
- And he could have killed you.
You walked in there
without assessing the risks,
totally unarmed.
Look, he's got a condition.
What was I supposed to do?
- You are running out of time.
- Yeah, I know that.
[HALAN] Hey, Aster!
[HARMONY] Bart, turn off
the audio from the Airlock.
No, let it play.
Aster, are you listening to me?
I remembered something.
[ASTER] I'm listening.
No, you gotta come down here
and talk to me face-to-face.
[TINKLING]
[ELECTRICAL BUZZING]
- [CRASHING]
- Whoa!
Well?
You look like you feel better.
Yeah, I guess those
prints must've worked.
Thank you for that.
You said you remembered something?
- I do.
- And?
Oh, I'm not just gonna tell you.
What happened to the gratitude
you were feeling a minute ago?
Nah. No, I got a whole list of demands.
Starting with the Picker.
That won't get you
past the debris field.
That's my problem.
Finding Solomon's rocks,
that's your problem,
and I know exactly how to solve it.
- [SIGHS]
- So, we go, we check it out.
If what I tell you leads you to
the rocks, then you let me go.
Harmony, how much time do we have?
[HARMONY] Latest estimate, 30 hours.
The one time I reached for it,
Solomon didn't want me to touch it.
[BART] Aster, he's wasting your time.
- What does it do?
- It used to open
the maintenance access door
for the microwave antenna.
But the antenna's been
disconnected for 100 years.
The Antenna Silo is external.
Yes, but it can be accessed
inside on the Storage Level.
Sounds like a good hiding place to me.
[CLICK]
[DOOR CREAKING]
Looks like you might be getting
off this beacon pretty soon.
- Aster, may I have a word?
- No.
This is a matter of security.
Allowing Halan to roam freely
If you calm down, Bart,
I can explain how things actually work.
The only thing to explain
is when Aster is going to
remand him to the authorities.
Halan will be taken care
of, I can assure you.
She's making deals with him.
That means she's either
stupid or corrupt.
- I demand to know which!
- We do not demand.
And we certainly do not insult.
Our job is to use information
to support and advise.
That's it.
You're right, I spoke out of turn.
I've defended you, Bart,
because of everything
that you've been through.
But your behavior is unacceptable.
Run a self-diagnostic.
So Bart.
[ASTER] Yeah. Bart.
Now you see why I shut
off his permissions.
He'd drive anyone mental.
Makes that Sector 81 seem
much more peaceful, huh?
Ninety-one.
Right, my mistake.
[LID CLICKING OPEN]
Find something?
Aster?
It's not the rocks, is it?
No.
That's gotta be it, right?
You wanna help?
Yeah.
[FURNITURE SCRATCHING ON THE FLOOR]
Are you coming?
- Yeah.
- [ASTER GROANING]
[DOOR CREAKING]
[EERIE MUSIC]
[ECHOED VOICES SHOUTING]
[WOMAN'S VOICE] Sarge?
- Halan?
- [HALAN PANTING]
[WOMAN GASPING IN FEAR]
[PANTING]
[PANTING LOUDLY]
Hey.
- Halan, what happened down there?
- No, no, no.
Halan, look at me.
You're safe, all right?
You're safe.
Harmony, print a sedative patch.
[HALAN SNIFFLING] I'm sorry.
- What happened?
- There was something there.
It came at me, I saw it.
I couldn't I Did you see anything?
It's possible we gave
him the wrong dosage.
No!
No, it wasn't the pharma,
there was something there!
Halan, there was nothing
there. There was nothing inside.
Sedative patch ready.
I'll come back, okay?
Drink this.
Drink it.
You don't have to go back in there.
I saw something, Aster.
I swear.
Somebody better find those rocks, hey?
Or you're not getting off this beacon.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [THUMPING IN THE DISTANCE]
- [GASPS]
[GROANS IN EFFORT]
[SIGHS]
[SOFT CHUCKLE]
[LOUD CLATTERING]
How you feeling?
You found the rocks, didn't you?
Yeah.
I guess that's it then.
I'll move out, clear the perimeter
before your cutter gets here.
All you gotta do is open the door.
I can't let you go.
We had a deal.
It's better this way, trust me.
No, trusting you is what got
me here in the first place.
Look, they're not gonna
care that you're AWOL.
It won't matter to them.
This is your best chance, and mine.
I let you out, they'll think we
made a deal, that I got a cut.
Then they'll destroy my life.
And they'll come for
you, and it'll be worse.
No one is that scared of ISA.
Who are you?
Bye, Halan.
[BART] Even I believed she
was gonna let you go, Halan.
Imagine my joy, seeing
her duplicity revealed.
- Shut up, Bart.
- You'll get no pity from me.
It's your turn to suffer.
And I intend to maximize
every moment of your agony.
- I said shut up, Bart!
- Scream and rage.
No one will hear you.
I've turned off your voice.
You silenced me once.
Let's see how you like it.
[EERIE SOUNDSCAPE]
[SIZZLES]
[SIZZLES]
- Harm?
- Yeah?
Did you see that?
It it just disappeared.
I just need to slow down the element
and figure out what it is.
I could print out a
collisional cooling unit.
This is a major find.
[DISTORTED MUSIC]
[ROARING]
Aster!
Aster!
- [ALARM BLARING]
- [BART] That debris
should not have been allowed to
get this close to the beacon.
[ALARM CONTINUES BLARING]
Close the docking bay.
Lock everything down.
[LOUD BEEP]
[CLICKING]
[WHIRRING]
[ALARM BLARING]
They're not coming in.
Bring the drones, open fire.
[BART] They've attached too
close to the fusion generator.
If we fire on them, the
beacon will explode.
[HISSING]
[HARMONY] We're losing
pressure in Airlock One.
They're forcing the doors open.
Contain them to the lower levels.
What about Halan?
No one comes up.
[MUSIC SWELLS]