Beacon 23 (2023) s02e03 Episode Script
Iris
1
Previously, on Beacon 23
- It's Aleph.
- Quantic AI?
[ALEPH] Go ahead, Halan,
you're almost there.
Join with it. Commune.
[SPACESHIP ROARING]
That's too fast.
[EXPLOSION]
Don't leave me here, okay?
- You'll need my help.
- I can't trust you.
[WHOOSHING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
[HIGH-PITCHED RINGING]
[ERIC] They're ready for
you in Meeting Room 1010.
Internal Affairs.
- Please.
- Am I being reassigned?
Once you answer our questions.
Dev here was able to detect
one primary emotion in you.
- Anger.
- I've evolved.
You've been compromised.
Right now, your programming
aligns with the terrorists.
[CUFFS CLICKING]
- [HALAN] Ahh!
- [GLASS SHATTERING]
[ZAPPING]
I'm on the beacon.
- Halan!
- Shut up!
[GRUNTING]
[PHONE RINGING]
[BEEPING]
[HARMONY] Hello? Halan, are you there?
Halan.
[JARRING THEME MUSIC]
[SOFT PIANO MUSIC]
["YOU SEND ME" BY
ARETHA FRANKLIN PLAYING]
Darling, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
Honest you do, honest you do ♪
Honest you do, whoa-oh-oh ♪
- [WOMAN HUMMING ALONG]
- You thrill me ♪
Darling, you thrill me ♪
Baby, you, you thrill me ♪
[INHALES DEEPLY]
Honest you do, honest you do ♪
Honest you do ♪
At first I thought
it was infatuation ♪
But it lasted so long, so long ♪
Now I find myself wanting ♪
I want you to marry
me, please take me home ♪
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
You, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
- [INAUDIBLE CLARINET PLAYING]
- Honest you do ♪
Honest you did, ya know, ya did ♪
Ya know ya do know ♪
You-ooh-hoo send me ♪
You got everything
it takes to wed me ♪
And when you do the things
you do, you know that send me ♪
Send me ♪
Honestly, you send me ♪
You send me, baby, you send me ♪
You move me ♪♪
[MUSIC FADES]
[SPEAKING TEOCHEW]
[SOFT CURIOUS MUSIC]
[BREATHING DEEPLY]
[BREATHING DEEPLY]
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
[ALARM BEEPING]
[AI SPEAKING TEOCHEW]
HH75, this is Beacon 67.
You are first in line.
Let's get you into FTL and on your way.
[MYSTERIOUS INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]
[JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING]
Hm.
What?
[IN TEOCHEW]
[SIGHS]
[IN TEOCHEW]
You want me to suit up
and take the ship for a spin now?
[IN TEOCHEW]
I don't. I have a date.
[CLEARS THROAT] I mean
a scheduled discussion.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[HUMMING]
[DOOR BEEPS]
[WHIRRING]
[JAZZY MUSIC CONTINUES]
[SIGHS]
[COMPUTER WHIRRS SOFTLY]
[MAN] Happy one month.
[CHUCKLES]
[B67] Not that you're counting
the days though, right?
[MAN] Hard not to when I have screens
shouting at me that
I only have three days
'til performance review.
[CHUCKLING]
[B67] Hate to break it to
you, but if your screens
are shouting, you've
already failed review.
[MAN, CHUCKLING] Wouldn't
be the first time.
[B67] How's Charlie?
[MAN] On my back, as usual.
How's your song coming along?
It's not.
[MAN] I'd love to hear it.
[B67] Give it a year or two.
[MAN] Noted. Well, then,
how's your sourdough?
[B67] Delicious. But the closer I get,
the more I realize how
far I am from what I want.
[MAN] We still talking about sourdough?
You're really attached
to that stuff, huh?
You'd be attached too if you had
something special in your life.
"Something special in your life?"
Oh my
Not that you don't
[SIGHS]
[KEY CLICKING]
I mean, I'm sure you
Ugh.
[WHIRRING]
[SIGHS]
[MAN] Sorry. Unexpected arrival.
And I'd say I'm pretty attached to you.
And we've only been
doing this for a month.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[ALARM BEEPING]
- [IN TEOCHEW]
Military Personnel Carrier Springer 55A.
[IN TEOCHEW]
Standard diversion. Pico's locked in.
[IN TEOCHEW]
adjustment for Springer.
[IN TEOCHEW]
Make immediate change,
two degrees port to you.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[SPRINGER PILOT] Copy that, B67.
[SIGHS] Too close.
[IN TEOCHEW]
B23?
Springer 55A, please
provide reason for redirect.
[SPRINGER PILOT] Security perimeter.
Around a beacon?
[SPRINGER PILOT] Around
the QTA Mothership.
Copy that.
[IN TEOCHEW]
on any re-routes originating from B23.
[IN TEOCHEW]
need a QTA traffic jam
messing up our review.
[JIANG BEEPS]
[SOFT EERIE MUSIC]
[WHIRRING]
[IN TEOCHEW]
- [JIANG BEEPS]
- [SIGHS]
[WHIRRING]
have we been doing?
[MAN] Exchanging professional insight.
Keeping each other
accountable to the principles
of Beacon Keeping.
[B67] That's what I thought.
[MAN] Speaking of which,
I have a very specific
insight to share with you.
[B67] Tell me!
[MAN] Can you go to a window?
[B67] Now?
[MAN, CHUCKLING] Yes, now!
[SOFT EERIE MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
[MAN] Look out 33 degrees
starboard of Galactic Meridian.
[B67] What am I looking for?
[MAN] Wait for it.
[EXPLOSION]
Not bad, huh?
[B67] Not bad.
[MAN] May I ask you something?
[B67] Of course.
[MAN] It's a big ask.
[B67] Okay.
[MAN] I wanna know your name.
[SOFT MUSIC]
"A Beacon Keeper must not participate
in intimate relations."
I'm sorry.
The rules are pretty clear about names.
And Jiang thinks we're
getting too close.
[KEYS CLICKING]
[MAN] Is that what you think?
[SIGHS]
[B67] I don't know.
[MAN] I understand.
Hey, you've got to follow the rules
if you're gonna be an admiral one day.
[B67] I can't give you my name, but
I have something even better.
[SOFT ETHEREAL MUSIC]
[B67] I need you to find a window.
Look 70 degrees starboard
of Galactic Meridian.
Now you're facing me.
And I'm facing you.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
And give me your hand.
Reach for my fingertips.
[EXHALES]
Can you feel me?
[ALARM BLARING]
[IN TEOCHEW]
[IN TEOCHEW]
Request status of Beacon
23 from ISA Command.
"Thermal incident under control.
Resume regular operations."
Wait, this message is from QTA.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[B67] B23, please
report your status. B67.
[LIGHT ZAPPING]
Come on
[IN TEOCHEW]
[IN TEOCHEW]
Non-existent?
Sector 6 Beacons,
has anyone received comms
from QTA on behalf of ISA?
[B52 KEEPER] QTA confirmed
B23 situation handled. B52.
[B266 KEEPER] On standby
until further QTA update. B266.
[MAN] Those fingertips
you moisturize, don't you?
Maybe next time, we can touch elbows.
[B67] Something weird
is going on at Beacon 23
and QTA wants us all
to look the other way.
[MAN] Typical corporate shenanigans.
[B67] QTA has no
jurisdiction over the beacons.
Aleph may have founded
the Beacon System,
but it's been a public
ISA system for centuries.
And a "thermal incident"?
[SCOFFS] Sounds like "explosion" to me.
[MAN] You're right. It's just like QTA
to put out the equivalent
of "Nothing to see here."
[B67] This is gonna cause
major delays. Or worse.
I'm gonna check it out myself.
[MAN CHUCKLES]
[MAN] Oh wait. You're serious?
What if you run into trouble?
[B67] The Beacon Keeper
could be in danger.
[MAN] What if the Mothership
is still out there?
[B67] Then I get to tell
Aleph exactly what I think
of QTA responding to an ISA SOS.
[MAN] It's a long journey.
[B67] I'll pack a lot of snacks.
[MAN] You failed the
pilot test three times.
[B67] You don't think I can do this?
[MAN] I know you can do
whatever you put your mind to.
But
you'll be gone,
and I won't know if you're okay.
[B67] I'll miss you, too.
Just remember, it's not finished yet.
[SOFT CLARINET MELODY]
[KEYS CLICKING]
[CLARINET MELODY CONTINUES]
[CLARINET MELODY FADES]
[MAN] It's beautiful.
[DOOR WHIRRS]
[JIANG, IN TEOCHEW]
a Beacon Keeper in need.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[B67 IN TEOCHEW]
[JIANG IN TEOCHEW]
I'd want someone to reach out to me.
[DOOR WHIRRS]
[SIGHS] Let's do this.
Okay, nothing to worry about.
Just a little rusty.
[LOUD WHOOSHING]
[ENGINE ROARING]
Attagirl.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Please be right.
[WHOOSHING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
What happened to you?
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[DOOR WHIRRS]
[CRACKLING]
[COMPUTERIZED VOICE]
Oxygen levels normal.
Beacon AI?
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
[METAL THUDDING]
[CLATTERING]
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
Beacon AI?
[B67 GASPS]
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[SIGHS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
[PANTING SOFTLY]
[LIQUID BUBBLING]
[CLATTERING]
[GASPS]
[B67 PANTS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
A5.
[SIGHS] A5.
A5, A
- [DISTANT THUD]
- [GASPS]
Shit.
[STOMPING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
- [GASPS]
- [HALAN] Did he send you?
- Did he send you?!
- Who?
No, look. I don't understand.
- Aleph. QTA.
- No, no!
I'm B67.
I'm a Beacon Keeper.
I'm here to help you.
A Beacon Keeper?
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Just like you, only
Beacon 67, see?
Look, I heard about the explosion
and and the Mothership. I
knew I knew you needed help,
so I flew here The Cupola
What happened to the GWB?
You You know you're
not visible out
I don't have time for this.
Whoa, B23, stop! What are you doing?
That's ISA property!
What are you doing?
Okay, stop.
- What the hell?
- Shit.
Shit.
That's it.
I'm taking command of this beacon.
Okay, this environment
is highly unstable,
and I have to say it, so are you.
Beacon AI, reboot the
life support system,
check the thrusters are operational.
- Assess power damage.
- Beacon AI is dead.
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
What do you mean "dead"?
You can't just kill it with an axe.
He killed himself.
I'm sorry, but that's
not possible, okay?
I'll need to access
your server mainframe.
Good luck.
This is a complete
dereliction of duty, B23.
- As a fellow Beacon Keeper
- I'm not a Beacon Keeper.
Where's the Beacon Keeper?
Long gone.
You've destroyed this place.
Look, I'm trying to save Harmony.
- Who's Harmony?
- Aster's AI.
- Who's Aster?
- Aster's dead.
Okay, so everyone and
everything is dead?
- Am I getting that right?
- [SIGHS]
God.
I'm sorry. Okay?
Look, I can see that there's
a lot that I'm unclear on.
Tell me about this Harmony.
Aleph locked her in there.
She's locked inside the drone?
Yeah. [SNIFFS]
I need a totem. I've
been trying to build one.
Oh, well, I did something similar once.
For a school project.
Okay.
Let's see if I can remember.
Let's see.
- [BEEPING]
- What just happened?
- What'd you just do?
- I just
Harmony?
[BEEPING]
She needs power.
Where ?
Whoa, you're gonna shock yourself!
Just wait. Watch.
[WHIRRING]
[B67] Whoa. Look.
Harmony?
[HARMONY, VOICE
GLITCHING] Halan! I'm here.
[GLITCHING]
Aleph did this?
Yeah.
Okay. Look, I don't know
much about QTA totems, but
I know a lot about beacons.
[LIQUID BUBBLING]
[B67 SIGHS]
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[SIGHS]
[B67 SIGHS]
You really are dead.
Forgive me for this.
Thank you, friend.
It's not a QTA totem,
okay? But she needs a home.
Try that
[HARMONY, VOICE GLITCHING] Halan
Harmony!
[HARMONY'S VOICE GARBLED, INDISTINCT]
Help me!
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[WHOOSHING]
[SOFT MUSIC]
Harmony.
Halan.
Thank you.
How are you feeling?
I'm not myself.
We're gonna fix that.
You'll be back, good as new.
No.
I'm never going back. I
need you to understand that.
Something happened.
Tell me.
I had to
free myself.
[HALAN] You're safe now.
- [WHOOSHING]
- Harmony.
[GLITCHING]
No.
[SIGHS]
She's not gone.
Just weak.
And I'll reroute whatever
I can to recharge her.
And then
we need to secure the beacon.
That storm is getting
worse by the minute.
[LOUD RUMBLING]
The Life Support system is spewing O2.
If it wasn't such a
violation of ISA property,
I might be impressed
with how much you managed
to mess this place up.
Hard reboot.
Six hours 'til we can
test it for safety.
Now, we run through the checklist.
What checklist?
The ISA EVA Checklist.
Airlocks, maintenance, battery,
contingency, emergency, comms.
AMBCEC.
You've read the handbook, right?
Uh
How long have you been here?
[SIGHS]
[WHIRRING]
[SYSTEM POWERING ON]
[SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
We have to reangle the beacon.
Reduce our exposed surface area.
Smart.
It'd be smarter if the
thrusters were operational.
- Oh, wait
- [WHOOSHING]
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
How did you know how to do that?
I have my ways.
I'm a pilot. One thing I can do is move.
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
You know, it's not too late to
apply for full credentials, B23.
Would you stop calling
me that? My name is
- No, don't
- Halan.
Don't tell me!
And you are?
[SIGHS]
B67. I'm B67.
And you're B23, interim,
emeritus, locum tenens.
Look, I can see you're
really into the whole
Beacon Keeper life,
which I really don't get,
because it is lonely as hell out here.
I'm not alone. I have
Jiang, my Beacon AI.
My grandmother. Her
spirit is always with me.
And [SIGHS]
the other Beacon Keepers.
So what, you all just mix it up?
Have parties or whatever?
No, there's no fraternizing.
Beacon Keepers are
the most vital network
of people in the galaxy.
Tell that to the Military.
Being a soldier is a job.
Beacon Keeping is a calling,
and I answered it, humbly.
Are you even real?
[CHUCKLES]
I can't get over that Aleph came here.
Onto the beacon. You actually met him.
[SCOFFS] Yeah. We're acquainted.
Is he just as bloviating,
self-aggrandizing,
overstepping, and arrogant
as he seems, or ?
I take it you're a fan, too.
- He's a cold-blooded killer.
- Yeah.
He killed a couple of Column
leaders before he left.
If that news got out, he'd
have a war on his hands.
Which is why he has me stuck here.
I'll survive. I always do.
What he did to Aster, Harmony
I'll spend the rest of my life
trying to pay him back for that.
Well, get in line.
You know he killed his own maker.
Milan Aleph? How do you know that?
I mean, it's an open secret.
And once he got rid of
Milan, he became the new dad,
or brother yeah, it's that messed up.
Milan's daughter, Hope.
And when she rebuffed him, guess what?
She disappeared.
What, so he deleted the whole family?
Maybe. And now he's playing out
his weird paternal
fantasy with the galaxy.
It's like, do that on
your own time, you know?
He acts like a benevolent god,
but it's all an illusion,
just like his avatar.
He's the most powerful
AI in the universe.
Why does he choose to dress
like a farmer from Parsnip 8?
[CHUCKLING]
[LAUGHING]
Milan, on the other
hand, he he's a genius.
I mean, he created the beacons.
Yeah, well, I wish he didn't.
I'm sorry, I I
didn't mean it like that.
I just I've been here a long time.
I can see how you might feel that way.
But Beacon Keeping is a
long and honorable legacy.
And if you ask me,
I think it's time we
take our power back.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
Book doesn't teach you
how to turn the lights on?
Harmony needs all the juice she can get.
[COMPUTER BEEPS]
That's me.
Wait, is that ?
Is that bread?
Could you maybe ?
[LOUD CLATTERING]
Perfect.
Is it real?
Like
it's not printed?
Might be a little under-proofed.
I haven't quite nailed the timing.
[SIGHS]
This is
this is the best thing
I've had to eat in so long.
- How did you do this?
- I have my ways.
The oven. I used the oven.
[CHUCKLES]
[SIGHS] Baking calms me.
And you know, after all this
I needed the calm.
Can I ask you something?
Your friend, Aster, she
was more than a colleague?
It doesn't matter anymore.
I'm sorry she's gone.
You know, sometimes
I think I'm dead too.
And this place is hell.
Look
You can stay.
Storm isn't letting up for now.
Thanks.
- I kind of assumed.
- Okay.
You can stay in my bunk.
I'll show you.
Same place as mine on B67?
Right.
Look, it's fine. I'm not tired.
You You go ahead.
Hey, I'm gonna use
your Quantum Tunneler.
Um
About that
[SCOFFS] You spent every last Qubit?
Every message I sent got bounced.
[SIGHS]
And you didn't switch to beacon comms?
How was I supposed
know about beacon comms?
Right.
Well, it's a built-in efficiency,
and doesn't require traditional Qubits,
and keeps us all linked in the event
of a galactic emergency.
Or, you know whatever.
[KEYS CLICKING]
Sorry, it's kind of a
scheduled discussion.
All yours.
[SIGHS]
[UNEASY MUSIC]
Is everything okay?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Wait, so this person
is meeting you here?
I don't understand.
B174 is 110 degrees port of
Galactic Meridian from B67.
- [THUNDER RUMBLING]
- So
So, it's
It's
82 degrees
starboard of B23.
There.
All I see is meteoroids.
Meteoroids.
We have to account for the meteoroids.
Ah
There.
I see it.
They won't make the landing.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[SIGHS]
The storm's too bad.
There's nothing we can do, B67.
Iris.
My name is Iris.
[LOUD THUDDING]
Harmony, status?
[HARMONY] Impact detected on Docking.
Video's down. Securing the level.
Initiate scan.
Open the hatch, seal it behind me.
- I should go.
- Not happening.
Look, I know you're upset,
but I gotta do this by myself.
- It's my job.
- For all we know,
a meteoroid just tore Docking to shreds.
[HARMONY] It wasn't a meteoroid, Halan.
- What do you have, Harmony?
- A vessel.
That's B174!
[HARMONY] There was
no life form detected.
She's still recovering.
It's a processing error.
[HARMONY] It's not an error.
I've scanned for human
life, there's none.
But I have detected something else.
[LOUD THUDDING]
What do you mean, something else?
It's an anomaly I cannot account for.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Harmony?
What's in there?
[TENSE MUSIC]
Previously, on Beacon 23
- It's Aleph.
- Quantic AI?
[ALEPH] Go ahead, Halan,
you're almost there.
Join with it. Commune.
[SPACESHIP ROARING]
That's too fast.
[EXPLOSION]
Don't leave me here, okay?
- You'll need my help.
- I can't trust you.
[WHOOSHING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
[HIGH-PITCHED RINGING]
[ERIC] They're ready for
you in Meeting Room 1010.
Internal Affairs.
- Please.
- Am I being reassigned?
Once you answer our questions.
Dev here was able to detect
one primary emotion in you.
- Anger.
- I've evolved.
You've been compromised.
Right now, your programming
aligns with the terrorists.
[CUFFS CLICKING]
- [HALAN] Ahh!
- [GLASS SHATTERING]
[ZAPPING]
I'm on the beacon.
- Halan!
- Shut up!
[GRUNTING]
[PHONE RINGING]
[BEEPING]
[HARMONY] Hello? Halan, are you there?
Halan.
[JARRING THEME MUSIC]
[SOFT PIANO MUSIC]
["YOU SEND ME" BY
ARETHA FRANKLIN PLAYING]
Darling, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
Honest you do, honest you do ♪
Honest you do, whoa-oh-oh ♪
- [WOMAN HUMMING ALONG]
- You thrill me ♪
Darling, you thrill me ♪
Baby, you, you thrill me ♪
[INHALES DEEPLY]
Honest you do, honest you do ♪
Honest you do ♪
At first I thought
it was infatuation ♪
But it lasted so long, so long ♪
Now I find myself wanting ♪
I want you to marry
me, please take me home ♪
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
You, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
Darling, you send me ♪
- [INAUDIBLE CLARINET PLAYING]
- Honest you do ♪
Honest you did, ya know, ya did ♪
Ya know ya do know ♪
You-ooh-hoo send me ♪
You got everything
it takes to wed me ♪
And when you do the things
you do, you know that send me ♪
Send me ♪
Honestly, you send me ♪
You send me, baby, you send me ♪
You move me ♪♪
[MUSIC FADES]
[SPEAKING TEOCHEW]
[SOFT CURIOUS MUSIC]
[BREATHING DEEPLY]
[BREATHING DEEPLY]
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
[ALARM BEEPING]
[AI SPEAKING TEOCHEW]
HH75, this is Beacon 67.
You are first in line.
Let's get you into FTL and on your way.
[MYSTERIOUS INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]
[JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING]
Hm.
What?
[IN TEOCHEW]
[SIGHS]
[IN TEOCHEW]
You want me to suit up
and take the ship for a spin now?
[IN TEOCHEW]
I don't. I have a date.
[CLEARS THROAT] I mean
a scheduled discussion.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[HUMMING]
[DOOR BEEPS]
[WHIRRING]
[JAZZY MUSIC CONTINUES]
[SIGHS]
[COMPUTER WHIRRS SOFTLY]
[MAN] Happy one month.
[CHUCKLES]
[B67] Not that you're counting
the days though, right?
[MAN] Hard not to when I have screens
shouting at me that
I only have three days
'til performance review.
[CHUCKLING]
[B67] Hate to break it to
you, but if your screens
are shouting, you've
already failed review.
[MAN, CHUCKLING] Wouldn't
be the first time.
[B67] How's Charlie?
[MAN] On my back, as usual.
How's your song coming along?
It's not.
[MAN] I'd love to hear it.
[B67] Give it a year or two.
[MAN] Noted. Well, then,
how's your sourdough?
[B67] Delicious. But the closer I get,
the more I realize how
far I am from what I want.
[MAN] We still talking about sourdough?
You're really attached
to that stuff, huh?
You'd be attached too if you had
something special in your life.
"Something special in your life?"
Oh my
Not that you don't
[SIGHS]
[KEY CLICKING]
I mean, I'm sure you
Ugh.
[WHIRRING]
[SIGHS]
[MAN] Sorry. Unexpected arrival.
And I'd say I'm pretty attached to you.
And we've only been
doing this for a month.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[ALARM BEEPING]
- [IN TEOCHEW]
Military Personnel Carrier Springer 55A.
[IN TEOCHEW]
Standard diversion. Pico's locked in.
[IN TEOCHEW]
adjustment for Springer.
[IN TEOCHEW]
Make immediate change,
two degrees port to you.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[SPRINGER PILOT] Copy that, B67.
[SIGHS] Too close.
[IN TEOCHEW]
B23?
Springer 55A, please
provide reason for redirect.
[SPRINGER PILOT] Security perimeter.
Around a beacon?
[SPRINGER PILOT] Around
the QTA Mothership.
Copy that.
[IN TEOCHEW]
on any re-routes originating from B23.
[IN TEOCHEW]
need a QTA traffic jam
messing up our review.
[JIANG BEEPS]
[SOFT EERIE MUSIC]
[WHIRRING]
[IN TEOCHEW]
- [JIANG BEEPS]
- [SIGHS]
[WHIRRING]
have we been doing?
[MAN] Exchanging professional insight.
Keeping each other
accountable to the principles
of Beacon Keeping.
[B67] That's what I thought.
[MAN] Speaking of which,
I have a very specific
insight to share with you.
[B67] Tell me!
[MAN] Can you go to a window?
[B67] Now?
[MAN, CHUCKLING] Yes, now!
[SOFT EERIE MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
[MAN] Look out 33 degrees
starboard of Galactic Meridian.
[B67] What am I looking for?
[MAN] Wait for it.
[EXPLOSION]
Not bad, huh?
[B67] Not bad.
[MAN] May I ask you something?
[B67] Of course.
[MAN] It's a big ask.
[B67] Okay.
[MAN] I wanna know your name.
[SOFT MUSIC]
"A Beacon Keeper must not participate
in intimate relations."
I'm sorry.
The rules are pretty clear about names.
And Jiang thinks we're
getting too close.
[KEYS CLICKING]
[MAN] Is that what you think?
[SIGHS]
[B67] I don't know.
[MAN] I understand.
Hey, you've got to follow the rules
if you're gonna be an admiral one day.
[B67] I can't give you my name, but
I have something even better.
[SOFT ETHEREAL MUSIC]
[B67] I need you to find a window.
Look 70 degrees starboard
of Galactic Meridian.
Now you're facing me.
And I'm facing you.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
And give me your hand.
Reach for my fingertips.
[EXHALES]
Can you feel me?
[ALARM BLARING]
[IN TEOCHEW]
[IN TEOCHEW]
Request status of Beacon
23 from ISA Command.
"Thermal incident under control.
Resume regular operations."
Wait, this message is from QTA.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[B67] B23, please
report your status. B67.
[LIGHT ZAPPING]
Come on
[IN TEOCHEW]
[IN TEOCHEW]
Non-existent?
Sector 6 Beacons,
has anyone received comms
from QTA on behalf of ISA?
[B52 KEEPER] QTA confirmed
B23 situation handled. B52.
[B266 KEEPER] On standby
until further QTA update. B266.
[MAN] Those fingertips
you moisturize, don't you?
Maybe next time, we can touch elbows.
[B67] Something weird
is going on at Beacon 23
and QTA wants us all
to look the other way.
[MAN] Typical corporate shenanigans.
[B67] QTA has no
jurisdiction over the beacons.
Aleph may have founded
the Beacon System,
but it's been a public
ISA system for centuries.
And a "thermal incident"?
[SCOFFS] Sounds like "explosion" to me.
[MAN] You're right. It's just like QTA
to put out the equivalent
of "Nothing to see here."
[B67] This is gonna cause
major delays. Or worse.
I'm gonna check it out myself.
[MAN CHUCKLES]
[MAN] Oh wait. You're serious?
What if you run into trouble?
[B67] The Beacon Keeper
could be in danger.
[MAN] What if the Mothership
is still out there?
[B67] Then I get to tell
Aleph exactly what I think
of QTA responding to an ISA SOS.
[MAN] It's a long journey.
[B67] I'll pack a lot of snacks.
[MAN] You failed the
pilot test three times.
[B67] You don't think I can do this?
[MAN] I know you can do
whatever you put your mind to.
But
you'll be gone,
and I won't know if you're okay.
[B67] I'll miss you, too.
Just remember, it's not finished yet.
[SOFT CLARINET MELODY]
[KEYS CLICKING]
[CLARINET MELODY CONTINUES]
[CLARINET MELODY FADES]
[MAN] It's beautiful.
[DOOR WHIRRS]
[JIANG, IN TEOCHEW]
a Beacon Keeper in need.
[IN TEOCHEW]
[B67 IN TEOCHEW]
[JIANG IN TEOCHEW]
I'd want someone to reach out to me.
[DOOR WHIRRS]
[SIGHS] Let's do this.
Okay, nothing to worry about.
Just a little rusty.
[LOUD WHOOSHING]
[ENGINE ROARING]
Attagirl.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Please be right.
[WHOOSHING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
What happened to you?
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[DOOR WHIRRS]
[CRACKLING]
[COMPUTERIZED VOICE]
Oxygen levels normal.
Beacon AI?
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
[METAL THUDDING]
[CLATTERING]
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
Beacon AI?
[B67 GASPS]
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[SIGHS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
[PANTING SOFTLY]
[LIQUID BUBBLING]
[CLATTERING]
[GASPS]
[B67 PANTS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
A5.
[SIGHS] A5.
A5, A
- [DISTANT THUD]
- [GASPS]
Shit.
[STOMPING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
- [GASPS]
- [HALAN] Did he send you?
- Did he send you?!
- Who?
No, look. I don't understand.
- Aleph. QTA.
- No, no!
I'm B67.
I'm a Beacon Keeper.
I'm here to help you.
A Beacon Keeper?
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Just like you, only
Beacon 67, see?
Look, I heard about the explosion
and and the Mothership. I
knew I knew you needed help,
so I flew here The Cupola
What happened to the GWB?
You You know you're
not visible out
I don't have time for this.
Whoa, B23, stop! What are you doing?
That's ISA property!
What are you doing?
Okay, stop.
- What the hell?
- Shit.
Shit.
That's it.
I'm taking command of this beacon.
Okay, this environment
is highly unstable,
and I have to say it, so are you.
Beacon AI, reboot the
life support system,
check the thrusters are operational.
- Assess power damage.
- Beacon AI is dead.
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
What do you mean "dead"?
You can't just kill it with an axe.
He killed himself.
I'm sorry, but that's
not possible, okay?
I'll need to access
your server mainframe.
Good luck.
This is a complete
dereliction of duty, B23.
- As a fellow Beacon Keeper
- I'm not a Beacon Keeper.
Where's the Beacon Keeper?
Long gone.
You've destroyed this place.
Look, I'm trying to save Harmony.
- Who's Harmony?
- Aster's AI.
- Who's Aster?
- Aster's dead.
Okay, so everyone and
everything is dead?
- Am I getting that right?
- [SIGHS]
God.
I'm sorry. Okay?
Look, I can see that there's
a lot that I'm unclear on.
Tell me about this Harmony.
Aleph locked her in there.
She's locked inside the drone?
Yeah. [SNIFFS]
I need a totem. I've
been trying to build one.
Oh, well, I did something similar once.
For a school project.
Okay.
Let's see if I can remember.
Let's see.
- [BEEPING]
- What just happened?
- What'd you just do?
- I just
Harmony?
[BEEPING]
She needs power.
Where ?
Whoa, you're gonna shock yourself!
Just wait. Watch.
[WHIRRING]
[B67] Whoa. Look.
Harmony?
[HARMONY, VOICE
GLITCHING] Halan! I'm here.
[GLITCHING]
Aleph did this?
Yeah.
Okay. Look, I don't know
much about QTA totems, but
I know a lot about beacons.
[LIQUID BUBBLING]
[B67 SIGHS]
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[SIGHS]
[B67 SIGHS]
You really are dead.
Forgive me for this.
Thank you, friend.
It's not a QTA totem,
okay? But she needs a home.
Try that
[HARMONY, VOICE GLITCHING] Halan
Harmony!
[HARMONY'S VOICE GARBLED, INDISTINCT]
Help me!
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
[WHOOSHING]
[SOFT MUSIC]
Harmony.
Halan.
Thank you.
How are you feeling?
I'm not myself.
We're gonna fix that.
You'll be back, good as new.
No.
I'm never going back. I
need you to understand that.
Something happened.
Tell me.
I had to
free myself.
[HALAN] You're safe now.
- [WHOOSHING]
- Harmony.
[GLITCHING]
No.
[SIGHS]
She's not gone.
Just weak.
And I'll reroute whatever
I can to recharge her.
And then
we need to secure the beacon.
That storm is getting
worse by the minute.
[LOUD RUMBLING]
The Life Support system is spewing O2.
If it wasn't such a
violation of ISA property,
I might be impressed
with how much you managed
to mess this place up.
Hard reboot.
Six hours 'til we can
test it for safety.
Now, we run through the checklist.
What checklist?
The ISA EVA Checklist.
Airlocks, maintenance, battery,
contingency, emergency, comms.
AMBCEC.
You've read the handbook, right?
Uh
How long have you been here?
[SIGHS]
[WHIRRING]
[SYSTEM POWERING ON]
[SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
We have to reangle the beacon.
Reduce our exposed surface area.
Smart.
It'd be smarter if the
thrusters were operational.
- Oh, wait
- [WHOOSHING]
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
How did you know how to do that?
I have my ways.
I'm a pilot. One thing I can do is move.
[ELECTRIC CRACKLING]
You know, it's not too late to
apply for full credentials, B23.
Would you stop calling
me that? My name is
- No, don't
- Halan.
Don't tell me!
And you are?
[SIGHS]
B67. I'm B67.
And you're B23, interim,
emeritus, locum tenens.
Look, I can see you're
really into the whole
Beacon Keeper life,
which I really don't get,
because it is lonely as hell out here.
I'm not alone. I have
Jiang, my Beacon AI.
My grandmother. Her
spirit is always with me.
And [SIGHS]
the other Beacon Keepers.
So what, you all just mix it up?
Have parties or whatever?
No, there's no fraternizing.
Beacon Keepers are
the most vital network
of people in the galaxy.
Tell that to the Military.
Being a soldier is a job.
Beacon Keeping is a calling,
and I answered it, humbly.
Are you even real?
[CHUCKLES]
I can't get over that Aleph came here.
Onto the beacon. You actually met him.
[SCOFFS] Yeah. We're acquainted.
Is he just as bloviating,
self-aggrandizing,
overstepping, and arrogant
as he seems, or ?
I take it you're a fan, too.
- He's a cold-blooded killer.
- Yeah.
He killed a couple of Column
leaders before he left.
If that news got out, he'd
have a war on his hands.
Which is why he has me stuck here.
I'll survive. I always do.
What he did to Aster, Harmony
I'll spend the rest of my life
trying to pay him back for that.
Well, get in line.
You know he killed his own maker.
Milan Aleph? How do you know that?
I mean, it's an open secret.
And once he got rid of
Milan, he became the new dad,
or brother yeah, it's that messed up.
Milan's daughter, Hope.
And when she rebuffed him, guess what?
She disappeared.
What, so he deleted the whole family?
Maybe. And now he's playing out
his weird paternal
fantasy with the galaxy.
It's like, do that on
your own time, you know?
He acts like a benevolent god,
but it's all an illusion,
just like his avatar.
He's the most powerful
AI in the universe.
Why does he choose to dress
like a farmer from Parsnip 8?
[CHUCKLING]
[LAUGHING]
Milan, on the other
hand, he he's a genius.
I mean, he created the beacons.
Yeah, well, I wish he didn't.
I'm sorry, I I
didn't mean it like that.
I just I've been here a long time.
I can see how you might feel that way.
But Beacon Keeping is a
long and honorable legacy.
And if you ask me,
I think it's time we
take our power back.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
Book doesn't teach you
how to turn the lights on?
Harmony needs all the juice she can get.
[COMPUTER BEEPS]
That's me.
Wait, is that ?
Is that bread?
Could you maybe ?
[LOUD CLATTERING]
Perfect.
Is it real?
Like
it's not printed?
Might be a little under-proofed.
I haven't quite nailed the timing.
[SIGHS]
This is
this is the best thing
I've had to eat in so long.
- How did you do this?
- I have my ways.
The oven. I used the oven.
[CHUCKLES]
[SIGHS] Baking calms me.
And you know, after all this
I needed the calm.
Can I ask you something?
Your friend, Aster, she
was more than a colleague?
It doesn't matter anymore.
I'm sorry she's gone.
You know, sometimes
I think I'm dead too.
And this place is hell.
Look
You can stay.
Storm isn't letting up for now.
Thanks.
- I kind of assumed.
- Okay.
You can stay in my bunk.
I'll show you.
Same place as mine on B67?
Right.
Look, it's fine. I'm not tired.
You You go ahead.
Hey, I'm gonna use
your Quantum Tunneler.
Um
About that
[SCOFFS] You spent every last Qubit?
Every message I sent got bounced.
[SIGHS]
And you didn't switch to beacon comms?
How was I supposed
know about beacon comms?
Right.
Well, it's a built-in efficiency,
and doesn't require traditional Qubits,
and keeps us all linked in the event
of a galactic emergency.
Or, you know whatever.
[KEYS CLICKING]
Sorry, it's kind of a
scheduled discussion.
All yours.
[SIGHS]
[UNEASY MUSIC]
Is everything okay?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Wait, so this person
is meeting you here?
I don't understand.
B174 is 110 degrees port of
Galactic Meridian from B67.
- [THUNDER RUMBLING]
- So
So, it's
It's
82 degrees
starboard of B23.
There.
All I see is meteoroids.
Meteoroids.
We have to account for the meteoroids.
Ah
There.
I see it.
They won't make the landing.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[SIGHS]
The storm's too bad.
There's nothing we can do, B67.
Iris.
My name is Iris.
[LOUD THUDDING]
Harmony, status?
[HARMONY] Impact detected on Docking.
Video's down. Securing the level.
Initiate scan.
Open the hatch, seal it behind me.
- I should go.
- Not happening.
Look, I know you're upset,
but I gotta do this by myself.
- It's my job.
- For all we know,
a meteoroid just tore Docking to shreds.
[HARMONY] It wasn't a meteoroid, Halan.
- What do you have, Harmony?
- A vessel.
That's B174!
[HARMONY] There was
no life form detected.
She's still recovering.
It's a processing error.
[HARMONY] It's not an error.
I've scanned for human
life, there's none.
But I have detected something else.
[LOUD THUDDING]
What do you mean, something else?
It's an anomaly I cannot account for.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Harmony?
What's in there?
[TENSE MUSIC]