Tyr interrupts Rev’s meditations. The Nietzchean noticed that the Wayists hailed Andromeda by name, and he wants to know why. Rev admits that he’s been passing information about Andromeda back to his order.
"Tread carefully," Tyr warns Rev. "I don’t like surprises, and I suspect neither does Dylan."
Beka is still suspicious. Trusting her feelings, she finds Rafe poking through her music disks on the Eureka Maru.
"I’ve killed men for stealing my disks," she says – probably in jest. Fortunately, Rafe is returning a stolen disk to her – an act that should make any right-thinking sibling even more suspicious.
Beka is unappeased. Returning a disk doesn’t make up for the fact that Rafe didn’t come to their father’s funeral.
"You were his heart and you left," she says. "It broke him."
Dylan is also trying to find out more about Rafe and His Serenity. When Beka checks in with him, though, she confesses that she is beginning to believe in her brother and his mission.
It doesn’t last. Moments later, Rafe steals the Maru. Beka follows in a slip-fighter.
She’s such a tea-se
Trance has made a drink from Gehenna called "Angel’s Tears" for His Serenity. Rev serves it, assuring Khalsa that it has no medicinal value.
As Khalsa drinks, Rev asks him what he knows about Rafe. His Serenity claims he is amused by watching Rafe’s higher and lower natures do battle. He also says that he empathizes with the Restor and their goals.
"The Universe is a precious gift," he says. "We must not squander it."
Rafe’s theft of the Maru amuses Tyr – it’s the first self-motivated act he’s seen in months. He’d like to drop His Serenity off and avoid trouble with the Restorians, but Dylan is too noble to agree. Tyr launches into a parody of one of Dylan’s long-winded do-gooder speeches.
Trance is outraged, and shouts, "You take that back!" If Tyr doesn’t, she’ll hit him.
"It’s okay," Dylan says. "Tyr’s right." It is frustrating to fail.
"I’m not going to win every time," he says, "but when we do win it’s going to be big big news, so if I were you I would stick around. It’s going to be an amazing ride."
Beka finds Rafe docked at "Starlight and Still Water," an asteroid monastery of the Way.
Enough personality for two
Andromeda argues with herself – in hologram and android form – about the Om Shanti. She tells Dylan that the Wayist ship’s slipstream is functional, and that there are inconsistencies in its navigation logs.
Beka enters the monastery. A monk tells her that Rafe is conferring with his spiritual advisor, and she sits down to wait.
Rafe’s confession is anything but spiritual. He’s not a priest – though he’s elated that he’s fooled his little sister – and his "advisor" is a contact with equipment for him.
He is surprised when the contact gives him an EMP trigger device. The plan is to blow up Andromeda and everybody aboard.
Rafe says, "This isn’t fun anymore. I think I’m done playing."
"You don’t get to pick up your ball and go home," is the response.
A pirate’s life for me!
Beka and Rafe head back to the Andromeda. He suggests they go back into business together, but Beka doesn’t miss a life that involved regular pursuit by bounty hunters.
Rafe claims he’s having second thoughts about "this whole Wayism deal," but Beka asks him to see it through.
"For once in my life I’m actually proud of something you’re doing," she says.
When they get back to the ship, His Serenity meets them in the docking bay. "Help a sick man back to his room," he says, "and tell me about your trip."
Rev has found something disturbing – footage of Rafe at a Restorian rally.
Beka confronts him, and he admits that he used to run guns for the Restorians. However, he’s actually a spy for the Free Trade Alliance. He says His Serenity is a Restor plant, a replacement for the real Khalsa, who has been murdered.
He convinces Beka by telling her about Dany, the neo-hippie he once ran away with. Dany believed in the Restorian cause, and inspired Rafe – but he lost faith in them when she died a pointless death at a Restor protest.
Tyr takes Khalsa to the brig. The fake Wayist is strangely untroubled by being exposed.
"Not only do you not know who I am," he says, "you don’t know what I am." He opens his mouth and begins expelling nanobots from his body.
On the bridge, Andromeda collapses. The nanobots are crashing her systems.
Worse, a fleet of Restorian warships is closing in.
Force-lance justice
Dylan is furious. He nearly shoots Rafe before Beka can explain he’s not involved, and tells him, "You’ve still killed us unless you do exactly as I say."
Tyr and Trance race to the life support override system. If they can vent the ship’s atmosphere, they can get rid of most of the nanobots.
Unfortunately, the automated defense system is active – a rare event on this series. In fact, the defense system has gone haywire.
Rev asks the approaching ships to identify themselves. "This is Narwhal’s Lament," one pilot replies. "We’re here to kill you!"
Rafe leaves Andromeda again, this time in the Om Shanti. Dylan and Beka are shocked, especially when Rev reports that Rafe has stolen Andromeda’s access codes.
Tyr and Trance duck and roll past the defenses.
Beka pursues Rafe in the Maru. He tells her that he’s saved her by drawing her away from the Andromeda. They can flee together and enjoy return to their old life.
"What do you say?" he asks.
Beka replies, "I say ‘Launch kinetic warheads’!" She fires, and the Om Shanti explodes.
It’s too late, though. Rafe has already broadcast the codes.
I have a cunning plan
Beka flees the Restorians. They’re catching up.
Dylan asks Trance and Tyr, "Do I have an engine or not?" He doesn’t, and the Restor are in range.
"I hope your plan works," Rev comments.
Beka provides the color commentary. The Restor download the data . . . load it into the target array . . . launch their missiles . . .and then the missiles reverse course to destroy the ships that fired them. The "data" Rafe "stole" was a computer virus.
"That’s the thing about fanatics," Rafe comments as he boards the Maru from an escape pod, "they’re gullible."
The Andromeda’s engine is restored, and she quickly leaves the scene. Dylan tells Rev, "Next time you want to send up a homing pigeon, warn me first." He knew that Rev had contacted the Wayists.
Dylan goes down to the returning Maru to greet Beka and Rafe. He offers Rafe a place on the ship, but Rafe has other things to do with his life. He might even join the monks for real.
Andromeda comes back on line, and there is much rejoicing. Trance announces that her favorite part was Andromeda’s internal defenses – they seemed very realistic. She gets very quiet when Andromeda tells her the defenses really had gone haywire.
Beka checks her disks, and discovers that Rafe has raided them again. He’s also left a message for her.
The Restorians aren’t the only ones who fell for a sneaky trick. Rafe made up his story about Dany, and has used his "death" at Beka’s hands to escape the clutches of the FTA.
Rafe appreciated Dylan’s offer, but he’s going to go back to the family career of smuggling, piracy, and con games.
"Join me anytime, Valentine Smart," he tells his sister. "This is Valentine Smarter, signing off."
Beka leaves the Maru fuming, but fond of her brother.
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