| Vault of the Heavens | |
|---|---|
| |
| Production | |
| Episode |
3.17 |
| Production # |
319 |
| Original air date |
April 7, 2003 |
| Written by | |
| Directed by | |
| Developed by | |
| Producer | |
| Executive Producer |
Allan Eastman |
| Production Designer | |
| Cast | |
| Guest stars | |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | |
| Followed by | |
Wondrous sight of so celestial hue."
--Final diary entry of Capt. Oswald Pierce,
CY 1116
Regarding his only love.
"Vault of the Heavens" is episode 17 of Season 3.
The Regular Cast of Andromeda Season 3
Synopsis
Seamus Harper is in the Command Center for a night shift. To make things more interesting, he is racing a Nietzschean between slip points. The Nietzschean is named Agio, and he and Harper seem to have some history racing ships against each other. Agio is from the Cygnus Drifts, a disreputable corner of the galaxies, where a number of displaced Nietzschean Prides have come together.
Harper uses a trick to supercharge the engines known as Harpers Afterburner, but injecting extra anti-protons. However, the Antiproton valve gets stuck while they are in slipstream, causing a bumpy ride and waking Dylan Hunt.
Andromeda starts to receive a signal from a little traveled star cluster. The star cluster is far away, but somehow the signal seems to be recent.
In his quarters, Dylan hears a female voice, speaking of "fire and ice", and calling him to "come to me".
Travel to the star cluster will take several days, through dangerous territory, but Dylan wants to go. He calls for a crew meeting, during which he continues to hear the voice, speaking of "fire", "ice", and "a cloud". He asks Rommie about any planetary systems with twinned planets or moons that might be associated with "fire and ice". Rommie says that there is one planet, Ymir, that is fiery with an icy moon, Burrie, and there is a cloud of charged particles in orbit around it. Despite the reservations of the rest of the crew, Dylan decides to go to Ymir to investigate.
With Beka at the helm, they make the trip in less time than expected. They discover that the orbits of the moon and particle cloud collide every 800 years, causing spectacular auroras, and the next collision is due in 36 hours.
Rommie locates the source of the signal, it is on the moon. They wonder what will happen to the people on the moon when the cloud hits it. Dylan hears the voice again, telling him he has "done well", and calling him to "come to me". Beka Valentine, beside him, does not hear it. Dylan, Beka, Rommie, Harper, and Trance Gemini take the Eureka Maru down to the moon, leaving Tyr Anasazi in command of the ship.
On the moon, the voice calls again, but, this time, the others hear it. In a complex of icy caves, they find a "cocoon", large enough to hold a person, but open and empty. Trance says that there was a life form in it, and there is more than one. She says that the life forms are dying. Dylan concludes that this is linked to the cloud in some way.
Rommie has determined that the signal they were receiving was automated, and timed to be sent when the cloud and moon were about to collide. Dylan contacts Tyr, on the Andromeda, and tells him to find some way to divert the cloud, but do it in a manner that can be reversed, in case he is wrong.
Dylan and the others find a large fortress, and enter. Beka and Harper are nervous, but Dylan assures them that he can feel that they are not in danger. Rommie says that she has detected several atmospheric systems, but only the oxygen atmosphere (the one suited for them) is active.
They find a number of humanoid figures that seem to be frozen. Suddenly, they start to glow and come to life. They emit bursts of energy, and, one by one, the crew falls unconscious, Dylan last. Their guns and Force lances have no effect on the figures.
Tyr is crawling in the conduits on the Andromeda, attempting to rewire the systems, with Andromeda's guidance, to use the artificial gravity generators to divert the cloud. As his frustration builds, he smashes a panel with his fist. Andromeda protests that he has damaged her controls for several systems. He does manage to re-configure the artificial gravity systems, but, in the process, shocks himself unconscious.
When Dylan regains consciousness, he finds he is tied down. The voice tells him that she is a "queen", who needs to ensure the survival of her race, and to do so, she needs to procreate. She observes that Dylan is strong in both mind and body, and says that he is the best specimen of his lifeform within reach.
Tyr revives, and Andromeda informs him that their plan did not work. She has also lost contact with Dylan and the others. Tyr decides to try to destroy the cloud, despite Dylan's earlier instructions. He instructs Andromeda to use an EMP bomb, but she says that she has lost control of the required systems because of the damage Tyr did to the controls.
A Nietzschean cruiser emerges from behind Ymir. Andromeda observes that it is armed with a Gamma Ray Burster.
Rommie, Harper, Beka, and Trance are being held together in a separate area of the cave complex. Rommie has determined that they have been disoriented by increasing the serotonin levels in their brains.
Dylan asks the alien queen to release him, promising that he will help, and not try to escape. The queen says that she cannot take the risk. She needs to mate when the cloud intercepts the moon, and the being she mates with will determine the shape of her race until the cloud comes again. Dylan realizes that diverting the cloud will cause the death of her race.
The Nietzschean cruiser hails the Andromeda. Before accepting the communications, Tyr prompts Andromeda to "follow his lead".
The captain of the cruiser is Agio. He insults Tyr for submitting himself to Dylan. Tyr warns Agio that the moon and cloud are under the protection of the Drago-Kazov Pride. Agio falls for the bluff, and uses his own EMP weapon to destroy the cloud, then fires a low level Gamma Ray burst at the Andromeda as a warning shot.
The queen realizes that the cloud is gone. Dylan tells her that he has diverted its course, and tells her that if she will restore communications, he will fix it. She says that she cannot risk his refusal, but he reassures her that he will help if she gives him the option.
Rommie breaks free of her bonds and overpowers their captors.
Andromeda is experiencing difficulty fighting the Nietzschean cruiser because the Gamma Ray bursts disrupt her systems temporarily. She detects that an escape pod has left the ship, Agio has set the weapon to fire automatically to keep the Andromeda disabled while he goes to the planet.
Rommie and the others move in to rescue Dylan, but he tells them to stand down. He asks the queen to free him and let him volunteer to help her. He points out that this will set a better standard for her race than forcing him to mate with her. Finally she agrees, and releases him, telling him he is free to go. He agrees to stay, and sends the others back to the Maru. He contacts the Andromeda, telling her to put the cloud back, but she informs him that the cloud has been destroyed, and she is engaged in combat with a Nietzschean cruiser. At this point, Agio arrives, gun drawn. He says that he would welcome the opportunity to father his own race.
Agio and Dylan fight. Dylan starts to get the upper hand, but Agio pulls out a remote control device. He threatens to use his Gamma Ray Burster to destroy the moon. Dylan quickly shoots the control out of his hand. He notes that an overloaded Gamma Ray weapon will vaporize the ship, leaving a cloud of charged particles.
Andromeda rams the Nietzschean cruiser, causing the weapon to overload, and a new particle cloud envelops the moon.
Dylan knocks Agio out, and the queen mates with Dylan.
Back on the Andromeda, with Agio in a cell, he and Tyr exchange taunts. Agio accuses Tyr of letting himself be "declawed", but Tyr insists that bone blades do not make a Nietzschean. Agio speaks of the importance of Drago Museveni's bones, and says that he knows Tyr stole them. He insists that they belong to all Nietzscheans, and they want them back, to use them to unite the smaller Nietzschean Prides against the Drago-Kazov, and create a great Nietzschean Empire. Tyr indicates that he thinks that the current Nietzscheans are too inferior to do this. He uses Agio as an example since he is in a cell.
Tyr gives Trance one of the seeds from the Dragonia Vine. He asks if she has any "intuition" about it. She says that she does not.
Harper tells Dylan that Andromeda is detecting that the moon is now populated with humans.
Trivia
- Tyr Anasazi shows disdain for a Nietzschean.
- “Deep Midnight's Voice“
- “Tunnel At The End Of The Light“
- “Vault of the Heavens“
- Dylan uses or calls a bluff.
- ”Chaos and the Stillness of It”
- ”Harper/Delete”
- ”Pride Before the Fall”
- ”The Banks of the Lethe”
- ”Una Salus Victus”
- ”Vault of the Heavens”
- ”Waking The Tyrant's Device”
- The title is that of a 2001 treatise on Vedic Astrology by Ernst Wilhelm.
Memorable Quotes
Harper: "Harper's Afterburner" – acronymonomically know as "HA!"
Rommie: So, Tyr, how do you propose we divert a giant cloud of charged particles?
Tyr: Improvise.
Beka: Freeze!
Rommie: Don't move!
Trance: Stay right there!
Harper: Oh my God, you're hot!
Tyr: These panels were built for lesser beings.
Dylan: Who is curious about this voice?
Trance: I'm always curious when I hear voices.
Harper: Finally, I'm not the only one with voices in my head!
Dylan: Mythology? It's all Greek to me.
- This is a nod to the fact that the actor who portrays Dylan Hunt, Kevin Sorbo, used to star as Hercules in the TV show, "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys".