"To Loose the Fateful Lightning" - Episode #103 (spoilers below!) (Click here for review)

The Andromeda detects an old High Guard station where Dylan hopes to find supplies and weapons to restock the ship. As they draw near they see a lot of debris and find life signs only in a small part of the station where they soon dock.

Dylan, Beka and Seamus go aboard and find the place inhabited by children (and a few adolescents) who have a martial culture and see themselves as the last remnant of the High Guard. The leader and oldest (20 years old!) is a women named Nassan (Amber Rothwell), who they find is dying from long term radiation poisoning which limits the lifespan of all of them.

Their arrival is hailed as the prophesized return of the true High Guard. They quickly find the people on the station are illiterate and have a jumbled knowledge of High Guard information. They have repelled many Nietzschean or Magog attacks and are eager to destroy their enemies.

Dylan uses his password to enter a bay where radiation seems to be coming from and finds 24 'Slip Fighters' which are equipped with Nova bombs. Tyr and Seamus are sent aboard to attempt to neutralize the threat from these ships.

Shortly thereafter Dylan is asked to bless two warriors, not knowing what this means. These boys then launch their fighters into Slipstream drive to find and destroy a nearby Magog system. Dylan and the Andromeda's crew intercept one fighter, but the other causes the star to explode, destroying all the planets in the Dyhedra system.

In an attempt to teach the children not to hate and destroy their enemies, Rev Bem and Dylan visit their leader. Nassan initially wants to kill the Magog, but after an hour of listening to him begins to see things differently. However, her brother Hayek (Chris Lovick), who is second in command, sees what is happening and tricks Dylan into returning to his ship so that Rev Bem can be captured.

Rev Bem is beaten until Dylan comes and stops this by affirming he is their Messiah. Later, aboard the Andromeda he expresses his discomfort with what he has done. Meanwhile Seamus has been busy with two projects, one of which was to give them remote control of the Slip Fighters.

Dylan plans to bring the fighters aboard and then leave. However, before he can do this Hayek and his followers trick their way aboard and capture the Andromeda. They plan to execute the 'false messiah' and his crew but are surprised and subdued by the human (and apparently unclothed) form of Andromeda.

Dylan finds that this human form (an 'avatar' of hers) for Andromeda was the 'secret project' Seamus had been working on! Later he awkwardly speaks to her and is somewhat relieved to be reminded that regulations forbid anything other than a platonic relationship between them.

The fighters are destroyed, while the children are all injected with the nanobots, which will heal and give normal lifespans to most of them. Under the leadership of Nassan's younger brother Mapes (Richard Deklerk), the children are willing to seek peace in accord with what they now know to be true High Guard values.

Back on the Andromeda new supplies and stores from the station are loaded on and they head out again!

Synopsis 10/24/00 by Larry Kramer       Updated: 06/11/01

© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)