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 "Music of a Distant Drum" - Episode #113 (spoilers below!) (Click here for review)

A woman (Yvaine, played by Linnea Sharples) and a teenager (Breyon, played by Noel Fisher) are standing by a lake shore gathering up a net full of fish. They argue about whether it is worthwhile to fight the "dragons" who apparently killed the woman's husband (the teen's father).

Soon after, they see a flash of light as a ship crashes nearby, which Breyon wants to ignore (thinking it's a dragon), but Yvaine investigates. She finds the minimally damaged Maru with a dazed Tyr who wants to know who he is! Upon taking him home to mend Breyon pulls a gun on him and Yvaine is surprised when he disarms Breyon, without hurting him. Tyr explains that not knowing who he is and being stranded, his logical choice of action is to establish good relationship's with the natives, starting with them. Later he defends them against a local 'protection' gang.

On the Andromeda, Dylan and Beka are searching for the Maru, not sure where Tyr went on a private mission of his own. Meanwhile, Beka uses the account of a "disturbing dream" about Dylan as a way to ask about using the Andromeda for mining ore for profit. Dylan turns this down flat and they continue the search for Tyr.

On the planet ('Midden'?), Tyr finds that the humans are terrorized by and pay tribute to the Drago-Katzo pride of Nietzscheans (the 'dragons'). He vaguely remembers that these are also his enemies and returns to his ship for more clues about who he is and why he is there.

On the ship they find the data systems are scrambled, due to attack nanobots. These affect both mechanical and organic data storage systems, but Tyr's own immune system's nanobots will repair his memory. Meanwhile he finds a large metal container with a three part lock (card key, genetic analyzer, voice code). Not knowing the voice code he aborts an attempt to open it to avoid the automatic self-destruct.

After the previously mentioned incident with the 'protection' gang, they see a 'dragon' ship heading toward the local landing area. Tyr returns to the ship for his container and battles two Drago-Katzo Nietzscheans who are also looking for it. He kills one and forces the other to carry the container in a harness until he drops of exhaustion. Rather than kill him, Tyr merely warns him not to follow and carries the container further himself.

On the Andromeda, Dylan compliments Beka for finding Tyr's trail (he went to the Drago-Katzo home world then to Midden) and in getting past the Nietzschean line undetected. However, he also found she hacked into Andromeda to download other valuable information from the base where she found the information on Tyr. Beka defends herself saying everyone on board has ulterior motives, otherwise they would not be helping Dylan. She claims Rev Bem wants to use the new Commonwealth to spread his faith, Harper is in lust with the ship, Tyr is always scheming and who knows what the "purple girl" is up to. None of this seems to impress Dylan or Rommie very much.

Back on Midden, Tyr remembers more about the container and how the Drago-Katzo pride destroyed his own. He then opens the container with the voice command "retribution". In it he finds the remains of the Nietzschean progenitor which his Kodiak clan had been caretakers of until they were betrayed and destroyed.

Pursued by the Nietzscheans (led by the man he spared), Tyr dons a wet suit and leaps from a cliff into the lake where he is later rescued by Yvaine in a power boat. Returning home they hear Breyon's cries, but this is a trap by the Nietzscheans, who force Tyr to lead them to the cave hiding the container, threatening to kill his friends if he refuses.

In the cave Tyr manages to distract the others and triggers explosives that allow him to gain the upper hand and later kill or overcome his enemies. When reinforcements arrive they decide to seal the cave and flood it with nerve gas. However, they are warned not to do this by Dylan and Beka who are covering them with force lance and gun.

Beka restores the Maru and Tyr bids goodbye to his friends. Yvaine will miss him but want no part in adventures where those she cares for may die, instead choosing to lose herself and Breyon in the planet's population. Tyr takes the container back with him on the Andromeda, calling it something that "belongs to him".

Synopsis 02/14/01 by Larry Kramer       Updated 10/26/01

© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)