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 "Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way" - Episode #117 (spoilers below!) (Click here for review)

Written By: Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz     Directed By: David Warry-Smith

On the way back from a trip in the Maru to promote the Commonwealth, Trance and Harper are met at gun point by their former employer Gerentex (John Trench).

On the Andromeda, Rommie is cleans up after Harper and complaining about it to Beka. Beka however is more concerned over why Dylan is pre-occupied. Rommie tells her it is because he would normally be turning command over to Rhade about now, at the end of his four year tour of duty, not good since Beka has some bad news for him.

Back on the Maru, Harper tries to convince Gerentex that the ship will self-destruct if his life signs stop. To gain control of them Gerentex injects a device to induce shocks at the push of a button. Gerentex is being chased by a bounty hunter named Reaper due to the debts that his failed Andromeda rescue caused. Soon Reaper attacks, but they manage to elude him.

On the Andromeda, Beka gives Dylan the bad news: a Perseid faction is seeking to have their race back out of the Commonwealth charter. Later we find this is because they do not trust the Humans not to be consumed by lust for money and power as the Nietzscheans are.

Meanwhile, Harper is fed up with Gerentex's sob stories of the difficulty Nightsiders have (including being misunderstood since their swarms of young are destructive and non-sentient). Harper executes quick maneuvers that cause Gerentex to drop and break the shock controller. Later Harper tortures him, though Trance keeps him from killing Gerentex. Soon they find out that Gerentex has a lead on the diary of a mad Perseid ("Hasturi"?), who apparently traveled to and back from Tarn-Vedra, the legendary capital of the Commonwealth. They head off to meet his contact, dealing with a pursuing Reaper only by playing a game of chicken (suggested by Gerentex) and escaping when he veers out of their path.

Beka, left with Tyr on the Andromeda, comes up with a plan to deal with the Perseids. Later, Dylan sees the fruit of this, a tape in which Beka rudely comments to the Perseids about their treatment of Dylan and his dream of a restored Commonwealth. Dylan is upset, but the Perseids then contact the Andromeda, wanting to talk to Beka!

Trance and Beka find Gerentex's contact at a bar in the Albuquerque Drift. They raise the money for her (increased) fee by using Trance's intuitive abilities to win big at the local casino. However, they are forced to leave abruptly, pursued by both some casino 'heavies' and by Reaper. Upon returning to the Maru they are recaptured by Gerentex who forces them to take him to Hasturi's asteroid.

Once at the asteroid they elude both booby-traps and their pursues and enter Hasturi's living quarters. Harper plugs in to the local computer and depressurizes the tunnels to eliminate their pursuers. They then find Hasturi's diary and body, as well as that of the Nietzschean who apparently killed him. When Trance distracts Gerentex, Harper gets the Nietzschean's weapon and there is a brief firefight. This is ended when Trance manages to get the drop on both of them and convinces them that she kill them both and get away with it before Dylan, because "she is cute".

Back where they first met up with Gerentex, Trance gives him rare flowers that are prized for their huge oxygen producing abilities aboard ships. Humbled by her kindness he apologies for having "killed her" in the past. Later Harper asks if Trance would have really killed him, and she replies "no, any more than you would have really killed Gerentex".

On the Andromeda, Dylan surprises Beka with news that the Perseids were convinced to stay with the charter, but they have to get to the celebration before local sunset. They later do this, ending with a toast at sunset on Sedrea Beach.

Synopsis 04/18/01 by Larry Kramer

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