2.21 - Plan B
(Liars, Guns and Money: Part 3)

With John a prisoner of Scorpius and Moya gravely injured, the crew, with a bit of help from Talyn, launches a final assault on the Shadow Depository. But the neural clone now almost completely controls John and it doesn't want him to be rescued.

I want! I want! My side! Your side! All of you! I want! - Stark
What's the matter with you, frek face?! - Rorf
Matter? Matter? I'll tell you "matter". Anti-matter-matter-matter-matter! Scorpius killed ten thousand of my people! Ten thousand cast into space. Ten thousand souls screaming in my brain! The Chair! The Chair! Remember the Chair! - Stark
What chair?! This frek is crazy! - Rorf
Are you coming? Do you agree? Agree? - Stark
Will you fight like this down there? - Rorf
Of course! Of course! No hands! No hands! - Stark

Flavius Scorpius here wants to visit foreign lands, meet foreign people, and conquer them. - John Crichton

I thought that you didn't want to use Talyn for violence. You all said that from the beginning. - Bialar Crais
Yes, but this is different. - Aeryn Sun
How? Is this violence more acceptable because it's for you? - Bialar Crais
No, it's because Scorpius has captured Crichton and he's going to kill him if we don't get down there. - Aeryn Sun
There's always a reason for violence, Aeryn. Thousands of people die for the most virtuous causes. - Bialar Crais
You don't have to lecture me, Crais. - Aeryn Sun
I believe I do. You have lectured me countless times. - Bialar Crais

What are you doing with that head? - Rorf
He's an old enemy. I like that he doesn't talk back. - Dominar Rygel XVI

we go down there, burst through the front doors and storm the place. It's what we do best. - Ka D'Argo

John is secured to a large, metal-frame globe structure somewhere inside the Shadow Depository. Natira watches as Scorpius examines his prisoner and begins to set up some equipment. Scorpius says that the neural clone is controlling John and forced him to turn himself in but John denies it.

On Moya, the crew watches a recorded message from John. John tells them that part of him is wanting to give in to the chip so he is going to turn himself in to Scorpius before he doesn't want it removed anymore.
"Besides," he says, "by trading myself for Jothee at least I can do some good."

Aeryn tells D'Argo that he misjudged John and D'Argo agrees. She then turns to the mercenaries that they have hired and tells them that nothing has changed; previously they were going to rescue Jothee, now they will rescue John.

Zelkin, the Zenetan pirate, disagrees. He says they only work for money and, since Moya's crew no longer has any, he is taking Moya. He aims his weapon at Chiana to underscore his words.

Aeryn looks at him in disgust and tells him to go ahead and shoot. She begins to hurl insults at him, calling him a coward and an idiot for threatening a girl and trying to steal a burned Leviathan when there were thousands of containers of riches in the Depository that he could have instead. Zelkin and his partner Kurz look annoyed.

At this moment Jothee arrives on Command asking what is happening. Aeryn and D'Argo draw their weapons and aim them at the pirates. Zelkin grabs Chiana and uses her as a shield and Rorf does the same to Jothee. Everyone who has a weapon draws it.

Stark charges onto Command in full insane mode. He babbles on about the Aurora Chair, the slain Banik slaves and having no hands (they are hidden inside his sleeves). Rorf decides that if Stark will fight with that much energy then he will go along with the plan. The others slowly agree but insist that they want payment. Aeryn tells them they will be able to get all they want from the Depository.

Pilot interrupts to tell them that a ship is approaching. They are afraid that Scorpius has found them but he tells them that it is Talyn.

Back in the Depository, Scorpius has placed a metal band on John's head and connected it to some equipment. Natira asks what is happening and he tells her that he is going to determine if the neural clone has discovered the wormhole information in John's brain. If so, he will summon his Command Carrier and remove the chip.

In orbit, Talyn has arrived and has attached himself to Moya by means of several cables and tubes. Fluids can been seen moving from Talyn to Moya.

Inside, Crais is examining the damaged sections of Moya and giving advice to Pilot. He says he and Talyn will leave when the transfer is complete but Aeryn asks him to join them in the attack on the Depository. He is tempted when she mentions that Scorpius is in the Depository but reminds her that she and the others were always insistent that he not use Talyn for violence. Aeryn protests that in this case things are different.

"How?" he asks her. "Is this violence more acceptable because it's for you?"
"No." she responds. "It's because Scorpius has captured Crichton and he's going to kill him if we don't get down there."
Crais laughs. "There is always a reason for violence, Aeryn." he tells her. "Thousands of people die for the most virtuous causes."
Aeryn gets annoyed. "You don't have to lecture me!" she snaps.
Crais shakes his head. "I believe I do." he tells her. "You have lectured me countless times."

Crais turns as if to leave, then stops.
"How long has Scorpius held Crichton?" he asks her.
"Four arns." she replies.
Crais pauses. "Then I suggest you bring down a bucket without any holes." he tells her. "So that Crichton's liquid remains are not lost. He's dead already, Aeryn."

Elsewhere in Moya, Stark is trying to explain the plan to the mercenaries. Rorf will locate John using his tracking abilities, Teurac will destroy the main generator with his fireball, the others will storm the Depository and rescue John and the Zenetan pirates will deploy the Flax net to cover their escape. Most of the mercenaries seem dubious of the plan.

Jothee is in D'Argo's quarters and examining his Qualta Blade when D'Argo enters.

D'Argo apologizes for the fact that he has not had much time to talk to Jothee and asks how his tankas were mutilated. Jothee says that in effect D'Argo is responsible for everything that has happened to him. D'Argo then says he wants to know what has happened to him but Jothee says he doesn't; that he has had to do many things to survive that he doesn't want to think about anymore. But, he says that he does know that he has now gained his freedom and does not want to risk losing it again.

D'Argo is surprised, saying he thought Jothee would want to help them rescue John but Jothee says he will not return to the planet. He leaves.

By now Scorpius has finished setting up his equipment. Natira asks if he is going to remove the neural chip. Scorpius says no and, attaching a similar device to his own head, says he is going in.

Mindscape: John suddenly finds himself wearing his IASA flight suit and standing at the end of a pier on the edge of a small lake. "Scorpius" appears and in answer to his question says that they are within a place in his memory. He says that he is the neural clone and points out the "real" Scorpius who has just arrived.

Scorpius talks to the neural clone who tells him that he has located the wormhole information and that the chip is ready to be removed. Scorpius tells John that he will summon his Command Carrier and that after it arrives he will remove the chip and that John's death will be painless. John appears mildly annoyed but Scorpius produces a blunt spike of some kind and slams it into the back of John's neck. John falls to the ground, paralyzed.

Back in orbit, Aeryn goes to Talyn to meet with Crais. She again asks for his help, telling him that if he does not then all of them will die. When he still appears unconvinced she tells him he can have anything he wants, if he will just help them.
Crais pauses for a moment. "Aeryn Sun, are you offering yourself?" he asks slowly. She does not reply.
He continues. "Crichton, if he's alive, must mean a great deal to you."
Aeryn looks away, pain visible on her face. "You can take whatever you want and I won't stop you."
He looks at her in silence.

D'Argo is readying his weapons when Jothee enters his cabin. Jothee apologies for what he said earlier and says that he will help them. D'Argo says that Jothee was right about this not being his fight but Jothee says that if it is D'Argo's fight then it is his as well. D'Argo thanks him.

Several of the mercenaries appear and tell D'Argo that they think the plan is bad. D'Argo agrees and asks Pilot if Moya is capable of making one pass through the atmosphere. Pilot says he thinks she can. D'Argo then gives his plan.
"Moya should provide a distraction. Then, we go down there, burst through the front doors and storm the place. It's what we do best."

Aeryn arrives, carrying a large gun, and asks if everyone is ready. One of the mercenaries reminds her of John's message and asks what they will do if John doesn't want to be rescued.
"That's easy." she tells him. "I put a bullet in Crichton's brain and end it."

Scorpius is speaking with Braca who tells him that the Command Carrier is returning ahead of schedule. Scorpius says he is always suspicious of good news. At this point his latest cooling rod fails and he leaves to change it along with Braca and Natira's assistant, leaving Natira alone in the room with John.

John suggests that Natira use Scorpius' device to talk to the neural clone so it can tell her how Scorpius plans to kill her. She slaps him across his face, cutting his lip. She gets some of his blood on her finger and licks it.

Outside the Depository, Bekhesh and Rorf are arguing and trying to contact Pilot. Rorf tells Pilot he has not yet located John and Bekhesh takes the comm from him, telling Pilot that Rorf is a lousy tracker. Apparently only the female Vorcarians are trackers.

Rorf angrily says that he could have already found John if Bekhesh wasn't following him around. He sets off on his own.

On Moya, Zhaan comes across Teurac trying to produce a fireball and failing. She says the plan depends on his ability to breathe fireballs and starts to contact Stark when he stops her and says he can if she gives him some takkar serum. She points out that takkar serum is poison.

Rorf is searching the Depository and contacts Pilot to tell him that he has located John. He gives his location but almost immediately gets captured by Natira's assistant and several Peacekeepers.

Some time later, Rorf is a prisoner in the same room with John. Natira's assistant is questioning him but he says that he was scouting the Depository for the Zenetan pirates. At the mention of the pirates Scorpius seems to get an idea.

Scorpius then tries questioning him but gets no more information. Natira then volunteers to try. Using one of the crab-like appendages on her head, she pulls out one of his eyes.

A brief time later Rorf, holding a bloody towel to his eye, finished detailing the assault plan to Scorpius. Scorpius says that if they prevent the others from getting to the generator then the plan will fail. Everyone leaves except Natira and the two prisoners.

On a transport pod approaching the planet, D'Argo gives final instructions. Zhaan, Stark and Teurac will destroy the generator while he, Aeryn and Bekhesh will perform the assault. Rygel and Jothee will remain with the transport pod. Jothee is upset that he is not able to go with them but D'Argo says he will not risk losing him again.

Scorpius and Natira's assistant head for the generator room. Scorpius sends Braca to the monitor room to keep track of what is happening.

Natira is taunting John and talking about his eyes. John questions her "getting her jollies" since Scorpius has to kill him in order to get the chip but she corrects him, saying that Scorpius doesn't have to kill him. John is surprised but she approaches him, apparently intent on taking out one of his eyes the same way she did Rorf's.

She is interrupted by a sudden sound from outside. Moya flashes by the Depository at high speed; the shock wave of her passage shattering all of the windows in the building.

The transport pod lands and the crew launch their assault on the Depository. Braca watches on the monitor as D'Argo, Aeryn and Bekhesh storm the entrance.
"Sir?" he says over the comms to Scorpius. "We have a problem."

Scorpius dispatches troops and groups of Peacekeeper soldiers and Depository security move into action. In the meantime, Aeryn, D'Argo and Bekhesh are attacking the guards in the main chamber. They are having problems because of a single guard in a central location armed with a heavy cannon.

Aeryn distracts the guard and D'Argo tries to shoot him but his Qualta Blade picks that moment to run out of charge. Snapping the blade shut, he hurls it at the guard. The blade buries itself in the guard's chest and he falls to the floor.
"Good shot." Aeryn tells him.
D'Argo seems annoyed. "I was aiming for between his eyes."

Meanwhile, Zhaan, Stark and Teurac have reached the generator. Teurac still cannot create a fireball and asks Zhaan for the serum. She reminds him again that it is poison but he tells her that it isn't to his people. She injects him with the serum.

Back in Natira's chambers, the wind and rain are blowing in through the broken windows. Natira, now armed with a pulse rifle, is pacing the room. John tells her that if she helps him escape then he will help her get away safely.

Natira asks why he suddenly wants to escape. He reminds her that she just told him he can get the chip removed and survive. He tells her if she helps him he will give her the chip and the wormhole information. He tells her she can even have one of his eyes.

Aeryn, D'Argo and Bekesh finish off the opposition in the main chamber but wonder why the power has not yet gone off. D'Argo takes the cannon the guard had been using and Aeryn says that Teurac must have failed. She wonders if anyone is beyond the door leading into the Depository.

On the other side of the door, we see a large number of Peacekeepers and Depository guards assembled.

Teurac is still attempting to create a fireball when Scorpius and his team arrive, taking Zhaan and Stark prisoner. Teurac appears and Natira's assistant almost shoots him before being stopped by Scorpius who points out that he is a Sheyang. Teurac laughs and says that if he is shot then he will explode.

Pulling his own weapon, Teurac turns to Zhaan.
"Goodbye, Zhaan." he tells her. "This is not your fault. I always knew it had to end like this."

Turning his weapon on himself, Teurac leaps towards the generator and fires into his own chest. There is a massive explosion.

In the main chamber, Aeryn, D'Argo and Bekhesh feel the explosion and the lights go out. Aeryn and D'Argo switch to night vision equipment but Aeryn's doesn't work. She is trying to fix it when the door opens and D'Argo yells for her to shoot. She fires blindly down the corridor, occasional flashes of light showing the masses of opponents waiting for them.

After several long moments, the firing stops and she says that her night vision is now working. Emergency lighting comes on, showing the corridor strewn with the bodies of their former opponents. Bekhesh grunts.
"For someone who couldn't see," he says, "you did OK."

Scorpius and his team are retreating away from the burning generator. Scorpius calls Braca who tells him that all of the monitors are dead. He then calls Natira, who does not answer.

Back in her chambers, John is continuing to try to convince Natira to help him. She hears the call from Scorpius but turns towards John instead.

Mindscape: John is still lying helpless at the end of the pier when Natira appears and asks where the neural clone is. It appears and she asks it if Scorpius really would kill her. The clone says that he now understands what Scorpius saw in her and tells her to not worry; her death would be painless.

She turns to John and says she now believes him. He asks her to help him and she says she will if he will help her get to Moya in safety.

Some time later, Aeryn, D'Argo and Bekhesh arrive in Natira's chambers and find them empty.

Natira, John and Rorf are moving through the corridors. Natira says there is a way out on the lower level but John seems to be in pain and is having trouble moving. He keeps hearing Scorpius and tells the others that the neural clone does not want him to leave. A group of Peacekeepers appear and the three flee.

Zhaan and Stark are heading for the landing pad and call for Rygel to come pick them up. Braca sees them on the monitors and relays the information to Scorpius, who tells him to contact the Zenetan pirates.

On Moya, Chiana sees Zelkin talking with someone on a communicator and tries to find out who it is. He grabs her then tells Kurz to release the Flax. Moya and the transport pod containing Rygel and Jothee are trapped.

Natira, John and Rorf continue to attempt their escape but John is now almost helpless against the neural clone. A group of Peacekeepers led by Scorpius appears and Natira and Rorf take cover but John is unable to do anything but stand in the middle of the corridor. He sees Scorpius but does not seem to realize that it is the real one.

Scorpius orders that John must be taken alive but Natira's assistant aims at him anyway. Rorf sees this and leaps at John, knocking him to one side but being hit by the fire intended for John himself. He falls.

John grabs the pulse rifle from Natira and, leaping back into the corridor, shoots Natira's assistant. He tries to shoot Scorpius but is unable to do so and screams in rage before lowering the rifle in defeat. Natira yells for him to help her before running off down the corridor.

Aeryn, D'Argo and Bekhesh appear at the far end of the corridor and open fire on the Peacekeepers. The Peacekeepers return fire, both sides shooting past John who continues to stand in the middle of the corridor.

Aeryn shoves John into an alcove before taking cover there herself. The others join her, D'Argo dragging Rorf in as well. Rorf begs D'Argo to tell Rorg what happened and, after D'Argo agrees, dies. A second group of Peacekeepers arrives at the other end of the corridor and the four are trapped in crossfire from both sides.

Zhaan is still trying to contact Rygel when, to her surprise, she receives a call from Crais.

On Moya, Zelkin has Chiana pinned down on the strategy table and is playing with her hair. He reacts in surprise as something flashes by on the main view screen.

Outside, we see Talyn destroy the Zenetan ship. Both Moya and the transport pod are freed from the Flax.

Zelkin tries to contact Kurz but Pilot tells him that their ship has been destroyed. Chiana attempts to get his weapon from him and they struggle, the gun between them. The gun fires and they both jump. After a long pause, Zelkin falls to the floor.

Crais contacts Aeryn and she expresses surprise that he has returned. He simply says that he is there. Aeryn asks Stark what is parallel to the corridor they are in and he tells her they are reverse pressure chambers that lead to the Depository.

She tells Rygel to pick up Zhaan and Stark and get away then tells Crais to have Talyn destroy the Depository. Crais expresses surprise but she assures him they will be safe.

Scorpius, apparently tired of the standoff, seems to somehow contact the mental clone. John, who has been sitting dazed in the corner, stands up and announces that he is going to Scorpius. Aeryn knocks him out then tells D'Argo to pick him up and follow her. She shoots a hole in the wall and dives through it, followed by Bekhesh and D'Argo.

(Over the next scenes, Pilot counts down to Talyn's attack while the scene cuts rapidly between the various characters.)

On Talyn, Crais gives the order to attack the Depository.

Rygel lands the pod and Jothee quickly helps Zhaan and Stark on board. The pod takes off.

Aeryn, D'Argo, Bekhesh and the unconscious John reach the central depositing room. There they find a large deposit container half-filled with crates. They climb inside.

Elsewhere in the Depository, Scorpius is seen unhurriedly but purposefully walking somewhere.

We get a last view of the deposit container, sitting closed in an otherwise empty room.

Talyn comes in low near the Depository and fires, blowing out the lower levels of the building. In a perfect controlled demolition, the Depository collapses; falling in on itself.

The deposit container sits unscathed in the middle of the ruins.

Later, everyone is back on Moya. The crates from the deposit container are scattered around, some opened to reveal the riches within. Rygel sits in one crate, ecstatic over the wealth they now possess. Zhaan and Chiana are more subdued and remind him that Moya is still badly injured and Rorf and Teurac are dead.

Bekhesh, carrying a large crate, tells them that he will make sure that Rorf and Teurac's families get their share of the treasure.
"Farewell, my friends." he says as he leaves. "Thank you for teaching me to kill again."

Aeryn goes to Talyn where she meets Crais and thanks him for coming back to help them. Crais says that he had nothing to do with it; Talyn came back on his own to help his mother. Aeryn turns to leave but stops when Crais speaks again.
"How is Crichton." he asks.

John is alone in his cabin, sitting before a table which holds a chessboard and his pulse pistol. All of the chess pieces are scattered except the black king. John is attempting to stand up the white king but he keeps hearing Scorpius' voice and can barely control his hands and keeps dropping it.

D'Argo and Jothee arrive and D'Argo says he wanted John to meet his son and to thank him for his help. John seems to not notice him and continues to attempt to stand the white king. He is singing "Daisy, daisy..." under his breath.

D'Argo, concerned, approaches him and John finally notices him. John says that the neural clone blames him for Scorpius' death and that he has been trying to do something but can't.

John's attention wanders again. D'Argo grabs his head in both hands and, turning John to face him, asks what John is trying to do.
"D'Argo, kill me." says John, a pained, hopeless expression on his face. "Please, kill me."

None outside of those referenced in A Not-So-Simple Plan and With Friends Like These....

The "Daisy, daisy" song John is singing at the end of the episode is the same song sung by the computer HAL while it is being disconnected in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

What will happen to John?

Is Scorpius really dead this time?

Did Natira escape? Will she be back?

Will Moya be able to heal?

First off, I have to say that Plan B has the distinction of being the first complete episode of Farscape that I had seen. It is a statement to how good this episode is that despite being the third part of a triology and being so heavily dependant on earlier episodes it still managed to hook me on the series and sent me to a friend begging to borrow his tapes.

This is pretty much a straight-forward action episode though there are some nice character moments. Especially interesting is the scene where Aeryn begs Crais for his help. This shows again how much John has come to mean to her and that she is finally willing to admit it.

Crais reaction is also of interest. His comment to her that "there is always a reason for violence" is exactly right. Everyone has something they are willing to fight for, no matter how much they are opposed to it the rest of the time. Everyone has always insisted to Crais that he not use Talyn for violence. Now they ask him to. Crais is right to point out the contradiction to them.

It also shows how much Crais has changed. It appears as if he really does want to remain non-violent with Talyn. Apparently he did not take Aeryn up on her offer (no matter how tempting that may have been); she was certainly surprised when he returned. Crais says it was Talyn who chose to come back, not him, which again points out that Talyn is an independant entity in his own right. Apparently Talyn isn't quite as opposed to violence as Crais is, at least where Moya is concerned anyway.

There is also an excellent scene at the very end of the episode. The friendship between John and D'Argo has survived and D'Argo comes to introduce his son to John. But, John has almost completely succumed to the neural chip; the back king standing alone on the chessboard shows that Scorpius has won after all. Now, all John can do is beg his friend for the only escape possible. The pain he is feeling is obvious and D'Argo can do nothing but share in his friends pain.

The episode did have a few weak points. I found the sacrifice of Teurac and Rorf a bit hard to accept. Why would either of them sacrifice themselves for John and the others?

In Teurac's case you can make the argument that he was waiting to die when Aeryn found him anyway. Having already accepted death he may have thought that going out the way he did at least did someone else some good. On the other hand, given that Moya's crew defeated him the last time they met (in PK Tech Girl), why would he care about helping them at all?

The same can be asked of Rorf. He has something to live for; a wife and child. Yet, he knocks John out of the way and gets shot himself. Now, it is very likely that he hadn't intended on taking the pulse himself but that was the result. I can only assume that he really had no intention of sacrificing himself and simply made a bad error in judgement.

Or, maybe he decided that if John died then he wouldn't get paid and that Rorg and their child needed the money.

Despite these few minor points however, this remains an excellent episode. Things don't look good though. Yes, everyone is rich but Moya is still badly injured and John has almost fallen to the neural chip. Things are looking pretty dark for our crew and, on Farscape it's always darkest before it gets completely black.