Original subtitles

We're still investigating the incident at the factory. No idea on the attacker

yet. But at least the satellite should be safe here.

Thank you for all you've done.

Without you, the RX -44 satellite would never have reached the space agency

station.

REX will be held under armed guard both here and on its journey to our launch

facility in Guyana.

REX? Our nickname here at the agency for the RX -44.

Can you confirm the shuttle Excalibur launch now, Colonel Stone?

We're just waiting for clearance from Mr Beckett and his colleagues that we're

no longer subject to subversive activities.

Well, Eddie's still on the case, isn't he?

That's the alarm from the training centre.

The shuttle's in a state of fire.

The hatch is jammed. Who's in the seat of her?

It comes from the new guy. I can't get them out. The controls aren't

That's what I'm looking for!

Come on, Ross.

There it is.

Any good? No.

It's been disabled.

Well, try and trigger it manually.

This is too dangerous. Only our technicians know the wiring code.

We know what we're doing.

I think.

Any luck, Ron?

It's a complicated search.

Everyone, get down.

That's it.

Help them! Get them away from the simulator, quick!

Give us a hand here, will you?

You okay?

Go on.

Maybe sending him undercover wasn't such a bright idea.

Look, two of these trainees will fly the space shuttle Excalibur that launches

Rex. This is the obvious place to look for a trailer. I know, but not at the

risk of his life. Oh, come on. Guys.

I am here, you know.

The trouble with you two is you're worried too much.

Those flight suits are completely fiber. It's hardly worked up a sweat.

Yeah?

Your friend Gunter wasn't so lucky.

He lost his oxygen supply and held too much smoke.

He died in hospital bed.

Look, what's the verdict on the other trainees? I mean, could one of them be

saboteur?

I'll tell you something. We've done enough simulations to put me off theme

rides for life, and I am no close to identifying any traitor.

Well, that settles it.

Ed, we're going to pull you out.

No, leave me in the program. Just give me more time.

Now the RX -44 satellite is safely guarded, it seems they've turned the

their attack onto the Excalibur shuttle, which will launch it.

Mr. Zito, are you certain your training program is secure?

Absolutely, sir. There is no evidence that the incident in the simulator was

sabotage.

Anyway, who would want to stop the RX -44 from being launched?

Joy, perhaps if you told us exactly why this satellite is so vital for your

country.

It's no ordinary telecommunications satellite, is it?

I'd say it was designed for subterrestrial geological surveying.

Just an educated guess.

Okay.

What do you know about my country?

Kutuma? That's a small group of islands in the South China Sea.

Here.

Stuff with a run of brutal military dictators, but three years ago held

elections for the first time.

You're very well informed.

He knows someone out there.

Yeah, a journalist friend of mine works there.

Well, in that case, you'll know how poor my country is and the size of our debts

to the global bank.

The mother of all overdrafts.

President Haikudu is convinced that the islands have hidden platinum deposits,

but it could take up to ten years to find their exact location with

methods. The RX -44 will locate them in a matter of hours.

With that conclusive proof, we could stop the banks for closing on our loans.

And if you don't?

Haikudo spent the last of our reserve commissioning the RX -44 and booking its

launch with the Space Technology Agency.

Failure would mean economic collapse, starvation for my people, and the return

of the criminal thugs who used to run the country.

We cannot fail.

Not everything on the flight is under the control of STA. This is where

developing a revolutionary new fuel cell to power the Oreck 44 battery.

Apparently, it's a bit behind schedule.

Well, ready or not, we must make sure it's secure.

Well, it looks finished to me, Mr. McNair.

Well, it still needs some final testing.

Is that thing really going to power a satellite for years?

Well, our people have managed to cram an awful lot of energy into a very, very

tiny space.

And the special coolant solves the usual overheating problems with micro -energy

storage. Yes.

In some ways, the coolant is the biggest technological breakthrough.

Really? How does it work?

Well... Starting from the principle... I'm sure the chemistry, it's all very

fascinating.

However, what we're really interested in here is security.

Security? Yes, security.

You see, the key thing is, Mr. McNair, is to get that fuel cell fitted onto the

RX -44's satellite as soon as possible. Now, when are you going to finish your

test and deliver it?

It's a vacuum test for me.

It's an intruder alarm.

It's a fuel cell.

Only one of them went in.

You'll have to get the woman some other way.

I'll get it open!

No good, it's been quite fast.

Beckett, move.

Move!

Beckett!

You okay?

Look, man.

Get off.

So this guy McNair was holding back delivery of the fuel cell, but when you

Beckett showed up, he tried to kill you.

Someone was improvising. I don't think McNair was a trained killer.

And now he's dead.

Price of failure.

And a way to protect the identity of his paymaster, the trader here at STA.

Any luck with your bugs yet?

No, all I can tell you is which one snore.

I've got to go.

Mr. Zito's got me down for another training session.

Good luck.

Good job you didn't try and cover that vent with your body, eh?

I've got to go and ring my tailor.

So this simulation is the robot arm thingy.

RMS. What?

Remote Manipulator System.

Ah.

PMI.

I've made notes.

Right, who's first?

The new boy.

Now, the object of this exercise...

is to use the RMS to extract the satellite from the cargo bay and release

into orbit.

No problem.

We've got two minutes.

Go.

No one ever does it in less than two minutes on their first attempt.

Careful, don't rush it.

Thought I was on the clock.

You never hear of the tortoise and the hare.

Listen, my friend.

I am no tortoise.

There. Done it.

Just over a minute.

Can you beat that? Pretty impressive, huh?

It's not so easy in zero gravity.

You'd do well to listen to Vornhold, Ed. She'll be commanding shuttle Excalibur

on this mission.

Santos, your turn now.

Do you have to schedule me in all these exercises?

Well, if I didn't, the others would be suspicious.

I have to treat you like one of the trainees, Ed.

The trouble is I'm closer to walking on the moon than I am to finding any

traitor

Someone's

really serious about stopping this mission

This is personal

now

It's twice they've tried to kill me. I want this guy bad, whoever it is.

You know, maybe you're not looking me in the right place.

What do you mean?

Well, if McNair was a traitor, then maybe the private guard SBA is more

too. Maybe not one of the trainees, but one of the command staff.

Colonel Stone.

Colonel Stone.

In light of recent events...

We have to recommend that you postpone the Excalibur launch. Postpone? Why?

We need more time to identify the person inside STA. And we have a deadline for

this launch. This is a commercial operation, and our contract with the

government is tough.

But surely you wouldn't want to endanger any more lives.

What do you think about a postponement, Mr Zeta?

With respect, sir, I think these specialists are overreacting. We've had

security problems.

Problems? Only in the training programme.

I've every confidence we can proceed with this launch as planned.

Colonel, we need to talk. I've just had word from President Haikudu.

The Global Bank has given us a final deadline.

We have 48 hours before the state of Kutuma is officially bankrupt.

We must bring the launch forward.

So when?

As soon as possible.

Colonel, I believe there's a launch window in 18 hours' time.

18 hours?

Yes, but that's hardly enough notice. Colonel, we do have a contract.

I'm sure we could make it, sir.

All right, I'll address the launch.

Start pre -launch countdown.

Now.

Attention, Guyana launch control.

We copy, Mission Control.

Go ahead, please.

Start Excalibur pre -launch countdown.

T -minus 18 hours from my mark.

Three, two, one, mark.

This is Guyana launch control confirming switch to Excalibur pre -launch

countdown.

Look, Zito's training program is still running. As yet, we're undecided about

the mission specialist. Your man can stay in place until that decision is

okay? Donald Stone, the entire mission's run from here, yes?

Yes, except for the launch, which is controlled from Guyana.

So what's all this? A backup facility?

That's nothing. It's mothball. Yes, but what is it?

Outside of your remit.

Mr. Zito, we have work to do.

Ever hear of Starship?

The space -based defence system. The network of satellites armed with laser

weapons.

They said it was overbuilt.

And since when have you believed anything they say?

As you know, the only way to create a state of weightlessness is to take the

-135 up to about six miles.

and fall into a steep dive.

Now, many of you have already ridden the Vomit Comet, but for those of you who

are first -timers, you may experience a little nausea.

Right.

There's a minibus waiting to take you to your place.

Rod.

Can you hear me?

Listen, I've been thinking about who on the command staff had an opportunity to

sabotage the robot arm simulator.

Now, I suspect Vaughn Hall.

By Ed or whatever your name is, what the hell's going on? It's not what you

think. No one died till you showed up. God!

Without you, the mission could go ahead safely.

Why was I told?

I was meant to be undercover.

Are you saying I was a suspect? Please, please, please, please. It's all

irrelevant now.

The mission is cancelled.

But you can't.

What about Katuma?

We need the RX -44 in place now.

Joy, who's going to crew it? I don't have a trained mission specialist I can

send up.

And even if I had, I can't risk more lives.

The mission must go ahead as planned.

Kutuma's future depends on it.

I'm ready to fly.

I can't send you up alone.

Is there no one else?

Futurably trained? No.

Except me.

Chopper, we'll rush them to the airport.

There's a plane waiting to take them to Guyana.

Guyana launch control. Report that virus refueling has commenced on schedule.

Good.

Ed, you don't have to do this, you know. Yeah, I know.

It'd be a shame to waste the training, though. Look, Ed, listen. I scored top

marks in robot arm simulation.

It's a long -range transceiver.

Long -range?

What, orbital distance? Take it.

It's new and needs a filter.

Ed, Chopper's waiting.

Okay.

Don't worry about it, guys.

There goes a very brave young man.

Do you know what they say?

What goes up must come down.

Flight? Go ahead, guys.

Copy.

Copy, guys.

There. Our very own mission control.

Ross, how do you do that?

I mean, even at the hive we could never crack all of SGA's codes.

What's this?

That's one of the cameras inside the shuttle cargo bay. It's only used when

in orbit.

See? There's Rex.

Right, and this is the new fuel cell, right? Mm -hm.

What about Ed? Can we see him in Vaughan Hall?

We should be able to.

There he is.

Final medical test before the launch.

That's right.

No going back now.

You're very relaxed.

Yeah, well, going into space isn't a big deal. It used to be.

Look, being a hero down here is one thing. Up there, it's another matter.

I'm ready.

You better be.

Mistakes in space aren't funny.

Oh, that is cold.

It's the only thing in Guyana that is.

Listen, I'm going to be a bit busy for the next 24 hours, but how about dinner

when I touch down?

So their heart rates, you'd think Ed was the old hand.

Ros?

Ros, should this be happening? It looks like the coolant's leaking from the fuel

cell.

You're right.

Well, surely Mission Control will spot that, right?

There's no reason for them to check that camera while the shuttle's still on the

ground.

Look, that's the readout mission controller getting. According to that,

everything's normal.

Someone's falsifying the readouts.

Without the cooling system, that fuel cell is very unstable.

It's like a little bomb.

And all it needs to set it off is a little...

I don't understand it. SPA seems completely cut off. All the lines in are

Well, keep trying to get through.

I'm going to go to Mission Control. See if I can stop the launch.

Excalibur, this is Mission Control. We are ready to take you through CST.

E -com activated.

Check. Guidance online.

Check. Inco status.

Check.

Oxygen tank.

Check. Hold on a second, Control.

We copy you, Shuttle Excalibur. Do you want to make yourself useful?

Yeah, if I can. Hold this for me.

Continuing CSC fuel status.

Check.

Listen, I'm not a passenger, you know.

We've got to be partners. I need you, you need me.

RMS internal guidance control.

Check.

PTC program.

Check.

Beckett. Beckett.

Rose?

I still can't get through. Even the dedicated landlines are dead, and the

countdown's continuing, and no one seems to have noticed the leak at mission

control.

We'll try to contact Ed directly.

Suppose I were to piggyback a signal on the STA wavelength.

You'd need a microwave uplink dish to do that, Rose.

Yes, I would.

I might just be able to help you with that.

There's a high of auxiliary microwave station at map reference...

5 -2 -2 -4 -4 -8 Unmanned? Fully automated.

The best place to input your signal will be level 12, but I'm warning you, Ros.

That's a bit of a climb.

Terrific.

The shuttle's in danger.

Where's Colonel Stone?

There's a problem with that fuel cell.

You'd better come with me.

Isn't Stone in mission control?

No, no. He's in the communications center down here.

Colonel Stone!

Mr Beckett to see you, sir.

Cargo door sealed and secure.

Copy, Excalibur.

O -Tech's complete.

What do we do next?

I normally start praying around now.

Control, this is shuttle Excalibur confirming ready for launch.

Copy,

Excalibur.

Have a good one.

Scared now?

Maybe. I was, first time.

Actually, I get pretty scared every time.

T minus four minutes, forty -five, and counting.

We're all in the human.

I haven't felt like this since I had my tonsils out.

Diana, launch control, you are go for launch.

Repeat, go for launch.

Transferring command and control to your station.

We copy, mission control.

We have go for launch.

Total control accepted by this station.

The hell is that?

Not sure.

Sorry, I keep telling him not to bleep me at work. Yeah?

Hello, Excalibur, come in.

Ed. Ed, can you hear me?

Ed!

Excalibur!

Ed,

if you can hear me, you must abort this mission.

The cargo bay will explode.

Ed, the fuel cell in the cargo bay will explode.

Ed!

Ed, you must abort the mission.

We have to abort.

Control, we have a problem.

Diana?

Diana?

Diana?

Come in. Sir, we've lost all contact with Excalibur. Well, get it back.

Excalibur. Launch control. Come in.

Systems look good. Go for launch, Excalibur.

Abort launch. Repeat. We must abort the launch. Control.

Do you copy?

Maybe I should let you see the file.

Mission control to Excalibur. Launch control.

Launch control.

I'm in Guyana.

I've just had a run -in with your Mr. Zito.

He's your traitor.

Zito?

Can't abort.

Guyana has control.

Communications have been interrupted. We can see them again now, but we can't

contact them or the shuttle.

Excalibur, do you read me?

This is Zito's work. Excalibur.

Maybe I can track down his equipment by the RF leakage.

What frequency are your radio comms on? 18 ,000 millihertz.

18 ,000.

Control, do you copy? Control.

And counting.

Control, this is shuttle Excalibur.

Ed, Ed, where are you going?

Control, do you copy? We must abort launch. Do you copy?

Control, do you hear me? This is shuttle Excalibur. All systems go for launch.

Guyana Launch Control, this is Colonel Stone.

We have a code 3 -4 -0 error situation.

Abort launch.

I'm afraid they can't hear you, Colonel.

Guyana Launch Control, this is Mission Control.

Go ahead, Mission Control. You went awful quiet for a moment there.

Everything looks good from here.

This is Guyana launch control confirming switch to shuttle internal power.

This is shuttle Excalibur. We confirm internal power.

Excalibur crew, close and lock visors. Initiate oxygen flow.

Have a good flight.

Can't you stop the launch from here?

Only launch controlling Guyana could stop it now, and we can't reach them.

Ed,

get back in here now. If you're in that hole when we launch, you'll be killed.

Yeah, and if we launch with this fuel cell still in place, it'll heat up and

we'll be blown to pieces.

Beckett.

Beckett! Get the doors open, quickly!

Control!

Launch control!

Power for main engine ignition.

Nine. Twelve.

Seven. Ten. Ready?

Nine. Eight.

Seven. Main engine ignition.

He's gone through the air vent.

You two, cut him off!

I've got to re -establish communication to the shuttle.

Good luck, Ed.

Radio communications back online, sir.

Okay, Scalabar.

Looking good.

Well, where the hell's Ed?

Control, do you read me?

Scalabar, we have your signal back now.

Control, we have a problem with the satellite fuel cell.

Scalabar, where's your mission specialist?

Ed was in the cargo bay at launch.

Susan!

Susan! I'm okay!

Can you get to the fuel cell?

Copy Control, we'd like that data.

Test records show that the unprotected fuel cell explodes at 104 degrees.

Well, it's way below that in here at the moment.

It won't be when our orbit takes us into direct sunlight, Ed.

How long till that happens?

About two minutes.

Yeah, join.

30 seconds till we hit sunlight.

We're about to hit sunlight.

I'm doing what I can to delay it reaching the cargo bay.

Temperature by 5 degrees and rising.

55 degrees, rising.

62 degrees.

Temperature 74 degrees and rising. 74 degrees.

Temperature 88 degrees and rising. 88 degrees.

Temperature 92 degrees and rising.

94 degrees.

1 -0 -0 degrees.

1 -0 -2 degrees rising.

It's still completely unstable.

How do we get rid of it?

W -A -L. What?

Waste airlock, there.

Another two degrees and we'd have been cosmic dust.

Pull the lever to Jefferson.

Excalibur. A whole room full of people just started breathing again.

Take the next step. We'll cut him off.

Nearly got him.

There he is.

Just like with Pear.

Outlook gives usefulness too.

One thing's for certain.

Whoever's behind all this, they're not going to give up now.

You know, Ed, I always said you'd go far.

Well, you know what they say, one small step for man... Yeah, yeah, we've heard

that one thing.

Well, I'd better practise.

I'll probably be an international celebrity once we land, people who want

know whose shirts I wear.

With your dress sense, I doubt it.

Thanks a lot.

Listen, I've got to go. It's time for my party piece.

I have to deploy the RX -44 so I can start locating Katooma's hidden wealth.

Scalabert, you have a go to operate the RMS now.

What is it?

It's impossible.

Starshield firing up.

Up to you now.

Ed.

Starship was mothballs. What is it? It's a laser -based weapon system housed in

a satellite.

It's actually been built and put up there. Well, it looks like it, yeah. The

question is, who's controlling it now?

No, I can't override it.

It seems to be taking aim at the shuttle.

Damage report.

Shuttle Excalibur, come in.

What's going on up there?

The limit is down.

Excalibur's not responding to anything.

What about Ed and Bornhold?

They're trapped up there in space.

Well, they're already dead.