* *
-(thunder rumbling) -(rain falling)
FEMALE (over P.A.): Attention, all cadets.
Academy facilities are now closed for the All-Worlds break.
They will reopen in four days.
If you are departing by shuttle,
please report to the shuttle bay.
Otherwise, report to the Sato Atrium mezzanine for transport.
(thunder rumbling)
-(PADD beeps) -COMPUTER: Recording.
Tarima, hey. It's, uh...
it's me.
Uh, Caleb. Caleb Mir. I, uh...
How's recovery on Betazed?
I hear you're doing pretty great.
You, uh... missed a lot.
A memorial service.
Nahla and Kelrec made speeches.
(thunder cracks)
We're all just...
...trying to get back to feeling normal.
After the Miyazaki.
Just...
...going to class,
hanging out, you know.
Normal stuff.
Tomorrow's All-Worlds Day.
Everyone's leaving for break.
Nahla has me staying with some stupid host family,
which is garbage on every level.
Anyway, I know it's been a month since we've talked.
Uh, a month and two days, actually.
Not that I'm keeping track or anything.
So, you were...
...you were on my mind, Tarima.
I thought I'd...
I'd, uh...
...thought I'd reach out...
...see how you... are.
(Tarima screaming)
COMPUTER: Message deleted.
DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: Reminder to all cadets,
there is a galactic meteor shower in four days.
Plan your trip accordingly. You won't want to miss it.
Have a great All-Worlds.
RENO: Okay, Kenda II.
Have a good All-Worlds.
-Thank you, Professor. -Mm-hmm.
Istanbul. Have a good All-Worlds.
You, too, Professor.
Duluth-- uh, can I talk you out of this?
-Mm-mm. -No?
Okay, have a good All-Worlds.
This meteor shower's once in a lifetime.
So, uh, will you be back for it?
Totally. Yeah, of course.
Really, All-Worlds Day is just about eating anyway.
My dad likes to put on an apron and cook a meal and...
-invite his old crew over. -(groans)
Hey, you're... you're glitching again.
Uh, it's-it's-it's nothing.
Don't worry.
I mean, we-we've been through this.
(stammers) My injury on the Miyazaki
triggered a minor regression error.
I really don't like you glitching off alone.
I won't be alone.
I'm gonna be with trained holo-experts coding a patch
at the reengineering clinic.
Just think of me as going to a spa.
Uh-huh. Well, clearly,
you've never been to a spa before.
-This is my first time. -(chuckles) Okay, come here.
(both sigh)
Good luck.
Thank you.
RENO: Cadet Sam, here we go.
Denver.
Holo-Tech Rehab Spa.
DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: All off-world transfers can be handled
at transfer portal number four.
NAHLA: Cadet Lythe?
May I have a word?
Uh... Chancellor, my father's shuttle is waiting in Mumbai.
-Is there a problem? -No. And never ask.
It makes people think there might be.
(both chuckle)
(sighs) I hoped you and your shipmates
would not have to face what you did at the Miyazaki
for a long time, if ever.
But under threat and enemy fire,
your cool head, strategic thinking,
and leadership did not go unnoticed.
-Thank you. -Which is why I'm putting
your name up for the pre-Command Track.
For Captain's Track?
I really wish the cadets called things what I call them.
-(chuckles) -Anyway,
your performance here has been outstanding.
You're a shoo-in.
Now, pre-Command Track is rigorous.
Intensive seminars and training labs,
plus your, your full load.
Yes. Yes to all of it. To everything. Always. Yes.
(both laugh)
All right, then. I will send the nominating packet
to the committee when we're back from break.
You won't regret a thing, Chancellor, I promise.
They will review your transcript,
application to the Academy, speak with your references,
which I recall were glowing.
-You'll sail through. You'll... -(chuckles nervously)
Don't look so surprised. You deserve it.
Listen.
Say hi to your dad for me.
I think you just made his holiday.
RENO: Cadet Lythe.
Deep space shuttle port. Mumbai.
Have a good All-Worlds.
DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: Specialist Krebs,
your Talaxian Furfly is attacking a lab technician.
Report to Science Lab 7 immediately.
Say hi to your sister.
(laughter)
Say hi to your sister.
-Say hi to your sister. -Mm-hmm.
FEMALE (over P.A.): Coach Ohtani,
please report to the athletic department.
Why are you holding that hideous shirt?
I cannot bring myself to put it on.
-(laughing) -I believe it is called beachwear.
Kyle wants to show me an island called Ibiza.
Klingons on Ibiza.
That is not a sentence I-- anyone
-ever imagined could exist. -It was not my first choice.
-It's your break too, you know. -It is,
but Kyle suffered a real loss in B'Avi.
Yeah. B'Avi, that was...
He was a hero.
He was.
And it is my honor to be present for the people I care about.
Yeah.
-But you-- -Try stopping there.
I'm just saying.
Oh. Kyle. What a surprise. (sighs)
-KYLE: Darem. -I got to pack.
-You kids have fun. -KYLE: You, too.
I don't think Darem likes me.
No one likes Darem,
so this is the universe balancing itself.
CALEB: Dakar? Not a chance.
Where is Dakar exactly? Oh, wait, I remember.
It's in Senegal. I think I've been shipped around enough.
Thank you, Chancellor.
You're either gonna have to forgive me for not asking
Nus Braka about your mother or get over it.
Okay, he was right here. You could've forced him.
You could've threatened him.
Starfleet still does threats, correct?
There were other priorities, Caleb. And what makes you sure
he knows where she is?
What makes you think he'd ever tell us the truth?
He's a sociopath.
Never hand a sociopath personal information.
(grunts)
I'm looking for her. You need to know that.
Oh, don't tell me what I need to know.
Your break starts now, Caleb.
Go to Dakar. Dakar is magnificent.
Your host family will be thrilled.
I'm not going to Dakar. I'm staying here.
You can't close the bag. You need to take something out.
It absolutely will close. It-it always closes.
You've got, like, four pairs of boots in here.
You don't even wear shoes.
You can't stay.
The Academy's gonna be locked down.
CALEB: Well, I'm not going anywhere
just to watch a bunch of strangers celebrating
being together so that you can pretend that I have a family.
Uh-huh. Plenty of cadets go to host families, Your Majesty.
I'm pretending they all have families.
Yeah? Well, I pretend that you know how to pack.
There'll be no one there.
-You'll be alone for four days. -Perfect.
(screams)
Fine.
You can stay here. You'll have access to your room
and the mess hall, the rest will be sealed off.
Commander Reno will be doing spot-checks.
Use the solitude to do something productive.
Perfect. I'll be studying nonstop.
Hey.
How's Tarima?
I don't know.
That's got to be rough.
-She's out of her coma. -Great.
She's recovering. Ocam says she'll be okay.
It's just, uh...
I don't really know how to help her
or how to be there for her, so...
But I'm, uh...
-I'm thinking of visiting. -Oh.
Gonna go see her on Betazed, once she's up for it, probably.
Can't hurt to reach out.
Maybe it can.
I'm... I'm trusting your instincts on that one.
Okay. Go. Bye.
Have fun. Don't break anything.
If I break it, I fix it.
(door whooshes open)
You'll never know.
MALE (over P.A.): Attention, cadets, if you're taking
a connecting shuttle to your destination,
please remember to bring your luggage with you
to the transport arch.
DAREM: Mir?
If that's you messing with me, I'm--
(Khionian pebble rolling)
Oh, shit. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
(stammers) Please, please, please...
(groans)
Wait. Darem. Stop.
Sorry, Kyle.
*
* *
*
(bird screeching)
(indistinct shouting in distance)
(laughter)
(shouting continues)
(yells)
Jay-Den?
-ROYAL GUARD: Intruder! -Stop, stop, stop.
-Don't hurt him. -ROYAL GUARD: Declare yourself.
I declare only that it is a good day to die.
No one's dying.
He's... he's my Ko'zeine.
I am what?
Ko'zeine. It's like best man.
Best man?
ATHENA COMPUTER: Take a deep breath in.
Now exhale.
Release all your worries.
Right now, all your thoughts are clear.
Peaceful.
It's just you, all alone...
-Nice cukes, golden boy. -Uh...
-(laughs) -What are you doing here?
Why are you all wet?
-'Cause we have an aquarium. -Okay, what's your deal?
Your host family demand a refund and beam you back, hmm?
I'm cleared to be here.
Why are you here? How'd you break in?
I'm cleared to be here, too.
Okay, fine.
I beamed myself back, overwrote the transport log,
and deleted my trip. Happy?
Probably happier than your esteemed Dad-miral.
You bailed on the family holiday?
He got invited to do a symposium on Ursa Nowhere.
It would've been a boring four days, so I snuck back.
I thought I'd have the place to myself, but, um--
To do a little, uh,
illicit hacking?
No. You've confused me with you.
I was strolling past the cartography lab earlier.
Its, uh, holo-screen was active.
Thought it was just running a self-diagnostic, but--
I wasn't hacking.
I was getting a jump on research for my spring term paper.
(laughs)
What? Why is that funny?
You hacked in so you could come back
and do homework? Has to be true.
Says the guy who's pulling a D in exo-chemistry
because he's sleeping through it.
Do you mind continuing your pep talk, like,
two steps to the left?
You're blocking my sun.
-And I like a shit-ton of sun. -Uh-huh.
So what's the rest of the plan, huh? Oh, wait, let me guess,
running around with no pants on
and staging DoT fights? (laughs)
Oh, come on, no, don't tell me that was your actual plan.
-Maybe. -You know what?
You want to have some fun? Let's have some fun.
Ever play "toxic or non-toxic"?
Just remember, raised on a starship,
so put on a shirt and try to keep up.
And some deodorant. You reek.
Yes, ma'am.
I am wearing deodorant.
I think.
A traditional Khionian Marital Abduction?
Is that even a thing?
Who told you to follow me here?
I thought you were being kidnapped.
What is that ridiculous ornament on your head
and what is this place?
I thought Khionia was wet. I thought you all had scales.
This is Khionia's matrimonial moon.
It used to be all ocean,
but dried up when the core stopped spinning.
That's why we were able to transport here.
Except, it wasn't a transport, it was more like a...
an artificial single-point wormhole.
I am trapped at a Khionian wedding?
We call it a sealing.
It's like a private family ceremony.
The real party's tomorrow on Khionia.
Parades, fireworks, there's a lot of drinking.
Listen, I'm sorry I didn't say anything.
This is all as much a surprise to me as it is to you.
You did not know that you have a pending spouse?
I knew I was promised to her when we were children.
Her name is Kaira. She's my best friend. I-I love her,
but I was gonna be sealed after I graduated
and given a few years to Starfleet.
KAIRA: That would be my fault.
DAREM: Kaira. Way to make an entrance.
Well...
Darem.
I'm sorry I wasn't there when you arrived.
Hey, Ko'zeine, bow your head.
KAIRA: No need.
We're not doing any of that royalty nonsense.
JAY-DEN: Royalty?
Uh... Are you...
Is he royalty here?
Not yet.
Outdated birth lottery. You must be Jay-Den.
I'm Kaira.
It means a lot that you'd come so far to be Darem's Ko'zeine.
Uh, well, I could not decline, even if I wanted--
(laughs) Good one.
Listen, everything's happened so fast,
we haven't had a chance to catch up.
Can we, can we talk?
Who's going to stop us? Quill here is my Ko'zeine.
They'll keep you out of trouble.
Ibiza.
Yay! Two in a row.
Okay, contestants, our next sample is...
"Ambiguous exoplanet discharge."
Toxic or non-toxic?
Non-toxic.
(air hisses)
(squishing)
(groans)
-Uh-huh. -That is nasty.
Mm-hmm.
Yes. Three in a row.
-I win. -Who knew you'd be so good
at science lab roulette,
a game you just made up.
Hey, you made up replicator whampage,
and I won that, too.
-Yeah, that was a lucky shot. -Not lucky for you.
You got a little takka berry in your hair.
-What? -Just kidding.
Okay, your turn.
Better guess right.
Here you go. "One sub-orbital shelled slug,
also known as the..." blah, blah, blah.
-Let's do it. -Am I the only one
who thought that the Doctor's cabinet of scientific anomalies
was just a metaphor?
Stop stalling. Toxic or non-toxic?
-(air hisses) -I'm gonna go non-toxic.
-And I appear to be correct. -(laughs)
-Okay. -Uh, give it a minute.
Fine. Distract me. Talk to me.
Okay. Um...
What do you hear from Tarima?
The day of the Miyazaki was a pretty intense day
to find out you two were, um, connected.
Oh, yeah, none of your business.
I mean, you've spoken.
Is she coming back?
She's recovering.
I'll probably go see her after the holiday.
Maybe later.
Okay. Kind of a weird answer.
(yells) Mother of--
(sighs)
-Toxic. -Oh. Um...
-What? -Your...
-Is it worse than my hand? -No, no, no, it's fine.
Okay.
So I guess that means I win.
Uh...
-Not yet. -(chuckles)
-It's escaping. -It's a slug.
It's not exactly warp-capable.
(Genesis scoffs)
"...also known as a warp-slug." It's literally a warp-slug.
You need to read all the words next time.
Got it.
Oh, shit.
I am so sorry about the surprise marital abduction.
I'm getting rid of that absurd tradition on day one.
Yeah. It almost ended in a body count.
(both laugh)
Look.
I've got to ask.
We had a plan, right?
Of course.
We were gonna wait five, six years to get sealed.
We-we had a great plan.
-So what happened to it? -My parents happened.
My mother had a health scare.
She's-she's fine, but
they both decided that they would abdicate early.
-Like, immediately. -Wow.
Okay.
Okay, so... so that means...
-You're-- Are you ready? -I've always been ready.
But leading Khionia is a two-person job.
Question is, are you?
My parents won't delay abdication.
Trust me, I've tried, but...
didn't matter.
Listen, I know this is a lot to process.
You've been away, and I've been on Khionia,
and for all I know,
you might not even be sure that you still want to be sealed.
So if you need some time to
sort out your thoughts, then you should take it,
and, you know, sort.
There's nothing to sort.
Because nothing has changed
since I left for Starfleet.
(laughs)
-Except my haircut. -Oh, I knew it.
But I had to ask.
And I love the haircut.
-Yeah? -Mm-hmm.
-Our parents are on their way. -(groans)
Mm-hmm. And you know what?
We are gonna show them that Khionia and I
are in the best hands.
CALEB: So is this what you had in mind
when you ducked out on your Dad-miral?
GENESIS: Uh, I ducked out on my dad
to get ahead on work, not play baby games with a space slug.
CALEB: Hey, you're the one who started the baby games.
GENESIS: Yeah, yeah.
I found another one. It went up.
How do you know?
I speak slug. Also...
Come on.
Okay, okay. Shh, shh, shh.
-Try not to scream. -Ugh.
Like that one time when I scared you.
That wasn't a scream. That was, like, a...
-loud exhalation. -Mm-hmm.
Oh, shit!
RENO: Lura. Lura.
LURA: Are you kidding me?
RENO: I hear you. Will you just slow down?
-Go, go, go. -LURA: That is the stupidest
thing I've ever heard!
RENO: Because I felt like
-testing the impact door. -Why? With your body?
-RENO: Lura... -LURA: Really?
Lura, yes. I-I know how many ribs you shattered,
-but this is a toe... -LURA: 17!
I know what a toe is!
...the single most sensitive digit in the body.
-I've only got two. -(Lura shouting indistinctly)
RENO: You know what I meant.
Two of this type of toe.
-(Lura shouting) -The big one.
Yeah, I've... I've heard the story.
Held your intestines with your own hand,
sewed up the wound with your mouth.
-So adorable. -LURA: Even though my hand
was hanging by just one vein.
-This is worse. -How is that worse?
It's a toe!
RENO: Okey doke.
LURA: Is your toe hanging from...
It'll freeze the goo, probably.
Okay, when she dips her head, then shoot.
-Okay. -Okay.
RENO: One, two, three.
LURA: Reno? Check?
Are you still alive?
I can't live without you!
Are you there? Don't die!
That wasn't so bad.
LURA: Oh. Okay, good.
Good.
-I'm furious with you. But good. -RENO: That was not so bad.
I'm glad you're alive.
I should've gotten into medicine.
-(sighs, laughs) -Yo,
I would've never made that shot.
And now, we'll never know.
-(both laugh) -Sad.
-We should probably go. -Uh, yeah.
-Slug's not gonna remove itself. -Uh-huh.
DAREM: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Jay-Den,
where are you going?
I'm supposed to be in Ibiza with Kyle.
-I need to leave. -Wait, please.
Just please don't.
(sighs) Look, I...
I really need you there tonight.
This sealing needs to go off flawlessly, for Kaira.
For-for Khionia. For me.
A Ko'zeine can't abandon a newly sealed Jvera and Ucha.
It will... it will blow up protocol.
And a... Ko'zeine has to make a toast.
-Uh-uh. No. -What? What?
I-I thought you got through this. Come on.
I will sweat, and I will sweat doubly on principle.
You can sweat as much as you like. We all have gills.
People I've known my whole life are gonna be there,
and nothing I've done will ever matter as much as this.
You should understand that more than anyone.
You're doing this for your parents?
No, but if it makes them proud of me for once,
who's that hurting?
You are going to abandon the Academy?
Abandon Starfleet?
No one expects anything from me there anyway,
which I-I suppose is a relief, but here,
what I'm not gonna do is disappoint Kaira,
my parents, my people.
I need to be who they raised me to be.
I'll just... I'll just figure it out. I will.
Listen, do what you need to do.
I mean it.
I'm going to see the officiant.
I'll see you later.
(sighs)
* *
(dialogue inaudible)
* *
I've never seen someone lose so badly
at science lab roulette before. (laughs)
Your eyes were all like "red alert" for a second.
I thought you just made that game up.
And I thought you'd know a hustle when you saw it.
I guess I'm just, you know,
that much better at lying than you are. Hmm?
Come on, when I asked about Tarima?
You said she was "recovering,"
and then you gave me a travel itinerary.
Ocam said she's been fine.
Ocam?
When is the last time you talked to Tarima?
Day of the ambush.
(scoffs) Uh...
Over four weeks ago.
Just to be clear, more than 30 days?
-A full month? -Mm-hmm.
But you reached out, right? I mean, you've tried?
Because she was in a, you know, coma
and you're her boyfriend.
Why not, hmm?
-Because... -'Cause you forgot how to speak?
-Use words? Work a comm badge? -No. No, not that.
Before that.
Before everything happened.
When we were alone... together.
She, uh...
She got into my head.
Not on purpose, but she saw things
I don't tell anybody.
-Hey, don't-- -No!
Mama?
(scoffs) I don't know, it just scared the shit out of me.
-I get that. -I just...
I've spent my whole life getting away from stuff.
But... letting someone in?
Like really... in,
so that they can see all of your shit
and all the messed up things you've done.
That's, uh... that's harder.
Hmm.
(both laughing)
Okay. What's next?
We gonna climb the ceiling with our mag boots?
Water-skiing with the DoTs?
What's up?
-Sit in the captain's chair. -(groans) The captain's chair?
-Mm-hmm. -On the bridge?
(laughs) That one's not happening.
Why not?
You were giving me grief for dozing off in exo-chem.
You can get court-martialed for that.
-Okay. -Anyways, it's basically impossible.
The entrance to the bridge is, like, the hardest thing to hack.
-Save it for another day. -Today's that day.
It has to be.
Caleb, when am I ever going to get another chance
to be alone on the bridge?
Fine.
Chancellor Ake's nominating me for pre-Command Track
-as soon as the break's over. -Whoa. That's huge.
So why are you trying to risk it all by...
Oh, come on, your dad's an admiral.
You've been on a bridge many times.
You've sat in a captain's chair before.
Yeah, his bridge, his chair.
(sighs)
The thing about following someone else's footsteps?
They're someone else's footsteps.
Everyone will remind you that your ambitions were his first,
imply your skills were inherited,
and then you just start to wonder
if people have been handing you victories
just because they recognize those footsteps.
-Who cares? -I care.
You have no idea how hard I try to make it look like I don't.
(sighs)
I need to know if I belong on that track.
Or if the only seat I'll ever feel comfortable in is his.
Just do this with me.
-Mm. -Please?
What?
Your-your jacket needs to be adjusted.
It's not a jacket.
It's the royal sealing mantle
constructed with sea tendrils of Ryllios.
-Uh-huh. Cool. -It's a symbol
of the strength of our people
and the fragility of tradition, which
a Jvera promises to maintain and protect both--
-What are you doing? -Freezing.
A Ko'zeine's kilt is made of threads of wet coral.
It needs time to set.
Klingons do not like the cold.
This is not about you.
This is about respect and tradition.
(fabric rips)
-Oh. -No, no, no, no.
-Uh, Darem, calm. -No, no, no, no, no, no.
Calm. You are not breathing.
-Yes, I am. -Breathe.
No, I'm not.
Oh, what am I doing?
This is the mantle of my people.
Jay-Den, I...
I thought I had more time.
If this is your true path,
timing does not matter.
You will... (stammers) You will decide what is best.
You're shaking.
-No. No, no, no. You cannot-- -Keep it on.
-It is yours. -You'll go blue.
* *
Darem, you are the same person
that walked onto the hull of the Athena.
You saved many that day.
Why do you think this task is beyond you?
It's not beyond me.
I lived my whole life
thinking this was my final destination,
that I was meant to be here for this day,
but since the Academy, I've seen something more.
I mean, I thought the Academy was there to serve me.
No kidding.
(laughs)
I don't want to leave.
Then don't.
I...
I made a promise.
Will you be the better man as Jvera?
Or in service to many?
It's not that easy.
My people need me.
-That is not what I asked. -You don't get it.
My people need me.
Try and understand.
I'm here. I won't bail on my family,
my world.
I can't just-just do what you did.
You cut and ran.
(growls softly)
Tell yourself whatever you want.
I'm sure you will find a way to live with yourself.
You always do.
That is my Ko'zeine toast.
You deliver it yourself.
I am finding my way back to Earth.
(sighs) Not my cleanest work, but you got your five minutes.
(whirring)
* *
-Captain. -Officer.
-(knuckles crack) -(sighs)
Running pre-launch diagnostics.
Loading navigation systems.
ATHENA COMPUTER: Navigation systems loading.
Igniting impulse drive.
ATHENA COMPUTER: Impulse drive activated.
Calibrating subspace sensors.
-Subspace sensors calibrated. -Activating warp core.
-Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. -Activating warp core.
Computer, belay that order.
-Order belayed. -You win, okay?
-I'm shutting this down. -You love losing.
ATHENA COMPUTER: Impulse drive deactivated.
Shutting down navigation and subspace systems now.
I know a hustle when I see it.
This doesn't have anything to do with you.
Really? 'Cause I feel pretty involved right now.
All day, I sensed something was up,
but I ignored it,
told myself I was just seeing this awesome new side to you,
and it was a blast, but it was all bullshit.
-It wasn't. Not all of it. -It was all about
getting me to break into the bridge.
And that programmable key in your hand
gets you into every database on the ship.
What are you looking for?
What's so important that you'd risk your spot
at the Academy and mine, too?
My application.
Your application? To Starfleet?
Tomorrow, Chancellor Ake is sending my entire record,
including my application,
to the pre-Command Track committee for their review.
And if I don't get to it first,
forget pre-Command Track, my career here might be over.
And without that, I-I don't know who I am.
Why?
What are they gonna find?
They're not gonna find anything
if you just walk away, Caleb.
There's no way you lied about your test scores.
You're kicking ass here.
I did what I had to do to get in.
Did you forge your transcript? No, I don't buy that either.
-Why do you care? -Why?
Because you used me to get in here.
If I was trying to mess up my life
as badly as you're about to mess up yours,
-I know you'd stop me. -RENO: Oof. Weighty words.
I, uh, thought I left my PADD in here, but no.
Just a couple of cadets in the deepest of shit.
KHIONIAN PRIEST (echoing): Do you, Darem, take Kaira...
Do you, Kaira, take Darem...
...to support one another in leadership?
Do you promise to honor your queen?
Do you promise to honor your king?
DAREM: I'm forever in love...
* *
(indistinct crowd chatter)
QUILL: Kaira, the seat was made for you.
We love you both.
-Cheers. -ALL: Cheers.
GUEST: Hear, hear.
(murmuring)
Uh, this is when my Ko'zeine would, uh,
say a few words, but unfortunately, he's, uh...
JAY-DEN: Present...
and accounted for.
(laughter, applause)
You're welcome.
Uh, well, if this were a Klingon wedding,
Kaira would now bite Darem on the nose
and they would break each other's clavicles.
(laughter)
Perhaps skip that part.
(laughter)
I am at a slight disadvantage as Ko'zeine
because I have never known this side of Darem before today.
He and I met as shipmates.
Classmates.
First impressions were rocky.
But none of us understood how
he could be so confident, so brave.
Some would say cocky.
(laughter)
He walked on the hull of a ship,
led a prank war embattled on a Calica court
for the honor of our Academy.
Even before we were friends,
he pushed me to see myself honestly,
to use my voice and make it count.
While his counsel was harsh at times,
it told me that Darem is someone who cares.
And what I've seen of him here amongst all of you
is that he also knows what it means to be
in service of something greater than himself.
To put others first.
When called by the moment,
by his family, his planet...
...or his partner,
Darem will ultimately choose to put himself aside
and favor another's needs above his own.
While I will miss my classmate...
...my friend,
I cannot think of a better reason to part.
To Darem and Kaira,
to a lifetime of happiness.
ALL: To Darem and Kaira.
(glasses clinking)
* *
(whispers): I love you.
* *
(exhales)
NAHLA: Curious time to pull your absolute worst behavior.
I had to come back early because of you two.
Chancellor, accessing the bridge was my idea.
-Genesis had nothing to do with it. -Caleb.
Stop.
I asked him to do it.
Caleb refused, and I wouldn't let up.
On the bridge, he tried to stop me.
From doing what?
Retrieving a key...
...so I could delete letters of recommendation
from my application to the Academy.
-Why would you do-- -(whispers): Cadet.
So the pre-Command Track committee wouldn't see them.
Why?
My references.
I altered the original statements.
How?
Cadet, how did they describe you?
You're undeniably competent.
Your scores are exemplary. You're driven.
Driven out of fear.
They said that to a one.
"Genesis doesn't trust that she belongs where she is."
How would they know?
Some things can't stay hidden.
(sighs)
Captain.
I'll be packed in 20 minutes.
Had it ever occurred to you that they might have
done you a favor?
Leadership is a battle within yourself.
They identified a target for you.
There are those who don't find out until it's too late.
Here's the lesson: we are all wildly flawed.
And we have to learn to carry that.
I'm not gonna expel you.
Acceptance here is not contingent on references.
But I will not be nominating you for pre-Command.
Yes, Chancellor.
Academic probation.
200 hours of menial service, both of you.
Starting now.
-(exhales) -(door whooshes open)
* *
DAREM: Wonderful advice.
Excuse me a moment, would you?
I need to brush up on the Khionian Constitution
if I'm gonna be helpful in eradicating
those Royal Decrees you were speaking about--
Just, um, stop a sec.
Okay.
I want you to abdicate.
Did you just... did you just say abdicate? I...
We'll have the marriage annulled, but to do that,
you'll have to abdicate first.
What's wrong? Hmm?
What am I... what am I missing?
Jay-Den's toast.
It was beautiful.
But the man he described is someone I've never met.
The Darem I know is quiet,
always trying to appease,
always one step behind me, our whole lives.
But I didn't realize any of that until just now.
Do you know that the most excited I've ever seen you
is when you left for the Academy?
Maybe it's because you finally had a chance to be yourself
-in a way you never could here. -Kaira...
I can't have a partner who's choosing to be with me
because he's making everyone else happy.
Darem, I chose you because I love you.
-And I feel the same way. I... -No.
No.
Maybe in a way, but...
not like you used to.
Khionia is my purpose.
It used to be yours too, but now it's your duty.
And it shouldn't be.
Nor should I be.
Kaira,
I love you.
I love you, I do, but...
You've seen a different path,
and you had every chance in the world to tell me that,
but instead, you've started our life together with a lie.
I deserve more than that.
I'll tell them what's happening.
Khionia will be fine.
You know, a woman's never ruled it by herself.
I'm going to be the first.
Please step down.
-(panting) -Go.
-I've... -Be cocky.
Walk on hulls.
Live the life you were meant to live.
Kaira.
I'm so sorry.
Goodbye.
Let's go home, friend.
* *
DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: Welcome back, cadets.
The meteor shower will begin shortly.
Popcorn not included.
JAY-DEN: So, will you be all right?
DAREM: Always.
But, um...
Listen, I'll tell you this: I'm glad you were there.
*
KYLE: Jay-Den!
I know I took a lot of shots at Kyle, but...
Forgotten.
But congratulations.
Thank you. For-for what?
For realizing that you are essentially an asshole.
(laughs)
I know.
-Hey. -Hey.
-Kyle.
Uh, Jay-Den told me about the, uh...
Sealing.
I'm, uh, I'm really sorry.
That's a horrific sunburn.
Yeah, I thought I'd be good, but...
So, you know what the sun is,
but you choose to throw hands with a literal ball of fire
and now your face hurts.
-Time to go. -Yeah.
-Got it. -Asshole.
CALEB: So, the truth came out,
the worst happened,
all your unforgivable sins exposed,
and you're still standing.
-What's with that? -Shut up.
-(laughs softly) -And thank you,
for trying to save me from my own crap.
Oh, you got enough of your own crap to deal with still.
(laughs)
And you?
You haven't stopped thinking about her.
No.
Well, almost.
For a moment.
* *
Call her.
Talk to her.
If she's angry at you for ghosting,
the best thing you can do is don't edit yourself.
And right when you regret everything you've said,
just hit send.
What if it's too late?
What if it's not?
(laughs softly)
CALEB: Hey, Tarima.
I know you're probably really angry at me
for not reaching out.
You... you should be.
I'm sorry.
You saw the part of me that I...
try to pretend doesn't exist.
And I was too freaked out to...
realize that couldn't have been random.
It happened because I guess I wanted you to...
...see me.
And because you are very, very special.
You are.
I wish I could fix all the mistakes I made with you.
Everyone else around me seems able to do it.
* *
People who lied.
People who doubted themselves.
People who just want to get better.
People who ran.
I've spent my whole life running from things.
I don't want to run anymore.
Anyway, I really hope you're okay.
COMPUTER: Message sent.
* One by one *
* We watch the stars *
* One by one *
* We watch the stars *
* Blossom above *
* Ooh *
* Good things come *
* To those *
* Who learn *
* To wait *
* Ooh *
* Wait for the sun *
* To fall *
* Into *
* The world. *
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org