Episode Recap: Episode Nine

The Raza crew members review their recently acquired supplies. One gives Three some pissed-off looks, as he now knows that Three killed his wife. They realize that Four is missing and Two tells the gang what she knows about Four's history ...

Four, meanwhile, is off-ship and in some woodland area, where he confronts Akita, his former mentor and now his brother's officer. A group of armed men surround him and Four proceeds to kill all of them. Four and Akita engage in swordplay and Four is knocked unconscious.

Akita sews up Four's wounds. "You had so much potential," he says, and we flash back to the fencing match we saw from Five's perspective in Episode Six. Four's father yells at him and fights him for being too kind to his opponent in battle. Young Four confesses to Akita that he hates his father for being a cruel, petty tyrant. Akita assures him that his father loves him and just wants to prepare him to take over one day; he wants him to be strong, and not let his emotions get the best of him.

In the present day, Akita tells Four that he's chosen a dangerous place to meet. Four says that he chose wisely, since the surrounding abandoned mining colony has no government that his brother could buy out. Akita warns him that many unknown dangers could lie in their path ...

Back on the Raza, One finds Six getting drunk. Six says he thought getting revenge on The General would make him feel less angry but the anger has only shifted; now that his target is gone, he feels that he is the only person to blame for all of the deaths that came in the wake of his terrorist. One asks if he'll go after The General again one day and Six says that he will ... in time.

Meanwhile, the gang debates whether or not to go after Four. Six says that he decided to leave and he's probably not going to want to come back. Three says that people change their minds all the time. One sullenly asks why Three decided to stay, to which Three responds that he wanted to wait and see how long it would take everyone to figure out that One was a fraud. One punches him in the face and they get into a big man fight until Two breaks it up.

One storms out and Two later finds him angrily lifting weights. She asks why he lost it with Three. One confesses that he knows that he stole Jace Corso's identity and came on the ship in order to kill Three. He tells her the whole story, but she still doesn't understand his anger: how is it possible to mourn a wife that you don't remember? He says he's angry that Three's actions have left him stuck flying around in a metal box with no memory and unable to trust anybody.

Three finds The Android running a diagnostic of herself, as she believes there may be a flaw in her programming that makes her act atypical and "weird" (aka emotional). She tells him that if there is an issue with her programming, a full reboot may be necessary and her memory will have to be erased. He says hell no; he might not be satisfied with her, but he’ll be damned if he's going to start over with another robot (endlessly rude, that one).

Meanwhile, Five aks Six to teach her how to fight. He refuses, insisting that she's not a criminal like the rest of them; sooner or later their pasts are going to catch up with them, and he wants her to be as safe as possible. He urges her to take her share of their earnings, get off at the next station and take a train far away. Five says that she doesn't want to leave her friends, to which Six says they're not friends but strangers thrown together by circumstance. She suggests that maybe he’s the one who should go and storms off (there's a lot of storming off in this episode).

Two asks Three why he kept One's secret about Jace Corso. Three says he saw a strategic opportunity but thinks it was the wrong decision and that he learned a valuable lesson: No more secrets. Two says that they need to trust each other, but Three wonders if she's right; he assumes that they'll fall back into their old habits, their "muscle memories" like killing, thieving, and, for some, treachery. They decide to play process of elimination to identify the traitor who erased their memories the first time; they immediately eliminate Four through Six, which leads them with three difficult possibilities: One, and themselves.

Meanwhile, Four asks Akita if he wants to know if he really murdered his father. Akita says that he's delivering him as ordered, and that "the truth" doesn’t make a difference. Four tells him how he was framed, to which Akita doesn't seem surprised. Four accuses him of being a traitor, to which Akita angrily says that he loved him in ways his father couldn't and stood up for him when his flesh and blood betrayed him. Four says that, in that case, he should understand that he will re-take the throne as Emperor and will punish those who went against him. He needs Akita's help.

As if all this drama wasn't enough, they are suddenly confronted with a gang of thugs with guns. Akita explains that he is doing his royal duties as an Officer in the court of Ishida and requests safe passage in transporting a criminal and bringing him to justice. The lead thug says that, as self-appointed governor of the territory, he denies their safe passage and insists that they pass over their valuables. Four and Akita kill everybody ... but one of them shoots Akita in the back.

Remarkably, Akita recaptures Four and is able to walk and follow his prisoner, holding a gun to his back. Four persuades him to let him dress his wounds so that they can go on without Four having to carry him. Four assures him that, unlike his brother, he can be trusted. Akita says that he's proud that Four has proven to be a worthy adversary but still wishes that he had not shown up for their meeting. Four agrees. Akita expresses surprise that, in trying to get Akita to side with him, Four has not reminded him of the time that he saved Akita’s life ...

We flash back to Four's father's quarters, where he says that he will have Akita executed for ordering an attack that resulted in the deaths of many of Ishida's men. Akita accepts this but Four storms in and admits that he ordered the attack and that Akita only aimed to protect him. His father, after all, frequently criticized him for his tendency to avoid violence. His father dismisses Akita.

Back in the present day, Akita tells Four that he owes him a debt and that he will pay it. As more of Akita's men arrive, he apologizes to Four and orders them to arrest him.

As they walk Four back to their transport device, they encounter … Two! She demands that they let the prisoner go and informs them that they're surrounded by her armed comrades. A shoot-out and butt-kicking session ensues. One comes dangerously close to shooting Three but shoots one of Four's captors instead. Akita concedes that the Raza gang has beaten him and hands over Four.

Akita wishes Four luck, but warns him that if their paths ever cross again, he will arrest him. Four says that he wants him to deliver a message to his brother and stabs him through the heart! Intense.

Back on the Raza, Six knocks on Five's bedroom door and apologizes for his comments earlier. He still thinks she's better off as far away from them as possible, but she has the right to make her own decisions and he'd miss her a lot if she left. Pals again!

Three tells One that they're almost even, given the number of times they've saved each other's lives, and concedes that One is one ahead. One is disturbed that they watched Four kill an unarmed man. Three says he had his reasons, but One wonders what kind of a person they brought back on board with them.

Four visits Two in her room and thanks her. He says he left without telling anybody because he didn't want any of them risking their lives on his behalf. She says that they didn't just go back for him, but for themselves: they are a team and must fight for each other, since no one else will. Four says that with Two's help, he will take his rightful place on the throne ... and that he'll remember his true family after he's dealt with the old one.

At Emperor Ishida’s palace, Hiro is furious at his mother for sending Akita to meet with Four when he gave his word that he himself would go. He wanted to hear Four's theory about the conspiracy that led to his father's death. He says his mother made him a liar, but she responds with "I made you an Emperor."

Aboard the Raza, Four is practicing with his weapons, Three is reading Charlotte’s Web (and crying, as we all do) and the rest of the gang is playing cards. Suddenly, something rocks the ship and The Android announced that three Ferrous Corporation destroyers have fallen out of FTL and have surrounded them. Yikes!