Episode Report Card Keckler: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Play Dom Jot, Hu-mon!
By Keckler | Season 1 | Episode 10 | Aired on 11.20.2001
Fortunate. Ryan asks Shawn if he's sure about something. "I've seen that hull signature enough times," Shawn tells him. Ryan inquires after Kenneth's frequencies. "Loaded and standing by," Shawn tells him. "I'll bring the cannons online -- drop out of warp," Ryan says, patting him on the back. Shawn comments that the Nausicaan ship is sitting one hundred yards ahead of them. They get a view of the ship, but it takes off. "They've seen us," Ryan comments. "Lay in an intercept course. Full impulse." Ryan looks like a Keanu Reeves who spent too much time at the local Outback Steakhouse loading up on Bloomin' Onions. Shawn reports that they're closing in on the Nausicaan ship. "Twenty kilometers. Uh, th-they're firing," Shawn stutters out. Fortunate is shaken by the cannon impact. "The hull plating is holding," Shawn says. Ryan asks if he can get a weapons lock, but Shawn reports that they're too far away. Ryan orders them into range. They get into range, lock their cannons onto the target, and fire. Unfortunately, the Nausicaan ship goes behind the asteroid, so they lose their lock on them and miss by a hair. Ryan looks pissed.
Fortunate pursues the Nausicaans, and it is revealed that the other side of the asteroid is not all it appears to be. Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral. I want that ship, not excuses. "This must be where they offload stolen cargo," Ryan says, examining a fully functional, hollowed-out portion. Shawn says he's going to navigate them out of there, but Ryan tells him to stay the course. Shawn tries to dispute this presidential order, but Ryan will have none of it. "We still have their shield frequencies," Ryan says. "Lock weapons on the first ship and fire." Shawn fires, but nothing seems to happen to the Nausicaan ship. "Again," Ryan orders. "No effect," Shawn reports. "Are you sure you programmed the right frequencies?" Ryan asks accusingly. "I used the ones he gave us," Shawn tells him. Gee, did it ever occur to either of you nerf-herders that the Nausicaan might be lying, because he knew that by the time you all got within firing range of a Nausicaan ship and discovered the fake shield frequencies, his bio-sign would be detected by his fellow Nausicaans? Several other Nausicaan ships start attacking the Fortunate. Ryan orders them to warp, but surprise surprise, the warp reactor is a little frizzled by all the firing. "Full impulse, then," Ryan commands, "hull plating to maximum." More serious blasts on the ship, and then Shawn announces that they've lost impulse capability. The Nausicaans hail them. Onscreen, a Nausicaan Captain addresses them: "Our scans show you have one of our crewmen on board. I assume you're here to return him." Ryan tells him that the Nausicaan is their prisoner. "He won't be for long," Cpt. Nausicaan tells him. Fortunate gives a large shudder and Shawn turns to Ryan. "They've latched onto us," he tells him. Sure enough, from the outside, the Nausicaan ship looks just like The Incredible Mr. Limpet on the side of Fortunate.