Synopsis: By John Bensalhia
As the Scorpio leaves Xenon, Avon orders the base destroyed. Dayna speculates that Zukan may not have told the Federation about its location, but Avon disagrees, saying that one of the other delegates would have done eventually. Instead of a ‘strategic withdrawal’ though, Avon now claims that he has found a new figurehead. Despite Avon’s unusual coyness about the identity of this leader of rebels, Vila works out that he has found their old leader Blake.
Dayna and Tarrant are sceptical, considering that he’s meant to be dead and that the last time they looked for Blake, it turned out to be a trap. Orac, however, says that the chain of cause and effect throughout the galaxy amounts to Blake’s trail ending on the planet Gauda Prime. Soolin is not happy at this news, since it is her home planet, where her family were killed. Gauda Prime was declared Open Planet status by the Federation, meaning that there is no law on the planet. A draw for all crooks and killers, Gauda Prime is, however, to revert back to legal status after its inhabitants have lodged an official request.
Down on Gauda Prime, Blake himself is tracking his prey. Now apparently a bounty hunter with a scar down one eye, Blake traps his prey Arlen who has a high price on her head. Arlen is shot in the leg by other bounty hunters, who are in turn, killed by Blake. Blake forces Arlen to walk to his flyer.
While en route to Gauda Prime, Scorpio comes under attack by two gunships. Avon tells Tarrant to powerdive the atmosphere to fake being out of control. Although the ploy works and the ships back off, a badly damaged Scorpio really is out of control. Now rapidly approaching Gauda Prime, Vila, Dayna and Soolin teleport down. Avon follows with Orac and tells Tarrant to come with him. However, Slave (which would have taken over the flight controls) has been damaged too, and so Tarrant elects to pilot the Scorpio in order for Avon to teleport down. Avon does so in the nick of time as the Scorpio crash lands, sending a screaming Tarrant flying into the debris.
Blake takes Arlen to his base where, in fact, he plans to recruit her to his cause of rebellion against the Federation. One of his recruits Klyn informs Blake that a planet hopper has crash-landed in Plantation 5. As his second in command Deva interrogates Arlen, Blake, now masquerading as a law enforcement officer, goes to investigate the wreckage of the ship. Deva, however, is worried that a representative from the Federation High Council could arrive at any minute.
Vila, Soolin and Dayna hide in a shack in the woods. While Vila dozes off though, two bounty hunters enter the shack and attack them. Before the hunters can kill them though, Avon enters and shoots them dead. Now in possession of their flyer, Avon proposes to follow another flyer which has put down nearby. A suspicious Vila asks where Tarrant is.
Injured from the crash, Tarrant arrives to find Blake rescuing him from the wreckage, which has caused Slave to close down for good. Unaware of Blake’s identity, Tarrant flies back with him to base on a random programme. He suddenly gets suspicious though when Blake tells him that the programme was learnt from a smuggler called Jenna, who blew both a squadron of gunships and herself up in the process.
Avon and his party follow Blake in their newly acquired flyer and make their way into the landing silo.
Blake tests Tarrant by pretending that he has captured him. Klyn informs Blake that another flyer has landed in the silo, and as Blake orders them to be allowed through, a horrified Tarrant wonders what happened to him. As Arlen enters, Tarrant escapes, but Blake is satisfied that he has passed his test. He is confident that when Tarrant knows the full story, he will join them. Deva is not convinced though and angrily tells Blake to drop both the tests and the bounty hunter routine. Although Blake finds it difficult to trust people, he implores Deva not to worry.
Tarrant makes his way into the main control room, where he is reunited with Avon, Vila, Dayna and Soolin. As the alarm sounds, Avon shoots Klyn just as Blake enters.
Tarrant tells Avon that Blake has sold them out to the Federation. Misunderstanding the whole situation, a horrified Avon confronts his old friend at gunpoint. Blake pleads with Avon to listen to him, saying that Tarrant doesn’t understand. But when Blake says that he set the whole thing up, Avon misinterprets this, and as he tries to reason with him further, Avon shoots his friend in the chest three times. Blake, mortally wounded, whispers “Oh Avon…” sadly, but collapses dead before he can finish.
As a shocked Avon slowly realises his folly, Arlen reveals that she is a Federation officer and that the base is surrounded by troops. Deva enters the chaos and is shot dead by Arlen. Having been ordered to drop her weapon, Dayna attempts to retrieve it, but is shot by Arlen. Vila knocks Arlen out cold and grabs the weapon, but he too is shot by entering Federation troopers. Soolin and Tarrant are shot next, and with only Avon left standing, the troopers trap him in a circle.
Standing over the body of Blake, Avon slowly raises his gun and gives one last smile as shots ring out…
Cast
Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas
Jenna Stannis - Sally Knyvette
Vila Restal - Michael Keating
Guest Stars: Gareth Thomas (as Roj Blake), David Collings (as Deva), Sasha Mitchell (as Arlen), Janet Lees Price (as Klyn) (wife of actor Paul Darrow who plays Avon).
Credits
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Episode Information
Originally Broadcast: on BBC1
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