| abstract | - The Scorpio crew are concerned to receive a report that Helotrix has been easily reconquered by the Federation. Avon suspects a new weapon is behind the Federation's expansion and decides to take the ship to Helotrix to investigate. On Helotrix, Colonel Quute , the Federation officer who serves as second-in-command to the General in charge of the forces, interrogates a prisoner, Igin, part of the rebel group led by Major Hunda. Igin is oddly docile, explaining he was sent to try and find a way into the city. Quute releases him but his progress back to the rebel encampment is followed by a Federation Tracer. Another rebel, Avandir, notices his approach and Hunda orders him to hold position until nightfall. When Igin remains motionless for some time, Quute, believing he is with the other rebels, orders an artillery strike which kills him. Meanwhile, the General shows the new governor, Practor, to his quarters, where they are met by Leitz, the aide of Commissioner Sleer, who is in charge of the Federation's pacification programme. Practor identifies a portrait of Servalan to Leitz, recalling that after her death many of her followers were rounded up and killed by the High Council. When Practor is alone, someone enters the quarters and kills him, also destroying the portrait. Avon sends Tarrant and Dayna down to the surface, with orders only to observe and not get involved in resistance activities. However, they instantly join up with Hunda, after witnessing a rebel shot by Federation troopers with a medical laser which renders him docile. Hunda explains the Federation have been treating the population with pylene-50, a drug which induces obedience. They accompany Hunda to meet his Federation contact, who turns out to be Leitz. Hunda and Leitz work out a plan to get the rebels into the city through a tunnel and Leitz also informs Tarrant and Dayna of the location of the bunker where pylene-50 is produced. Meanwhile, a group of brainwashed Helots sent to check the rebels are dead are ambushed and defeated by the rest of Hunda's group led by Sergeant Hask. Leitz informs the General of his meeting with Hunda: He has been bringing rebel groups down from within on Sleer's orders and tells the General to mine the tunnel. Meanwhile, Tarrant and Dayna arrive at the bunker and nearly use a booby-trapped entrance key. They meet a disabled scientist, Forbus, who is being slowly poisoned by Sleer to force him to produce pylene-50, which he invented as a muscle relaxant. He has set up explosives under the bunker which he intends to detonate and take Sleer and Leitz with him. Tarrant and Dayna realise that Leitz intended for the booby-trap to kill them and has betrayed the rebels. Although he has been unable to find a cure, Forbus gives them a vaccine to immunise against pylene-50. Avon has assigned Orac the task of researching engine developments to improve Scorpio. However, his link with the Helotrix computers is discovered by the Tracer. The General orders ships launched to search for Scorpio. Avon, Vila and Soolin initially believe Tarrant and Dayna have been found, but on learning the truth Avon decides to take Scorpio down below the search pattern. Ignoring an order to return to the ship, Tarrant and Dayna warn Hunda and the rebels of the trap and the tunnel is empty when the General detonates the explosives. With the rebels equipped with the vaccine and Tarrant and Dayna providing support, they launch a full attack on the city. The group is confronted by Sleer, who turns out to be Servalan, but the medical lasers are ineffective. The General and Quute are killed in the ensuing battle but Servalan and Leitz escape. Servalan confronts Forbus and kills him. Leitz enters, having realised that Serrvalan killed Practor to hide her identity from the regime that replaced her. He asks for Practor's position in exchange for his silence. Instead, Servalan kills him too. Meanwhile, Tarrant and Dayna return to Scorpio with the news Servalan is still alive. After initially reacting with disbelief, Avon takes comfort in the fact that now he can kill her himself.
- When Granger ends up in hospital after being in a car accident late at night, the OSP team investigate with the search for the mole intensifying after it's discovered that Granger was poisoned while Hetty locks down the OSP Headquarters, determined to find the mole once and for all.
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