Will and the Robot draw on the cave wall, Will drawing the two of them together. He suggests that they stick together no matter what, and draws the Resolute and Alpha Centauri. Meanwhile, Maureen thanks Ben for killing SAR, and assures him that it's going to work. As she leaves, Ben remembers the past.
On the Resolute, Ben and the other scientists test the robot engine. Hastings warns Ben to be careful, and Ben says that he needs to be prepared. His superior tells Ben that they'll be waiting for him at the extraction point. All Ben has to do is get them inside and they'll take care of the rest.
On the Resolute, Judy examines John's injury and says that the fibroblasts are working, as Penny looks on. His daughters hug him, and he notes that Smith hasn't been arrested. Penny suggests that Smith is turning over a new leaf, but Judy doesn't believe it. John says he's going down to the planet to finish his job. He goes to the bridge and asks Kamal where they stand on the water supply. Kamal says that they got out 200,000 gallons before it was contaminated, and they have it stored in non-metal bladders. She says that the scientists have devised a process to clean up the contaminant but it will take over a year to fully perform.
Kamal figures that John came to confront her about jettisoning Penny and the others from the Resolute. John tells her that he's a father as well as a soldier, and to make him a part of any future decisions about his family. A comm technician picks up a signal, and Kamal orders everyone else to clear the bridge and get her Hastings. She has John escorted off the bridge despite his objections.
Will leads the Robot to the horses and explains what they are. The Robot confirms that the horse is a friend even though Will is putting a bit in its mouth, and Will promises that it doesn't hurt. The boy mounts up and walks the horse away, and the Robot sees the covered "corpse" of SAR. Ben and Maureen arrive and notices the Robot's gaze, and Ben wonders why SAR was so interested in Will. After Maureen goes, the Robot gazes steadily at Ben.
John visits Don in his room where he's restrained with an ankle tracker, and Don tells John that he owed Penny one. John explains about the audio signal, and how Hastings and Kamal have been holed up the bridge after declaring a moratorium on all transport launches to the planet. The transports stopped running after the audio signal came in, and John figures that something isn't right. He wants Don to help him get into the server room because Don can get past the clearance level. Don points out that he's confined to quarters.
Next, John goes to Smith. She refuses to help him until he notes that Kamal was willing to blow her into space with the others. John insists that he's trying to keep his family safe, and figures that Smith can get him into the server room. Smith agrees but warns John that he and his family will owe her big for helping.
On the planet, Will and the others come to a herd of buffalo-like creatures. They dismount to find an alternate way around the herd, and the Robot strokes Will's horse Gypsy. Will gives the Robot an apple to feed the horse, and once it does it nudges Will in the shoulder. Maureen and Ben go up a hill and she spots a way to the pickup spot. She notices a scar on Ben's chest and points out that Will has one like. Ben explains that he got it from Scarecrow, and warns that the robots aren't alive like they are and are killers.
The Robot removes Gypsy's bit and destroy sit, and Will puts it back and says that the horse needs it because it doesn't know better and will just wander of. Maureen comes over and Will tells her what happened. She says that a lot of people wouldn't and tells Will to neck rein.
Smith takes John into the server room .
Judy visits Don, who gives her a list of his former customers. He figures his customers won't care that he saved Penny, and he mentions the audio signal. When Don realizes that John didn't tell Judy about it, he suggests she talk to John about it, and that John went to Smith for help. He tells Judy that he knows where they're going.
As they ride, Will asks Maureen if she trusts Ben. She admits that she doesn't, and Will wonders why Ben brought him. The lizards appear on the ridge overhead, and Maureen realizes that they're hunting something other than them. The creatures attack the herd, which stampedes down the canyon toward them. The Robot warns Will of danger, and a panicked Gypsy and throws Will onto the ground. Gypsy's rein is trapped by a falling rock, and the Robot frees it.
Will, Maureen, and Ben get to cover and the Robot uses its facelight. When the dust clears, Will discovers that the Robot is intact, sheltering Gypsy behind it. The boy runs over and hugs the Robot, and Maureen tells Ben that the Robot was helping its friend.
Judy takes Penny with her, figuring that Penny and Smith have a special connection.
John searches for the audio transmission in the files, and notes that Smith seems nervous. Smith admits that she's not used to having a partner because she only has to trust herself. John comments that it seems lonely to him, and admits that he did stupid things when he was young. He explains that he learned to let people into his life so they could earn his trust, and Smith points out that now he's trusting her. John admits that he is, and finds the signal. They realize that they've heard it before coming from the alien ship, and it's more than just one ship's sound... and it's coming from everywhere.
Will and the Robot lag behind with Gypsy, and Will calls to Maureen that he's going to walk the horse for a moment. The Resolute transport soars overhead, and Ben gets a message telling him to prepare the target for acquisition. Gypsy collapses, apparently suffering from some kind of toxin, and Maureen warns that it's spreading fast. She warns Will that Gypsy isn't going to make it, and the Rot strokes it. Will warns that it can't be repaired like the horse, and Gypsy dies. The Robot gathers a rock as a memorial, and Maureen tells Ben that it's grieving.
John and Smith leave the server room, and John says that he'll talk to Maureen about it. Security guards arrive and thanks Smith for the tip, and as the guards grab John he yells at Smith that someday she's going to get what's coming to her. Judy and Penny arrive as the guards drag John away. He yells at them to go back to Jupiter 2.
Later on the bridge, Hastings tells Smith that she did the right thing. She says she turned John in because she wants the Resolute to get to Alpha Centauri safely, and the news of the machines would have caused a panic. Hastings tells her that there's been a chance in plans and she can be valuable in the days ahead.
Will, Maureen, Ben, and the Robot approach the transport. Ben gets a text to send in the target, and he says to get the Robot loaded first. As Will takes the Robot to the transport, Ben tells Will that a lot of people will go home and see their families because of what Will has done. Will tells Ben to thank the Robot, and Ben notices the Robot holding Gypsy's bit. Will figures the Robot wanted something to remember Gypsy by.
The guards are waiting in the transport with an electrified storage container for the Robot. After seeing the bit, Ben says that they'll find another way to get the Robot to the Resolute.
The security chief puts an ankle bracelet on John and warns him that it will deliver an electric shock if he tries to leave Jupiter 2, remove the device, or tamper with the proximity sensor. Once the guards leave, John tells Penny and Judy that he needed Smith's help. Smith is in the hub and says that she was invited, and Penny realizes that John and Smith set the whole thing up. Smith says that Hastings trusts her now, and has made her the ship's therapist to keep everyone calm. The Resolute will head for Alpha Centauri, but leave everyone on the planet behind once Will and Maureen get back.
The transport leaves the planet and Victor calls Maureen to ask when they can start sending the people in his camp. Victor confirms that there have been no orders yet and the Jupiters are grounded. Ben says that he doesn't know anything about it, and Victor asks Maureen to tell Vijay that he'll see him soon.
Will tells the Robot that when they get back to the Resolute, the Robot will save everyone.
When they arrive on the Resolute, Ben tells Hastings that the Robot cares about other living things. Hastings doesn't believe it, and figures that makes the Robot more dangerous if it cares. They go to Jupiter 2 and Will tells the robot to remove the robot engine. After a moment it touches the engine, which extends energy tendrils through the cargo bay.
Hasting tries to contact the bridge, and Will warns that the engine jams short-range radio signals. The man asks to talk to Maureen privately, and once they're alone he says that they've detected more alien ships. Hastings says that only a select few know, including John, and he's placed John under house arrest "just for appearances". When Maureen mentions getting the people on the planet on board, Hastings lets her continue thinking that they're coming.
Maureen goes to the Jupiter and wonders why Smith is there. Izabel, Vijay, and Angela are also there, and they tell Maureen that Hastings lied to them. Judy points out that they don't have enough oxygen to support a full complement, and the water is infected with contaminant and will dissolve the Resolute from the inside if it's run through the pipes. Angela warns that it will take a year to collect enough ammonia gas to decontaminate the water.
The engine retracts the tendrils and the Robot picks it up. Ben and Will accompany the Robot to the engine room.
Maureen goes to the window to gather her thoughts, and John joins her. She says that the Robot is somehow different, and asks Izabel about a neighboring planet. They confirm it has an ammonium atmosphere, and Maureen insists that there is a way to decontaminate the water in less than a year. John warns that Kamal and Hastings will never put the Resolute at risk, and Judy and Maureen agree they should take the Resolute without Kamal's permission. When Judy points out the consequences to the people left behind, John says that they need a plan and Smith agrees.
Written by Gadfly on Jan 1, 2020