Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Jacob Jones and Mo Buck
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Michael B. Jordan, Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Natalie Dormer, Daniel Kaluuya, Rob Gronkowski, Dave Bautista, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kate Upton
Plot: “The year is 2500 A.D. The world has advanced in ways that have been both good and bad. After the collapse of the original society many centuries ago, the world repopulated and rebuilt it’s once prosperous valleys and lands. Amongst the cities and towns that grew from the countries that once were, Arda was seen as among the most prosperous and perhaps the most successful. For a time, the people were happy, the people were content, the people...were free.
And then, everything changed when Commander Only took over. He inserted a brutal regime that forced all to do what he said every day of the week and refused criticism or questioning of his actions, let they be tortured in one of his many prisons or worse, found dead. I have seen the effect that has had on those around me. Throughout the thirty years he has been in charge, I have seen friends die, liberties restricted, unnecessary wars be fought for no good reason...and yet, I stood silent, believing that one day it would all get better. That the nightmare he had brought about to us would end.
I was his general for many years, the right hand man so to speak. I saw first hand what had become of Arda and how he had transformed it into a playground for his troops to run about and do whatever they wish. I have also seen the large following he has received, despite his constant starvation and torturing of his fellow Ardians. And even then, even through it all. I said nothing. I just fought the wars, gave the orders and followed his words.
And then...my wife…”
As his monologue continues, we see Scathal (Ben Kingsly) sitting forlorn with a group of people as a priest gives out a sermon bidding his wife farewell, praising her for tenacity and diligence in the face of trouble. He knew those were false platitudes and untruths cooked up to make Arda seem good, but the death of his wife and his emotions behind them overtake his reasoning and he watches her casket be taken to the Arda Cemetery.
Several hours later, he is shown looking at the grave of his wife, holding nothing more than a rose. With tears in his eyes, he gently places the flower down on her grave and softly tells her how much he loves him. This moment is interrupted by a figure with a dark, cold voice. He turns his head over and sees Commander Only (Jeremy Irons). He tells Scathal that it is time to go to the Red Mark to discuss where to go from there. Scathal obliges and heads onward.
Inside the Red Mark, Scathal and Commander Only discuss the best plan going forward. Scathal admits that while this setback has hurt him, he will attempt to recover from this and is ready to work as his general. Commander Only has other plans though, noting his age, lack of voice and a ‘loss of the bite he once had’, he declares that as of today, Scathal is being discharged.
Shocked, Scathal demands an explanation to Commander Only’s reasoning, claiming that the bite he had is still there and as sharp as ever. Only denies this, sensing that he has not had a ‘worthwhile’ win in many years. A fact not helped by the fact that Scathal has been forced to take part in meaningless wars for resources and territory. Only thanks Scathal for his services, but says that his time was coming. And now it is time to go forth and move on with a new chapter, suggesting that Scathal do so too.
Tipped off by this, Scathal soon figures out that Commander Only was the one that killed his wife and tries to lunge about him for an assault. A big, beefy man jumps in however and puts him in a full nelson hold in an attempt to restrain him. Scathal attempts to fight back, but the hold is in too tight, the man too strong. Commander Only introduces Scathal to his new general, General Never (Jean Claude Van Damme) and he orders Never to get Scathal off his ship. An order he obliges as he carries Scathal out of the control panel, away from the room of the great drones and off the ship.
Watching the ship fly away, Scathal looks on in despair and anger. All the work he had put in for this corrupt government just to turn his back on him the most opportune moment they get? He yells out in frustration and storms off home, despondent on his current position. That night, as he sleeps on his bed, he looks at the empty pillow where his wife once slept next to her.
The next morning, Scathal goes for a walk, still grasping at the fact that he is no longer the general of the Ardian army. He looks all around him as he sees troops bully and menace the fellow civilians of Arda to do what Commander Only tells him to do. He then sees an argument break out between one of the soldiers and an a middle aged man. The middle aged man pushes away the soldier and in retaliation the soldier tries to tackle him. He runs away before he can.
Concerned for his well being, Scathal runs after the man and the soldier for several seconds until he trips and seems like he’s going to be the victim of an assault until Scathal forcibly restrains the soldier and barks at him to back away from him. The soldier flees the scene, declaring that Commander Only will hear of this. Scathal checks up on him, trying to help him up to his feet but the man slaps his arm away, annoyed that Scathal fought a battle that he was perfectly capable of fighting himself
Scathal apologizes for interfering, but noting how he was being treated by this horrid human being and the potential assault that would’ve happened, he had to get involved somehow. He asks for the man’s name, which is Milo (Joel Edgerton). The two decide to go for a walk and Scathal soon learns that Milo has been against the Ardian government for many years now for what they did to him and his family. It was to a point where he dodged being drafted in the Ardian military to live the life he wanted to live. He’s since been named public enemy number one and has been stalked and beaten down by the Ardian troops.
Scathal sympathizes with Milo, having been dismissed from the role of Arda’s general and betrayed by Commander Only. Milo finds it unfair that someone like Only could just waltz in and turn a well run country into a total hell hole and yearns for a day where Commander Only is ousted of power and Arda returns to its former glory, like how his father pictured it many years ago. It is then, Scathal garners a great idea. Why not create a rebel group dedicated in its quest to remove Commander Only. Intrigued, Milo joins up with Scathal and the two come up with a name for the new group. Nexus.
Watching them from inside his Red Mark ship, Commander Only expresses delight that a ‘bitter has-been’ and a ‘snake of gratuitous height’ have decided to team together to stop his reign. General Never tells him not to get arrogant, as there is always a chance that the new group catches ground. Just to be safe, Commander Only decides to call in a special friend of his to help take care of the threat.
Scathal and Milo enter the Ardian library in an attempt to locate the recent whereabouts of the Red Mark ship where Commander Only lives. As they do so, they come across a lady carrying a ton of books. Milo tries to ask her for help and she coldly shuts him out. Milo tries a few more times to get her attention before she putting down her books to ask what it is he wants out of her. A brief argument ensues which is broken up by Scathal who explains to her that they are looking for the location of the Red Mark ship and asks if she knows where it is.
She tells them that the ship is located in Lanoen, a freezing tundra that blizzards almost every single day. To get there they’d have to travel across Ranel, Ilvania and Zadiv, places not exactly known for their comfort and joyful demeanor. Scathal thanks her for her help and the two proceed to head off when the lady questions them on their purpose in asking her for help. Scathal and Milo introduce themselves to her and explain what the Nexus is and what it aims to do.
At first, she laughs off the idea of taking down Commander Only, pointing out the many connections he has with other leaders, but two other people who heard everything from not too far away come in and express their interest in joining, introducing themselves as Orion (Michael B. Jordan) and Tyrin (Rob Gronkowski). This and the prospect of visiting some of Garon’s harshest landscapes convinces Kassidy (Natalie Dormer) to join the group.
That night, the five begin their journey out of Arda and off to Ranel with Scathal leading the way and Kassidy giving directions in a rather condescending manner. During this trip, Milo learns that Orion and Tyrin are childhood friends with Kassidy, something he doesn’t understand claiming that she has a stick up her behind. Tyrin tells Milo that underneath her arrogant demeanor, she’s a nice person who knows everything about anything. Milo softly and sarcastically quips to himself that she sounds like a wonderful girlfriend.
Several days pass and after thousands of miles of walking, the Nexus find themselves in the heart of Ranel desert. With temperatures clocking in at a 130 degrees, Tyrin can feel his skin starting to boil inside. The heat does not stop Scathal from marching on despite the lack of hydration. As they continue walking, they notice a river full of water perfect for all to drink and they all proceed to head over to refresh themselves.
Little do they know, a tattooed man is watching amongst the horizon, waiting for his opportunity to strike. This time comes as the Nexus are getting some water. Orion hears multiple laser gun shots coming from somewhere and they prepare for battle. Scathal looks to his right and sees storming up to them the face of Rasmith Everleen (Dave Batista), feared bounty helper and friend of Commander Only. He warns them to step away from the river per order of the Ardian leader or face the consequence of fighting him. Scathal refuses to budge, forcing Rasmith to shoot. Before the laser can hit Scathal though, Tyrin dodges him out of the way and the Nexus go into attack with Tyrin gunning after Scathal and Scathal attempting to dodge his every move. Milo and Kassidy attempt to distract him by throwing coconuts at him from the palm tree next to the river but they only seem to anger Rasmith more.
Meanwhile, from a colony near the river, a man attempting to repair his ship cannot concentrate because of disturbances from the river. He walks over to where the situation is to get a closer view and notices a group of people struggling to defeat Rasmith Everleen. He then notices Rasmith get out his sword and starting to get close towards a beaten down Scathal. Concerned, he runs up to get near the action. Rasmith tells Scathal that he was very cute in trying to think he could defeat Commander Only, but like many others before him, he will soon fall short in his wish. But just before he can stab Scathal with the sword, he is lightly hit by a wrench. He slowly turns around and sees the man smugly smirking at him. His plan to get his attention successful, he tells the others to aim for the back and arms.
Scathal manages to do so and lands several impressive hits on both areas, weakening his ability to do damage. Scathal calls on Tyrin to use the palm tree to his advantage and he bashes Rasmith’s skull on the tree, causing him to collapse and fall into the lake. With Nexus standing tall over him, Rasmith admits defeat and says that they are good. Too good. Scathal, noticing a look of surrender and guilt in his eyes helps him up and sits him down.
Rasmith apologizes for his actions and says that he was only following orders. Orders it appears he will not be able to fulfill. Scathal forgives him for his faults and says that sometimes, there are certain orders that cannot come to pass. Feeling generous, Rasmith gives Scathal his sword as a reward for defeating him and wishes them well on their quest to defeat Commander Only, someone he secretly hopes they defeat. When he leaves, the man who helped the Nexus enters and Scathal graciously thanks him for coming to their aid. The man introduces himself as Sergio (Daniel Kaluuya) and appreciates the acknowledgement of his actions, but that he was only doing what he could to help someone in need.
It is soon revealed that Sergio has heard of their attempts to take down Commander Only and expresses his willingness to join the cause, feeling that such a man like him is unfit to run Arda, lamenting how far the land had fallen because of his reign. And with a seal, Sergio completes the group. With this, Sergio follows them over to where he lives and shows them his ship, the Dainty Dasher. It’s not very advanced and it’s rather plain looking compared to all the fancy ships seen in places all over Garon. But it is his life’s work and to that, he is proud of it. Everyone enters the ship and Sergio is noted of the second location on their trip. Illvania, a place where Sergio expresses slight concern. Especially considering one of the royals that live there, but it is not long before he takes them on their way to this land.
Having heard of Rasmith Everleen’s defeat, Commander Only expresses his disappointment but remains confident that the Nexus will fail in their quest, explaining to General Never that he has connections with the royal family of Illvania. He’s also sent an army of his Great Drones to Zadiv, his personal vacation spot to scan the members of Nexus to find out their strengths and weaknesses.
On the flight to Ilvania, Tyrin, Orion and Milo quietly talk about the fight that occurred earlier against Rasmith. Orion questions why Scathal didn’t just kill him to which Tyrin suggests that maybe Scathal sees a hint of goodness inside him and hopes that one day he can change for the better. Milo bitterly denies this and claims that Scathal’s still stuck in his old ways, refusing to kill anyone unless they have personally wronged him. Or as he calls it, The Ardian Army Way. He calls it soft but it’s not like he can do anything about it.
A few seconds pass, and Tyrin decides to ask how he feels on Kassidy. Milo tells him that his opinion hasn’t changed and that she seems like an arrogant know it all. He does admit that she is ‘kind of cute’ which leads Tyrin to tease him about a ‘crush’ which Milo denies. Unfortunately for them, Kassidy hears and tells the two to back off. Besides, he’s not her type. Something the two can finally agree on. The argument is interrupted by Sergio announcing that they have arrived at Illvania. As they head off the ship, Kassidy warns Tyrin that this is far from over.
After walking across the towns of Ilvania, Orion is utterly confused, asking why it hasn’t turned into a dictatorship yet. Kassidy reveals that the government style of Ilvania is that of a theological monarchy. They believe in the word of religion and the people in charge are all part of a royal family. But that doesn’t answer Orion’s question and he asks again, Kassidy bluntly tells him that it technically is a dictatorship. Scathal also mentions that Ilvania and Commander Only have done some business together in the past.
Scathal gives them the order to keep calm and stay civil towards the others. This plan is quickly thrown out of the window when after greeting themselves to a patron is immediately hailed as a ‘savior’ by several others and forcibly take him and the rest of Nexus to the castle of Queen Levin VII where the princess is awaiting them.
Leading the charge, Scathal opens the door to the castle and everyone enters an extravagant room filled with robes, windows and high quality oddities. They soon hear a friendly and warm voice welcome them to Ilvania and find the princess of Ilvania herself Liana Leven (Kate Upton) slowly walk down the stairs. Scathal and Liana greet each other with royal diligence and civility and it’s learned that the family of Ilvania has heard of their mission. She tells him that they have their full support. Sergio does not seem convinced, but keeps quiet so no one suspects him.
As Scathal and Liana chat, it is learned that Liana is to be the next queen of Ilvania once her mother resigns or passes on. She talks about how much of an honor it is to continue the legacy her father started decades ago and gives a brief history on the Leven family legacy, which is peppered with facts from Kassidy which grate on Milo and Orion. Liana then makes an offer to Scathal asking for them to stay over for a special banquet prepared by herself. Just as Scathal is about to accept, Sergio quietly urges him not to do it.
Sensing doubt in his face, Liana asks if she can excuse herself so she can spend some time with the Nexus alone. Scathal obliges and lets Liana and the Nexus be so he can observe the rest of the castle. It is there Liana slowly comes up to Sergio, sneering at him slightly. She calmly, but viciously convinces Nexus not to make too much of a fuss. Sergio refuses to budge, asking if she remembers the last time he trusted her. Liana tells him that the past is the past and that she is all about the future, and from what she sees, the future is bright.
She struts up to Milo and compliments him on his haircut, though she admits the beard could use a little work. Milo seems turned on at first, but Kassidy slaps his arm away to snap him out of it. Expressing disappointment, she turns her attention to Kassidy, saying she likes a smart, feisty woman before upping the venom in her voice, warning her to never interrupt her again. Orion is the next to garner Liana’s charms as she admits to liking athleticism. Orion is uninterested, but lets her continue. She quizzes Orion on what gets him emotional, to which he responds: “Practically everything.” To which she reacts positively.
But before she can go any further, Liana’s eyes spot a lovestruck Tyrin and she slinks her way up to him, coaxing Tyrin to not be shy. He lets out a meek hello and the two smile at each other, she then proceeds to lightly grab onto one of Tyrin’s arms and gently kiss it. She looks at the face of Tyrin, completely lovestruck by her. He stammers on, saying that she’s beautiful. She asks if that’s all the compliments he has for her. Continuing on with stutters, he frantically calls her strong, determined, royal, caring, honest and intelligent.
This elates Liana who is impressed with his choice of words and proceeds to make an offer, noting his size and strength, she offers Tyrin a spot on the royal guard. Tyrin is unsure what to think as Sergio and Kassidy try to silently urge him not to take the bait. Liana comes in closer to Tyrin, flashing a smile towards him and forcing him to pay all her attention to her which he does, observing her shimmering eyes. With him under Liana’s complete control, she reveals that she has something to tell him.
And with that, her face slowly turns into a scowl as she coldly tells Tyrin that he is a fool like the others and signals for the guards to come after Nexus. The guards attack Milo, Kassidy, Sergio and Orion from behind. Still stunned by the seduction, Tyrin watches as Liana smugly observes the beatdown from afar. It’s around that time Scathal returns from his travels and discovers the beatdown. He comes to the rescue of Milo after using his laser gun to stun one of the guards and commands everyone to try and use mind over matter.
He then rushes his way towards Tyrin and attempts to snap him out of it, saying he worth more than petty words from a crooked lady. This is enough to convince Tyrin and he goes on a rampage, helping Orion take out a guard by tackling him and pounding his face on the wall. Milo also fights back against his guard and pulls the rug from underneath him. The number’s game however is too strong for Nexus and a struggle for the sword has one of the guards briefly obtain the sword and stab Tyrin in the back several times.
As Tyrin cries out in anguish, Liana looks at all the chaos and nods towards Scathal saying that all this could’ve been avoided if they had played by the rules of Ilvania. Despite his clear anger, Scathal refuses to injure Liana giving her full power to slap him around, calling him and his group pathetic. It’s at that point Sergio comes up with a plan to help take out the guards and pretends to be slain, fooling the guards into thinking they have defeated him. One by one, the other members of the Nexus follow suit.
Seeing this, Liana believes that she’s won and congratulates Scathal on a valiant effort. But Scathal can only smirk at Liana, leading to her confusion. Milo then awakes from his alleged death and after walking towards the banquet table gets the first champagne glass he sees, pours champagne in it and douses Liana in it. Enraged, she tries to call for the guards again but The Nexus flee before they can arrive (with Orion and Kassidy helping carry Tyrin to Sergio’s ship). As the group leaves and heads onward to their next location, Liana warns them that they will never defeat Commander Only and that the Ilvania family will not forget of this incident.
Inside the ship, Milo and Sergio tend to Tyrin’s wounds whilst an unhappy Scathal berates Tyrin and Milo for falling for Liana’s charms, saying that the Leven family is renowned for their flattery and their blackmailing tactics. Kassidy agrees with the statement but is not surprised given how men are. Milo defends himself saying that Liana was more into him that he was to her, saying that her mood towards him was different from the others. Scathal declares this fight to be a stark lesson, never fall for an opponent’s trap. Especially if it’s a Leven’s.
Sergio, who had remained quiet up to this point relates to Scathal and reveals that he and Liana once dated. It seemed like a relationship that was meant to last at first, both were happy, hard working, cordial citizens who came from different cultures but grew to accept each other. But when Sergio was caught committed a crime he didn’t commit, she sold him out the first chance she got. That said, he did learn a valuable lesson from his relationship with Liana: The only way to beat a Leven is to play their game better.
Despite his frustration with the group, he does tell them that he found some things that relates to their task. A transcript that reveals Commander Only’s weaknesses and device that melts any weapon of their choosing, rendering them useless. Because of his age, he entrusts Milo with the weapon, telling him to use it only when necessary. Getting annoyed at the idea of transcripts, Orion demands to know why it is they can’t just beat someone up and Scathal blows up in his face saying that it leads to situations like the other they just got out of.
In a fit of anger, Orion shoves Scathal aside but Milo and Sergio break the two up before things get seriously, Milo leaving a snide comment about Scathal’s legs not being allowed to take much damage while he does. Tyrin tries to play peacemaker, but his injuries make it harder for him to move. While all this is going on, one of the drones observes their plight and makes several calculations. When the observation ends, it concludes that Nexus is ‘Divided but Equal’.
The Dainty Dasher lands on a tropical island, much to the delight of Milo who’s been meaning to get away from everyone. Scathal introduces everyone to Zadiv, a luscious paradise that has been known to be Commander Only’s vacation spot. He asks Kassidy for information regarding recent happenings with Zadiv. She reveals that they must be on the lookout for drones but on the surface, it seems like a safe place.
The Nexus exit the ship and explore the location. Milo is the first to distance himself from the group, much to the curiosity of Kassidy. Scathal suggests they leave him be, his mind not all there at the moment. Kassidy is unsure though but goes with it. As Sergio looks around, admiring the sand and the views, a drone hiding under a palm tree examines Sergio’s character and concludes that he is ‘smart, understanding and always thinking of new ways to overcome a situation’ but that he is also ‘naive and likely ineffective when it comes to combat’.
Orion checks up on Tyrin, asking if he’s feeling alright. Tyrin admits that he’s still sore, but better now than he was earlier. Orion soon goes on a rant where he asserts his friendship with Tyrin, saying that if he ever saw anyone hurt Tyrin the way the guards did at Ilvania, he’d go insane and begins to gleefully list out the many ways he’d beat someone up to defend Tyrin. What he doesn’t know is that the drones are watching and making conclusions of the two. For Tyrin, he’s a ‘foolish ox’, but for Orion he’s a ‘volcanic brawler’.
Unsure of the whereabouts of Milo, Kassidy asks Scathal if she can excuse herself for a moment as something has seemingly caught her eye. Scathal gives her permission and she runs off, leaving him to check all his surroundings. When Milo is found though, he tell her to back off. She refuses, saying that this is the one time she’s legitimately concerned for him. Milo lets up, allowing her to sit down.
An awkward silence emerges as Kassidy tries to start a conversation. Milo reveals that he’s been thinking about some things. Like how he was chosen to be a part of this battle, what Scathal sees in him and most importantly, how he got stuck in a group full of nutjobs. Kassidy admits that he doesn’t like any of the people here outside of Sergio, but she’s come to accept Orion and Tyrin as friends who stick out for each other, even if they get a little crazy. And she thinks this is why they were chosen. Scathal knew that they were all completely different, Kassidy confessing to being a bit of a hard head, but that maybe despite of their differences, they would come together and be strong over a common evil.
That makes Milo feel better, but he still doesn’t know as to why Scathal would choose him out of the people he could’ve chosen. He sees Scathal as someone who was a yes-man to the Ardian government for decades, only now fighting against it after they did him wrong. Kassidy assumes that Scathal has something special planned for him, which Milo takes as her not knowing. Kassidy refuses to admit it, but does admit that Milo isn’t as bad as she thought. Milo concedes the same and thanks her for trying to come and talk to him.
All of a sudden, Kassidy goes silent. She urges Milo to turn around. And in turn, he sees two drones looking at them, attempting to gain information of them. Realizing what their purpose is, Milo and Kassidy begin to run away from the drones as they chase after them. They soon find Scathal who has been targeted and is being attacked by a horde of drones, they try to help him out but the numbers game is again too much.
Sergio also swoops in to even the playing field by handing Scathal the sword which gets rid of some of the drones, it’s not long before the numbers catch up to the three. It appears that all hope is lost for the four when Milo hears yelling coming from afar. Orion comes in gun as blazing and proceeds to destroy everything he sees. Drone after drone is no match for him as he smashes, beats and destroys drones left and right. A concerned Tyrin attempts to stop him, but it is futile. Eventually his rage frightens what’s left of the drones so much that they retreat. Orion tries to go after them, but Scathal and Milo hold him back.
Orion yells out obscenities and incoherently claims that ‘they know’. Kassidy tries to make sense of what he’s saying and they find out that the drones managed to observe and compile all their strengths and weaknesses, now Commander Only knows what battle plans to try out and what obstacles to throw their way. Distressed, Scathal demands Orion to name specifics. That’s when Orion’s anger subsides and is replaced by a silent fury, cemented when he storms off and into the Dainty Dasher. The others follow suit, concerned for Orion’s well being.
After several attempts to try and get Orion to reveal what the drones observed, Orion explains that Scathal and Milo’s bond is not as close as it seems. Milo’s anger for Scathal being justified as he sees him as nothing more than a ‘pawn’ and Scathal seeing Milo as a ‘punk’. This shocks both parties and the two burst into a shouting match with neither side giving in. Tyrin steps in to break the two up but by this point, Milo’s gone too far. Milo asks if Scathal or anyone knows about what happened to make him who he is now and brings up his father.
Suddenly, everything goes silent. Scathal admits to knowing Milo’s father very well calling him an honorable, generous man. But Milo says he doesn’t know what happened to him and that he never will, because deep down he’s still a pawn to Commander Only. A pawn who doesn’t care about his people, his revolution or his partners. Milo announces that he is dropping out of Nexus, wanting nothing more to do with the people involved and storms off to a secluded part of the ship. Orion also quits, refusing to work with Scathal. But before he does, Orion shows him what one of the drones managed to get at the last moment before it’s destruction revealing that Scathal is ‘selfish’. Despondent, Scathal looks at the windows as the ship begins its trip to Lanoen.
These events delight Commander Only who not only has figured out all of the strengths and weaknesses of the Nexus thanks to the drones but has witnessed the collapse of the group itself. He now gives General Never the task of ending Scathal, a job he accepts with honor and goes off to prepare his weapons.
As the temperatures drop and the snow gets harder, Sergio realizes that they have arrived at Lanoen and lands. The group lands and they all leave the ship, but Milo walks far away from the others much to the distress of Scathal. Orion also refuses to move, letting the rest continue. Tyrin and Sergio confront Scathal, saying that they will stay with him and see the mission through. Kassidy stays quiet though, conflicted over what just occurred.
After walking several miles, they finally come across the Red Mark where General Never awaits them, pointing his sword at Scathal. Tyrin, Kassidy and Sergio prepare to fight but Scathal tells them that it’s him that he wants and gets out his sword. There are no words, only actions. Scathal and General Never duel, but it’s clear in the look of Scathal’s eyes that the passion has vanished. And Kassidy, knowing how much Scathal cared for Milo realizes what she must do, running off to find him and telling Tyrin and Sergio that she will set things right.
Despite Scathal’s weakened emotional state, he refuses to concede, even fighting back when General Never seems to have him on the brink. Despite his frustrations, General Never refuses to let his guard down. Neither seem to be breaking until Never makes the mistake of mentioning Milo and how he left him. This puts Scathal into a rage and he takes control of the fight, but General Never has one more trick up his sleeves and he dodges one of Scathal’s strikes and aims his sword down on the legs. Feeling the pain, Scathal goes down on one knee and drops his sword. Never appears ready to deliver the final blow.
But suddenly, everyone sees three figures rush in at the last moment. Kassidy, Orion...and Milo! All of which using laser guns and zappers to stun General Never in place. With Tyrin and Sergio jumping in, it gives Scathal enough time to recover, reclaim his sword and stab General Never in the chest, killing him instantly. Orion reveals that Kassidy explained everything to him and Milo. Scathal reverently apologizes to Milo for his selfish behavior towards him, but it’s Milo who claims that he was the selfish one, admitting that he should’ve explained to the others what happened to his father.
After being asked by others, Milo reveals that his father used to be a proud, smart, upstanding man, someone he could look up to. But as time passed, he grew more cynical, untrusting, paranoid and would have outbursts of anger or fear. He believes the reason for this is because Commander Only’s success got to him and made him lost the plot. Since his father’s death, he’s been bitter towards the government and anything having to do with them, even Scathal. But hearing him struggle to fight because of his respect towards him, it hurt Milo inside. Because he saw his father break and did nothing about it.
As the rest of the Nexus sympathize and express their condolences to Milo, Scathal reveals that the reason he cared most for Milo was because he saw something inside him, something that reminded him of himself. Both have seen their government use and betray them for no obsternable reason, and now they feel that they need to be the ones to try and fix it. He then apologizes to the entirety of Nexus for his selfish behavior, saying that he should’ve taken in the concerns of the others.
With all forgiven, the Nexus stands together and heads forth inside the Red Mark. A sleek, sophisticated ship that consists of three main floors. The training hall, the room of the great drones and the control panel where Commander Only drives his ship. Sergio and Kassidy fill the rest in on their plan, Tyrin and Orion will sneak inside the room of the great drones and attempt to turn off all the drones without hurting any of them. Sergio will stay behind and distract any guards or soldiers from the Arda military that come by. Scathal, Milo and Kassidy shall press on and should they come across anyone that charges after them, they must be taken down.
With the game plan in check, Tyrin and Orion hurry off to the room of the great drones: A majestic room where all the drones live. It is made to look like recreational room, with a ping pong table, lousy karaoke and cheesy elevator music. The elevator music triggers a flame inside Orion, but Tyrin tries to restrain him. It’s no use though as Orion runs off and finds the first drone he can find, smashing down to the ground.
As the alarms sound, guards rush in to try and figure out where the disturbance is coming from. Some of them however are met with a pantomiming Sergio, attempting (and failing) to do a tap dance. With guards coming up from all sides; Milo, Scathal and Kassidy go on the attack fighting and scaring away as much guards as they can find. As they near the room of the great drones, Milo finds a drone being thrown towards one of the guards hitting them on the head and killing them and observes Tyrin desperately trying to hold a frothing Orion back from destroying anymore drones.
Milo manages to locate the power button that turns off the great drones and presses it, rendering the drones useless. With the alarms no longer sounding and the guards ceasing their attack, the Nexus is free to enter the control panel and face Commander Only. Or at least, that’s what they think as they suddenly feel the ground shake from their feat and the Red Mark take flight. Scathal looks around and sees Commander Only walking towards the group.
Commander Only makes one last appeal to the Nexus to try and cease this useless game, lest they fall victim to a heartbreaking demise. Scathal refuses to budge saying that if they must die, they will die knowing they’ve come closer than anyone to dethroning the mad king. The fight so they say is on and it does not disappoint in the slightest with Scathal and Commander Only dueling away on their mighty swords.
But then Commander Only holds back, putting away his sword and getting out his laser guns and daggers to stun and torture the entirety of the Nexus. He swings his dagger towards Milo and Kassidy who dodge out of the way but the laser guns ensure that there is no real way to hide. Tyrin and Orion also fall victim thanks to some very well timed zappers who stilt their movements. And then, Commander Only gets out his final trap: An air choker meant to suck the life of anyone. He sets it onto level 1 and the Nexus begins to feel their necks being robbed of air.
Level two only strengthens the pain, and level three suffocates them even further. Commander Only prepares to unleash the final level of suffocation, turning his arrow towards the skull and crossbones. But just before he can pull the trigger, he decides to tempt Scathal with a final offer. He’ll let him go free, but in return his friends will die. Realizing he has no choice in the matter, Scathal agrees quietly. The only one who can hear this is Milo who in a last desperate attempt presses the button on his weapon melting remote and Commander Only’s device starts to melt, breaking the Nexus free from the suffocation. Milo can only stare in awe and anger as the events that occur next commence.
Desperately, Commander Only tries to go after his other weapons but they melt as well, leaving him without a weapon and with the Nexus putting him to a corner. Scathal comes forth at Commander Only, requesting he surrender for his own sake, and bring the suffering of the Ardian people to an end.
For a brief moment it looks like Commander Only is going to surrender, but then he bolts for the control room, realizing he has only one idea left. Escape. The rest of Nexus try to stop him from escaping, but he soon finds the escape rocket and begins to enter it. He tells Scathal that maybe he’s right, maybe he should end the suffering of Arda. Or maybe, he should take his way of governing and spread it all across the galaxy. And he takes off, flying onward to where ever it is he decides to conquer next.
At this point, the Red Mark is in outer space and has no choice but to track down Commander Only’s next moves. They try to follow him, but the Nexus soon finds out that they are out of gas. With no gas, the Red Mark floats around for a few moments before hurtling down. Seeing the brakes and steering wheel, Milo rushes his way towards them and presses the breaks and hard as they can while pushing the steering wheel far up as possible. The Nexus braces for impact, awaiting to see what fate grants for them next…
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