Ep 10. The Prince

The Prince is the tenth episode of the second season of Andromeda. The episode opens with a scene where Harper walks into the Maru, where he is greeted by the rest of the team. Harper then proceeds to tell the others about his latest invention - a device that he claims can create an artificial black hole. However, the group is skeptical, and doubts Harper's ability to create such a device.

Meanwhile, the Andromeda is traveling through space when it comes across an energy field. As the Andromeda attempts to navigate through the field, it is attacked by a group of ships. The crew realizes that they are under attack by the Than-Thre-Kull, a group of aliens who have a history of attacking other civilizations and stealing their technology.

During the attack, the Andromeda is boarded by a group of Than-Thre-Kull soldiers, who take Rhade and Dylan hostage. The rest of the crew manages to escape, but they soon find out that the Than-Thre-Kull have also taken Harper as a prisoner.

As the group tries to come up with a plan to rescue their crew members, they are contacted by a member of the Than-Thre-Kull who identifies himself as Prince Usiel. Prince Usiel offers to negotiate a deal with the crew, but his terms are steep - he demands that the crew gives him Harper's black hole device and the plans for Andromeda, in exchange for the release of their crew members.

The crew of the Andromeda is faced with a difficult decision. Harper's device and the plans for the Andromeda are crucial to their mission, but at the same time, they cannot abandon their crew members. Dylan eventually decides to meet with Prince Usiel and negotiate a deal.

As Dylan and Prince Usiel have their negotiations, they each reveal some of their past experiences. Dylan tells Prince Usiel about his time in the Commonwealth, and how he used to serve under Triumvir Tri-Jema. Prince Usiel tells Dylan about his life as a Than-Thre-Kull, and how he is trying to make a name for himself outside the shadow of his father.

During their conversation, Prince Usiel begins to see Dylan as a potential ally. He reveals that his ultimate goal is to unite all the different alien civilizations under his rule, and he believes that Dylan could help him achieve this. Dylan, however, rejects Prince Usiel's offer, and the negotiations end without an agreement.

As the crew of the Andromeda comes up with a plan to rescue their crew members, Harper begins to work on a way to sabotage Prince Usiel's ship. With the help of Trance, Harper manages to create a device that causes a malfunction in Prince Usiel's ship, which allows the crew to board his ship and rescue Rhade and Dylan.

In the end, the crew of the Andromeda manages to escape from the Than-Thre-Kull, but they are left with the knowledge that they will always be targeted by other civilizations for their advanced technology. The episode ends with the crew reflecting on the choice they had to make, and wondering what other difficult decisions they will have to face in the future.