A struggle against the common enemies of man.
A date which will live in infamy.
Ask not what your country can do for you...
A grand and global alliance for all mankind.
Isn't autonav marvellous?
My thoughts exactly, sir.
Not that I blame you for the ship lost on that ice planet Bug thing, you know.
Behind me are live specimens awaiting shipment to a research outpost on Earth.
For Sicon to defeat the enemy, it must know the enemy.
What are you, camera shy?
Deep space, day 386 of the interstellar Bug war.
The Roughnecks had pulled watch, while most on the Valley Forge...
... snoozed in suspended animation.
It was the kind of duty every Ape dreaded.
Could be worse. Could be in stasis.
No way. I only sleep the old-fashioned way.
You don't dream when you hibernate in one of those tubes.
What's wrong, don't see enough of Carmen when you're awake?
Who says I'm dreaming about Carmen?
End of the corridor and back. Go!
Nice to see Apes walking their posts with enthusiasm.
Dector. Vital signs normal.
Evans. Vital signs normal.
Barcalow. Vital signs... What?
Body temp 84, pulse 273, irregular brain wave fluctuation?
Zander?
Zander no longer exists.
Look on the bright side. It's a short trip to the emergency room.
Lieutenant, listen to me carefully.
You've been infected with some kind of Bug virus.
I'm sure I can help.
And why would I want to be helped?
So much for the Hippocratic oath, Doc?
Fire, med lab, stasis G.
Doc! Back off!
Zander?
Yes, it is.
Barcalow?
Whoa!
Rico, break out the pulse rifles from lockup.
Delay that order. One shot off, we breach the ship's hull.
Gossard, T'Phai, shock sticks and tranquilliser rifles only.
Sir, yes, sir.
I heard the alarm. Did I miss anything?
I want him alive, Lieutenant. Keep me posted.
- Marlow out. - Three teams.
Rico, Brutto and Higgins on one.
Goss, Doc, on two. Flores, T'Phai, with me.
Move out!
Who's been naughty, and who's been nice?
Dude always rubbed me wrong.
Figured he might turn.
I don't think Lieutenant Barcalow had much of a choice, Sarge.
Doesn't matter. He's a Bug now.
"Come into my parlour," said the spider to the fly.
Positive contact.
Ten meters and closing.
Steady.
- Five meters. - Where? I don't see anything.
Four meters. Three meters.
Two.
- Permission to follow. - Me, too.
Go! I'll update the others and cover the exits.
Follow the yellow slick road.
Zander is in the air ducts, headed west above corridor 18.
Dizzy and T'Phai are in pursuit.
Keep it below decks.
- Permission to join the search. - Denied. Your place is here.
With all due respect, sir, if you won't let me be a pilot...
...at least let me be a Trooper.
What's wrong with this picture?
The Bugs!
Barcalow must have given them time off for good behaviour.
Movement.
- Expecting someone? - What are you doing here?
I know Zander, and I know this ship.
Yeah? Well, I know trouble.
Time to put these Bugs to bed!
Guess they're not sleepy.
Spread out!
I need more juice!
Yo, Bug ugly, come get the shock of your life.
- Clear out, Higgins! - I'm trying!
Sorry about this, Paperboy.
Hey!
Show me those pearly whites.
TKO in the eighth.
He'll be in slumberland for the next few hours.
What do we do with him in the meantime?
- This Bug hunt is getting us nowhere. - We have to think like a Bug.
Or a Bug pilot. Zander will head for the bridge!
Perhaps this creature is too dangerous for capture.
We have to take him alive. We kill the Bug, we kill Zander.
You have feelings for him.
He's a Trooper, T'Phai. Roughnecks never leave a Trooper behind.
Gas leak?
Fire in the hole!
T'Phai!
I thought you were toast.
My heat threshold is significantly higher than that of humans.
First time I've been warm in months.
LT.
You better check this out.
- Guess I won't be calling home this week. - Entire intercom system is trashed.
So is the subspace communications.
- He's cut us off from the rest of the fleet. - And from the rest of the squad.
Maybe it's time we wake up some reinforcements.
Standard stasis recovery time is four hours.
Push it, and we got a ship full of vegetables.
Ibanez, we've lost contact with Razak. Where have you...
Lieutenant Z. Barcalow, reporting for duty, sir.
The escape pod, Commander? Leaving so soon?
Greetings, fellow Troopers.
Since Commander Marlow has been tied up...
... I've assumed command of the ship.
- He's wigged. - Is that the medical term?
Just in case you are considering a visit to the command deck...
... I've prepared a little distraction for you.
Med lab.
Say nighty-night.
He's shutting down the main power to the stasis tubes.
Without juice, the accelerated acclimation process...
...will turn those Troopers into... - I know. Vegetables.
I know how much you all enjoy being heroes, so...
... Roughnecks to the rescue.
We'll have to restore power on-site.
Let's go pay our respects to our new commander.
I'll have to run a bypass.
If every hatch is secured like this from here to the med lab...
Those sleeping Troopers might never get their wake-up call.
Whoa!
Hyper-drive is disengaging.
Wherever Zander was taking the ship, we've arrived.
We're coming in too steep. Zander's put the ship into a nosedive...
...toward the planet below.
Why here?
I'm low on tranq darts.
I don't know if we have enough firepower.
This is the only way onto the command bridge.
Unless...
There's an air lock on the far side of the command deck.
You can slip in the back door. Good luck.
Service elevator.
Runs up to the command deck.
T'Phai, go!
Going down!
Sorry. Temporarily out of service.
We're running out of time, Goss.
I've sequenced the last three doors, but they won't stay open long.
Put on your track shoes.
Good thing I skipped dessert last night.
Troops will be flat-lining in three minutes, tops.
Ready to go down with your ship, Commander?
One of these wires will cut Zander's override.
The other will kill the auxiliary power completely.
- What's your favourite colour? - I'm a medic, not an electrician.
Red.
You cut the blue!
You're a medic, not an electrician.
You should have knocked first.
Sarge!
My legs!
Trooper Johnny Rico.
The brass wants you alive, Barcalow. Don't make me disobey orders.
I hate to break this to you, Rico, but I never liked you.
Stand down, Barcalow. It's over.
Oh, no. It's only beginning.
Hang tough, Sarge.
Disengaging autonav.
Seat-of-the-pants time.
Orbit stabilized.
You were right, sir. Autonav is marvellous.
I just had the weirdest dream.
Watch the squad's back, Rico. And watch your own, too.
The Valley Forge belonged to Sicon once again...
... but the price was high:
One veteran pilot lost, one squad leader paralysed...
... and that wasn't all.
I think I know why Zander was so intent on making it to this particular planet.
The Bug in him was going home.
Hundreds of battles.
Tens of thousands of lives.
And it all came down to one day...
... this day: D-day.
Behind these war room doors, Sicon's top brass...
... plot the impending invasion of the Bug's home planet, Klendathu.
Don't stop to buy souvenirs down there.
I think we both have enough mementos already.
Lieutenant Razak, can I ask you a question?
- You just did. - When is Sicon going to invade?
That's classified.
Can you at least give us a clue as to the scale of the invasion?
Every ship, every Trooper.
My knee!
- That wasn't fair! - All is fair in love and hand-to-hand.
Doesn't like to lose, does she?
You should have seen her on the gridiron.
Took monster hits and kept coming back for more.
Her brother Eddie nicknamed her "Dizzy."
- What is her real name? - Isabelle.
Is that all you got, Isabelle?
- Name is Dizzy. - Dizzy, it is.
Mail call.
Doc. Goss.
This one is addressed to the Roughnecks from Brutto.
Dizzy Flores. Official Sicon.
Shut up.
Yo, Roughnecks, Sergeant F. Brutto, here.
Just wanted to prove to you Apes I don't die easy.
The scuttlebutt is, you're about to take the Big K.
Now, I'm no good at stuff like this...
... but just remember to watch each other's backs.
Live forever, Apes!
Rico.
We need a new squad leader. You'll do until something better comes along.
- Way to go, Rico. - All right, Sarge.
Diz?
This is it. Move out.
Battle stations. All personnel report to battle stations immediately.
Lockdown. Final phase.
Lockdown complete.
Our landing zone is here...
...the eastern bank of Klendathu's great alkaline lake.
Intel's determined that the lake is uninhabitable.
The pH levels are unable to support any life form, including Bugs.
Our mission: Secure the beachhead, then advance to the critical northern zone.
There, we'll meet Lieutenant Rockford's Zulu Squad and push through this pass.
All right. Zulu.
- I love those guys. - Lieutenant Rockford?
You know how we say, "When they made Razak, they broke the mould"?
- Yes. - Rockford's the guy who broke it.
Sergeant Rico, pack them in.
Ready to rock?
Hey, Diz, if this is about my promotion...
It's a big galaxy, Rico. Not everything revolves around you.
Entering Klendathu atmosphere.
I love crash-landings.
Hang on!
- The gang is all here. - Get down!
I can't shoot what I can't see.
- Where's Flores? - Behind me...
...somewhere.
Take out the bunkers.
- Light them up! - You're wearing the stripes.
Cease fire!
Dizzy?
What else could go wrong?
I had to ask.
Flores!
Down, now!
- I had it under control. - Really?
Thought Intel said this lake was uninhabitable.
Intel wrong? What are the chances of that?
Motion sensors confirm no further Arachnid movement.
For now. Get me Zulu Squad.
Not how I pictured a day at the beach with you.
Yeah? Well, sometimes things don't go like you plan.
- What gives, Diz? - Equipment malfunction.
- Happens. - Not to you.
Tell me about the letter.
My brother, Eddie, busted an ankle on Sigma Seven.
Must have busted that thing a dozen times playing ball...
...never even slowed him down.
He was on a medical transport back to Centari.
Plasma fire took it out. No survivors.
I have Zulu on the screen, Lieutenant.
Bug resistance stronger than expected. We've sustained heavy casualties.
We're facing waves of Warriors. We can't hold on much longer.
Request you send reinforcements.
Ibanez, I need this ship operational for medevac transport.
Zulu's taken a lot of casualties.
We took a couple of good hits. I'm not operational for dust-off yet.
Better get on it.
Doc, commandeer that skimmer.
- Goss, stay and help the lieutenant. - Yes, sir!
The rest of you, we're pulling out.
Rico, what's with Flores?
She saw Bugs in the lake and attempted to draw them out into the open, sir.
If I want a fairytale, I'll read Cinderella.
Ten days ago, her brother's ship went down.
She got the Sicon greeting card today.
If her mind is not in battle mode, we may have to section eight her.
It's your call, Sergeant.
But, sir...
You and Razak. My ears are burning.
He knows you're not yourself. He's talking psych evaluation.
You've got to snap out of this.
Snap out of my brother being dead?
If it could happen to Eddie, it could happen to any of us, Rico.
Diz, we've known that since day one.
- Don't make me take you out of the game. - You're the coach.
Sonar's useless. The fog's so dense, it's jamming the bounce-back.
I have to set her down.
Look out!
Brace for impact!
Transport One. Razak here.
We're on foot, approaching Zulu coordinates.
- What's your ETA? - Fuel control is up and running.
Tide's rising fast. We've got to get out of here.
That didn't feel like a wave.
Permission to come aboard denied.
Number two engine won't ignite. We don't have enough thrust to lift off.
The ship's exterior, what's the wiring?
Minimal. Dual density heating elements for sub-zero space flight.
The voltage couldn't shock a squirrel.
Says you.
Hit it!
On!
We are so out of here.
Slide!
You sure know how to throw a party.
I was worried your invite got lost in the mail.
Bugs have that pass bottlenecked.
- Tired of playing defence? - Absolutely.
Rico, prepare for assault.
We're taking it to the vermin.
Every available Trooper, be ready to fall out.
Diz, you stay.
Keep an eye on the wounded.
Roughnecks, Zulus, ho!
Advance!
Locking onto Zulu's coordinates.
Looks like we have a fan club.
I can't decide if you're the best pilot I've ever seen...
...or just completely out of your mind.
A little of both.
Are you nuts? Your leg is broken.
I got another one.
Yeah, well, you won't help anyone by getting yourself killed.
Better than wondering if my squad needs me.
You're a Roughneck. You know.
Yeah, I do.
Whoa.
What would you do without me?
I never want to find out.
Touchdown!
Don't dance yet. Looks like we're going into OT.
They sure took their sweet time.
You disobeyed orders, Flores.
It won't happen again, Sarge.
Flores? Any relation to Eddie Flores?
- He was my brother. - "Was"?
He was shot down on medical transport last week.
No way! Nobody could get Eddie on one of those flying ambulances.
- He stayed with his squad. - Are you sure?
Shook his hand before I shipped out.
He's alive! He's alive, Johnny.
Hey, Bugs, here's a little message from the Roughnecks.
D- day was ending, but the battle for Klendathu was just beginning.
Somehow, we Roughnecks had survived.
But we were in the Bugs' backyard now...
... and they weren't going to take kindly to trespassers.
Day 34...
... the Klendathu campaign.
The Roughnecks were billeted to the new field HQ...
... Base Camp Bullfrog.
Despite having surrounded the perimeter with triple-gauge razor wire...
... and anti-Bug mines...
... sack time was fitful, at best.
Millions of them. Come and get it!
There were never sweet dreams on Big K.
Well, almost never.
Rico.
- What are you doing up? - Couldn't sleep.
Tried counting sheep, but they kept turning into Bugs.
Good, then. You're on watch.
Guard duty, graveyard watch.
Nothing to do but wait for the moment when you'll have to save your life...
... if you're lucky.
Oh, man. My second heart attack tonight.
Hey, heck of a night for a moonlight stroll!
Are you separated from your squad?
Solo recon?
Who's your LT?
A Bug!
Help me! Help!
Get this thing away from me!
- Rico! - Heck of an alarm clock.
Hello! Help me!
Help me!
Can't you read the signs? No trespassing!
Need a clear shot.
No!
Hold your fire!
- I'd better check you out. - No need.
Just find me a new hat. Status?
Three Troopers injured, one seriously.
Sir, how did you...
The helmet ain't welded to my head, son.
I'm lucky this rock has semi-breathable air.
The Bug was inside a scout suit.
- I didn't know. - No one could.
Wyoming Squad?
The Sicon war journal reported Wyoming lost a cargo shipment last week.
Guess the Bugs found it.
Sir, I'd like to do a slab-and-stab on this impostor.
I'll inform Sicon that the Bugs have a new way to play.
This is a good look for you.
Subject classification: mantadea.
Combined thorax and abdomen, plus hinging ability of the tarsi...
...closely approximates human form.
Digestive tract full of polyphyletic sosaria...
...a poisonous red mould native to Klendathu.
It must act as natural toxin to fight off viruses.
I'm out of here, before I toss my lunch.
So, you want to get some coffee?
No, thanks.
Come on. We can watch the sunrise together.
Did you take a whack in the brain pan, Rico?
What? I just thought that we could hang out.
Hey.
A Sicon ship, the Dakota, just went down in quad 32.
Lieutenant says we move out in ten.
Well, looks like we'll be catching that sunrise on the bounce, Trooper.
The LT is greener than Bug guts.
Worst kind of patient, kind who doesn't believe he's sick.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Dakota.
Hey.
Come on. What's with the deep freeze, Diz?
I thought there was something going on between us.
"Was." Past tense, Johnny.
Clock's ticking, Apes.
I have a solid set of Bug tracks with drag marks outside.
Lieutenant.
The Dakota's ROM grid has been accessed and downloaded.
No Bug could download information from a computer, right?
Get me an uplink to Sicon.
Sorry, Jean. It's an Intel matter.
Information is on a need-to-know basis.
When it's my squad sticking their necks out, I need to know.
Before all transmission was severed, the crew's SOS reported that a humanoid...
... had come aboard the ship with the Arachnids.
A Sicon officer.
We traced the pass code that was used to access the ship's computer.
The Bugs appear to have a new leader:
Major Zander Barcalow.
Listen up, Roughnecks.
Our mission is to locate the missing Troopers...
...and terminate Major Barcalow.
Zander's sick. He doesn't know what he's doing.
Sounds like he knows exactly what he's doing.
He did try to grease us all on the Valley Forge, remember?
- But... - We have our orders, Flores.
Move out!
When I was freed from the Control Bug, I was allowed to redeem myself.
It is unfortunate your Major Barcalow will not be afforded the same opportunity.
What is that?
Don't tell me we're going inside of that.
Listen up, Apes. Look alive, stay alive.
Diagnosis, Doc?
BP's 80 over 50. He's in ventricular rhythm.
Looks like infectious cardiomyopathy.
A diagnosis in English.
His body's fighting infection, and it's losing.
Most likely, it's bacterial.
Must have inhaled something when his helmet was knocked off.
Bottom line?
We have to stop the infection before it reaches his vitals.
Otherwise, we'll be renaming this squad.
Rico.
The mission is the only priority.
That's an order.
What can you do for him now?
That mould, the red sosaria that Impostor Bug had eaten...
...it probably helps the Bugs fight off viruses, kind of like penicillin.
If I can distil a serum, it might work. We need to find some.
Okay. Diz, T'Phai, Doc will give you a description of that mould. Find it.
The rest of us will try and track the drag marks to the missing Troopers.
Flores here. Heat up the soup. I think I just found the stock.
I've got movement.
It's the Troopers from the Dakota!
We thought you guys were Bug dung.
You guys must be starving. Here. Bon appétit.
- How did you know? - Woman's intuition.
- When will we know if it worked? - Lf he's still alive in half an hour.
I'm just going to slow you down. Besides, you'll need rear cover fire.
Sir, you're in no condition...
Worry about your squad, Sergeant, not me.
What about, "Roughnecks never leave a Trooper behind"?
That's the advantage of being the boss: You don't have to follow your own orders.
- Keep advancing! - Rico.
The lieutenant will cover our flank.
We have our orders.
We'll be back in a minute, LT.
This way.
Troopers!
How do we know they're Troopers and not Bugs?
Only one way to find out. Doc.
Red cell volume is markedly depleted.
Plasma volume also down. Somebody did a Dracula on him.
That would be me.
So nice to see...
...the old gang again.
Zander?
Isn't anybody going to say hello?
- Zander, tell them you're still a Trooper. - No! I'm Arachnid!
Steady, Goss.
You wouldn't want...
...to miss, would you?
Say hello to my new family.
They're using Spider Bugs to transfer human blood.
Into the Arachnid larva.
Giving the babies the ability to mimic human form.
When these little angels hatch...
...we can begin a full-scale infiltration.
Surprise can be a very powerful weapon.
I couldn't agree more.
Fire!
Heads up!
- Thanks for the pick-me-up, Doc. - Anytime, sir.
Evac, now!
Rico.
The next generation.
Not anymore.
It was a mistake coming here...
...but it will be your last. - No!
Zander, think about what you're doing!
- You were human once. - I am Arachnid.
Not all of you!
Who's the pilot who saved this whole squad at Hopper Canyon?
Who's the Big Dog?
Do you remember that day we played volleyball at Zegema Beach?
You said, "Remind me to play on your team."
Well, here I am, reminding you.
You okay?
Ask me later.
- I see you still fight dirty. - I fight to win.
Rico and Zander!
- We have to do something! - We're moving out, now!
Rico, Zander, evac, now!
- Zander! - It's too late for me.
Doc can help you.
Go.
Rico!
Zander.
In the end, T'Phai was wrong:
Zander did get his opportunity for redemption, and was able to return...
... however briefly, to the man we once had known him to be:
A Trooper.
Klendathu, day 134.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, it got worse.
The biggest siege yet.
It seemed for every Bug the Troopers put down, three more popped up.
Evac One, this is Alpha Team! Awful crowded down here. ETA?
On final approach, Lieutenant.
Twenty seconds till touchdown.
- Roughnecks, prepare for evac! - Music to my ears.
Carmen.
She's going down.
Carmen!
I need a volunteer to...
- You call for Prince Charming? - What, no white horse?
Into the trench!
- Retrieval ship status? - Scrap iron. Sorry, sir.
- Alpha to Valley Forge. Copy? - Go ahead, Alpha.
Evac One downed. No casualties. Requesting secondary pickup at...
No can do, Alpha. All ships engaged. Bug offensive is planet-wide.
Your orders are to stay put and hold that line, no matter what.
Roger that, Commander. Alpha out.
- What do we do now, sir? - Our jobs.
- Who's been sleeping in my trench? - Looks like they left in a hurry.
If they left at all.
Whoa!
Christmas comes early on planet Bug.
- What is it? - A Y-K6 mobile launcher.
Missiles included.
Time for Gossard's two favourite words, "assembly required."
So, Lieutenant, when do we get air support?
For now, all we think about is holding this line.
Dig in. It's going to be a long night.
Yeah. If we're lucky.
- Thinking about your family? - My children.
I can see the resemblance.
"My dear, sweet Cathy. It is only the thought of you which keeps me going.
"I wish I could..."
That's all it says.
I guess the Trooper never had a chance to finish it.
That is the tragedy of war, is it not?
Never having said what needed to be said, never saying good-bye to those you love.
T'Phal. M'Ret. It is your father.
I hope someday you will understand why I couldn't be there now...
... to share in your lives.
But I fight so you will not have to...
... so your children will not have to.
Do not forget me, my loves...
... for I never forget you.
- I don't think they will. - Incoming!
They're ranging us for another frontal assault.
Goss, I was talking with T'Phai about missed opportunities...
...and it got me thinking.
Sounds like trouble already. Hand me the ratchet, would you?
Sure.
Which one?
Like I was saying, T'Phai taped a message to his kids...
...just in case, you know.
It seemed like a good idea, so I was wondering if anybody else...
It's bad luck for a Trooper to say good-bye, Hig.
It's also bad luck to be outnumbered by a hoard of Bugs.
Higgins, I'd love to chat, but I'm a little busy right now.
Right. Sorry.
Victoria.
I'd say good-bye... Hello, to Victoria.
Hey, Vicki.
Greetings from the armpit of the galaxy, Klendathu.
Listen, things are a little intense here, Bug-wise...
... so I just wanted to tell you how much...
... I miss you.
I joined to prove something to myself, I guess...
... prove I was brave.
But I'm not the brave one in the family little sister.
You are. You're my inspiration.
As long as you keep fighting, I will, too.
Take care, squirt. I love you.
- She sounds pretty special. - I got a lot of work here, Higgins.
Bugs!
Roughnecks, ho!
Lieutenant! Blisters!
Gate crashers.
Bugs!
Spitting is rude.
- Status. - They came, they saw...
...we kicked their ugly Bug butts, for now.
- Missile launcher took heavy damage. - It's not the only one.
Doc!
Acid neutralized.
Second-degree burns. Probably no internal injuries.
He's leaking O2 like a flat tire.
Repair kit with decon filter, on the double!
We'll need to purify the air in his suit once we seal those holes.
I'll just try not to breathe.
Doctors make the worst patients.
Both melted by Bug slobber, sir.
Cheyenne Squad should be to our left flank.
We'll borrow one of theirs. Rico, get on the horn.
Yes, sir.
Nothing.
I might be able to slow the leaks, but without that filter...
...he won't last the night in this Bug air.
Permission to locate Cheyenne Squad.
- What? - Granted.
- Permission to accompany, sir. - I don't need a chaperone, Sergeant.
Two of us double the odds of one of us returning with that filter.
- I want you both back here, ASAP. - Yes, sir!
Sir, were you planning on briefing the squad about our situation?
Take away their hope, and all they're left with are rifles.
It's not enough.
Lieutenant.
I don't want to sound like the Grim Reaper, but...
...do you have anything to say to anyone back home, just in case?
Mom, Dad...
... it seems for as long as I can remember, we've butted heads.
I know I can be stubborn.
Carmen, you don't have any idea what you're getting yourself into.
I'm 18. I don't need your permission to join Sicon.
But all I ever wanted to be was a Trooper.
Maybe I should have found the time to be your daughter, too.
- I don't know. - Carmen, let's move.
- Rico, how about you? - No. Not ready for a will yet, camera boy.
Take good care of him.
I was going to say the same thing to you.
Higgins.
- Heard you've been collecting good-byes. - Kind of.
I guess this is as good a time as any.
Rolling.
This is for my brother, Eddie.
What's the matter, Diz? Too physical for you?
No such thing, bro.
What do you know?
Sicon says you're MIA.
But they couldn't find their own heads with a three-sided mirror.
I know you're out there somewhere.
I will find you.
And when I do, first thing I'm going to do...
... is kick your butt in one-on-one, again!
Ever get the feeling you're being followed?
Bugs!
Guess we should have knocked first.
What's Sicon thinking?
I requested reinforcements, not a prom couple.
Sorry to disappoint you, sir, but we're neither.
Sergeant Rico, Alpha Squad, sir.
We have a Trooper down, suit breached. We need a decon filter.
Do I look like a supply depot, Sergeant? I have troubles of my own.
And here they come!
You two can stay.
Andrew's Aces! Andrew's Aces!
Consider it a going-away present.
We didn't get you anything.
We're still alive, aren't we?
What's the 411?
The bad news is that the launching mechanism is fried.
What's the good news?
I don't remember saying there was any.
Status?
We have patched the holes as well as possible...
...but the air in his suit is still contaminated.
Sounds of silence.
Not a good sign.
- We got Bugs. - How many?
All of them.
Launcher is still out of commission.
I can rig a delay on the missiles themselves...
...then blow the entire pile in the trench.
- Excuse me, but aren't we in the trench? - Never said the plan was perfect.
It's like racing a Bug tidal wave.
Just another quarter mile.
Johnny!
The filter!
Rico!
Not bad for an Ape.
You know, you're actually looking better.
You should go into politics, Higgins.
What month is it?
April, I think.
April.
Spring. Green.
I miss the green of Earth.
Yeah, the smell of mowed grass and the taste of fresh lemonade.
I miss sleep, real sleep...
... not having to sleep with one eye open all the time.
Promise you won't leave me on this snot-green rock, Higgins.
Promise, no matter what happens, you'll get me back home.
I promise.
Sure took your sweet time.
Traffic was a killer.
Brought you a souvenir.
Out with the bad air, in with the good.
Never thought I'd be glad to breathe recycled air.
What did we miss?
Party is just about to start.
I'm not going out laying down.
We hold our ground until my order, then fall back.
Goss will blow the trench. Read me, Roughnecks?
Sir, yes, sir!
Last chance, Rico.
All my life, I've been on my own.
I've trusted almost nobody. Things have changed.
War does that to you.
In battle, you count on your fellow Troopers because they count on you.
It's a good feeling.
I'm sorry some of those Apes couldn't be here now so I could tell them in person.
Ready on your mark, LT.
Wait.
Fire at will!
Not enough ammo to go around, so some of you Bugs will have to share!
Fall back!
Goss, light this candle.
We win?
Afraid not.
Last dance.
- We go out like Troopers. - Didn't know there was another way.
- A privilege serving with you all. - The feeling is mutual.
Together at last.
Yeah.
Just the way I pictured it.
I love those fly boys!
- I know you do, Diz. - Fly boys, I love you!
Bogie, bring down fire on my 20.
- But, sir... - No time to argue, son.
We're standing on ground zero, people. Move!
Looks like you're all going to live to fight another day, Apes.
Guess those postcards home were for nothing.
Maybe.
Sir, I never had a chance to ask.
Did you want to say something to the folks on Earth, to your family?
This is my family.
Against the odds, we'd held our position that day.
And, for a brief moment...
... we'd remembered what and who we were fighting for.
You're always in my thoughts, Mom and Dad. I love you both.
Keep the porch light on for me?
I'll be home soon.
Rifle works better when you hold it.
- Mound's clean, Lieutenant. - Wish I could say the same.
Nothing like job security.
Klendathu, day 181.
The battle for the Bug home planet droned on.
By now, the Bugs were dug in deep, too deep for atomics...
... so each mound had to be cleaned out by hand.
All right, Apes. We don't get paid by the hour.
Sergeant Rico, back on point.
Diz, you look like I feel.
Always the sweet talker, Goss.
- Anybody tries to wake me, I'm going to... - On your feet, Roughnecks!
Strategy room, now!
Something you wanted to say to the LT, Rico?
- Echo Squad? - Check out the starch in those power suits.
Who are they trying to impress?
Ten-hut!
- I believe that is Sky Marshall Sanchez. - Must be a slow night at High Command.
At ease.
Since we landed on this rock...
...I know you Troopers have heard the scuttlebutt concerning a Queen Bug.
I am here to tell you...
...the rumours are true.
The Queen is a Bug-making machine.
Seventy-five eggs per hour, 1,800 eggs per day.
The solution? Hit her where she lives.
Don't let this pile of dirt fool you.
It is Bug central, with the Queen heavily guarded.
Any full-frontal assault would alert literally thousands of Warriors, so...
Here it comes.
We'll drop suit two squads into the Queen's backyard.
Two insertion points, one goal:
Exterminate the Queen.
Don't let Earth down. That is all.
More than enough.
Well, looks like Alpha versus Echo again.
- Hate to show you guys up all the time. - I'm sure you do.
How are we going to pull this one off?
- We're still two men down. - Make that one man.
Carl!
- Are you okay? - I'm fit for duty.
I can't believe it. You're a sight for...
I've been reassigned to the Roughnecks to ensure we terminate the Bug Queen.
I suggest we get started.
So much for tearful reunions.
Well, alone again. Just like prom night.
You know, everybody was thinking about you.
You could have let us know you were alive.
No, I couldn't.
- What happened? - Sorry, that's classified.
You don't really think you can complete this mission without me, do you, Doc?
- I didn't say anything. - Not out loud.
Seems like Kreskin may have been cleared for duty prematurely.
All right, Apes! Pack in!
Alpha...
...we'll be waiting for you in the Queen's lair.
Sixty seconds to Target Zone One.
Alpha Team, secure for drop.
Drop in t-minus 15 seconds.
Live forever, Apes.
Watch that first step.
Jettison pods now!
Next time, I say we rent a skimmer.
I have located our entry point.
- I wonder if anybody's home. - Count on it.
Bug!
Higgins, no!
In the mound! Move, move, move!
Carl? Carl, look out!
And the creepy just get creepier.
Carl, no!
You have no idea who you're messing with.
Jenkins!
While you wear that patch, you'll act like a Roughneck.
Understood?
Yes, sir.
I see his sensitivity training really paid off.
Lizard lines, into the hole.
Pit Worm.
Basically blind, but one screech will alert many.
Out of the frying pan.
- Pulse fire. Request permission. - Granted.
Goss, bungee.
Thought you might want a lift.
Don't think this means we're going steady.
LT, we found rock bottom.
Echo to Alpha. We just said howdy to some Warrior resistance.
Proceeding forward. What's your status?
Focused. Alpha out.
Okay, Jenkins, you drive.
You have the road map.
I'm worried about Carl. There has to be something we can do.
Maybe not, Diz.
The Carl we knew might never be coming back.
- Bugs. - Where?
Everywhere.
No visual. Motion tracker clear.
Your radar must be jammed, Jenkins.
Maybe they're down below in a tunnel or something.
We keep moving.
Bugs!
They are retreating.
I think they just got what they came for.
- Carl. - What now?
Hello! We go after him.
Negative. We have our orders.
Sir, without his helmet, Carl won't last the day.
Jenkins knew the risks, just like all of us.
While that Queen's alive, all Troopers are in jeopardy.
I'm sorry. Move it out!
Alpha, this is Echo leader.
We were ambushed by enemy Bugs. Emergency backup!
- Goss, you get a fix? - Signal was too weak, LT.
Move out!
Now what?
Bugs!
Rico, behind you!
Lieutenant!
Forgive me if I don't bow, Your Majesty.
Carl.
Rico, fire!
Take the shot.
- Shot's not clean, sir. - I said fire, Sergeant!
Take the shot.
Rico!
Catch.
Carl, get down!
Carl!
Stop her.
A jog in the park.
Carl!
Stop.
I don't remember them teaching that in basic.
Dude doesn't need a weapon.
He is a weapon.
He's going to blow!
Carl, stop! It's over.
Johnny?
The Queen.
- These aren't rocks. - Eggs.
- Millions of them. - And I thought I came from a big family.
And you thought I loved you for your body.
Carl.
Goss, Rico!
Yes, sir!
Carl, get down!
Jenkins, no!
- Forget us. Terminate that Queen. - It's not an either-or.
- Transport Bug! - This flight is grounded.
Can't hold on to a tiger's tail forever.
Give them all you've got, Roughnecks!
We might never get that close again.
Where do you think she's headed?
Earth.
Victory had slipped through our fingers that day...
... and we all knew it.
Carl was back, sort of.
And the Queen was on her way to Earth.
And suddenly the Bug war felt very, very personal.