Katie meets Jocasta at her office in Gray Sector so that they can go out on a date. Giles interrupts their pre-date kissage to tell Jo that he has decided that the Council does indeed need to look into ways in which magic can be reintegrated into its operations. Jo is thrilled and immediately starts up her computer—until Katie reminds her about their date. Giles tells Jo that, although she is cleared to research magic, the magic ban itself is still in effect. When Giles leaves, Jo and Katie leave for their date.

 

Elsewhere, the Council renegades, Sean Rayne and Horatio Tyrell, enter their room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Tyrell apparently has access to a large reserve of funds. Before Rayne can settle in, Tyrell sends him out to keep an eye on Katie and her friends.

 

Meanwhile, an American Conglomerate Marine Corps (ACMC) transport arrives at the International Space Station (ISS) from Mars. Colonel Hartman is anxiously waiting for someone on the transport. When the soldiers disembark, Hartman cheerfully greets Captain Trenton Darby, who has been on a Mars mission for three years and is now on his way home. Hartman asks Darby when he’s going to marry his girl, and Darby says as soon as his promotion comes through. Hartman says that should be soon and promises to come to the wedding. Darby pulls out a digi-frame and looks lovingly at a picture of his fiancée.

 

Later, three Marines from Darby’s team, two male and one female, all back from Mars duty, are looking to party in the American Sector’s "Red Light" District. They end up in a bar called Lunarticks. The female Marine, Corporal Melly Collins, instantly connects with Willy, a tall blonde man dressed in all black. After a quick drink, the two move to the back room. Collins’ fellow Marines soon go looking for her and find her in the back room, dead from a vampire bite.

 

The next morning, Giles comes to see Jo in her office. Jo excitedly tries to tell Giles some of the details she’s discovered in her research on the history of magic, but Giles says that she’ll have to postpone her work due to another project needing her attention. Giles explains that his brother, Alan Giles, who is the administrator of the AC sector of the ISS, has told him that there’s been a vampire attack on the station. Jocasta is alarmed, pointing out that there’s never been a demon in space, but Giles calls attention to the autopsy report, which indicated that the victim had been turned. Since the AC wants this kept low-profile, Giles is sending Jo and Katie to the station to quietly take care of the problem. When he adds that Toni will be flying them, Jo groans in complaint. She also expresses regret at having to put off her magic research, but Willowgram suggests taking her along so that they continue the research there. When Giles says that he hasn’t been able to find Katie to tell her, Jo explains that the blonde slayer is still at Jo’s apartment.

 

In Red Sector in Lex’s office, Lex is finishing up lunch with Mira and Livia, who have been assisting him in reviewing modifications for the Seraphim suit, the Council’s state-of-the-art prototype battle suit. When Livia complains about the servos locking up, Lex shows her the new design, which implements a polymer contractive material which contracts and relaxes just like real muscle. Lex asks Mira to stick around while they work on the modifications. When Livia accuses Lex of trying to hit on Mira and warns him to watch out for his girlfriend, Lex denies the accusation and explains that Toni isn’t around anyway; she’s off taking Jo and Katie to the ISS, at Giles’s orders. At that news, Livia stomps out angrily.

 

Later, on the Council Space Shuttle (CSS), the Joyce Summers, Jo leaves Katie in the aft compartment to join Toni in the cockpit. While Jo is gone, Katie gets out Willowgram’s mobile processor and activates it. She asks Willowgram to help her find information on her earlier incarnation, Tara Maclay. Katie admits that she and Jo feel as deeply for each other as Willow and Tara did. Willowgram agrees to help Katie explore Willow’s journals for more information.

 

Back on earth, Livia storms into Giles’s office and demands to know why he sent Katie to the ISS with Jo. She tells Giles that just because Katie and Jo are involved doesn’t mean that Katie should get the choice assignments. Giles puts Livia in her place and threatens to assign her to the Gobi Desert. Livia changes her tune and leaves.

 

Meanwhile, in the shuttle, Toni hits up her cousin for details on her relationship with Katie. Jo admits that she and Katie are crazy about each other, but Jo expresses concern about the reincarnation issue, wanting to live her own life and not Willow Rosenberg’s. Toni assures Jo that it shouldn’t matter as long as Jo and Katie love each other. They leave the cockpit and join Katie and Willowgram in the aft compartment. When Jo teases Toni about her relationship with Lex, they end up in a confusing examination of their twisted family tree, in which Jo and Lex and Toni, and even Giles, are distantly related. Jo and Toni explain that their great-great-grandmothers, Willow Rosenberg and Rowena Allister, were partners, and that when they decided to have children, they asked their best friend, Xander Harris, who is Lex’s great-great grandfather, to donate sperm on their behalf. Jo and Toni both agree that it was the emotional bonds in the family that have meant more than the genetic bonds, especially since most of them have worked within the Council. With that said, Toni welcomes Katie to the family, which makes Katie smile.

 

Later, Toni docks the shuttle at the ISS. As they gather their belongings, Toni informs them that both the AC administrator (Giles’s brother, Alan) and the ACMC’s commanding officer are waiting for them. Katie expresses concern about the ACMC’s involvement, but Jo shrugs it off since the victim was a Marine. Jo and Toni step out first while Katie hangs back. Jo and Alan greet warmly, then Alan introduces Colonel Hartman and Captain Darby. Alan explains that Hartman has requested that Darby act as liaison between the Council and the Corps. When Katie emerges, Darby unexpectedly calls her name and wraps her up in a hug and twirls her about in an excited embrace, while Jo and Toni look on in shock.

 

Meanwhile, back on earth, Rayne returns to the suite at the Ritz-Carlton. Tyrell wants to know why he’s back when he’s supposed to be watching Katie. Rayne says that it’s hard to follow someone into space. When Tyrell furiously demands an explanation, Rayne says that Katie and Jo left on a Council shuttle for the ISS that morning. Tyrell immediately makes a call and tells the person on the end of the line that the Council has discovered their ISS project sooner than planned.

 

Back on the station, Katie makes Darby put her down. Darby expresses surprise at Katie’s arrival, believing Katie was assigned to New York, and identifies Katie as his fiancée. Jo is in total shock. Katie insists that they aren’t "officially" engaged, but Darby says that now that he’s done with Mars, they can skip the engagement and move straight to the wedding. Alan intervenes in the uncomfortable situation, sending the Council visitors to their quarters. Darby offers to accompany Katie, but she politely refuses.

 

Toni leads Jo and Katie to their quarters and quickly leaves the two women alone. Katie tries to talk, but Jo is extremely angry that Katie never once mentioned that she was engaged. Katie explains that three years ago, when Darby left for his Mars mission, the plan was that they would start talking about getting married when he returned, just talking. Katie says that she meant to tell Jo, but she thought she had time before Darby returned. She wanted to tell him in person, not send an electronic "Dear John" letter. A furious Jo tells Katie that she’d better tell Darby soon. Katie begs Jo to let her come inside her quarters so that they can continue talking, but Jo refuses.

 

The next day, back at Council HQ, Morgan Travers has called Giles into his office to demand access to Katie as part of his investigation into the escape of Tyrell and Rayne from Council detention. Giles explains that Katie is out of town on assignment. Travers questions the wisdom of this arrangement and expresses concern about the relationship between Katie and Jo. Giles warns Travers that he’d better not overstep his bounds. Travers comes back by saying that both Katie and Giles himself are under suspicion.

 

Meanwhile, in Red Sector, Lex continues his work on the Seraphim suit, with the assistance of Mira as well as James and his android, Anya. Anya corrects something Lex is doing, causing Lex to call her an overpriced sexbot. A humorous argument ensues. When James makes a final adjustment, Lex instructs Mira to give the suit a try. While she’s donning the suit, John West, Jo’s second-in-command of Gray Sector, drops in and observes for a short time. After John leaves, James receives a message from Giles to come to his office. Anya accompanies James, complaining that the meeting better not last too long.

 

A little later, Livia goes to the office of Velika Petrova, Head of Slayer Command. There, she tells Velika that she wants to file a formal complaint against Chairman Giles for showing favoritism in his assignments. Velika defends Giles and points out that they’re lucky to have Giles as Chairman. She says that a formal complaint could damage Giles’s position and perhaps give Travers and his cronies an excuse to get rid of Giles. Livia reluctantly backs down.

 

In Giles’s office, the Chairman asks James for a report on his probe into Tyrell’s financial records in an effort to track down the renegade. James says that there have been no hits on any of Tyrell’s personal accounts. Tyrell must be using a secret account or is being financed by someone else, he says. Giles tells James to keep looking.

 

In his office in Gray Sector, John West is seen watching Giles and James on his computer screen, apparently via the security camera in the Chairman’s office.

 

In the AC mess hall, Katie meets with Darby and finally breaks the news to him that she can’t marry him because there’s someone else. When Darby asks who "he" is, she reveals that the "someone else" isn’t a guy. Darby guesses that it’s Jo but urges Katie not to throw away their relationship because of a fling. Katie tells Darby that it wasn’t a fling and that she’s in love with Jo. Darby angrily throws a tray of food against the wall and stomps out.

 

Later, Jo has Willowgram do some research, and they discover that the vampire that first stowed away came to the ISS via a Hubris transport which did not follow protocol before departure from earth. They estimate that the vampire nest may now be 12-15 strong. Willowgram notices that Jo is upset and tries to get her to talk, but Jo doesn’t want to. Katie comes in from her patrol and reports that she sensed no vampires at all. Katie tries to get Jo to talk and asks Willowgram to give them some space, which she happily does. Katie informs Jo that she broke things off with Trent, but Jo still seems mad. Katie confronts Jo about whether or not her anger is due to the fact that Katie’s fiancée was male. They argue, and in the process, both admit to not being 100% gay. Before any of their argument can be settled, Darby arrives to tell them there’s been another attack.

 

Katie, Jo, and Darby go the maintenance deck which connects to all of the AC sectors of the station. While they investigate, both Jo and Darby make repeated childish, jealous stabs at each other. Then they discover a body in a storage locker. When Darby questions Jo’s removal of the body’s head, she explains that it was done to keep the body from being animated by the spirit of a demon. Katie finds and takes care of three more bodies, and then she senses vampires nearby. They realize that the vampires are outside the station. The trio dons EVA suits and goes outside.

 

Meanwhile, back at the Council, Giles meets with Veronica and shares Jo’s report on what’s happening at the ISS. The two cook up a plan to punish Hubris and to keep an eye on the suspicious company at the same time.

 

Outside the space station, Jo discovers that, despite the station’s rotation, one portion of its surface is remaining protected from the sun at all times. Katie uses her slayer senses to lead them to the vampire nest taking advantage of this safe spot. Darby wants to attack them immediately, but Jo wants to wait for backup. She calls Toni for assistance; the pilot says she’s on her way. Jo also calls Alan for backup, but Colonel Hartman, who is with the administrator at the time, asks Trent for his assessment, and naturally he says he can handle it. Alan tells Jo to wait for backup, but then he and Hartman begin to argue. Trent starts forward to engage the vampires, but Jo reminds him that she outranks him and orders him to stand down. He refuses, causing Jo to send Katie after him. Their altercation alerts the vampire nest.

 

At the docking bay, Toni attempts to take off in the shuttle. Hartman refuses to give her clearance, but she hacks into the station and clears herself and then takes off.

 

Back on the station hull, Katie tells Darby to take care of Jo. He responds with the smart-ass comment. Katie tells Jo to be careful to not let the vamps get close enough to damage her EVA suit. She looks at Jo lovingly, then jumps into the fight, taking the brunt of the attack. While Darby is fighting three vamps, one breaks away from engaging Katie to move towards Jo. Jo tries to stun it, but the vampire knocks her weapon away. Jo cries out for Katie. Trent has killed two of the three vampires attacking him, so Katie calls out to Trent to help Jo. He turns and looks at Jo struggling with her vampire attacker. His third vampire starts fighting him again, though, and Darby turns from Jo. Jo cries out to Katie a second time.

 

While Marine fighter craft approach, Toni uses the shuttle to snare an orbiting solar reflector panel and begin towing it in Jo’s direction, despite Colonel Hartman’s objections.

Swamped herself and able to only hold off the attacking vampires, Katie calls to Darby again, but he is focusing on his third vampire. Suddenly, Jo uses magic to fling the vampire attacking her into a support joist, beheading it. Just in time, Toni arrives with the solar panel and reflects light into the protected area, dusting the remaining vamps.

 

Once Jo, Katie, and Darby are safely back inside, Jo quickly excuses herself to report to Alan. Now alone with Darby, Katie uses the opportunity to go off on him about his ignoring Jo when she needed help. She tells him that it’s definitely over between them, and that, after his behavior, she doesn’t even want to be friends with him. He pleads with her to give them another chance, but she tells him "AMF!"

 

Later, Jo comes to see Katie in her quarters on the station. Jo updates her on what their Giles wants them to do. Jo admits that she did not tell Giles about having to use magic to defend herself, and Katie concurs with that decision. When Jo tries to leave, Katie asks her to stay, but the redhead refuses. Katie apologizes once again for not telling her about Darby. Jo says that she can’t trust Katie now and that she doesn’t think things are going to work between them. Katie tells Jo that she loves her, but Jo insists that they need space, that they need to step back and re-evaluate where they are and where they need to go. When Jo leaves, Katie curls up on her couch and cries. After leaving Katie’s room, Jo goes to her own. She activates Willow’s mobile processor, and when the friendly hologram appears, Jo breaks into sobs, telling her that it’s over between herself and Katie.

 

Back on earth, Travers storms into Giles’s office, demanding an explanation for the serious punishment put on Hubris for its violation of space travel protocol. Giles reminds Travers of the cost of Hubris’s negligence and asks him why he’s putting Hubris’s interests above the Council’s. Travers stomps back out.

 

Later, news net reporter Lisa Lance is seen giving a live report about Giles’s actions against Hubris and its consequences. She states that many are questioning the leadership of the newly-elected chairman and wondering if the Council will improve under his guidance or fall more deeply into public disapproval.

 

 

Back to EPISODES page