MEAD

Friz and MEAD outmaneuver the bounty hunters by projecting telepathic illusions that confound their sensors. Their plan succeeds in keeping them free, and the bounty hunters end up destroying their own ship in the chaos. The escape leaves Friz and MEAD drifting among the debris, deciding their next move.

They spot a person in a spacesuit among the wreckage and bring the unconscious occupant aboard. Phoebe wakes up and reveals she knows who they are and that they are wanted on every planet in the Solar System. The trio begins to assess their options as fugitives on the run.

Phoebe awakens and quickly realizes she knows who they are, and that they are wanted on every planet. Friz and MEAD begin telling her their origin, explaining their escape from a military testing facility. The tale hints at MEAD's dangerous potential and the people who hunt them.

MEAD was designed as a weapon of war but would not kill due to Tam's pacifist programming. Tam, who had fallen in love with Friz, helps them escape and preserves MEAD's conscience. The facility's director, Admiral Gillette, responds by trying to decommission MEAD and imprison Friz.

During the escape, Admiral Gillette murders Tam and grievously injures Friz. MEAD retaliates by closing a door on Gillette, severing his hand from his arm. Gillette's severed hand becomes a grim trophy the trio keeps.

Having learned the backstory, Phoebe decides not to steal their shuttle or betray them. She chooses to trust Friz and MEAD and becomes their ally. They discuss their next move while the trio continues to flee.

With fuel running low, they plan a daring theft of dark matter energy from the Ganymede base. They anticipate Admiral Gillette waiting for them and prepare to use telepathic illusions, including Timmy the Wunderbot, to evade security. They infiltrate the base and steal enough energy to last them indefinitely.

Admiral Gillette pursues MEAD and Friz aboard a large spaceship named Achilles. He uses a helmet that lets him distinguish reality from their illusions, complicating their deception. The MEAD crew still projects illusions but Gillette's vigilance yields damaging shots at MEAD.

Phoebe attempts to repair MEAD by connecting the stolen dark matter pod. The process is dangerous and she is shocked by the consequences. MEAD's systems flicker as the repair proceeds.

Rather than exposing reality, Friz and MEAD project a monstrous illusion of Gillette on the Achilles bridge. The crew is unsettled and resists following his commands, creating a momentary pause in the pursuit. The Achilles fires a crippling shot at MEAD amid the confusion.

Sternhagen and the rest of the bridge crew finally rebuke Gillette and try to force him to abandon the pursuit. A fierce firefight erupts on the bridge, resulting in the deaths of everyone aboard—including Admiral Gillette. The ship's command structure collapses in the chaos.

MEAD slowly deactivates and reveals that Friz's handsome appearance was an illusion masking the burns he sustained during escape. Phoebe flies the shuttle toward the surviving Achilles crew to surrender. Friz lies unconscious as MEAD's systems stabilize.

MEAD uses the dark matter pod to restore power and come back online. The trio decides their next move will be to rescue Phoebe from prison. They consider a future where they can go anywhere they choose rather than being hunted.