previously on flash gordon...
ming.
you mean he's going to wake up?
yes. any moment now.
come to earth with us.
you're a fugitive now.we can hide you.
i cannot abandon the verden.
not to mention exposed barin as a traitor,
which greatly weakens
his standing among the cantons,
and gives you a reason to imprison him
when he's caught.
you going somewhere?
to mongo.
i've been summoned by the voices of the dead.
the verden insurgents
are still refusing to report for enrollment.
implement my plan.
i cannot leave mongo now.
then we'll stay with you.
baylin,please slow down.
my people are in danger.
i cannot delay.
we want to help,
but you need to take it easy, okay?
when we reach the verden village,
there will be time for "easy."
we are close.
be alert for sentries.
i am too late.
haven't we had enough
mystical testimony recently?
the sacred creature chooses its moment to strike.
no man may hasten or delay it.
the speaker is chosen.
toume shend senkeld pebeg kuslerave!
senkeld akilepun!
akilepun...
"a broken people will receive aid from afar."
what's that supposed to mean?
my people aren't broken.
the monks themselves know nothing...
but the prophecy knows all.
must these prophecies always be delivered
in such obscure phrases?
perhaps i should learn
this language of the celetrophs myself--
do away with the interpreter.
i'm told that it takes the novices of the order
a lifetime to master the tongue.
then i should have you learn it for me,
with that deviate brain you're so proud of.
treyan...
ddd
toriofar!
there is more.
so i gather.
he speaks of the warrior--
the one who will unite the cantons.
i hope you're going to tell me
that he's been brought to his knees
along with his people.
"the warrior child will take the place of the father."
more obscure language,i fear.
no.
rankol, no.
i know exactly who he means.
barin of the verden.
my tribe's home is destroyed.
ming must've done this.
yes, this is the work of his troops.
baylin, i'm so sorry.
we should take a look around,see if we can find anyone.
there is no scent of a massacre.
all the same.
flash gordon?
do you always come when the verden are in trouble?
yeah, it's a knack.
we're going to try and get you
out of here,okay, buddy?
someone laid this trapline.
hey.
nice moves.
self-defense class at the "y".
noted.
all right. hold on.
what happened to the town?
is this all because of barin?
yes. when our leader tried to kill ming,
ming took away our freedom as punishment.
we were ordered to report to the city
to enroll as captive labor.
and you didn't go?
some of us had to remain free,to remain verden.
so now we are fugitives.
so he sent the soldiers to burn you out?
and the bounty hunters followed to round up the holdouts.
i need your knife.
first, i must dispatch these two bounty hunters.
wait! no!
baylin, please,just give me the knife.
baylin, let them be.
thank you.
all right. are you ready?
one... two...
three.
thank you.
let's get him up.
the others...
there were others,taken by hunters.
taken where?
to the labor market.
to be sold as slaves.
death would be a much better fate.
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we've got to get nokwen some help, quickly,
then we've got to get to the labor market
and save these verden.
larik.
you know the rules, baylin.
don't bring trouble in here.
where is kiel?
he's in back.same as ever.
then we'll require a steep of calminut.
through the back.
i will talk to larik about the others.
hey. you the doctor?
our friend needs some help.
put him down.
he's pretty bad.
he was attacked by bounty hunters.
i don't care about his story.
i just sew 'em up.
did you bring my tea?
yeah. it's on the way.
what do you hear of verden in the city?
i assume all i see have been enrolled,
as required by the code.
just like your friend.
and yourself, i'm sure.
and the fugitives?
what price do they bring on the labor market?
you'd be lucky to find one.
there's a turin trader buying them up
as fast as they go on the block.
how can ming
order an entire village destroyed,
and its people sold as slaves?
doesn't anyone object?
by the code,the price must be paid
for barin's assassination attempt.
in his stead,
we make restitution for his treason.
why doesn't barin just do it himself?
he would be executed.
without him,
what hope is there for the future?
so you all risk your lives to protect him?
the arborean forest
is our home.
they can burn our cloister,but they can't catch all of us.
we will live in hiding until barin returns
to lead us.
okay. okay. easy. easy.
what's that junk?
calminut?
you know what i need.
larik's got the good stuff.
dream tea.
this will help focus you.
larik will bring the other when the job is done.
are you sure about this?
this guy can hardly hold a cup,
let alone suture a wound.
he is nokwen's best option.
a flayknife.
nasty.
will he survive?
i've seen worse.
he'll live through this.
but if he doesn't enroll,
i'm just patching him up to get killed later.
ddd
don't worry about your friend.
i'll take care of him.
what'd you find out about the captured verden?
that a turin trader
is buying all who are brought in.
you mean like what happened to you?
it is no fate for a free verden.
find them and buy them,
before it's too late.
leave me here.
i'll stay here
and keep an eye on things.
we'll come back for you.
keep your head low.
and drink nothing.
this guy?
hey.
looking for something in particular?
we're looking for a few good verden.
for the right price,i'll get you whatever you need.
what will this buy?
it is genuine death jaw.very valuable.
nice piece.can't help you.
i deal in flesh, not bone.
come on, there's got to be something we can work out.
you're out of luck anyway.
i just sold my last few verden
to that turin dealer over there.
those are them?
purchased by that turin.
maybe it's not too late
to save them.let's go!
get out of here! run!
please stop.
barin?
ddd
hey, tea-seller.
how can i help you?
i hear you got a cut man here.
stitch you up
for the price of dream tea.
he's busy right now.
yeah?
i was kind of hoping you'd say that,
'cause we're looking for a verden runaway
with a big slice out of him.
then you're in the wrong place.
house rules-- no looking,no finding, no collecting.
i ain't big on rules.
so how about you point me
to the infirmary?
thank you.
where-- where am i?
you're going to be okay.
well, well, well.
or maybe i spoke too soon.
didn't run far enough, verden.
what are you doing?
oof!
stick to your tea,old man.
this has nothing to do with you.
well, well, well.
get the wounded one,i'll take her.
let go of me.
i'm not one of your fugitives.
ah! but you helped one escape, didn't you?
and that puts you outside the code,
and fair for market.
i've sent those i could help to our northern camp.
it has yet to be discovered.
oh, so this is your big plan?
keep buying the verden back, one by one?
there must be a better way.
i'd be happy to hear it,
because right now i'm barely keeping up.
last week,two of our elders were sold
before i had the funds to buy them back.
and to gather a force
to challenge ming,
you would have to abandon those
already taken.
and that i cannot do.
as long as the verden
are being dragged to the labor market,
i will hunt by night...and sell by day.
you're hunting celetrophs?
does anything on the planet pay more per drop
than celetroph venom?
if you live to collect your earnings.
things that are easy to come by
do not bring a high price.
okay, you two want to fill me in on this?
the celetroph is a sacred creature.
its bite brings instant death,
and the monks believe second sight.
the venom can cause intense visions
when used as a steep.
so, basically,
those little guys get you high?
yes.
not the proudest way to make a living,
but, right now, i cannot afford the luxury of pride.
this all started when you attacked ming,
which was because of me.
this is all my fault.
no.
not you.
ming has always feared me.
this "treason" i committed
merely gave him the excuse to declare me a renegade.
hey, no offense,barin,
but why should he be afraid of you?
i mean, it seems to me he's holding all the cards.
the prophecy of the celetroph order
tells of a warrior who will bring ming's downfall.
i am that warrior.
is it any surprise
he wants to grind me and my people into dust?
we have to get back to dale and nokwen.
our best cook has been sent
to the tunnels to dig?
i imagine you'll get by
with those that remain.
i've told you before, aura,
not to get too attached to the servants.
if you fear the verden so much, why bring them into the city?
until the verden threat is neutralized,
i will keep them where i can see them.
and yet,
you cleared out half your courtesans--
the verden half.
this is about the prophecy,isn't it?
the verden are not trustworthy.
i prefer to keep them away from my food.
and my bed.
i can't believe you actually listen
to those ridiculous rumors.
are you seriously afraid of this prophecy?
of course not.
hey. hey! where are our friends?
taken.
what do you mean, taken?
why didn't you stop them?
i told you,
i just stitch 'em up.
i'm not a hero.
who was it?
couple of hunters.
seemed like they had a grudge.
i should have killed them
when i had the chance.
damn it.we've got to find dale.
they will be on the block at the labor market.
to get them will require funds.
what about those,uh, celetroph thingies?
what about them, huh?
impossible.
what do you mean,impossible?
i heard it's a good way to make money fast.
it is also a good way to die fast.
you've never harvested these creatures before.
first time for everything.
are these the monks?
yes.
they paint themselves to prepare for death.
wait. wait.
i've seen these guys before.
these are the guys that broke me out of jail
and put me back on earth.
this makes no sense.
why would the monks help you?
that's my question.
how would they know where to find you?
or how to send you home?
okay, i changed my mind,those are my questions.
, at okitwh's wh the dead guy?
a celetroph poacher.
the monks have given him his final blessing.
you mean he was--
doing what you're about to do.
i told you this was a foolish plan.
well, it's the only one we've got.
only the females carry the venom.
the males are useless.
i'm not even going to touch that one.
all right,tell me what to do.
you must reach your hand in deep to get them.
what? you want me to put my bare hand
in this hole,
with no glove or anything?
i mean, that does not sound like
we're practicing
safe celetroph hunting to me.
the females will be attracted to your scent.
they will come to a man.
a woman,they will attack.
your perspiration will be used as bait.
now, it will help if you remain frightened.
well, consider me well-prepared, then.
all right.
now--
say i get bitten by one of these things, all right?
is there any, you know,magical antidote,
or chance of you sucking out the venom,
anything like that, that would keep me from dying?
anything?
i can carry your body back home to be honored by your family.
well, that's very reassuring,bayl.
okay. here we go.
all right. uh...
well, all you celetroph,come on out.
oh, god, i got one.
i got one.
oh, yeah. ah...
ha...
oh! it just bit me!
oh, god!
oh, man...
i don't want to die.
i knew this was a really bad idea.
okay, baylin, promise me this--
promise me--tell dale that i--
see that bump?yeah?
it is a male.
if it were a female,you would be dead right now.
so i'm good?
yes.
ok
here we go.
you are not reaching far enough.
you must go deeper.
oh...kay.
mm. this is fun.
here, celetrophs...
no, i got one!
yeah. oh, okay.here we go.
it is female.
definitely a female.
okay. good. good.
let's get the hell ou of here.
no. not yet.
ll be nougto buy back nokwen,
but we need more for dale.
right. fine. how many?
e a womaherikll wi fetch a high price.
how many?
at least six more.
six?
my friends.
i'm so glad to see you.
so are we, buddy.
we have the money to secure your release.
barin will help you leave the city
and head for safety.
barin is here?
in the city?
yeah, keep it down, please.
where's dale?
the procurer was here.
he chose women to be taken to the citadel.
the citadel? wait.
you mean he's purchasing women...
...for ming to...
oh, no.
there's only two guards.
come on, we can take 'em.
come on, girls.
look at this room.
you know what's coming.
seriously.this is not an honor.
how dare you keep your feet?
dale arden?
take the rest away.
i have made my choice.
and i expect a most pleasurable evening.
is flash gordon with you?
no. it seems that, right now,
it's just you and me.
mm... very nice.
and?
a little short for my taste...
but not bad.
you're a brave woman.
i'll give you that.
i thought a man as powerful as you
would surround himself with strong, challenging women.
like you?
i would have to offer myself first.
and i have not.
you see, the thing with strong women is,
you need to let them make up their own minds.
very clever.
i see where this is going.
of course you do.
you're a very intelligent man.
and you're an intelligent woman.
and we have lots to talk about.
halt.
you dare?
i do.
hel--
flash?
it's nice to see you, too.
now, don't worry,i'm not here to bother you.
i just need to know where dale is.
a procurer bought her for your father.
now, where would he be holding her?
why would i tell you?
'cause you kind of like me?
i don't want you thinking
that i'm always going to do whatever you tell me,
and i don't like your friend, dale, period,
so i don't care where she is,or what's happened to her.
but perhaps...
i know something you do care about.
are you insane coming here?
my father is on the warpath against all verden.
he would happily have your skin.
all i have to do is raise the alarm.
before you do that,
you may want to hear what he has to say.
haven't you ever wondered about your mother?
you know who she was?
not "was."
is.
she's alive?
i knew he lied to me.
help us find dale arden,
and when she is safe,
i will tell you how to find your mother.
so...
if it's talk you want...
why don't you tell me why you're here?
i would be most curious
to know what brought you back.
i'm here to help a friend.
a verden friend.
ah.
you don't seem to be helping much.
i don't know.
i'm here.
talking to the one person who can end their suffering.
maybe it's fate that brought me here tonight.
fate?
i wonder.
tell me...
...do you believe in prophecies?
i don't know.i've never actually heard one.
well, i know of one.
it predicts my demise...
and barin's rise to power.
does it frighten you?
no.
i'm a man of reason.
it's nonsense.
then you should have nothing to worry about.
you're right.
i don't.
because it's finally clear to me what must be done.
thank you.
make yourself comfortable.
i may be a while.
oh.
i will be back.
but it won't be to talk.
a pot of your finest,tea-seller.
they fetched a good price,your fugitives?
oh, now you're going to want a cut,
because i plucked them out of your place?
no, i make my money other ways.
ah.
dangerous work,fugitive hunting.
takes a fast hand to stay in business long.
what do you know about it?
you pour tea.
i've met a few bounty hunters.
some of the best have come in here.
some of the others have retired young.
mm. well, i'm going to be sticking around for a while,
'cause it seems this little verden enrollment
is easy money for a guy like me.
you will never again buy your tea
with the blood of my friends.
it is a shame there is no doctor here.
dale!
stop, dale!
would you stop attacking me?
barin?
sorry.
flash?
where to?
this way.
are you, uh,are you okay?
did-- did ming,you know?
did he--
no. we just talked.
mostly about you.
i am flattered.
uh-oh.
for the protection of loyal denizens,
the fugitive insurgent, barin of the verden,
is hereby declared forfeit to the code.
until he is brought to justice,
those who aid him
will pay his forfeiture.
at first light,
10 verden will die
in his name,
and 10 more at nightfall,
until justice is done.
why is he doing this now?
is he not satisfied with enslaving my people?
you should have heard him tonight.
he he kept talking about some prophecy
that predicted that barin would overthrow him.
of course, the monks.
he's terrified of it.
yeah, he seems to think it's going to happen soon.
the latest testimony says
that a broken people will receive help from afar.
and we're the help from afar.
and ming has issued this execution order now
because he wants to beat his fate
and give me no choice but to surrender,
before this prophecy is fulfilled.
ming has won.
okay, you can't just barge in there without a plan.
there is no time left for planning.
you know he'll kill you, right?
at least no more people
will die in my name.
do you think none will try to avenge you?
there will be deaths.
no. i do this to save my people.
what are the verden without barin?
i can name 10,
and 10 more,and 10 beyond that,
who would gladly give their lives to spare yours.
which is why i must end this before that happens!
you've got to give us a chance to come up with a plan!
enough!
i will stand by your side.
keep it safe for me when i am gone.
i hope you understand--this is not my choice.
this is barin's decision.
your leader allows his people to pay the price
that should rightly be borne by him.
march them to the promenade for the public execution.
wait!
barin.
in the nick of time.
free them and i am your prisoner.
you are my prisoner either way.
however...
release them.
postpone the ceremony.
my apologies for disrupting your plans.
i'm sure you were looking forward
to arranging scores of verden funerals.
and now i will have just one,
but i will enjoy it just the same.
with your death,barin,
the verden royal line will come to an end.
the stirrings of uprising will cease.
my rule will be unchallenged.
the enrollment has been canceled.
the verden who were forced to come to the city
have been set free.
what?what has happened?
barin has made his choice.
he surrendered to ming to protect you guys.
no! we're ready to fight,and others like us!
his sacrifice must not be wasted.
it is over.
you must leave the city and rebuild your home.
this will honor his memory.
wait.
the reason ming's so determined to bring barin down
is because of this prophecy,right?
he's willing to murder the verden because of it.
so, if it's all
what if we could change the prophecy?
glad to see
you're finally where you belong.
did you come here for a reason,
or merely to enjoy my misfortune?
can't it be both?
i'm here to ask about my mother.
do you really expect me
to be concerned with that now?
you made me a promise.
i'm counting on your precious honor.
in the chamber of archives,
there's a pendant made of memory stone.
come back when you have it.
you must mean this.
you really are quite clever.
yes.
now, tell me where it came from,
and what it has to do with my mother.
it holds your birth imprint.
when you are close to your relatives,
it will glow with an internal light.
that doesn't exactly help.
i'm not going to go up
to every woman on this planet
waiting for it to start glowing.
where do i start?
you want to know more?
come back tomorrow.
you'll be dead by tomorrow.
very likely.
but you still hold some influence.
keep me alive,we'll talk then.
you.
okay...
i am, like...
80% sure that this little dude is a dude.
i think.
i mean, he's got the little bump
under there, right?
it is difficult to tell.
do you think we can really pull this off?
well, what choice do we have, right?
i mean, either we do this,or we let barin die.
i'd rather try a long shot than do nothing at all.
we need two more
willing to join us in the circle.
i won't have any trouble finding verden to help.
the one who receives the bite and testifies
removes the mask and reveals his face.
he must have the look of a real monk--
painted and bald.
bald? okay, i can do tha--
i will do it.
thank you.i would have died yesterday
if you had not come to my rescue.
this may be the reason i was saved.
thank you.
you honor your family
and canton.
what about that language
that we heard them chanting?
i mean, uh,do you know it?
no.
no one but the true monks
know the lost language of the order.
well, now, this might be a problem.
maybe not.
when you say no one...
not even ming?
the celetroph dolan,
he's the translator for ming.
then all we have to do
is sound enough like these guys to pass.
and the "dolan" needs to sell it.
consider me volunteered.
when you give the prophecy,
it needs to sound
mystical and obscure.
you can't just claim it says
"you can't kill barin,"
because ming knows it doesn't work that way.
but don't get all nostradamus, either,
because then he might just miss the point entirely.
would you rather do it?
no.
you're going to be great.
hey, brother.you got a light?
quickly.
all right,so when i light this...
the signal smoke will rise above the sacred chamber.
ming will see it is time to hear the testimony,
and he will come.
here goes nothing.
there's no turning back now.
success...
dd
pation athe retus
pative tural no mome
dalnatience ters devourave
ompative.
speak, then!
what is the prophecy?
yes. what did he say?
what is the prophecy, dolan?
it is spoken...
that the forces
gather at your gates.
"in failure...
"he triumphs.
"in death,
he rises."
this is about barin.
again.
"in failure, he triumphs."
if i kill him now,i create a martyr.
will i never be rid of him?
it is your choice.
you may execute him in the morning,
as planned.
if you feel that it is wise.
no!
clearly, execution would cause
more problems than it solves.
i will keep him imprisoned
for the rest of his miserable life.
and let this be the last we hear of it.
dolan?
a word.
ave alulle.
testhate doy hildon.
refon in kirs.
ne?
a most enlightening ceremony.
i had the new cooks make yernit stew for you.
you know how it always soothed me.
when you were a child.
if only life were still so simple.
was there something else?
i was wondering about barin.
i heard you've delayed his execution.
i know you were so looking forward to it.
i can always have him killed later.
in the meantime,
he might provide useful information.
i suspect he knows many things he hasn't revealed.
father, if i were to plead for his life,
would that make a difference?
why would you do such a thing?
when i asked you to bond with him
for the sake of unity,
you couldn't tolerate the man.
now you've suddenly become fond of him?
let's say i have.
you swore to have his head on a pike...
and a strong ruler
does not change his mind on a whim,
or on the word of prophets.
of course not.
but to spare an enemy out of love for your child?
that is truly the act of a benevolent father.
then...
out of respect for the feelings of my daughter...
barin shall live.
they were impostors!
yes, dolan.
this entire ceremony was heresy!
yes, dolan.
to light the smoke
and call the father to hear testimony
without the presence of the true circle!
can you not see--that's--
yes.
as you say, heresy.
but we cannot speak of it.
if ming were to learn
that our sacred chamber had been compromised,
he may begin to question the entire prophecy.
i have no doubt that he would turn on our order.
so you suggest
that we allow this to happen?
i suggest more than that.
i believe that this was meant to happen.
the day of false truth?
now?
prophecy from generations ago speaks of this day,
when an uninitiated man
would bring forth inspired speech.
is that not what has happened?
you think this visitor from earth
is that man?
that's why you asked for my help,
to keep him alive.
flash gordon had his chance to escape to safety,
and yet he returned.
his fate is bound to ours in some way.
can he be the one we have waited for?
only time will tell for certain.
but one thing we do know...
he has passed the first test.
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