In the previous episode of Beacon 23, the sci-fi thriller based on Hugh Howey’s short story, Halan and Aster, stranded on the titular space station, faced a mysterious threat while searching for a valuable rock-like element. Halan, disguised as a beacon operator, was revealed to be an AWOL soldier who murdered the previous beacon keeper named Solomon. Aster, with her AI, Harmony, managed to find the precious space minerals, but a group of bandits named the Wreckers intruded on the space station. Kaneddy, the minister of Elau Colony, joined the group seeking Qubits, a space currency. The revelation of Aster’s true identity and intense conflicts unfolded, leaving only Halan and Aster on the isolated space station, in the midst of a threatening situation. In episode 3 of Beacon 23, Halan and Aster got along pretty well, but this episode just introduced us to another antagonistic character, named Coley. Let’s look into the intentions Coley had in mind.
Spoilers Ahead
Did Halan And Aster Get Along?
Episode 3 opened with Halan and Aster getting along with each other. They disposed of the dead bodies of the bandits, but it was evident that the two of them didn’t trust each other yet. As Halan came to know Aster was from QTA, which was also responsible for the Wreckers attacking their station, he had his doubts about her identity. At the same time, Aster wasn’t sure if she could trust Halan, who was indirectly responsible for Solomon’s death. But they developed potential romantic feelings for each other, which brought them closer.
Meanwhile, Harmony was trying to contact Bart, who was forbidden by Halan to use his voice. Harmony asked if Bart was ready to resume his beacon duties, but Halan voted against it. He demanded Bart be quiet for a few more days, as, according to him, Bart deserved this punishment. After disposing of the dead bodies, Halan and Aster sat together and talked about their trust issues. Even though Aster had positive thoughts about QTA, Halan didn’t trust the organization at all. He wondered how QTA could jeopardize the life of one of their own members by sending a group of bandits to attack her. Halan, who was away from his own planet for a long time, expressed his desire to return there and enjoy the rainwater and the touch of nature for once. Aster expressed the same desires, but she was more focused on finding the space minerals to bring them back to QTA.
Meanwhile, as Harmony communicated with Bart, we came to know that Halan didn’t kill Solomon, but it was an accident that claimed Solomon’s life.
Who Was Coley?
Meanwhile, when Halan was checking the dock, he was suddenly attacked by a masked assailant. Aster came to his rescue, and it was revealed that the masked assailant was Coley, a member of QTA, who came to Beacon to check on Aster. Aster and Coley were close and more than just friends. Coley knew the beaconkeeper Solomon, so she assumed Halan might be an intruder whom she should take out. But Aster tried to convince her that Halan wasn’t a bad guy. He was a soldier from AWOL, who’d become stranded on the space station. She demanded that Coley spare Halan’s life and bring him with them. To persuade Coley, she even got closer to her and got intimate with her, but even after spending a romantic night with Aster, Coley was not ready to bring Halan with them. She had suspicions about Halan’s background, so she contacted Bart and changed his program to bring his voice back. Bart gave her all the information on Halan, making sure that Coley could get rid of him.
What Happened To Halan?
Initially, Coley got along with Halan to win his trust, while she was secretly planning to take over the entire Beacon to find the space minerals. She suspected that Halan might have been there to look for the minerals, but Aster assured her that Halan didn’t have any interest in the space rocks. But Coley, who had uncovered all the background details about Halan, grabbed the perfect opportunity to reveal her true intentions. When Aster was planning for their departure, she said that she didn’t want to bring Halan along with them. She told Aster about the operation DX-113, where Halan served as a soldier, but while his group was attacked, he abandoned them to save his own neck, leaving his crew to die there. We still don’t have any vivid details about the operation, but Halan was extremely guilty about his decision to leave his fellow soldiers. Aster realized that, but she still wanted to help him out, as he was the one who saved her life.
Aster talked to Coley and revealed what the reason was behind the Crest facing the accident that caused her team members to die. While she was on the Crest, she had been able to notice that there were more than four oxygen canisters in the sleep tank, which raised her suspicion. Usually there should only be four canisters, but as there were two extra, Aster realized that QTA was already aware of the upcoming accident. She concluded that it was actually QTA who planned the accident beforehand so that someone from the Crest would end up arriving at Beacon to look for the space minerals. Coley was aware of QTA’s plans, but she hadn’t thought to inform Aster of them. Therefore, Aster couldn’t trust Coley either. Coley tried to persuade her that even though she was part of the plan, she didn’t want to bring any harm to Aster’s life. However, Coley was not a trustworthy person. She was clearly an antagonist who was at Beacon to find the minerals, so she wouldn’t allow any kind of obstacle in her way. She put a derma patch on Aster’s skin to make her unconscious. Meanwhile, Halan, who was eavesdropping on Aster and Coley’s conversation, sneakily stole a key from Coley’s bag and tried to steal her spacecraft, but while trying to do so, he suffered a massive blow, which threw him away. We saw Coley, who managed to render Aster weak with the help of a derma patch, clutch a gun and move towards Halan to kill him.
In the concluding moments of Beacon 23 episode 3, we saw Aster, who was getting weaker by the effect of the derma patch, summon Harmony to help her. As she managed to get up once again, she looked for Coley to try to stop her. Coley, in the meantime, came to attack Halan, who was injured and lying on the ground. As Coley pointed her gun at Halan and was about to pull the trigger, Aster stabbed her from behind, perforating her liver. Coley, injured, cried for help, but Aster didn’t save her life. Rather, she strangled her, making sure that she couldn’t survive. Coley spoke her last words, expressing her love for Aster, but Aster knew that if Coley had truly loved her, she would not have premeditated the accident at the Crest and pushed her to death.
After Coley’s death, Halan and Aster were once again left alone in the space station. In the upcoming episodes, there will probably be new enemies coming into Beacon to look for the precious minerals. Let’s see how things unfold in the forthcoming episodes.
