Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is the fifth episode of the first season of the Netflix original sci-fi series Tribes of Europa.

Synopsis
Elja tries to convince Bracker to give back the Cube. Liv faces a dilemma amid a plot within the Crimson command. Lord Varvara grants Kiano his wish.

Plot
SPOILERS AHEAD

Liv sits in the woods outside of Camp Arhenburg, where she caresses her tribal brand under a tree while crying. Liv then returns to base to bring David his meal, as he is now being held in the prisoner’s cell. Tomorrow, he’ll be taken back to the Crimson capital, where he’ll be executed. This mission was the best opportunity they’ve had in years, and Father destroyed it. Liv wonders why. David explains that Father wants peace with the Crows. However, David believes that freedom and peace with the Crows would require all of Europa to be under their control. So, he asks Liv to kill Father in order to stop the truce. David is certain that Father will want to talk to her regarding Grieta. She’ll have to use this meeting to kill him. He tells Liv that his people will help her.

Afterward, Liv is approached by Yeboa and Tiago, who asks if she’s willing to kill Father. However, before she can reply, Merk approaches and tells Liv that Father wants to meet her in the command room at 1900.

Kiano awakens and overhears Varvara asking one of her Bozies about Grieta, who hasn’t checked in yet. She orders that more reinforcements be sent. She then tells Kiano that he looks innocent when he sleeps and that he shouldn’t be offended. Kiano asks how is it that he can participate in a Boj to become a Crow warrior, but she tells him that this question doesn’t concern him. She then takes Kiano to the training room to teach him a lesson. Kiano picks his weapon of choice and the two battle in front of the Bozies, but Varvara is far more skilled. She asks Kiano why she should give him up when he’s her latest toy. Kiano replies that he wants to be free. She asks what distinguishes a Crow. Kiano says strength, sense of honor, and willingness to kill. However, after defeating him, she informs him that he’s lacking the willingness to die.

Elja watches as Moses gets drunk at the bar after losing the cube. He pours another drink for Elja and himself. Moses suddenly has a case of déjà vu, reminding him of his time with his father. He always wanted them to go to Rome. He thought it was better there, but Moses isn’t sure why. Elja then comes up with a plan to steal back the cube. Moses picks a fight with one of Bracker’s men, which provides a long enough distraction for Elja to sneak into Bracker’s office to try and recover the cube. However, Bracker awaits him. He questions Elja’s interest in the cube, as it clearly isn’t money. Moses is then dragged in.

Yeboa approaches Liv with a small capsule of cylarine. A neurotoxin developed by Femen spies. It takes effect after a few hours. Father’s death will appear as a painless cardiac arrest.

Varvara has been invited to have dinner with the Kapitan. She expects faultless behavior from Kiano, Dewiat, Anon, Eddy, and Usan. The slightest stumble will be severely punished. Varvara then tells Kiano to follow her, which appears to upset Dewiat.

On the ride to the Kapitan’s, Kiano looks out the window to see the city. Varvara reveals it’s the grandest city in Europe. Almost 80,000 people live there: slaves, warriors, and lords alike. Kiano assures Varvara that she will soon be up there, to which she replies that she’s deserving of it.

Varvara arrives at the Kapitan’s with her Lubovnik to find Kapitan Yvar already eating his meal. He’s called her over to discuss the matter of the Atlantian hover jet. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to recover anything from it. With the hover jet rendered useless, they need the Atlantian cube to find the Ark and conquer the continent. But Varvara has yet to recover it, which angers Kapitan Yvar.

Kiano notices his father at Yvar’s side. When his father exits with the Kapitan’s plate, Kiano makes an excuse that he has to go to the restroom and reunite with his father in the hall. Kiano tells Jakob that he’s about to get a Boj to become free. However, Jakob advises him against participating in a Boj, but Kiano has no other choice. After parting ways, Kiano discovers that Dewiat has been eavesdropping on his entire discussion. He warns Dewiat to keep his mouth shut or else he’ll kill him.

Kapitan Yvar dismisses Varvara. He says that next time they should go hunting on Tiergarten, as he has a few panthers. On her way out, Yvar announces that he will appoint Lord Ulrik to the seventh at his side moving forward.

Varvara is enraged and alarmingly quiet on the ride home. Kiano offers his condolences and touches her knee. She responds by slapping him and ordering Dewiat to come back to her quarters with her.

Bracker holds Moses at gunpoint and demands that Elja reveals what he actually intends to do with the cube. Elja reluctantly reveals that he never intended to sell the cube. He lied so that Moses would help him. In truth, he intends to return the cube to the Ark. The Atlantian pilot from whom Elja required the cube instructed him to bring it back to his people at all cost because a dangerous threat is coming to Europa from the far east. Elja proves it by activating the cube, which presents a hologram of a growing unknown darkness. Elja pleads with Bracker to let them go so that they may stop the danger ahead. Bracker releases them under the condition that Elja return to him with updates should he discover the origin of Black December.

Liv meets with Father at 1900 as planned. He wishes to show his gratitude to Liv for all she’s done. He offers her a drink. It’s because of Liv that they’ve managed to capture a Crow for the very first time. A truce is within their grasp. Liv retorts that the Crows would never accept any kind of truce. Father notices that she echoes Commander Voss’ sentiments and says that he too had high hopes for David. He fought alongside David’s father, as well as General Arhenburg. David was in every way his father’s equal and rose to the top rather quickly; promoted to commander at age 25. With Father distracted, Liv plots to pour the neurotoxin in his drink, but decides against it as Father begins to talk about the Crimson Republic’s principles. They are a defensive force that protects the tribes under their flags. But they never attack. They defend an idea. They end wars, they don’t bring them about, something David failed to mention. Father is headed to Brahtok tomorrow intent on giving Grieta back to her people. And he can ask the Kapitan to release her family in exchange.

Liv returns to Yeboa with the cylarine and says that she won’t kill Father. Yeboa replies that this means David’s death sentence.

After narrowly escaping with the cube, Moses asks Elja whether what he said to Bracker was a bluff or if he has truly been lying to Moses the enter time. Elja claims it was a bluff. Moses then sends Elja outside to sit in the van while he hooks up with a prostitute. Instead, Elja activates the navigational module on the cube to calculate the route to the Ark. He places Moses’ keys on the front seat and leaves.

Liv visits David in his cell and explains just why she didn’t kill Father; he gave her assurance that Grieta and her family would be exchanged. She’s heading out with them to Brahtok for the arrangement. She apologizes, but he tells her that she shouldn’t apologize for acting according to the principles followed by her and her tribe. No matter what, he’ll continue to fight for his convictions. Before leaving, she tells David to have faith in her, as they’ll meet again.

Kiano reconvenes with Varvara in her room to find Dewiat slashed to pieces on her bed, lying in a pool of his own blood. Armed with her dagger, she calls Kiano over. She hands the blade over and explains that she’s giving him the chance to carry out his own death sentence. Should he fail to take the opportunity to take his own life with honor, she will strip off all his honor, as she did with Dewiat. Dagger in hand, Kiano slowly drives it into his chest. Tears run down his face as he says "My name is Kiano." Just as he’s about to plunge the dagger into his heart, she grabs his hands and says that he will take her dagger to fight in the Boj he has earned.

Elja hides as three Crows approach, undoubtedly in search of him and the cube. Gunfire begins to sound off from inside the trading post. The cube automatically enters combat mode and turns into a blaster. Elja fires the blaster at a building, blasting a whole in the wall.

Cast

 * Henriette Confurius as Liv
 * Emilio Sakraya as Kiano
 * David Ali Rashed as Elja
 * Oliver Masucci as Moses
 * Melika Foroutan as Varvara
 * Ana Ularu as Grieta (credit only)
 * Robert Finster as David Voss
 * Benjamin Sadler as Jakob
 * Sebastian Blomberg as Kapitan Yvar
 * Jeanette Hain as Amena (credit only)
 * James Faulkner as General Cameron
 * Johann Myers as Bracker
 * Adriana Ugarte as Alia (credit only)
 * Jannik Schümann as Dewiat
 * Matteo van der Grijn as Merk
 * Eugene Boateng as Corporal Yeboa
 * Patrick Pinheiro as Tiago
 * Kendrick Ong as Grimm
 * Bojan Ban as Warren
 * Yemi Akinyemi as Eddy
 * Jordan Haj as Usan
 * Zdenek Piskula as Anon