“The Mark of Archanon” is episode seven of season two of Space: 1999.
Alan and another man he calls Bluey are in the caverns beneath Moonbase Alpha looking for crystals. They find something else; removing the rock reveals a chamber with two figures inside. Alan touches the screen and is blown backwards. The larger figure blinks.
More people are at the site and Dr Russell is checking Alan over. The chamber is cold, but not cold enough for cryo. Another doctor, Raul can detect no signs of life. Tony suggests that it might be a burial ground. The doctor thinks it’s elaborate for a cemetery and why is it protected by a force field? Tony recognises the symbol from another planet. It was apparently left by a godlike race to warn of danger. Raul reports a heartbeat for the larger. He’s breathing.
Part of the wall collapses, revealing a control panel. Tony can’t understand it and Maya is away on a survey with Koenig. The roof starts to collapse, destroying the force field. They’re able to get both people out, a man and a boy. The man wakes then the doctor checks over the boy. The man is picking up a hammer, but puts it down when the doctor says the boy is safe.
In medical, the doctor says the two aliens are close to human and Commander Koenig has been informed. The two are sedated and the doctor thinks they will remain that way a few more hours. Both she and Raul leave, and the man awakes. He wakes the boy, his son. Who asks if they’ve come back. The man, Pasc, says they are strangers. His son thinks perhaps the strangers can help. Pasc says there’s no help for him and soon none for his son. The boy doesn’t want it to come. He wants Pasc to kill him. Pasc goes to strangle him, and the symbol mentioned earlier appears on Pasc’s head, glowing. He says he cannot kill his son. The boy says he’s killed others. Pasc needs him, and soon his son will need him. He hides the thing on his forehead underneath a bandage.
The Command Centre has contacted Koenig, whose Eagle is flying through a meteor storm. He’s updated on the aliens, as the two enter. Pasc says their systems metabolise drugs faster. He claims that the bandage is from a scratch caused by banging his head. The doctor can’t take a look, as blood has a deep spiritual significance to those of Archanon.
Maya recognises the name. The Planet of Peace. Pasc says they are the Archanons, the Peace Bringers. He is Pasc, and his son is Etrec. Maya has heard of the conquest of evil by good, then transmission is lost. Pasc says they removed evil from their own people, and sent emissaries out to show others is could be done. He commanded such a mission. Tony doesn’t think they did a great job. Pasc says it takes time, but their first true failure was Earth. The violence and hatred they saw made his wife beg them to leave. He didn’t. His crew were affected; only Pasc and Etrec were immune. The crew mutinied, led by his wife, and placed them in stasis, then left to carry on their madness. Archanons cannot kill, even affected like that. Except Pasc, by the sounds of it, has killed. So, he’s lying.
Etrec collapses and is taken to medical. After he’s checked over, Alan offers to take him for some food. Though Pasc was going to stab Alan at one point. The two doctors are looking at a virus; active in Pasc, dormant in Etrec. Alan and Etrec are playing when Bluey finds them; Tony says that they have the stuff from the cavern. The chamber is scrap but the power is okay.
Tony doesn’t seem entirely trusting of Pasc. Justifiably; Pasc has already mentioned killing people. It seems that he and Etrec are infected with a virus that makes Archanons capable of killing. More than capable.