(More of "Interludes," see previous post for start and next post for end.)
Spoiler:
Speaking of ship captains, high above on the Jupiter, Carter sits in her quarters going over a roster of crewmembers of the Mao Zedong, the Chinese-built sister-ship of her own ("Acts of Contrition"). Ever since she integrated the crews to reduce the polarization between Western and Chinese refugees, the other MBP-305 has lacked a real commander, and as such as remained stationed in permanent orbit around the Beta Site. But with recent Alliance offensives scoring success after success, the time has come for the refugees to really take the fight to the enemy, and for that she'll need every vessel at her disposal. And that requires a capable and trustworthy officer to command all her forces.
Like Talbot on the ground, she also has a visitor, and when someone knocks to enter, she turns and shouts for her guest to come on in. The door slides open to reveal Colonel Via Sanders, last seen on the bridge of the DSC-304 Aurora during the Battle of Earth ("Star By Star"). Her uniform looks hastily ironed, but she is otherwise presentable, if somewhat restrained. Sam puts down her tablet and motions for her friend to be seated, thanking her for agreeing to come meet her. Via laughs coldly, pointing out that it's not as if she has anything else to do; she has no one to look after, no ship to oversee, and no purpose here. In a brief flashback, she remembers ordering her vessel to make a run against Vur'naa's cruiser just before entering hyperspace. And she remembers how her arrogance got the better of her when her shields failed and plasma ripped into the belly of her trusty starcraft, venting men and atmosphere alike into space.
By all accounts, she should be dead, and had Colonel Sobol not had the nick-of-time intuition to have her and her some of her crew beamed over to the Phoenix, that would have been the end of it. And maybe it would have been better, so that she wouldn't be adding one extra person to all those who do nothing to keep fighting the enemy but still requires a portion of their scarce food and water resources every day. But Carter cuts her off, saying that she didn't ask Sanders here to listen to what she did wrong... after all, everyone made their share of mistakes that day, and what's done is done. Instead, she has a job offer for her, one she thinks Via and the survivors of the Aurora would like very, very much.
Meanwhile, Lor'al is walking among the corpses of her former fleet commanders, their blood now soaking into the carpets of the General Assembly hall. Her warriors are hard at work clearing the chamber, and a te'kal watches from the entrance, his eyes betraying his confusion at the situation. Demanding an explanation, he orders Lor'al to explain this massacre. These were some of the best and brightest tacticians in the armada, and their deaths will certainly be a detriment to the upcoming assault on the infidel stronghold of Dakara. What was she thinking?
In an instant, the scene shifts to a darkened room, in which the only light shines on the prone figure of Lor'al. And in the background, Anise approaches, asking ever-so-softly, "Yes, just what were you thinking?" The Tok'ra smiles, putting her arm around her host's shoulder, and says that these te'kal are such an annoyance, really. They keep interfering with everything she's trying to do, with the grand plan to conquer this galaxy. Perhaps, she suggests, it would be better to remove this impediment, making it so much easier to further the wishes of the Exarch. Slowly slipping back into the darkness, Anise shakes her head and suppresses a laugh; she may be the prisoner, but it's Lor'al that's trapped in here with her.
And indeed, it seems that Anise's influence is growing far beyond what the Der'kal had originally estimated her to be capable of. As the te'kal continues to demand an answer, Lor'al slowly extracts a slim metal rod from within her robes, and, with an entirely blank look to her face, turns to face her superior and extends it into one of the aliens' double-bladed swords, last seen when Bra'tac was killed on Dakara ("Divided We Fall"). Then she begins to advance upon the te'kal, twirling the blade around in preparation to strike. And from the recesses of her mind, Anise watches, showing almost no emotion at all as she starts the process of turning the Der'kal's greatest mind into her own greatest weapon against them.
On his flagship, Vur'naa has finished his torture session with Mitchell for the day, and the Colonel has been thrown into a cell for a short rest. As he nurses his wounds and tries to find a spot to get some sleep, his memories flow to the forefront to continue his private torment; his F-302 spiraling out of control over Paris, the bone-breaking crash into a deserted alleyway, waking up to see Der'kal warriors loading him into a gunship, too weak to fight back, watching his fighter blasted into a thousand pieces as he was carried up into orbit, being forced to play witness to the hours-long bombardment of Earth... it was all too much.
A clang sounds from down the hall, and Cameron is jolted back to full awareness despite his attempts to drift off. Sitting up and blinking to clear his vision, he watches two alien warriors march past, carrying a cursing female between them. The young woman thrashes within their grasp to no avail, and is finally tossed into a cell adjacent from Mitchell's own. The Der'kal raise the energy barrier and depart, ignoring her cries for revenge against them and their kind. After a few more moments of ranting, though, she finally seems to notice the person staring at her from across the corridor. And when she gasps upon realizing who it is, she leans forward eagerly, saying that it sure is nice to see a friendly face right after one's capture. When Mitchell, not quite sure who he's talking to, asks what she means, Major Rebbecca Eaton smiles back at him, sighing in joy and preparing to explain what his teammates have been doing for the past year in his absence.
On the other end of the gargantuan vessel, Vur'naa is trying to contact the te'kal who was dispatched to be the Exarch's personal eyes and ears on Earth, but so far all his attempts have failed. He's beginning to suspect that something has gone wrong on the surface, but all communications to and from the ground are normal, with nothing out-of-the-ordinary indicating that there's been an accident of any kind. The one strange thing is that the ships due to depart for Dakara within the hour haven't so much as moved since their commanders shuttled down for a meeting with Lor'al herself, but the conference should have ended some time ago now. Trying to find a logical solution, Vur'naa asks how many ships in the armada have been upgraded with the beaming technology they obtained from the infidels, thinking that perhaps they simply transported up that way. But one of his subordinates informs him that only a dozen or so have, and the only one currently near Earth with that ability is their own. It's still possible that they ringed aboard their separate ships, but Vur'naa doesn't recall seeing matter-streams, either.
Deciding to investigate this anomaly for himself, he orders his men to prepare to beam him down to their command center in Manhattan. Before he heads down, though, he pulls one of his men aside and says that as soon as he leaves, he wants his ship locked-down, with no one allowed on or off without his express permission. Something's definitely not right, and at the moment, he doesn't entirely trust anyone here... not even Lor'al.
The invasion's commander herself, her robes somewhat blood-spattered, is already moving onto her next objective, seeming to have regained control of her faculties. Having realized that the massacre of her most-capable admirals has left her planned attack on Dakara without sufficient leadership, she is already recalling other esteemed strategists from around Der'kal space, and putting them in charge of various facets of her assault plan. She still plans to depart Earth orbit on schedule, though now she will be noticeably depleting their defenses here to offset her lack of skilled captains. But she remains sure of victory regardless, given the numerical and technological superiority she expects to have over the Free Jaffa fleet awaiting her. The element of surprise will likely give her the advantage of a crippling first strike, and it will just be a matter of time after that.
Suddenly, Anise appears beside her, walking down the hallway with her. The other Der'kal moving about don't seem to notice her, implying that this exchange is only within the mind, but something is different; the Tok'ra is not confined to the dark chamber previously seen to represent Lor'al's thoughts, and is instead actively appearing at will, more evidence that her host's ability to confine and repress her is slipping more and more by the day. Asking why it's taken so long to get around to crushing the Jaffa at Dakara, Anise wonders if it's really even possible at this point, given how long they've had to entrench and build up defenses since the last attempt at conquering the planet ("United We Stand"/"Divided We Fall"). Lor'al, though, just ignores the apparition, clearly trying to reassert control over what she sees, but Anise doesn't vanish, despite the attempt. The two continue down the hallway, the former growing more frenzied while the latter continues to taunt her "captor."
In orbit, Mitchell and Eaton are still going over what the two of them have experienced since the fall of Earth, with Rebbecca outlining many of the successes the resistance movement here has had in setting back the Der'kal. Ironically, China is the most forceful in its retaliation, with almost half of the attacks against the alien occupation force coming from Chinese rebels. Of course, it's unlikely their actions will force the Der'kal into leaving the planet, but at least they get some small measure of vengeance by doing what they can to strike back at the enemy.
More recently, though, they've shifted focus from insurgent-style attacks to intelligence-gathering missions. In fact, that is how Eaton came to be captured; she broke into a command center set up near London and hacked the central computer system there, and discovered a major plan was in the works to crush the Alliance's last outpost in this sector. In just under an hour, the Der'kal are going to launch a massive assault on Dakara, and their chances of success are almost guaranteed. But to do it, they'll be sapping ships from almost every major holding of theirs in the area, including Earth. In fact, the planet will be at its most-vulnerable since its sack what seems like a lifetime ago. If they could somehow get word to the Alliance, they might even be able to launch their own assault and capture it back.
Mitchell opens his mouth to reply, but is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Der'kal warriors, who power down the cells' barriers and yank he and Eaton into the corridor. Apparently, Vur'naa has returned from the surface, and he is itching for another session of torture, this time with two subjects to entertain him. But Cameron has no intention of returning to the slab on which he has spent so many months in pain and suffering, and as soon as he sees a chance, he rams rips one arm free and slams his elbow up into his holder's face, knocking the alien soldier sideways. In an instant, he grabs the holstered plasma pistol and looses three shots into its head, dealing a quick and efficient death blow, then turns to face the second warrior... who has already positioned Rebbecca between himself and Cam's weapon.
Like Talbot on the ground, she also has a visitor, and when someone knocks to enter, she turns and shouts for her guest to come on in. The door slides open to reveal Colonel Via Sanders, last seen on the bridge of the DSC-304 Aurora during the Battle of Earth ("Star By Star"). Her uniform looks hastily ironed, but she is otherwise presentable, if somewhat restrained. Sam puts down her tablet and motions for her friend to be seated, thanking her for agreeing to come meet her. Via laughs coldly, pointing out that it's not as if she has anything else to do; she has no one to look after, no ship to oversee, and no purpose here. In a brief flashback, she remembers ordering her vessel to make a run against Vur'naa's cruiser just before entering hyperspace. And she remembers how her arrogance got the better of her when her shields failed and plasma ripped into the belly of her trusty starcraft, venting men and atmosphere alike into space.
By all accounts, she should be dead, and had Colonel Sobol not had the nick-of-time intuition to have her and her some of her crew beamed over to the Phoenix, that would have been the end of it. And maybe it would have been better, so that she wouldn't be adding one extra person to all those who do nothing to keep fighting the enemy but still requires a portion of their scarce food and water resources every day. But Carter cuts her off, saying that she didn't ask Sanders here to listen to what she did wrong... after all, everyone made their share of mistakes that day, and what's done is done. Instead, she has a job offer for her, one she thinks Via and the survivors of the Aurora would like very, very much.
Meanwhile, Lor'al is walking among the corpses of her former fleet commanders, their blood now soaking into the carpets of the General Assembly hall. Her warriors are hard at work clearing the chamber, and a te'kal watches from the entrance, his eyes betraying his confusion at the situation. Demanding an explanation, he orders Lor'al to explain this massacre. These were some of the best and brightest tacticians in the armada, and their deaths will certainly be a detriment to the upcoming assault on the infidel stronghold of Dakara. What was she thinking?
In an instant, the scene shifts to a darkened room, in which the only light shines on the prone figure of Lor'al. And in the background, Anise approaches, asking ever-so-softly, "Yes, just what were you thinking?" The Tok'ra smiles, putting her arm around her host's shoulder, and says that these te'kal are such an annoyance, really. They keep interfering with everything she's trying to do, with the grand plan to conquer this galaxy. Perhaps, she suggests, it would be better to remove this impediment, making it so much easier to further the wishes of the Exarch. Slowly slipping back into the darkness, Anise shakes her head and suppresses a laugh; she may be the prisoner, but it's Lor'al that's trapped in here with her.
And indeed, it seems that Anise's influence is growing far beyond what the Der'kal had originally estimated her to be capable of. As the te'kal continues to demand an answer, Lor'al slowly extracts a slim metal rod from within her robes, and, with an entirely blank look to her face, turns to face her superior and extends it into one of the aliens' double-bladed swords, last seen when Bra'tac was killed on Dakara ("Divided We Fall"). Then she begins to advance upon the te'kal, twirling the blade around in preparation to strike. And from the recesses of her mind, Anise watches, showing almost no emotion at all as she starts the process of turning the Der'kal's greatest mind into her own greatest weapon against them.
On his flagship, Vur'naa has finished his torture session with Mitchell for the day, and the Colonel has been thrown into a cell for a short rest. As he nurses his wounds and tries to find a spot to get some sleep, his memories flow to the forefront to continue his private torment; his F-302 spiraling out of control over Paris, the bone-breaking crash into a deserted alleyway, waking up to see Der'kal warriors loading him into a gunship, too weak to fight back, watching his fighter blasted into a thousand pieces as he was carried up into orbit, being forced to play witness to the hours-long bombardment of Earth... it was all too much.
A clang sounds from down the hall, and Cameron is jolted back to full awareness despite his attempts to drift off. Sitting up and blinking to clear his vision, he watches two alien warriors march past, carrying a cursing female between them. The young woman thrashes within their grasp to no avail, and is finally tossed into a cell adjacent from Mitchell's own. The Der'kal raise the energy barrier and depart, ignoring her cries for revenge against them and their kind. After a few more moments of ranting, though, she finally seems to notice the person staring at her from across the corridor. And when she gasps upon realizing who it is, she leans forward eagerly, saying that it sure is nice to see a friendly face right after one's capture. When Mitchell, not quite sure who he's talking to, asks what she means, Major Rebbecca Eaton smiles back at him, sighing in joy and preparing to explain what his teammates have been doing for the past year in his absence.
On the other end of the gargantuan vessel, Vur'naa is trying to contact the te'kal who was dispatched to be the Exarch's personal eyes and ears on Earth, but so far all his attempts have failed. He's beginning to suspect that something has gone wrong on the surface, but all communications to and from the ground are normal, with nothing out-of-the-ordinary indicating that there's been an accident of any kind. The one strange thing is that the ships due to depart for Dakara within the hour haven't so much as moved since their commanders shuttled down for a meeting with Lor'al herself, but the conference should have ended some time ago now. Trying to find a logical solution, Vur'naa asks how many ships in the armada have been upgraded with the beaming technology they obtained from the infidels, thinking that perhaps they simply transported up that way. But one of his subordinates informs him that only a dozen or so have, and the only one currently near Earth with that ability is their own. It's still possible that they ringed aboard their separate ships, but Vur'naa doesn't recall seeing matter-streams, either.
Deciding to investigate this anomaly for himself, he orders his men to prepare to beam him down to their command center in Manhattan. Before he heads down, though, he pulls one of his men aside and says that as soon as he leaves, he wants his ship locked-down, with no one allowed on or off without his express permission. Something's definitely not right, and at the moment, he doesn't entirely trust anyone here... not even Lor'al.
The invasion's commander herself, her robes somewhat blood-spattered, is already moving onto her next objective, seeming to have regained control of her faculties. Having realized that the massacre of her most-capable admirals has left her planned attack on Dakara without sufficient leadership, she is already recalling other esteemed strategists from around Der'kal space, and putting them in charge of various facets of her assault plan. She still plans to depart Earth orbit on schedule, though now she will be noticeably depleting their defenses here to offset her lack of skilled captains. But she remains sure of victory regardless, given the numerical and technological superiority she expects to have over the Free Jaffa fleet awaiting her. The element of surprise will likely give her the advantage of a crippling first strike, and it will just be a matter of time after that.
Suddenly, Anise appears beside her, walking down the hallway with her. The other Der'kal moving about don't seem to notice her, implying that this exchange is only within the mind, but something is different; the Tok'ra is not confined to the dark chamber previously seen to represent Lor'al's thoughts, and is instead actively appearing at will, more evidence that her host's ability to confine and repress her is slipping more and more by the day. Asking why it's taken so long to get around to crushing the Jaffa at Dakara, Anise wonders if it's really even possible at this point, given how long they've had to entrench and build up defenses since the last attempt at conquering the planet ("United We Stand"/"Divided We Fall"). Lor'al, though, just ignores the apparition, clearly trying to reassert control over what she sees, but Anise doesn't vanish, despite the attempt. The two continue down the hallway, the former growing more frenzied while the latter continues to taunt her "captor."
In orbit, Mitchell and Eaton are still going over what the two of them have experienced since the fall of Earth, with Rebbecca outlining many of the successes the resistance movement here has had in setting back the Der'kal. Ironically, China is the most forceful in its retaliation, with almost half of the attacks against the alien occupation force coming from Chinese rebels. Of course, it's unlikely their actions will force the Der'kal into leaving the planet, but at least they get some small measure of vengeance by doing what they can to strike back at the enemy.
More recently, though, they've shifted focus from insurgent-style attacks to intelligence-gathering missions. In fact, that is how Eaton came to be captured; she broke into a command center set up near London and hacked the central computer system there, and discovered a major plan was in the works to crush the Alliance's last outpost in this sector. In just under an hour, the Der'kal are going to launch a massive assault on Dakara, and their chances of success are almost guaranteed. But to do it, they'll be sapping ships from almost every major holding of theirs in the area, including Earth. In fact, the planet will be at its most-vulnerable since its sack what seems like a lifetime ago. If they could somehow get word to the Alliance, they might even be able to launch their own assault and capture it back.
Mitchell opens his mouth to reply, but is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Der'kal warriors, who power down the cells' barriers and yank he and Eaton into the corridor. Apparently, Vur'naa has returned from the surface, and he is itching for another session of torture, this time with two subjects to entertain him. But Cameron has no intention of returning to the slab on which he has spent so many months in pain and suffering, and as soon as he sees a chance, he rams rips one arm free and slams his elbow up into his holder's face, knocking the alien soldier sideways. In an instant, he grabs the holstered plasma pistol and looses three shots into its head, dealing a quick and efficient death blow, then turns to face the second warrior... who has already positioned Rebbecca between himself and Cam's weapon.
) assult earth, with the der'kal at half strenth, and a good chunk of their COs dead, they might be able to take it back.
I really loved the last line:
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