((And now, the mid-season finale of Stargate: SG-1!))
14x10 "Shadows of the Past"
Synopsis: When Daniel Jackson discovers a lost archive containing logs of a Furling fleet, a vast cache of information on the little-known race is revealed.
Spoiler:
(30 second recap of "Requiem, Part 2" and "Shatterpoint)
Dr. Daniel Jackson is passed out sitting at his computer terminal, no doubt late into the night here in Colorado. Behind him, Samantha Carter is eating some blue jello from a cup, looking somewhat amused. After a moment, Jackson wakes up, his glasses askew, and yawns loudly. Carter can't surpress a laugh in time and Daniel jumps, startled.
Leaning over his shoulder, she asks what's got him up so late, and Daniel explains that the Nox just sent over some of the logs from old Heliopolis, before they rebuilt it for the Alliance. And according to these files, following the AI War that nearly ripped the group in two, the Furlings chose to leave the Milky Way forever, escaping in a mass exodus of people and equiptment. If these logs are correct, they finally have a chance to see what really happened after the disasterous AI War...
((Suddenly, the screen flashes brightly, and when the light fades, a Furling warship can be seen gliding effortless through space. In subtitles, "Millions of years ago" appears in subtitles.))
Inside the ship itself, dozens of living, breathing Furlings can be seen walking about, tending to various duties. They appear to resemble humans of about 6 feet in height, and do, in fact, have a thin layer of dark brown fur covering their bodies. Their bodies are largely humanesque, though they have only four fingers, and a large, flat bone plate stretches from above their mouths to their foreheads, with two slits for nostrils. Their uniformsare also fairly familiar, with dark green leggings, boots, armbands, and tops (for men, these are loose-fitting shirts that reveal chest muscles and shoulders. On women, they are more form-fitting).
The camera zooms back out of the warship, then down onto a different part of it... the bridge, or what would appear to be a bridge from its design. It looks larger than the equivilent on a Daedalus-class ship, not surprising considering a Furling vessel's immense size. Standing at the very bow, staring through a window, is a Furling in a more-formal appearing uniform, with his entire upper body covered save his forearms. This is Admiral Lagos, the Furling officer placed in charge of this ship.
One of his attendants approaches, telling him that the preparations are complete on their homeworld; the last refugee ship left minutes ago, and the planet is empty of all sentient life. Lagos acknowledges, saying he's sad that it has to be this way, but also realizing that, perhaps, it was inevitable. Every age must end, and this is simply the twilight of that of the Furlings. With one last glance out the window, he orders the "fleet" to make the final jump out of the Milky Way. And then it's revealed that it is, in fact, a fleet, as the camera's view shifts to reveal a massive grouping of over two dozen ships, split roughly in half between Furling warships and smaller Furling vessels. Then, as one, they open a hyperspace window and vanish into the darkness.
((In subtitles, just as the screen shifts to a view of a beautiful blue-green planet covered with cities (which can be seen even from orbit), the following appears: "Alteran-controlled Earth"))
Light-years away, on Earth, the capital of the Alteran sector of space, a crisis has emerged. Subspace relays controlled by the Furlings have suddenly gone dark, shutting down much of the Alliance's communications and sensory systems across the galaxy. As such, a massive section of the Milky Way is vulnerable to attack, and the Nox are already dispatching ships to reactivate the darkened relays at once. Still, this is a major problem, and all attempts to contact the Furlings have failed. Even their homeworld is no longer responding.
In Atlantis itself, nestled in a beautiful snow-filled valley and surrounded by massive towers stretching in all directions (it's winter here in Antarctica, at a cool temperature of 40 degrees Farenheight), the Alterans are becoming concerned. One of them, apparently the commander of the facility, orders the Furling homeworld dialed, and the Atlantis gate (surprisingly, a Milky Way-style one) dials up the correct address and locks, the wormhole forming as normal. A team of four Alterans, wearing clearly-designated offworld gear and carrying energy pistols, come down the stairs and walk calmy through the gate, their weapons rasied and at the ready.
After travelling through the wormhole, the four Alterans arrive on the Furling homeworld... and it is indeed beautiful. Buildings stretching high into the sky in an alien style adorn the immediate area, though they appear artistic and stunning in an odd, inhuman way. One of the newcomers pulls out a scanner and holds it to the sky... but it makes no noise whatsoever. She taps a tiny jewel just below her ear, implanted in her skin, and says that she's not getting any energy readins whatsoever. The Furling capital is devoid of all activity, and life signs are at an incredibly-low four; the Alterans and no one else.
Back in the Atlantis control room, the Alteran in charge looks concerned, immediately calling to a nearby technician to alert the High Council; they need to convene the major Alliance powers immediately. The Furlings seem to have vanished.
Meanwhile, the Furling fleet speeds through hyperspace, continuing on its journey out of the galaxy. On the flagship, Lagos is listening to status reports they recieved before jumping into hyperspace, going over every ship under his command. Five other such fleets are about to rondevous in the void between the Milky Way and Ida Galaxies, and they plan to then jump past the Asgard home systems to outside the Local Group. From there, they'll head outwards, in an attempt to find a new home where they can live out their days in peace, and not face the shame of fracturing the dlicate balance the Alterans and Nox had worked so hard to create.
As he reads, the First Officer approaches, bowing her head and making a strange hand gesture, which Lagos seems to interpret as a show of respect. The Admiral asks what it is the Officer wants, and she explains that sensors on their homeworld have detected a stargate activation, as well as Alteran life-signs. Lagos sighs; he knew it would not take long for the other races to notice their sudden departure, and now they will no doubt be attempting to reign them back in. But he has his orders from his leaders; to take this fleet, meet up with the others like it, and leave the galaxy. And that's what he intends to do, no matter who or what stands in his way.
Far, far away, a fleet of ancient forms of Alteran, Nox, and Asgard (notably less-advanced than the others) vessels orbit a small but pristine world. This is Heliopoilis as it was millions of years ago, long before humanity rediscovered it. A massive citadel resting on a cliff's edge houses the nerve center for the Alliance of this era, and numerous members of all three remaining races are going about their business inside. In the main chambers, six representatives sit debating the issue of the Furling disappearance, two people from each species. It's clear that the Asgard, however, are not considered to be true memebrs yet, and their two diplomats sit patiently while the Nox and Alterans debate how best to react.
(First part of "Shadows of the Past," see next post for more.)
Comment