Continuing Stargate

[Dr. Daedalus]

I started mine on the 24th. Some schools are really starting late this year it seems like.

Good to hear about the episode!

I started mine on the 17th of August. I am really looking forward to the episode.

Dr. D

[shadez2]

mine was today

[Rudy Pena]

I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!


Why?

Because I have been working to fraking much the past 48 hours and still got more work to come in the next few days. I have been having NO work loads the past few weeks. And now all of a sudden we switch places. No way! I dont like this move you pulled on me!


lol j/k


Man I hate working alot. This week is going to be a long one for me.

[SG-18]

I know how you feel Rudy. I got lots of work right now too. my classes started last monday, man what a week... and more fun to come!

[shadez2]

1/2 days till next episode (runs round quickly Obviously not excited abuot the two parter for the end of the der'kal.)

[s09119]

15x21 "The Parting of Ways, Part 1" (Part 1 of 2)
Synopsis: Change is in the air for SG-1 and the galaxy as the Free People of Earth prepare to hand power back to an international government, and the war at large takes a sudden and unexpected turn.

Spoiler:

((60 second recap of selected scenes from "Sojourn," "Power Play," "Quid Pro Quo,"
"Against the Night," "Dark Tide," "Pride Before the Fall," "Pyrrhus," and "Left Behind"))

On Chulak, Teal'c is preparing for a state visit to Earth, to attend the official handing over of power from the refugee government known as the Free People of Earth to a restructured and reorganized United Nations. Standing in the stargate plaza, he adjusts his ceremonial robes and glances around for his escorts, but fails to spot them amongst the crowd of people rushing about on their daily business. One of the rather annoying side effects of the planet's rapid urbanization has been the massive influx of new residents, and the once-quiet streets of the capital city have become clogged with millions of Jaffa. The days of the System Lords were certainly terrible, but at least then the populations of even the most-significant worlds never ballooned into the billions. How people like the Tau'ri manage it, no one may ever know.

Behind him, a familiar set of voices call out, and Teal'c turns in relief to see Ishta, the Free Jaffa ambassador to the Alliance, and Ka'lel, now the Jaffa Senate Majority Leader as head of the Progressive party. One by one, Teal'c embraces the two Hak'tyl, first his fiance ("Against the Night"), and then his longtime friend and ally. With proper respect having been given to all parties, the stargate is dialed for Earth, and the three of them depart.

On the human homeworld itself, a great crowd of international dignitaries have arrived at what was once called Battery Park, the area at the very tip of Manhattan island. And there, a spectacular sight can be seen; from the ruins of the bombardment-destroyed park, a sparkling blue-glass structure has emerged, a twisting and curved building that is undeniably an incredible sight to behold amid all the decimated skyscrapers nearby. Surrounded on three sides by New York Harbor and symbolically the closest land-based thing to the Statue of Liberty, this is the O'Neill Stargate Terminal (1/2), slated to take over day-to-day interplanetary affairs from the makeshift ISGC in Times Square after the hand-off of power. Given the fact that the UN building further up the island is still in a state of disrepair, the ceremony will take place here, to better accommodate the high-profile guests arriving from across the Milky Way.

Inside, SG-1, all dressed in formal attire for the occasion, are standing in front of the stargate as it comes online, and greet Teal'c, Ishta, and Ka'lel warmly as they arrive. In the distance, various officials of the Tok'ra, Serrakin, and even the reclusive Venii can be seen, as well as guests from many of the worlds the ISGC has visited over the years. Colonels Carter and Taylor are off in one corner talking with Jonas Quinn, and Danielle Talbot is greeting a pair of representatives from the Russian Federation at the front entrance. Gazing appraisingly at the beautiful architecture of the terminal, Ishta remarks that this is a true testament to the strength of the Tau'ri, able to be pick themselves up even after the devastation they have suffered and still construct a facility as impressive as this. Daniel thanks her for the compliment, but also points out that it's functional as well as pleasing to the eye; trinium alloy plates are housed in the panes of all the glass around them, and at a moment's notice can be deployed to ensure that even if a bomb comes through the stargate, the blast will not escape the structure itself.

Pleasantries exchanged, Teal'c bows his head and says that they will take their seats, not wanting to hold up the event, and he and his escorts bid the team their farewells for now. Watching them go, Eaton says that she can't help but feel a sense of pride in all this, as Ishta isn't wrong. After everything Earth has been through, many people never thought the day would come where life could return to normal, and yet it finally seems to be happening. Grinning, Mitchell reminds her to take it easy given her recent injury ("Left Behind"), but agrees that today is a truly momentous day for humanity, and they should just enjoy the gala. Daniel and Vala nod in agreement, and the four of them go to locate their own seats, finding themselves sitting next to none-other than their old commander, General Hank Landry, and his daughter/their chief doctor, Dr. Caroline Lam.

Elsewhere, a group of humans is watching a television set with a news feed from outside the new stargate terminal. Wearing tattered marine and army uniforms of various nations, the men and women look on with mixed expressions of anger and dissatisfaction with the event, and all of them hold some kind of firearm. Slamming a magazine into her rifle, a woman steps out ahead of the others and says that this is an affront to everything they fought and died for. Before this day is over, these blasted refugees will understand the depth of their ignorance, and they will pay for the insult they have given to all of Earth. The others echo her calls, raising up their weapons in anticipation.

Back in New York, the stargate is coming online, and Mitchell frowns, noting that all the offworld dignitaries have arrived. But regardless, the seven chevrons flash and lock into place, and a wormhole forms, drawing the attention of the entire room. After a moment, a Tok'ra operative steps through, looking harried and and calling out in Goa'uld. Turning to his teammates, Daniel and Vala take turns translating; he's here on behalf of Alliance Intelligence, and needs to speak with someone in a positon of authority immediately on a matter of great importance. Glancing at each other from across the room, Carter and SG-1 break off their respective conversations at once and head toward the operative, asking him what's wrong and reminding him that this is something of an affair of state.

The Tok'ra apologizes, saying he understands, but that this simply could not wait; long-range sensors are picking up a massing of Der'kal ships in the vicinity of P9X-335, where the now-infamous first battle of the war took place ("Shatterpoint"). At first they dismissed it, but more and more fleets look to be arriving there every hour, and if they launch a combined offensive, it could easily overwhelm the defenses of any world in Alliance space. But as Carter points out, this makes no sense, as the Der'kal must be literally stripping their conquered planets of ships in order to pull together the entire armada at once. It would certainly explain why they've been having such an easy time of retaking ground these past couple of months, but why would they do it? It's practically begging to be overrun, after all.

Whatever the reason, it warrants looking into, and given that area's proximity to Heliopolis, they need to move sooner rather than later. Carter pulls an earpiece out of her uniform and snaps it into place, radioing the Jupiter and asking how long it will take them to ready the ship for departure. But Mitchell grabs her arm, saying that her place should be here, to be a part of the hand-off. They can take the Aurora instead, and not see any loss in firepower or defenses. Sam insists that she wants to look into this, but relents, admitting that she really should stay here as the commander of Earth's fleet. Sighing, she says that she'll make the call to Col. Sanders and get everything set up while SG-1 changes out of their formalwear and into some combat gear.

Before they leave, though, Mitchell turns to Eaton and tells the Major that with her injuries, she's not going on a jaunt to the other side of the galaxy. Instantly, she begins arguing that as a member of SG-1, she has every right to come with the others, but Cameron puts his foot down on this one; she fractured a few ribs barely a week ago, and if thing's get rough, her slamming into consoles or being thrown against bulkheads won't help that at all. She can stay and help with security for the gala, and that will have to be that. Rebbecca mutters something incoherent which Mitchell wisely ignores, then relents. She can't go against a direct order, and it's clear that her CO isn't going to budge. Wishing the others well, she grabs a zat off a passing security guard, shrugging at him to get a new one, and resigns herself to her new duty.

On the other side of the room, Teal'c watches SG-1 rush from the terminal, and wonders why he has yet to be contacted if there's an emerging crisis. Ishta, though, reminds him that they took official leave for the duration of the ceremony, so if there is something unfolding offworld, the government back on Chulak probably doesn't deem it bad enough to bother them. Ka'lel, though, doesn't share her view of the situation, and excuses herself to inquire with the newly-arrived Tok'ra as to what's happening. Once she's out of earshot, Ishta leans closer to her fiance and asks if this could have anything to do with the fleet they have on a reconnaissance mission in Der'kal space, a mission that Ka'lel is not privy to the details of. Teal'c replies that he's not sure, but promises to check in with the lead ship shortly. For now, though, it is best that they just enjoy the time away from the stresses of politics, and they return to doing so.

In orbit, Colonel Via Sanders is welcoming SG-1 onto the Aurora, asking sarcastically if they had some party to go to instead of interrupting her otherwise-uneventful shift. Mitchell rolls his eyes and says that they'd much rather be down planetside enjoying fine wines and delicious hors d'oeuvres, but he guesses that they can settle for a rousing trip across the galaxy. Laughing, and clapping Cameron on the back, Sanders remarks that she might just enjoy their company after all, and orders her crew to take the 305 into hyperspace. As the team settles down for the hours-long voyage, the mammoth vessel pulls out of orbit and opens a window, then jumps away for parts unknown.

Light-years away, a Der'kal cruiser is dropping out of hyperspace over P9X-335, though the planet is still too far out to make out exactly how many ships are parked overhead. On the bridge of the alien vessel, Vur'naa sits contemplating recent events and how they impact the course of the war. He closes his eyes for a moment, and experiences a brief flashback, watching himself command his warship on that fateful day when they launched their invasion of the Milky Way, shredding through the Alliance fleet like a hot knife through butter. Many claimed that the attack was one of cowardice, even within the armada, as they used the fleet of their puppet to weaken the infidel defenders and wear them down. By the time the Der'kal ships arrived themselves, there really wasn't much left to fight.

(Beginning of "The Parting of Ways, Part 1," see next two posts for more.)

[s09119]

(More of "The Parting of Ways, Part 1," see previous post for beginning and next post for end.)

Spoiler:

Opening his eyes and ending the reverie, Vur'naa asks for a status report on how many of the vessels he requested have arrived. One of his helmsmen replies that almost 90% of the asked-for ships are here, then relays a message from one of the other cruisers already in orbit, the commander of which says that they dispatched a small group of warships to investigate sightings of Jaffa in the area. Eyes widening, Vur'naa snarls that this is unacceptable; the Alliance cannot be allowed to understand what's taking place, or they'll arrive with guns blazing and ruin their one chance to bring their plans to fruition. He orders several more ships to fan out and scout the surrounding systems for any sign of inbound enemies, and to destroy them at once if encountered. This day is too important, and nothing can stand in the way of its completion. Then, his orders being carried out, the alien commander again closes his eyes, and the visions of that historic battle return...

On Earth, Jonas approaches Dr. Talbot at the new stargate terminal's entrance, and the latter breaks off a discussion with a surviving Serrakin dignitary to speak with her Langaran friend. Quinn begins by thanking her for the invitation to the event here, then says that he believes the dedication would make Jack O'Neill very happy were he still with them. Then, he takes Talbot aside and says that as an Intelligence agent, he's well-aware of the news the Tok'ra brought, but isn't quite sure of a few things. He understands that the information was delivered directly to Earth since the leaders of all the Alliance races are currently convened here, but from what he's hearing, no other government is sending out ships to investigate the reports. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions until he gets more of a grasp on the story, but it looks like the Tau'ri are being relied upon to check up on things despite the fact that their fleet has been severely reduced in size and manpower.

Talbot admits that she doesn't really like this situation, either, but acknowledges that the Jaffa have the majority of their sizable armada preoccupied with defending hundreds of planets, as well as driving deeper into conquered Der'kal space. The Tok'ra operate only a handful of motherships and wouldn't want to risk them, and the Venii's relationship with the Alliance is still uncertain, and they have no reason to risk a ship needlessly for people that are still only possible allies. That leaves Earth, and given the sheer might of a Jupiter-class vessel, she supposes that they have the best chance of scouting and coming back alive.

Whatever the case, she needs to open the ceremony so the extensive list of guest speakers can begin their overly-long and obscenely-dry speeches, and, chuckling, Jonas tells her that he'll see her later. But as he watches her head towards the podium set up on the steps of the stargate, his expression fades to a worried one, and he glances through the glass ceiling into the calm blue skies, wondering what's happening out beyond the galactic rim that has thrown everyone into disarray.

Standing on a balcony above the main level, one of the disgruntled soldiers from earlier is walking around in a neatly-pressed suit, muttering into a wrist radio about "people of interest" at the gala. Looking down at Jonas, he reports that there are a few Alliance Intel people here, and they'll need to be neutralized before they put their plan into action. Also of note are the many ISGC personnel in attendance, who will likewise need to be dealt with. Back where he and his comrades met earlier in the day, his female superior replies that they should be able to draw the more-dangerous dignitaries out into the open where they can be taken care of quickly and efficiently, leaving the vulnerable ones exposed and unguarded. Smiling, the soldier says that he'll get back to his rounds and keep on the look out for more interesting persons, then picks up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and continues on his way.

On the other side of New York, a prisoner who's face is blocked by the camera angle sits in his cell, humming softly to himself and staring up at the ceiling. Guards patrol the hallways all around,but are taken completely offguard when an air vent suddenly explodes, allowing half a dozen armed men and women (more of the disgruntled soldiers) to pour out, stunning or outright killing any and all of the makeshift prison's guards they see. One guard tries to call for help on his radio, but finds that all he can get is static, and is shot soon after. A few minutes later, the halls of the prison are silent once again, completely in the hands of these renegade soldiers. They calmly and quietly make their way to where their target prisoner is still humming in his cell, yank the keys off of a dead guard, and set him free. Finally ceasing his melodic hum, the prisoner smiles and gets to his feet, ready for the outside world.

Meanwhile, as the Aurora races toward the other side of the galaxy, Daniel and Vala sit in the commissary sipping mugs of coffee and staring out at the swirling colors of the hyperspace tunnel. As she takes a gulp of her drink, Vala observes that there is some small measure of irony in this whole affair; SG-1, aboard a warship named Aurora that is commanded by Col. Via Sanders, is racing to stop a massive fleet detected gathering in orbit around P9X-335. That's word-for-word the scenario they were faced with four years ago when the war began... different bad guys and different types of ships, but the same basic story. Laughing, Jackson agrees that he wouldn't be surprised if this was all part of some grand cosmic joke, orchestrated to bring all their triumphs and tragedies full circle.

As they discuss the intricate paths they've followed these past few years, Mitchell and Sanders are on the bridge, watching the crew prepare for when they drop out of hyperspace. Sitting in her command chair, Via wonders what's going to happen after the UN takes back planetary power after the commencement ceremony. After all, the ISGC has been operating mostly of its own authority for months now, and there will most-likely be changes coming down their end of things with all that's happening. But Cameron is sure that no matter what happens, this is all for the best. Some semblance of normality is coming back to life on Earth, and no one's going to hear him complaining about it.

Suddenly, a nearby console beeps urgently, and Sanders activates the ship-wide intercom, telling her crew that their ETA is just under twenty minutes. Everyone should prepare for imminent combat the second they revert to normal space, and she wants all available pilots in their fighters now so they don't have a lag in scramble time later on. Glancing over at Mitchell, the ship's commander adds that even with all the defensive capabilities of the 305, there's still a chance that they'll drop out amidst so many enemy contacts that they'll be blown away in seconds, but it's odds like that that make working for the Stargate Program so exciting, right? Given the shocked expression on Mitchell's face, Sanders laughs, guessing that he doesn't quite see things the same way.

Back home on Earth, the crowd inside the stargate terminal is applauding the latest guest speaker, a former professor at Yale who was illustrating the tremendous impact the alien portal has had on both humanity and the galaxy at large. And that, finally, brings the list of speaking dignitaries to a close, save the very last one; Chief of State Danielle Talbot. Getting up from her seat, she walks up to the podium and takes her place before the microphone, taking a moment to look back at the flags of the FPE, UN, and the ISGC behind her, standing within the ring of the gate itself. Staring out into the assembly that has come together for this moment, she does her best to stay calm, and begins her speech.

While the camera pans across the faces of all the steadfast allies of humanity these past fifteen years, Talbot begins by reflecting on the utter shock she experienced that day at the United Nations when she looked up to the sky and saw a massive beam of golden light streaming straight for the surrounding city. Fearing that this was the end, she stumbled back into the building and froze, but then, out of nowhere, a massive gray warship soared across the sky, and its defensive shield lit up as it took the attack in full. Then, even more amazingly, a purplish-blue tear appeared on the horizon, and the incredible vessel shot forward into it, flashing as it disappeared into the already-fading window. Little did she know what it all meant then, but watching the DSC-304 Aurora dive out of orbit and save all of New York from destruction at the hands of the Ori ("Sol, Part 2") was a moment of transition for her, the day that everything changed forever.

A year later, when she was approached by General Hank Landry to take over operations at the ISGC from him, she didn't know what to say. Her mind flashed back to that moment at the UN, when she witnessed the salvation of millions at the hands of a crew willing to risk it all for their homeworld. Right then, she knew that she would strive to one day do the same, to do whatever it took to ensure that Earth and her people would have a place amongst the stars, and the only answer she ever considered to Landry's question was an unhesitating "Yes." And when she came out of her new office to see Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter, two of the planet's greatest heroes, standing there in front of her, she knew that she had made the right decision ("Shatterpoint").

Now, after all the horrors that their world has suffered, she stands here ready to hand back power to Earth's denizens, in a way fulfilling the promise she made to herself so long ago to make certain that, no matter what, her people would live on. She pauses to allow for the audience's applause, then looks over to where Maj. Eaton is standing at the back of the room, nodding in approval of all the thing's said so far. Sucking in a breath, Talbot picks back up where she left off, beginning the part of the speech about the transition of authority, and how today marks a moment of rebirth for the United Nations and all the countries and peoples who comprise it.

Listening with anticipation of the next few paragraphs, Eaton makes her way across the back of the chamber, glancing around for any unexpected signs of trouble. But everyone is just politely looking on as Talbot continues, and nothing looks at all out of the ordinary. Nothing, that is, until something up on the balcony catches her eye, and she cranes her neck around the edge of the platform to see a plain-looking man in a tuxedo slowly extracting a zat gun of his own from within his jacket. Eyes widening, Rebbecca taps at her earpiece and says that they have a problem... but there's only static, meaning that someone's jamming their short-range radios. And with none of the other security personnel seeing anything to report, it's unlikely anyone else will notice. And more of the men standing on the balcony are extracting guns of their own, ranging from zats to pistols to Uzis, and they're far enough back that none of the guests around them seem to notice. And in the background, Talbot is just about to announce her stepping down as Chief of State of the Free People of Earth, to hand over her office to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

[s09119]

(End of "The Parting of Ways, Part 1," see previous two posts for beginning.)

Spoiler:

Cursing her luck, Eaton yanks out her weapon and shouts for everyone to get down, then takes a shot up into the upper level, her blast hitting the metal railing and shocking everyone standing too close. Suddenly, the room is thrown into panic mods, with dignitaries trying to find someplace to run to and finding that bullets and zat blasts are streaming in from all sides. One terrorist in particular shoves two representatives aside and gets within feet of Danielle at the podium, raising his Uzi and preparing to fire, only to be kicked, punched, and hurled away by Ka'lel's timely intervention. A few meters away, Ishta and Teal'c likewise bring a pair of insurgents to the ground, and Jonas knocks out an armed woman trying to get a bead on General Landry.

While the chaos continues to escalate, Eaton runs up the stairs to the second level, zatting two terrorists firing down into the crowd, then ducking into cover behind a pillar as three more open fire on her from below. As bullets tear into the ground around her, Rebbecca looks across to the other side of the terminal, where the Tok'ra leader Delek is scissor-kicking another bad guy. Gasping for breath, she wonders where these people came from and what they could possibly want by trying to destroy the ceremony. She risks firing off another zat blast, and manages to stun one of the people firing at her, then gets cocky and tries for a second shot... only to have her weapon filled up with bullets, useless. This isn't going quite as well as it could be, and looking around, she sees that these terrorists are gaining the upper hand against the unarmed diplomats and caught-off-guard security forces. Could it get much worse?

Far from the unfolding crisis, the Aurora is only minutes away from P9X-335, and everyone on the ship is tense with waiting. Mitchell, Vala, and Daniel are all on the bridge now, and Colonel Sanders is giving her men one last pep talk before they drop out for battle. Jackson is just in the middle of saying how there's no guarantee that they'll need to fight when the vessel lurches violently, and the control consoles spark as the hyperspace tunnel collapses around them. The 305 is ejected back into normal space, and green plasma begins slamming into the forward shields at once, coming from a group of four ships sitting dead ahead.

As the entire bridge crew is thrown to the floor from the sudden stop, Via pulls herself up and shouts for a status report. Her sensory officer yells back that they have a Der'kal interdiction cruiser in that group of ships, along with two frigates and a corvette. All four are launching fighters and gunships, and Sanders gives an order to scramble all F-302s, F-302bs, and puddle jumpers in response. Pulling himself to his feet as well, Mitchell asks how the Der'kal knew they were inbound, but no one has an answer for him. Whatever the case may be, the problem now is surviving long enough to knock out the hyperspace interdictor and get back on course for their target world.

The Aurora's railguns, missile bays, and Asgard weapons all come online at once, firing off shot after shot as fightercraft dart out of their bays and stream toward the approaching Der'kal ships. The two sides collide in an explosion of bullets and plasma, and the battle begins. Given the sheer firepower of the alien forces, though, no one's certain just how this will end.

Back on Earth, Eaton is still crouching behind her pillar when another terrorist comes up the stairs to her right. The Major pulls herself up just in time to block a punch, but is knocked back into the open in the process. Her attacker comes at her again, this time with a roundhouse kick, and Rebbecca is knocked back into the railing... and then goes over, crashing down on a now-empty buffet table and snapping it in two with the impact. She calls out in pain at once, grabbing at her rib cage and doubling up, but knows that if she doesn't keep moving, she's dead anyway. Managing to roll off of the broken table, she staggers through the chaos of dignitaries running every-which-way and makes it to the stargate, where Teal'c, Carter, and Jonas are all standing in a loose ring around Dr. Talbot.

Seeing how badly she's hurt, Jonas pulls her behind the podium and pulls open her dress uniform, taking one look at the bleed-through on her bandages and shouting for a medic. But then, oddly, the entire room goes silent, and the sound of zat discharges, gunfire, and screaming all ceases at once. Rebbecca tries to stand so she can see what's happening, and Jonas puts his arms around her and helps her to her feet, the two of them getting upright in time to see a new squad of terrorist men and women coming through the front doors, automatic weapons in-hand. With a gasp, Eaton mutters that she knows these people; they were members of the resistance movement when Earth was being occupied by the Der'kal. She remembers fighting alongside them for months, but thought that any hostility between them and the refugees was finally abated when they foiled disgraced-Colonel Makepeace's plans to kill the leaders of the FPE ("Against the Night").

Then, though, another figure comes through the terminal's front door--the prisoner from earlier--and slowly walks over to the balcony, gripping the handrails and looking down at all the terrified representatives. And as they all look on, Makepeace smiles, remarking just how good it is to be back in action.

((To Be Continued...))

[bradly08]

OMG, I think I may know what the storyline for season 16 is.

[s09119]

OMG, I think I may know what the storyline for season 16 is.

Wow, I haven't gotten an "OMG" in response to an episode since "Pyrrhus." This is promising

[EvilSpaceAlien]

Wow, I haven't gotten an "OMG" in response to an episode since "Pyrrhus." This is promising

Well here's five more.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. There you go!

Excellent episode! Greenworthy methinks.

I'm wondering who I hate the most, Tom Zarek (BSG) or Makepeace.

Looking forward to the next part.

[Shinto-Male]

will season 16 be about those former resistance folks?

[Fettucchini]

Well here's five more.
I'm wondering who I hate the most, Tom Zarek (BSG) or Makepeace.

Don't forget Senator/Vice President Kinsey.

[Rudy Pena]

OMFG This is so not happening!

someone please tell me this aint happening.

This is really great, its so great I cant explain it.

[qmwneb]

well done
cant wait for part 2!