Resurgence

"Resurgence" is the tenth episode in the second season of Stargate Universe, and the 30th episode overall.

Synopsis
Destiny investigates a signal outside the flight path marked by the Seed ships, and finds itself in the middle of a war between two alien races.

Plot
Nicholas Rush walks onto the bridge. He looks around, noticing that Eli Wallace has not shown up. He calls him on the radio, but gets no response. Lisa Park's console is beeping, which she cannot seem to correct. Rush presses a few buttons and silences it for her. Power on the bridge then shuts off, which Dale Volker takes responsibility for. He was running a diagnostic of the power systems and forgot to bypass the critical systems. He restores power before Rush can do it for him. Adam Brody informs Rush that Destiny has detected a remote energy signature. Rush doubts Brody's claim, but confirms it at Brody's request.

Rush informs Everett Young that the energy signature is off the course laid out by the seed ships, and will take about a day to reach if they change course. Young asks for guesses on what it may represent. Park believes that it could be a power source or signs of intelligent life. Eli, having just come in, jokes that it could be a "big, black monolith orbiting a planet", then apologizes for having overslept. Rush argues that they should investigate it, since they can't be sure without doing so. Brody points out that they agreed to adhere to Destiny's mission, but Rush counters that this would only be a slight delay. Volker reiterates Park's suggestion that the energy signature may indicate intelligent life, which clearly concerns him, but Rush sees this as a good thing. Volker points out that all their previous alien encounters have ended badly. Park doesn't think they should judge these aliens based on their previous encounters, but Volker sees it as the only logical way to judge them. Rush asserts that the energy signature could lead to something of value to both the crew and Destiny. Young agrees to check it out. Rush orders Volker to change course, but Volker has no idea how. Realizing his mistake, Rush decides to bring Chloe Armstrong up to make the necessary calculations.

Rush goes to Eli's quarters to get him. Eli doesn't answer to Rush's knocks, as he's listening to music through earphones. Rush opens the door, getting Eli's attention. He notes that he tried radioing Eli to no effect, which Eli blames on the music. He informs Eli that the ship is about to drop out of FTL. Eli thanks him for the heads up. They go to the observation deck. The ship dropped out of FTL into a vast field of debris. Eli comments on it being a battlefied, while Camile Wray describes it as a graveyard.

In the control interface room, Rush, Park, and Brody have brought up a holographic map of the debris field. The energy signature Destiny detected was the pockets of radiation from the various ships. Rush has found one ship in particular which they are familiar with. It is the same type of ship Young and Rush visited. Volker has set up a simulation in Destiny's computer which will form a picture of what the ships looked like whole. While they wait, Rush suggests they explore the familiar ship. He volunteers Brody to visit the alien ship this time.

Matthew Scott visits Chloe to inform her of the recent development. Noticing that she's distant, he asks her what's wrong. She explains that she doesn't want him to visit just to watch her slowly disappear. Her infection is spreading faster now, having grown over the left side of her chest, and she is losing her ability to control it. She knows that soon she won't be herself anymore, at which point it will no longer be safe to keep her on the ship. Scott assures her that he won't let that happen, but Chloe knows it's not up to him. She just wants to be useful while she still can. Scott is still holding out hope, but Chloe points out that he's already starting to distance himself from her even if he doesn't realize it. Scott is called by Young to pilot the shuttle to the derelict ship. Scott leaves, but insists that their conversation isn't done. Once Scott leaves, Chloe begins crying.

Wray brings Eli to her quarters, despite his complaints that he's needed on the bridge. Rush has already given her the go-ahead to borrow Eli. Knowing why she's brought him, he insists that he isn't crazy. He finds this rather impressive considering that he went from unemployed and living at home to living on a spaceship billions of light-years from home. He also jokes that The Last Starfighter lied about video games preparing someone for space travel. Wray notes that no one was prepared for this situation, though Eli retorts that everyone else at least had some sort of training in this field, but still believes he's come far in the last ten months, quickly reciting the various experiences he's been through. Wray confirms that she doesn't think he's crazy, which Eli believes marks the end of their conversation. He stops when Wray insists that she isn't giving him a psych evaluation, instead having called him for a friendly chat. She notes that he's been somewhat distracted as of late, which has people worried. Eli doesn't see the big deal, but she elaborates that, given all that he's been through, they think he's not as distracted as she should be. She brings up the memorial video he made for Hunter Riley, which she found very moving. Eli admits that, at times, he'll forget that Riley's dead, only to remember upon seeing that Riley is missing from his normal post in the gate room. Wray notes that Riley was an important part of Eli's life on the ship, to which Eli adds that everyone becomes important when less than 100 people on a single ship make up one's entire world. Losing Riley was not only sad, but wrong. Wray brings up the loss of Ginn, but Eli just leaves rather than talk about it.

Scott, Brody, and Ronald Greer head for the shuttle wearing Ancient environmental suits. Greer asks when Brody repaired the third suit. Brody says he did so yesterday, and assures Greer that it's safe. Greer wonders why he has been given the newly-repaired suit if it's safe, to which Brody explains that it will be easier to fix if it breaks while Greer's wearing it, though that probably won't happen. Scott prepares the shuttle for launch. Young gives him clearance to head out, warning him to be careful.

As they fly through the debris field, Brody is amazed by the sight, while Scott is creeped out by it. Greer can only laugh, confident that anything that could harm them is long dead. However, unseen by them, an intact fighter comes to life amidst the wreckage. Rush calls for a report as they approach the remains of the familiar ship. Volker detects faint EM readings coming from the wreck. Scott locates a breach near the front of the vessel as an access point, and Young gives them boarding permission after hesitating slightly.

Once the ship is positioned, Greer secures a line to the other ship. Brody follows with the equipment, while Scott remains behind to man the shuttle. Rush orders them to search for anything that can be salvaged. Scott advises them to be careful. Brody tells Greer not to touch anything, which Greer is quick to disregard by attempting to trigger a door panel. It has no power, so Brody gives Greer a crowbar to pry the door open. Greer is unreceptive to Brody's coaching on how to best do so. They manage to get it open and move on with their search.

Tamara Johansen brings lunch to Varro in his quarters. He sarcastically comments on how being confined to quarters works up an appetite. TJ notes that Young had good reason to do so following Simeon's actions. Varro argues that Simeon was unstable, but TJ points out that he didn't tell Young about this. Varro believed he could control Simeon. He changes the subject, noting that it's been a while since TJ came by. She blames her absence on being busy, though she wanted to come by. Varro brings up the group that returned from Eden, specifically that they did not have her child as she had thought. TJ assumes that the ship was responsible, projecting the vision into her dreams as it did with the battle scenario Young was put through, though Varro isn't so sure. TJ prepares to leave, but sees a fighter fly by the window and pauses to investigate.

Brody and Greer continue their search of the ship. Young calls for a report. Greer believes the ship is too quiet, though otherwise they have found nothing. TJ reports her sighting to Young over the radio. While she cannot describe it as anything other than "movement", she felt it worth reporting. A loud beep sounds on the bridge, which Eli explains is the indicator that the simulation Volker started has finished compiling. He runs the simulation, which shows four of the familiar ships and seven additional circles of indeterminate origin. Eli cycles the simulation forward again, and, clearly worried by the results, asserts that they need to leave. He explains that the fragments are the victors of the battle. They aren't damaged, merely dormant. Young recalls Scott's team. As Brody and Greer make their way back, Scott sees a fighter fly by his window, unable to describe it to Young due to its speed. Another flies past Destiny, spotted by Wray on the observation deck. Ten more fighters come online.

The fighters make a beeline for Destiny, with at least a dozen now online. Young orders Eli to send out a message indicating that they're friendly by every means available, while ordering Park to raise shields and ready weapons. As they prepare for battle, the bridge retracts into the hull and monitors drop down from the ceiling, which Eli is pleasantly surprised by. Alarms sound in the halls to signal the crew to move to safe areas. Brody and Greer make it back to the shuttle. The fighters offer no response to Eli's message. TJ leaves Varro's quarters to be ready in the infirmary. Varro offers his help, but TJ just closes the door.

The fighters swarm Destiny from all sides, firing on it. Young orders Park to return fire. The turrets managed to shoot down several fighters, but the attack continues unabated. The hull is breached in one of the unoccupied sections. Rush seals it, but the shields are beginning to fail. He orders power diverted from the weapons, but several power overloads complicate matters. Rush insists that they need to jump to FTL, but Young refuses to leave Scott's group behind. They make it back, but the wait has allowed the fighters to disable Destiny's FTL drive. Several areas of the ship have now lost power, numerous turrets are offline, and the shields are steadily losing power. Only the sublight engines are online, and they cannot hope to outrun the fighters. Suddenly, a seed ship drops out of FTL. David Telford contacts them. Since time is short, he orders them to follow his ship. The seed ship plots a course for the nearby star. Young orders a pursuit course while all power is diverted to the shields. The fighters, now more than two-dozen strong, follow them in, destroying themselves in the star's corona. Destiny, meanwhile, is able to recharge itself. Volker notes that they've evaded the fighters for now, but they'll catch up once they get around the star. Telford contacts Destiny again, suggesting that they dock so he can tell them his story.

Young welcomes Telford back to Destiny. Telford is impressed by the bridge, though Young is more impressed by Telford's arrival. Telford admits that he had help. He explains that the aliens they encountered on the seed ship, who call themselves the Ursini, never meant any harm. They were just desperate. Unable to communicate, the Ursini put him in one of their stasis pods, which are equipped with a neural interface. From that, Telford was able to learn their history. He eventually gained their trust and helped them to bring the seed ship online, and have been trying to catch Destiny ever since. When asked how he survived without supplies, he notes that the stasis pods provide nutrients to their occupants. Eli doesn't believe that the Ursini would be so charitable, and Telford admits that they need Destiny's help.

In her quarters, Eli explains the situation to Chloe. The fighters Destiny encountered are automated attack drones. Just as Destiny woke them up by entering the region, so too did the Ursini a long time ago. The Ursini boarded the seed ship for long-term reconnaissance, hoping that it would give them an advantage against the drones. However, no one came back for them. He notes that they only tried to drain Destiny's power because they needed a way home. Now that can go home, however, they don't want to risk making contact until the drones are stopped, which is why they need Destiny's help. Chloe doesn't think they can be trusted, though Eli doesn't see any other option. She asks what the next move it, but it hasn't been decided yet.

Young discusses the situation with Rush and Wray. Wray brings up the fact that the drones will soon catch them, and without FTL they have no hope of escape. Young believes that helping the Ursini to defeat the drones is a viable option. Wray isn't so sure given their previous encounter with the Ursini, though Young notes they just went bout first contact the wrong way. Rush explains that the drones are controlled by a command ship, which if destroyed should disable the drones. The Ursini know its location, but it's out of sublight range. With Destiny's FTL offline, the Ursini intend to use the seed ship to jump both ships into FTL while docked. It's risky to attempt jumping so soon after dropping out, but if it works it will allow them to jump to a safe location. Rush advocates using the Ursini then betraying them. Wray is against it. Rush argues that the Ursini would have no way to retaliate, but Young sees this as an opportunity to dial Earth, since the seed ship has the power to make a connection.

Rush goes to the bridge, where Eli and Volker are working. He asks for the whereabouts of Park and Brody; Volker explains that they're affecting repairs to the damaged systems. Rush moves up to Eli to see what he's doing. Eli explains that he's monitoring the power levels. Rush points out that Eli is bleeding energy from one of the weapons platforms. Rush corrects it for him. He then sends Volker to help Park and Brody. Though Volker is reluctant at first, he gets the hint when Rush takes a quick look at Eli. Eli has also noticed Rush's intent, and is quick to admit his mistake. Rush, however, only sees it as a minor oversight, one of many Eli has made lately, though he is sure Eli will make a big mistake soon enough with his present attitude. Eli sarcastically comments that he can't let everyone down, being the boy genius. Rush notes that his genius could do nothing to stop Ginn's death, which gets Eli's attention. Rush explains that someone stronger took her away, and relates how Eli probably felt like getting revenge. However, even succeeding wouldn't bring Ginn back. Eli tries to leave, but Rush speaks up again, talking about how people are not created equal despite what some might say. Some people have gifts that others don't, and those who are able to recognize and apply those gifts succeed in life. He believes Eli has the potential for greatness, but to achieve it can't let himself give up or be beaten down. Eli is about to respond when Young walks in. They decide to suspend their conversation. Young explains that he has made a deal with the Ursini.

On the bridge, Eli asks if the joint FTL jump will be safe, since it should be like how the shuttles dock with Destiny Brody points out that Destiny is three times larger than the seed ship and not designed for such a jump. Volker adds that they're also jumping in the three-hour danger window. Eli believes that the worst that could happen is the jump fails, but Volker's much more pessimistic belief is that the ship's structural integrity could fail mid-jump, vaporizing the ship. Young asks if they are done, quieting them. With a minute until the jump, Young informs the crew that they will remain in FTL for four hours, at which point they will drop out to a safe location. Once they've affected repairs, they will commence the attack on the command ship. The seed ship initiates the jump, which successfully brings both ships to FTL unharmed.

Eli visits Chloe again, telling her that the Ursini will help them dial Earth once the command ship is defeated. Chloe merely stares out the window blankly, having been doing so ever since the first battle with the drones. Eli tries to get her attention when Destiny drops out of FTL.

The ship has left FTL much sooner than expected. As Brody, Park, and Volker attempt to discern the cause, the ship's sensors detect a dozen drones and the command ship. The Ursini signal Destiny, telling them to target the command ship. The seed ship undocks and move ahead to take care of the drones. The drones immediately converge on Destiny, ignoring the seed ship entirely. With the drones blocking their approach, Destiny has no way to attack the command ship.

Eli tries to head back to the bridge, but is stopped by Chloe, who wants to help. He agrees and brings her out of the room. The guard insists on checking with Young first, so Chloe suddenly slams his head against the wall twice, knocking him out. Eli throws up his hands defensively, but Chloe ignores him, heading off down the corridor. Eli radios Young to inform him of Chloe's escape; though he doesn't know where she's going, she might be dangerous. Young has Brody seal off the section while Scott leads a team to find her. Chloe comes upon a locked door, but simply rips off the panel and bypasses the lock. Scott informs Young that she has broken containment. He eventually catches up to her in the control interface room, where she is working on one of the consoles. She ignores his orders to stop, so he pulls her away. Coming to her senses, she informs him that it's too late.

In the infirmary, TJ is treating the wounded. Varro is brought in at her request, since he wanted to help.

Destiny, as before, is quickly being overwhelmed by the assault. Young has Telford contact the seed ship so they can execute a strategic retreat. Eli arrives on the bridge, while Rush has yet to show up. By the time Rush arrives, several turrets have gone offline and shields are beginning to fail. The Ursini do not respond to hails. Brody suggests falling back, but Rush points out that they have nowhere to run to. The drones continue their assault on the ship, relentless in their goal of destroying it.

Notable Quotes
Nicholas Rush: You know we grew up taught to believe that everyone's equal. That you are no better than anyone else – Of course that's a lie. Some are better than others. And there are those who recognize what makes them better and are able to exploit that to succeed.

Col. Young: Eli, I want you to broadcast a message.

Eli Wallace: In Ancient?

Col. Young: Ancient, English, Bat-Signal, whatever else you got. Tell them we are not a threat.

Background notes

 * The episode will have taken place ten months after the event of "Air, Part 1".
 * According to Young, roughly a month has passed since the events of "Awakening"

Production

 * The title was revealed on the March 11, 2010 entry on Joseph Mallozzi's blog, before the titles for episodes 6, 7, 8 and 9 were released.