Gauntlet/Transcript

Episode Guide

 * Gauntlet" Episode Guide

Previously
PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE UNIVERSE

TEASER

INT&mdash;DESTINY INFIRMARY

[TJ unwraps the bandages from around Park's eyes as she sits on a bed. Greer stands anxiously nearby.]

TJ How you feeling?

PARK (excited) Oh, great! I haven't had this much rest in weeks! I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to getting bleary eyed analyzing data.

[TJ smiles. The bandages are unwound except for two round gauze patches covering Park's eyes.]

TJ Well, let's see where we're at.

PARK I've been seeing occasional flashes of light. I think that's a good sign, right?

[Young quietly enters the room and watches from near the door. TJ has now pulled off the gauze bandages.]

TJ Okay, open your eyes.

[Park opens them cautiously, and looks blank.]

TJ (anxiously) Lisa?

PARK Uh, it's still dark. I&hellip;can't see.

[TJ shines a penlight in Park's eyes and watches for a reaction.]

TJ Anything?

PARK (crying) No.

[Greer reaches out and strokes Park's back as TJ hugs her. Young quietly leaves.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CORRIDOR

[Young heads down a corridor after leaving the infirmary. Wray, exiting a side corridor, spots him heading towards her.]

WRAY Colonel, you got a second?

YOUNG (sighing) Ah, can it wait?

WRAY You look terrible.

YOUNG (dryly) Thank you.

WRAY You're running yourself ragged. Okay? Get some rest.

YOUNG Way ahead of you. That's where I'm going.

RUSH (over radio) Colonel Young, this is Rush. Come in.

WRAY No, ignore that. You're no good to us exhausted.

RUSH (over radio) Colonel Young?

[Wray makes a face as Young stops and keys his radio.]

YOUNG This is Young.

RUSH (over radio) Could you join us in the control interface room, please? There's something we want to show you.

[Wray and Young exchange resigned looks.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[Eli meets Young and Wray at the door to the room.]

ELI We did it.

YOUNG Fantastic.

WRAY What'd they do?

YOUNG I have no idea.

ELI We found a way to track the command ships that control the drones.

WRAY How?

RUSH We managed to isolate the subspace signals they use to communicate with each other.

ELI Then, we plugged the data into Destiny's long range sensors, and it worked.

WRAY So we know where they are. Then, we can avoid them and find safe planets to resupply.

ELI (rueful) That was the idea, anyway.

YOUNG Let's see it.

[Eli presses some controls. A holographic two-dimensional image of a moving star-field comes into view between Young and Eli.]

ELI This is the path that the seed ships plotted for us through this galaxy. These are the upcoming 'gates&hellip;and these are the command ships.

[Some systems have been designated with white blocks to indicate Stargates. Red images superimpose over every system with a Stargate.]

WRAY Oh my God.

RUSH Look, we've pushed this as far as sensor capability will allow, and the results are the same. As far as we can tell, they're waiting at every 'gate between here and the edge of the galaxy.

ELI We're screwed.

END TEASER

OPENING CREDIT

INT&mdash;HOMEWORLD COMMAND WAITING ROOM, EARTH

[Rush, in the body of a military man, and Young, in the body of a civilian, sit in a waiting area in a bunker area of Homeworld Command. Sgt. Graham approaches and looks at the man in military garb.]

GRAHAM Colonel Young?

RUSH No, I'm Rush. This is Young.

[They both rise.]

GRAHAM Colonel Telford's waiting for you.

INT&mdash;TELFORD'S OFFICE

[Rush are across from Telford, who is behind his desk.]

TELFORD You sure your sensor data is accurate?

RUSH Of course it is.

TELFORD And they're at every single 'gate?!

YOUNG Well, they figured out how we operate. They know which stars we use to recharge; they know that we use the 'gate to resupply. They're everywhere we want to be along that path.

TELFORD So go off the path. Use the shuttles to check out un-gated worlds.

RUSH We cannot do that. There's over 300 billion stars in that galaxy. Only a small percentage of them have planets. An even smaller percentage are capable of sustaining life. The seed ships did the legwork; they found the needles in the haystack. If we go off on our own, it could be months, maybe even years between viable worlds. It's not an option.

[Telford rises and begins to pace.]

TELFORD What's your supply situation?

YOUNG We're looking at about a month's worth of food and water.

TELFORD What about power?

RUSH We'll die of thirst before that becomes an issue.

YOUNG We could really use a supply line from home, David.

TELFORD Well, the only planet we know of with the power requirements to reach you is still refusing to help. Woolsey is still pushing diplomacy, but he's not making much progress. Whatever the solution is, you're going to have to make it happen on your own.

INT&mdash;DESTINY INFIRMARY

[Chloe enters. TJ is already there checking supplies.]

CHLOE Hey! I'm collecting inventory reports. Guess it could be a while before we can use the 'gate again.

TJ (brightly) So I hear. We're actually in pretty good shape down here for the moment.

[TJ hands a tablet of data to Chloe.]

CHLOE Matt told me about Lisa. Do you think her condition's permanent?

TJ I don't know. I mean, there should have been some progress by now.

CHLOE It's not your fault. You don't have the right equipment, the resources&hellip;

TJ (sighing) Even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference. There's no treatment. Her corneas were burned by ultraviolet radiation. If-if they don't heal on their own&hellip; Well, I know it seems unfair, but sometimes you just have to play the hand that you're dealt.

CHLOE Why do I get the feeling you're not just talking about Lisa?

[TJ does not respond, remaining back-to Chloe.]

CHLOE There's still hope. For her, and for you!

TJ (turning, sniffling) ALS is a death sentence, Chloe. You know that&hellip; And it's not going to be pretty. It'll start with muscle weakness and cramping. And then I'll have trouble walking, talking, feeding myself. And eventually, full paralysis will set in. But my mind will be unaffected. I'll be a prisoner trapped inside my own body. Like I said, you play the hand you're dealt.

[TJ walks away.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Volker, Brody, Rush, and Eli are there.]

BRODY So, no help from home.

RUSH No.

VOLKER Well, that doesn't leave us with many options.

RUSH Well, we can't run, we can't hide. We'll have to fight.

ELI There's a lot of them out there.

RUSH We don't have to take on all of them. Just as many as we have to in order to resupply when necessary.

VOLKER (scoffing) That's still a pretty tall order, considering we've only taken out one of their command ships.

ELI And that was with help.

RUSH Well, we do have the element of surprise now we're able to track them.

[They stare at him skeptically.]

RUSH Okay, we choose a target, drop out of FTL, and open fire before it's got the chance to respond.

ELI But what if it does manage a response?

RUSH Well, if we don't destroy it immediately, we can at least cause enough damage to gain a huge advantage.

BRODY So, let's say this works once, maybe even twice. But we're going to start taking damage, and it's going to take its toll.

RUSH Well, we find a way to minimize that damage.

VOLKER Oh yeah? And I suppose you've got an idea on how we manage that.

RUSH As a matter of fact, I do.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies faster than light.]

INT&mdash;YOUNG'S QUARTERS

[Volker, Brody, Rush and Eli brief Young.]

YOUNG So, you're saying we dial up the shields?

RUSH Well, no, not exactly.

ELI It's more like we&hellip;tune them.

BRODY When we're in battle, the shields continuously cycle through various frequencies in the hopes of matching energy-based attacks. The closer the match, the easier the attack is to absorb, and consequently the less damage we take.

VOLKER It's a guessing game. Like Rock, Paper, Scissors.

RUSH In the case of the drones, we don't have to guess.

ELI (sarcastic) Thanks to someone's brilliant idea to bring one on board.

RUSH The energy signature of their weapons is a fairly limited range. We can target specifically for it.

ELI We just need to override Destiny's normal, randomized shield pattern.

VOLKER And paper covers rock. Every time.

YOUNG If all, uh, Destiny has to do is find the right match, why does it bother cycling in the first place?

BRODY Because matching and maintaining a single, specific pattern makes it vulnerable to all other forms of attack.

VOLKER Right, like if they throw scissors, and we're uh, guessing, uh, rock&hellip; Not to push the analogy too far.

BRODY Too late.

YOUNG So we are wrong, it would be like we have no shields at all.

RUSH We're not wrong.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies faster than light.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Young joins Greer, Volker, and Scott in the Bridge.]

GREER Main weapon is charged and ready.

[Young sits in the captain chair and presses the intercom.]

YOUNG (into radio) Rush, what's your status?

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[Eli, Brody, and Rush are working there.]

RUSH (into radio) Looks like Destiny's accepting our override. Shields are at maximum.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

RUSH (over radio) Modulation is limited within target range.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny weapons set up for firing.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

SCOTT Who calculated the FTL jump?

VOLKER Chloe.

SCOTT Think we'll come out in range?

VOLKER Well, it's a bit like trying to hit a dime with a bullet from a thousand yards, but&hellip;she's pretty good.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny drops into regular space. A command ship is dead ahead at close range. Destiny's weapons automatically focus on the target.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[A buzzer blares constantly.]

YOUNG What is that?

VOLKER Collision alarms. We're about to hit!

SCOTT Hold on!

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The bottom of Destiny scrapes the top of the drone command ship.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Everyone is thrown off-balance by the collision.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny has cleared the command ship. From the shattered hull of the command ship, several drones fly out and head to Destiny.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

VOLKER Whoo-hoo-hoo! I take it back. She is very, very good.

GREER Uh, we've got incoming.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The drones fire constantly at Destiny, but there is no damage to the ship.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[The conversation switches between the bridge and control room.]

ELI It's working. Their weapons are having almost no effect!

RUSH Concentrate on the command ship. We can hold the drones.

GREER I don't have a shot!

SCOTT Working on it.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny begins to fire at the command ship, which is damaged by the blasts.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY

VOLKER The command ship is damaged, but still operational.

SCOTT Bringing us around again.

[Sparks fly as the bridge starts to be damaged. An alarm blares.]

YOUNG What's that?

VOLKER Shields just dropped ten percent.

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

ELI What's going on?! All of a sudden, all their shots are getting through!

RUSH That's no weapons' fire.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The drones set direct courses into Destiny, destroying themselves and damaging the Ancient ship upon impact.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

SCOTT It's the drones. They're flying right into us! It's a kamikaze run!

VOLKER Shields are down to half and still dropping.

BRODY We've lost power in multiple sections.

GREER I'm down three gun positions. I can't hold them off.

YOUNG Forget it! There's too many anyway. Just give me another crack at the command ship.

SCOTT She's trying to out-maneuver us. I need some more time.

BRODY We don't have it! Shields are failing.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[More drones fly into Destiny.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

SCOTT Almost there.

GREER We got 'em.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The forward guns are able to directly aim at the command ship. A barrage of fire strikes the command ship, destroying it.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

VOLKER Direct hit. The command ship's been destroyed.

SCOTT Looks like the drones have gone dormant.

YOUNG (into intercom) Away teams, to the shuttles. Let's make this quick. We don't want to stay here any longer than we have to. (to Scott) Go.

[Scott runs out of the bridge. Brody arrives and takes Scott's place.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[Both Eli and Rush are breathless after the encounter.]

ELI We can't do this every time we need to resupply.

RUSH No. We need another plan.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The shuttle lands on Destiny.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Eli enters.]

ELI Second shuttle just docked. Guess they found a few edibles, but the pickings were pretty slim.

YOUNG Get us out of here.

[Eli heads to a station.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny enters faster than light speed.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CORRIDOR OUTSIDE YOUNG'S QUARTERS

[Eli jogs to catch up to Young, who is trudging ahead.]

ELI Colonel! Do you have a minute?

YOUNG Well, I know it sounds like a crazy idea, Eli, but I was actually thinking of getting some sleep. So, unless you have some genius idea that solves all our problems&hellip;

[He enters his quarters. Eli follows.]

ELI As a matter of fact, I do. But, you're not going to like it.

YOUNG Well, that goes without saying. I am notoriously hard to please. So, let's hear it.

[He starts undressing to get ready for bed, taking off his jacket and shoes.]

ELI Okay. Another day, another galaxy.

YOUNG What the hell does that mean?

ELI This is just one of a thousand galaxies in Destiny's path. And I think you'll agree, it's turned out to be something of a hostile environment?

YOUNG So?

ELI So&hellip;we skip it: one continuous FTL jump, out and around the length of this galaxy across the gap to the next one until we reach the first 'gate on the other side.

YOUNG How long's that going to take?

ELI (reluctantly) That's the part you're not going to like. We're only about a-a third of the way through this galaxy, plus the gap to the next one's quite a bit&hellip;larger than last time. On top of that, thanks to the ass-kicking that was just handed to us, we've got power issues, and some not insignificant damage to the FTL drive that we won't have time to fix, which means we'll be operating at reduced speed, which means we might actually run into&mdash;

YOUNG (interrupting) Eli. How long?

ELI Three years. Give or take.

YOUNG (chuckling ruefully) Wow. Three years. We barely have enough for a month. What do you suggest we do for food and water while all this is happening?

ELI Nothing. That's the genius part, by the way.

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CHAMBER ROOM

[Eli shows Young one of the pods. Rush is nearby.]

ELI Once you're sealed inside the stasis pod, your metabolism shuts down. You don't need food or water. Basically, you just sleep through the whole thing. And-and we've found several other corridors like this one. There should be enough for everybody. And thanks to the, uh, uh, research that Brody and I have already done, we know they work!

[Rush smirks.]

YOUNG Three years?

ELI Give or take.

YOUNG You keep saying that.

RUSH What Eli is neglecting to mention, is that a jump like this is going to require every last ounce of power we have. And if his calculations are off&hellip;

ELI They're not.

RUSH And we fall short even by a fraction, a tenth of one percent&hellip;

ELI We won't.

RUSH Then we're going to drift the rest of the way. And instead of three years, it'll take a thousand, or more.

YOUNG I assume you were going to get to that part.

ELI Look, I've run the numbers. This could work, but we have to do it soon. We're bleeding power from a dozen systems, and we can't risk dropping out to recharge&hellip;

RUSH Too many things that could go wrong. We have to find another way.

[Eli turns to Young.]

YOUNG All right, uh, how long would it take you to prep the rest of these pods?

ELI Uh, a day, maybe.

YOUNG Get to work.

[Eli leaves.]

RUSH Colonel&hellip;

YOUNG You've got 24 hours to come up with a better idea.

[He leaves.]

INT&mdash;WRAY'S QUARTERS

[Young speaks with Wray.]

WRAY Three years?

YOUNG Yeah, and that's in a “best case” scenario.

WRAY The thought of being sealed in one of those things for so long&mdash;it kind of creeps me out.

YOUNG I don't like them much either, but we're, uh, we're quickly running out of options.

WRAY Well, if we're going to do this, I recommend that everyone be permitted a final visit to Earth. Say their goodbyes.

YOUNG All right. You make the arrangements, but it's going to have to be pretty quick. We pretty much have to shut down everything to make this work, and if, uh, we take too long, we're going to run out of power.

[Young leaves. Wray appears thoughtful and sad.]

INT&mdash;RUSH'S FORMULA CORRIDOR

[Rush uses his chalk board walls and notebook to try to figure out calculations.]

RUSH Oh, bollocks!

[He tears paper and gnashes his teeth in frustration as time passes. Chloe arrives.]

CHLOE How's it going?

RUSH Huh?

[Rush turns and spots her approaching.]

RUSH It's not.

CHLOE For what it's worth, I went over Eli's numbers. It's true, there's not much margin for error, but I think it might just work.

RUSH Yeah, if we're lucky. Destiny is on this path for a reason. We've only strayed from it once, and that's what caused all this trouble in the first place.

CHLOE But we're not going off the path, at least not for good. We're just skipping part of it.

RUSH Yeah, but that's what bothers me. This ship was launched to solve a mystery: not by arriving at some ultimate destination where all the questions are answered at one time, but by accumulating knowledge, bit by bit. We skip over this galaxy, then who's to say we won't skip over some vital piece of the puzzle. And then all of this, everything we've been through, will be for nothing. There's got to be a way to defeat them. I just need more time.

CHLOE Which we don't have. Look, you're right. If we go into those pods, we're taking a chance. We might miss something. Or we might sleep a lot longer then we planned and never see our loved ones again. Or we might never wake up at all. But Destiny will keep going. If we stay, and we don't find a way to defeat the drones, we'll all be killed and this ship will be destroyed. And then, this really will all have been for nothing.

[Rush considers this.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CORRIDOR

BRODY (into radio) Colonel, this is Brody. We're ready to put the first group into stasis.

[Several people nervously meander by the pods.]

BRODY Please just step into your assigned pods.

TJ Don't worry, I'll be monitoring your progress.

[She approaches Varro, who's just stepped into his pod.]

VARRO See you soon.

TJ (with small smile) Soon.

[Brody activates the pods. TJ stares as Varro enters stasis.]

EXT&mdash;WALLACE HOME, DAY

[Eli, in another body, knocks on his front door. His mother answers. She starts to reach out to him, then pauses, not quite sure how to react, and who it is.]

ELI (reassuringly) It's me, Mom.

MARYANN WALLACE Oh. Eli&hellip;

[They embrace.]

ELI I don't have much time. Just long enough to say goodbye.

[Her face falls.]

INT&mdash;WALLACE HOME KITCHEN

[Eli and his mom sit at the kitchen table.]

ELI We've got smart people working on it. Really smart. But still, three years. Even if it all goes well, three years at least. I'm sorry.

MARYANN WALLACE No, no, Eli&hellip;

ELI I can't help thinking that if I had made different choices in my life, you wouldn't be alone right now.

MARYANN WALLACE If you had different choices, you wouldn't have seen the incredible sights you've seen. Done the amazing things you've done.

ELI I feel like I've abandoned you.

MARYANN WALLACE You haven't abandoned me! You're living your life. I mean, it was hard when I didn't&hellip;I didn't know where you were or what you were doing. But now, I understand. You don't have to be here, Eli. I just-I just need to know. Are you happy?

ELI (considering) In spite of everything&hellip;yeah. I am.

MARYANN WALLACE That's good enough for me.

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CORRIDOR

[Brody monitors the occupied pods from a control station. He spots something.]

BRODY (into radio) Volker.

VOLKER (over radio) Yeah?

BRODY (into radio) You on the bridge?

VOLKER (over radio) Yeah.

BRODY (into radio) Good. I need you to run a diagnostic for me.

INT&mdash;YOUNG'S QUARTERS

[An exhausted Young staggers into his quarters. Unlike the last time he was getting ready for bed, he tosses his boots off, not caring where they fall. He collapses into a sitting position at his bedside, holding his head in his hands. There is a knock at the door.]

YOUNG (sighing) Come in!

[Volker opens the door.]

YOUNG What?

VOLKER (nervously) Well, as you know, we've been powering up all the stasis pod corridors.

YOUNG Uh huh.

VOLKER And it's been&hellip;it's been going pretty well up until now, but, uh&hellip;

YOUNG Well, what is it?

VOLKER It's the last section. It must have taken some damage, possibly even before we came aboard the ship. We can't bring those pods online, so&hellip;

[Young stares at Volker, wide awake now.]

VOLKER We're not going to have enough for everyone.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies faster than light.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Brody, Volker, Rush, and Young discuss the situation.]

BRODY The damaged pods put us eight short of the total we need.

YOUNG Well, what's the problem?

RUSH Well, the ship's very old. That's the problem.

YOUNG All right, we'll try that again. Can we fix it?

BRODY Not with the material we have on board.

VOLKER We need something called palladium hydride. It's a&hellip;component of the high temperature superconductors that are critical to the pod systems.

YOUNG Where do we get this stuff?

BRODY In ores in alloy with other metals. Ideally on planets and systems that have seen substantial meteorite activity.

VOLKER Right, now we do have a possible candidate, and it's locked out, for good reason. The meteorites make the place dangerous, if not toxic, but there is still a command ship in the system.

RUSH They know nothing about human physiology or what makes a planet viable. They just know&hellip;there's a 'gate.

BRODY We can still get around the lock-out, if we want to.

YOUNG Can we survive another fight?

RUSH Even if we did, we'd use up far too much power. The ship would never make the jump to the next galaxy, which kind of defeats the purpose of going to this planet in the first place.

YOUNG So what are you telling me? We don't have a choice but to leave eight people out? Tell them, “Good luck. You've got as long as the food and water lasts.”?

BRODY We can't even do that. The power requirements needed to maintain life support for eight people for that long would make us fall short.

VOLKER Whoever stays out would have to&hellip;

YOUNG (interrupting) Kill themselves. Yeah.

RUSH You have no choice, Colonel. If you want Eli's plan to work, you're gonna have to come up with eight names.

INT&mdash;PARK'S QUARTERS

[Greer speaks with Park.]

GREER It just goes from bad to worse.

PARK So what's Colonel Young decided?

GREER He hasn't yet, but&hellip;

PARK Don't even think about it!

GREER What?

PARK Volunteering to be one of the eight! I know you, Ron.

GREER (smiling) Maybe I would if it came to it, but I wouldn't ask seven others to do it with me, and I don't think Colonel Young would, either. I mean, the way I see it, we all came here together, and if need be, we'll all go out together.

PARK (inspired) Maybe it won't come to that.

GREER What?

[Park scrambles to the edge of the bed and fumbles to put on dark glasses.]

PARK Take me to Colonel Young.

GREER Why? What are you thinking?

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Eli, Young, Brody and Volker are talking. Eli points to a diagram of the ship.]

ELI We need to fall back to this section and seal off the surrounding corridors. Shut down life support to those areas, and then, uh, reroute power up&mdash;

GREER All right, we're here.

[Everyone turns at the sound of Greer's voice. He and Park have just entered. Greer leads Park to the railing, which she grips.]

YOUNG Sergeant?

GREER Doctor Park has something she'd like to share.

PARK We use a decoy. We drop off one of our shuttles, unmanned, a short FTL jump from the planet. Then we set it to broadcast a powerful subspace burst mimicking a 'gate dial out.

BRODY (considering) It-it'll take a lot of power, and it might damage a few systems, but I'm&hellip;guessing the shuttle doesn't survive this plan anyway.

PARK No. The command ship will investigate, taking the drones with it, and probably attack the shuttle. But in the meantime, we take advantage of the distraction to dial in and get the palladium hydride.

VOLKER We can recalibrate the shields on the shuttle just like we did Destiny and remote pilot an evasive course that'll make it harder for the drones to connect with a suicide run.

ELI If we are going to sacrifice it anyway, we can rig the engines to go critical. Ram it straight into the command ship. Give 'em a taste of their own medicine.

BRODY And we'd still have one shuttle left.

YOUNG All right. I think it sounds like a great idea. Let's do it.

[The male scientists get back to work as Young approaches Park and rests his hand over hers, which still grips the banister.]

YOUNG Hey, that's good work, Doctor Park.

[She smiles. Greer covers her other hand, and their fingers intertwine.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny drops into regular space.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Volker, James and Young are present.]

VOLKER All right, we're in position.

YOUNG (into radio) Rush, this is Young. Launch the shuttle.

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[Eli and Rush work consoles in there.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The clamps release off one of the shuttles. The unmanned shuttle rises from its dock.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

RUSH (into radio) Subspace link is in place. We should be able to get shuttle telemetry and access flight controls with minimal delay.

YOUNG (over radio) Understood.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

YOUNG (to James) Get us as far away from here as possible.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies away at top impulse speeds.]

INT&mdash;CORRIDOR OUTSIDE DESTINY GATE ROOM

[Greer, Scott, and Morrison walk with some technicians carrying sled. The three men are all dressed in full Ancient space suits.]

SCOTT You know what we're looking for, right?

MORRISON Well, I can identify the rocks, but we can't test for concentration. But our best bet is to bring back as much as possible.

SCOTT If this works, we should have enough time to load up as much as the kino sled can hold.

MORRISON And what if it doesn't?

[Scott takes a deep breath, but does not otherwise respond.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

ELI Okay. I think we're good.

RUSH Broadcasting the signal now.

ELI (sotto vocce) Let's hope they take the bait.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

VOLKER (nervously) Come on. Come on.

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

[Greer nervously paces as they all await their orders.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[Rush studies a screen showing the command ship orbiting a planet.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Volker watches a similar display to Rush's. Suddenly, the red dot blips out.]

VOLKER Whoa, that's it! Command ship just dropped off the screen. They gotta be in hyperspace.

BRODY They're on their way.

YOUNG (into radio) Gate Room, this is Young. Start dialing.

[The Stargate starts to move as people help the team put on their helmets. A kino is sent once the wormhole is activated, followed by Scott's team pushing the sled.]

BARNES This is Gate Room. We have a connection. Away team is en route.

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

RUSH Start removing shuttle engines safety protocols. We're going to have to time this overload to the last second.

[Eli starts working controls.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny drifts in space.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Young paces behind Volker and James.]

YOUNG We got anything?

VOLKER Screens are clear.

[A moment later, his console beeps.]

VOLKER Oh, hold on! Command ship just dropped down to the shuttle.

JAMES They're launching drones.

YOUNG (into radio) Rush, you're on!

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

RUSH Initiating evasive maneuvers.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The shuttle dodges fire from the drones, its shields holding.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

YOUNG (over radio) Barnes, what's our status with the away team?

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

[Barnes watches the away team's progress from the kino feed.]

BARNES They found several impact craters near the 'gate. They've already begun collecting samples.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The shuttle continues to dodge drones. One clips the ship as it passes.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

ELI Whoa! Watch out!

RUSH It's all right. I've got it. Stabilizing.

[He checks the shuttle readings.]

RUSH Initiate the overload.

ELI You sure? If it can't get close enough&hellip;

RUSH (brusquely) Just do it!

[Eli starts typing quickly.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

JAMES They're launching more drones. The shuttle doesn't have much time.

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

ELI Overload in ten seconds.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The shuttle weaves between drones as it approaches the command ship.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

ELI Six&hellip;five&hellip;four&hellip;.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The shuttle overloads just as it impacts the command ship. Both vessels explode in a huge fireball.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

VOLKER It's gone. But it's a pretty safe bet more are on their way.

YOUNG Yeah, we're not going to wait around to find out.

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

[The away team comes back with two sleds almost scraping the floor under the weight of the rocks they hold. Brody approaches, checking the quality as others help the team out of their helmets. Young is also there.]

YOUNG Nice work, gentlemen.

SCOTT (breathless) You got what you need?

BRODY We're good. (to others) Let's get this stuff out of here.

[His team helps pull the sleds out of the room.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny jumps into faster than light speed.]

INT&mdash;SCOTT'S QUARTERS

[Wray spots Scott sitting on his bed through his open doorway. She enters. He looks lost in thought, his hands pressed together in front of him.]

WRAY You ready to go?

SCOTT (upset) I-I don't know what I'm gonna say. Huh. He doesn't even know I'm his father. I-I'm just some guy&hellip;who shows up every once in a while to see how he's doing.

WRAY And, uh&hellip;how is he doing?

[Wray comes and sits beside Scott.]

SCOTT His-his mom&hellip;is&hellip;I-I-I think she's a good person; I just don't think she's a good parent. Folks from Homeworld Command tell me if I was to make the phone call, they'll step in, see he's raised in a proper home.

WRAY (with sympathetic sigh) Well, I wouldn't make any rash decisions.

SCOTT What-what about you? What are you gonna say to Sharon?

WRAY Oh, uh, I, uh, I-I just got back and I&hellip;didn't see her. She's at a conference in Brussels. Not enough time.

SCOTT Sorry.

WRAY (rueful laugh) You know, uh,&hellip; (clears throat) You go back billions of light years. Cross an entire universe. And you're just separated by a couple thousand miles. Anyway, um, I got to talk to her on the phone.

SCOTT What'd you say?

WRAY (faltering) I, uh, I said I was sorry. That, um&hellip;this wasn't fair to her anymore, and she should just move on.

SCOTT (quietly) What'd she say?

WRAY Not much. She, uh&hellip;she started crying.

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CORRIDOR

[Several members of the crew say farewells to each other and get into stasis pods. Amongst those stepping into pods are James and Barnes. James hugs Eli before stepping inside.]

INT&mdash;ARMSTRONG LIVING ROOM

[Chloe embraces her mother. Both are crying.]

EXT&mdash;LAKE, EARTH, DAY

[Park watches rain fall on the lake, taking in the beauty of the sight and crying.]

EXT&mdash;OUTSIDE BALIC HOME, DAY

[Scott watches from inside a car as his son is led out by his mother. Annie pauses to make sure the boy's coat is zipped. Scott clenches his jaw and drives away without them knowing he is there.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CORRIDOR

[Another group of crew-members enter stasis pods. Volker shakes hands with Brody before stepping into his pod. Park is led into another pod by Greer. He takes her glasses. Volker watches from the pod across the way. Brody steps into his own pod. All are sealed into stasis.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY MESS

[Eli, Young, Greer, TJ, Rush, Scott, Wray, and Chloe are all that remain of the crew. They are gorging on several canisters of fresh food.]

YOUNG Eat up, everybody. Except for the canned goods, this is all going to waste anyway.

WRAY For once I'm stuffed. I can't eat another bite.

GREER I think I can use just a little bit more.

[He scoops another portion onto his plate as TJ laughs.]

WRAY (chuckling) Yeah?

SCOTT All right, Colonel. How about a toast?

YOUNG Really?

SCOTT Yes.

YOUNG All right. All right, why not? Well, uh&hellip;we've been through a helluva lot together, that's for sure. I guess it would be easy to dwell on everything that we have lost, but I think today I would rather think about what we still have, and maybe what we've gained. We're, uh, we're a family now. Whether we like it or not. The sons, daughters, sisters&hellip; Even the, uh, slightly crazy uncle who despite everything, still manages to come through for you in the end.

[Rush blinks as he realizes Young means him. Everyone laughs.]

YOUNG You are the smartest, bravest, most compassionate people that I have ever had the honor to serve with. (raising glass) To family.

[Everyone toasts.]

ALL To family.

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CORRIDOR

[Scott, Chloe, Greer, Wray, and TJ file in to enter their stasis chambers. The others are with them to say farewell. Chloe and Scott kiss.]

SCOTT Sweet dreams.

[Chloe steps into her chamber, exchanging nods with Young as she passes. Scott and Young smile at each other as Scott heads to his. Young faces Greer as he's settled in his chamber.]

YOUNG You all right?

GREER Yes, sir.

[Young steps over to face Wray, who looks nervous.]

WRAY Well, guess you're finally going to get some sleep.

YOUNG Three years. That should be enough.

[Wray smiles and steps into her chamber. Young moves to TJ.]

YOUNG Lieutenant, go ahead.

TJ You sure?

YOUNG Yeah, yeah. We're going to be fine.

[TJ enters a chamber. Young nods to Rush, who activates the pods.]

EXT&mdash;WASHINGTON, DC, NIGHT

INT&mdash;TELFORD'S OFFICE

[Young, in another's body, briefs Telford.]

YOUNG So Rush, and, uh, Eli, are finishing up the last of the programming. They should be done by the time I get back.

TELFORD You're not going to go see Emily?

YOUNG We're done. Why reopen old wounds?

TELFORD You know, for what it's worth&mdash;

YOUNG David, listen, my, uh, marriage? That was&mdash;that was broken a long time ago. And I have no one to blame but myself.

TELFORD Whatever happens, we're not giving up on you. Some of us may have a few more grey hairs, but we'll still be here.

TELFORD Good luck, Everett.

[They shake hands.]

YOUNG Thanks, David.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies faster than light.]

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[As Young approaches, he hears Eli and Rush arguing.]

ELI How can we have missed it?

RUSH There was no way of knowing.

ELI But we ran a diagnostic!

RUSH And it showed no problems, because at that stage, that particular section had yet to be fully engaged.

YOUNG What's going on?

ELI (upset) We repaired the eight pods, but one of them was more damaged than we thought. It came online with the rest of them, but when we ran final checks, it just&hellip;died! We might be one short!

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CORRIDOR

[Rush works on the broken chamber while Eli works on the console.]

RUSH Okay, try it now.

[Eli presses some controls at the console, but it beeps in warning.]

ELI It's no use.

RUSH Right. Go back down to the control interface room and go through the database.

ELI There's over 1,700 pages devoted to this system.

RUSH You'd better get started then.

[Eli sighs and leaves. He passes Young, who's standing in the corridor staring at TJ frozen in her stasis pod.]

RUSH Colonel&hellip; We have to talk.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies faster than light.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[Young enters; Eli is working.]

YOUNG Eli?

ELI Before you ask, the answer is no, I haven't found any magical solutions yet. It's going to take time.

YOUNG According to, uh, Rush, if two of us go into the pods now, today, the one that stays outside could keep minimal life support going for two weeks before it starts eating into the power reserved for the jump.

ELI Sounds about right.

YOUNG Well he's-he's volunteered to be the one.

ELI You're kidding me. Really?

YOUNG Yeah. He says he's most qualified to figure out what's wrong with the pod and then fix it.

ELI (muttering) I don't know about that.

YOUNG Yeah, and I don't think I can let him do it. You know, I think&hellip;it's uh, it's going to be me.

ELI (skeptical) You're going to fix the pod?

YOUNG I'm obviously not going to fix the pod, Eli.

ELI Then you're talking about suicide.

YOUNG I can't trust him. I can't be sure he's going to do the right thing when the time comes.

ELI I'll admit he's not perfect, but I don't think&mdash;

YOUNG (interrupting) And what if-what if he doesn't find the solution? What if, after two weeks he loses his nerve, and then he keeps the life support going? Even for just a few days? What happens?

ELI Then we drop out early and drift.

YOUNG And wake up in a thousand years.

ELI If we wake up at all.

YOUNG (resigned) Right. No, it's the only choice.

[He starts to leave.]

ELI No, it's not.

[Young turns back.]

ELI I'll do it.

YOUNG (shaking his head) Eli&hellip;

ELI If you stay out, it's automatic. You're dead. If I do it, at least I have a chance, maybe even a better chance than Rush. For too long, I've been content to stay in his shadow. Played the part of the eager young protégé. Take his orders! But&hellip; (chuckling mirthlessly) I'm not afraid to say it anymore. I'm smarter than him. And all three of us know it.

YOUNG I-I can't ask you to do that.

ELI And I can't take 'no' for an answer. Sorry.

INT&mdash;KINO ROOM

[Eli lies on his bed, listening to music. Rush knocks and enters.]

ELI Hey.

RUSH He told me about the conversation.

ELI Oh. Right. Awkward.

RUSH No, not really. I knew he wouldn't trust me enough to let me stay.

ELI You did?

RUSH Well, in case you hadn't noticed, we do have history.

ELI Is that why you volunteered in the first place? Because you knew he wouldn't accept?

RUSH What difference does it make?

[Eli looks at him pointedly.]

RUSH No. The only thing I failed to anticipate was that you would volunteer to take my place.

ELI So, you did want it to be Young.

RUSH I don't want anyone to die, Eli. This isn't even my idea, remember?

ELI But you didn't come up with a better one.

RUSH Not in the allotted time, no, which just goes to prove my point. We're going to need you on the other side.

ELI Oh&hellip; I'll be there.

RUSH You know, maybe I haven't said this often enough, Eli, but you do have&hellip;you do have tremendous potential. I'd hate to see you throw it all away.

ELI I'm not. Anyway, what's the point of having potential if you're not going to step up when you're really needed?

[Rush nods.]

RUSH You've come a long way from that video game slacker I discovered a year ago.

ELI Thanks. You've been pretty consistent.

[They share rueful grins before Rush leaves.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY STASIS CORRIDOR

[Eli and Rush join Young in the corridor.]

RUSH Colonel. Mister Wallace.

[Rush nods in salute to each of them in turn, then steps into a stasis pod. Eli activates it.]

YOUNG You sure about this, right?

ELI I've never been more sure of anything in my life.

[He puts out his hand for Young to shake. Instead, Young embraces him.]

YOUNG You're a good man, Eli. Now get this done. And we'll see you on the other side.

ELI (darkly amused) Right.

YOUNG (sharing the amusement) Right.

[They both are still smiling as Young steps into the stasis chamber, and Eli activates it. Eli nods in farewell as Young goes into stasis. Eli wanders the corridor, shaking his head and looking at his crew-mates asleep in the chambers.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY

[Room by room, power shuts down on the ship.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY OBSERVATION DECK

[Eli stands at the edge of the railing, a gamut of emotions crossing his face at the aurora effect as Destiny moves amongst the stars.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies faster than light into the horizon of stars.]

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

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