Stargate Universe s02e20 Episode Script

I may be on the verge of discovering the true nature of Destiny's mission.
You've had control of this ship the whole time! Why wouldn't you tell anyone? The Lucian Alliance is planning an attack on Earth.
I killed Riley.
I suffocated him with my own hands.
You are a good commander.
There is no mission other than getting these people home.
It was never about going home, it's about getting us to where we're going.
That is the mission.
Well, I've just completed a thorough diagnostic on one of the stasis pods.
Very informative.
We've been searching what we were able to transfer from the archive.
The ALS cure wasn't in there.
The first symptoms presented five years after we arrived on the planet.
I died a few years after that.
We've got drones, dead ahead.
The drones cannot track us, so instead, they've blockaded the stars from which Destiny recharges.
This could be it, the end of the line.
There's new hybrids in the dome we could lose forever.
The hydroponic dome's been breached.
Flash blindness.
Hopefully it's temporary.
I can't see! - How you feeling? - 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.
Well, let's see where we're at.
I've been seeing occasional flashes of light.
I think that's a good sign, right? Okay.
Open your eyes.
Lisa? It's still dark.
I can't see.
Anything? No.
Colonel, you got a second? Can it wait? - You look terrible.
- Thank you.
You're running yourself ragged, okay? Get some rest.
Way ahead of you.
That's where I'm going.
Colonel Young, this is Rush.
Come in.
Ignore that.
You're no good to us exhausted.
Colonel Young? This is Young.
Could you join us in the Control Interface Room, please? We've something we want to show you.
- We did it.
- Fantastic.
What'd they do? I have no idea.
We found a way to track the command ships that control the drones.
How? We managed to isolate the subspace signals they use to communicate with each other.
Then we plugged the data into Destiny's long-range sensors, and it worked.
So we know where they are.
Then we can avoid them and find safe planets to resupply.
That was the idea, anyway.
Let's see it.
This is the path that the seed ships plotted for us through this galaxy.
These are the upcoming gates, and these are the command ships.
Oh, my God.
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.
We're screwed.
Colonel Young? No, I'm Rush, this is Young.
Colonel Telford's waiting for you.
You sure your sensor data is accurate? Of course it is.
And they're at every single gate? Well, they've 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.
So go off the path.
Use the shuttles and check out ungated worlds.
We can't 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.
What's your supply situation? We're looking at about a month's worth of food and water.
- What about power? - We'll die of thirst before that becomes an issue.
We could really use a supply line from home, David.
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 gonna have to make it happen on your own.
Hey.
I'm collecting inventory reports.
Guess it could be a while before we can use the gate again.
So I hear.
We're actually in pretty good shape down here for the moment.
Matt told me about Lisa.
Do you think her condition's permanent? I don't know.
I mean, there should have been some progress by now.
It's not your fault.
You don't have the right equipment, the resources Even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference.
There's no treatment.
Her corneas were burned by ultraviolet radiation.
If they don't heal on their own Well, I know it seems unfair, but sometimes you just have to play the hand that you're dealt.
Why do I get the feeling you're not just talking about Lisa? There's still hope.
For her and for you.
ALS is a death sentence, Chloe, you know that, and it's not gonna be pretty.
It'll start with muscle weakness and cramping.
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.
- So, no help from home.
- No.
Well, that doesn't leave us with many options.
Well, we can't run, we can't hide, we'll have to fight.
There's a lot of them out there.
We don't have to take on all of them.
Just as many as we have to in order to resupply when necessary.
That's still a pretty tall order considering we've only taken out one of their command ships.
And that was with help.
Well, we do have the element of surprise now we're able to track them.
Okay, we choose a target, drop out of FTL, and open fire before it's got a chance to respond.
But what if it does manage a response? Well, if we don't destroy it immediately, we can at least cause enough damage to gain a huge advantage.
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.
Well, we find a way to minimize that damage.
Yeah? And I suppose you've got an idea on how we manage that.
As a matter of fact, I do.
So you're saying we dial up the shields? Well, no, not exactly.
- It's more like we tune them.
- When we're in battle, the shields continuously cycle through various frequencies in the hopes of matching incoming energy-based attacks.
The closer the match, the easier the attack is to absorb and, consequently, the less damage we take.
It's a guessing game, like rock, paper, scissors.
But in the case of the drones, we don't have to guess.
Thanks to someone's brilliant idea to bring one onboard.
The energy signature of their weapons is a fairly limited range.
We can target specifically for it.
We just need to override Destiny's normal randomized shield pattern.
And paper covers rock every time.
If all Destiny has to do is find the right match, why does it bother cycling in the first place? Because matching and maintaining a single specific pattern makes it vulnerable to all other forms of attack.
Right, like if they throw scissors, and we're guessing rock.
- Not to push the analogy too far.
- Too late.
So if we are wrong, it would be like we have no shields at all? We're not wrong.
Main weapon is charged and ready.
Rush, what's your status? Looks like Destiny's accepting our override.
Shields are at maximum.
Modulation is limited within target range.
- Who calculated the FTL jump? - Chloe.
Think we'll come out in range? Well, it's a bit like trying to hit a dime with a bullet from 1,000 yards, but she's pretty good.
What is that? - Collision alarms.
We're about to hit! - Hold on! I take it back, she is very, very good.
We've got incoming.
It's working.
Their weapons are having almost no effect.
Concentrate on the command ship.
Ignore the drones.
I don't have a shot! Working on it.
The command ship is damaged, but still operational.
Bringing us around again.
- What's that? - The shields just dropped 10%.
What's going on? All of a sudden their shots are getting through! That's not weapons fire.
It's the drones.
They're flying right into us.
It's a kamikaze run! Shields are down to half and still dropping.
We've lost power in multiple sections.
I'm down three gun positions.
I can't hold them off.
Forget it, there's too many, anyway! Just give me another crack at that command ship.
She's trying to outmaneuver us.
I need some more time.
We don't have it.
Shields are failing.
Almost there.
We got them.
Direct hit.
The command ship's been destroyed.
Looks like the drones have gone dormant.
Away teams to the shuttles, let's make this quick.
We don't want to stay here any longer than we have to.
Go.
We can't do this every time we need to resupply.
No.
We need another plan.
Second shuttle just docked.
I guess they found a few edibles, but the pickings were pretty slim.
Get us out of here.
Colonel, do you have a minute? 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 As a matter of fact, I do, but you're not gonna like it.
Well, that goes without saying.
I am notoriously hard to please, - so let's hear it.
- Okay.
Another day, another galaxy.
What the hell does that mean? This is just one of 1,000 galaxies in Destiny's path, and I think you'll agree it's turned out to be something of a hostile environment.
So? So, we skip it.
One continuous FTL jump out and around the length of this galaxy, across the gap to the next one, until we've reached the first gate on the other side.
How long's that going to take? That's the part you're not gonna like.
We're only about a third of the way through this galaxy, plus the gap to the next one is quite a bit 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 out of - Eli! How long? Three years, give or take.
Three years? We barely have enough for a month.
What do you suggest we do for food and water while all this is happening? Nothing.
That's the genius part, by the way.
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 we've found several other corridors like this one.
There should be enough for everybody.
And thanks to the research that Brody and I have already done, we know they work.
Three years.
- Give or take.
- You keep saying that.
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 - They're not.
- And we fall short even by a fraction, - a tenth of one percent - We won't.
Then we're going to drift the rest of the way, and instead of three years, it'll take 1,000 or more.
I assume you were going to get to that part.
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 Too many things that could go wrong.
We have to find another way.
All right, uh How long would it take you to prep the rest of these pods? A day, maybe.
Get to work.
- Colonel - You've got 24 hours to come up with a better idea.
Three years? Yeah, that's in a best-case scenario.
The thought of being sealed in one of those things for so long, it kind of creeps me out.
I don't like it much, either, but we're quickly running out of options.
Well, if we're going to do this, I recommend that everyone be permitted a final visit to Earth.
Say their goodbyes.
All right, you make the arrangements, but it's gonna have to be pretty quick.
We pretty much have to shut down everything to make this work, and if we take too long, we're going to run out of power.
Bollocks.
- How's it going? - Huh? It's not.
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.
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.
But we're not going off the path.
At least not for good.
We're just skipping part of it.
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.
- 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 than 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 have all been for nothing.
Colonel, this is Brody.
We're ready to put the first group into stasis.
Please just step into your assigned pods.
Don't worry, I'll be monitoring your progress.
See you soon.
Soon.
It's me, Mom.
Eli.
I don't have much time.
Just long enough to say goodbye.
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.
- No, no, Eli I can't help thinking that if I had made different choices in my life, you wouldn't be alone right now.
If you had made different choices, you wouldn't have seen the incredible sights you've seen, done the amazing things you've done.
I feel like I've abandoned you.
You haven't abandoned me.
You're living your life.
I mean, it was hard when I didn't When 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 need to know.
Are you happy? In spite of everything? Yeah.
I am.
That's good enough for me.
- Volker.
- Yeah.
- You on the bridge? - Yeah.
Good, I need you to run a diagnostic for me.
Come in! What? Well, as you know, we've been powering up all the stasis pod corridors, and it's been It's been going pretty well up until now.
- But - What is it? It's the last section.
It must have taken some damage, possibly even before we came onboard the ship.
We can't bring those pods online, so We're not going to have enough for everyone.
The damaged pods put us eight short of the total we need.
What's the problem? Well, the ship's very old, that's the problem.
All right, we'll try that again.
Can we fix it? Not with the material we have onboard.
We need something called palladium hydride.
It's a component of the high-temperature superconductors that are critical to the pod systems.
Where do we get this stuff? In ores in alloy with other metals, ideally on planets in systems that have seen substantial meteorite activity.
Right, now, we do have a possible candidate, and it's locked out for good reason.
The meteorites would make the place dangerous if not toxic, but there is still a command ship in the system.
They know nothing about human physiology or what makes a planet viable.
They just know there's a gate.
We can still get around the lock-out, if we want to.
Can we survive another fight? 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.
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"? 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.
Whoever stays out would have to Kill themselves, yeah.
You have no choice, Colonel.
If you want Eli's plan to work, you're going to have to come up with eight names.
It just goes from bad to worse.
So what's Colonel Young decided? He hasn't yet, but - Don't even think about it.
- What? Volunteering to be one of the eight.
I know you, Ron.
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.
Maybe it won't come to that.
What? Take me to Colonel Young.
Why? What are you thinking? We need to fall back to this section and seal off the surrounding corridors, shut down life support to those areas and then re-route power Okay, we're here.
- Sergeant? - Dr.
Park has something she'd like to share.
We'll 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.
It'll take a lot of power and it might damage a few systems, but I'm guessing the shuttle doesn't survive this plan anyway.
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.
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.
If we are going to sacrifice it anyway, we can rig the engines to go critical.
Ram it straight into the command ship, give them a taste of their own medicine.
And we'd still have one shuttle left.
All right, I think it sounds like a great idea.
Let's do it.
Hey, that's good work, Dr.
Park.
All right, we're in position.
Rush, this is Young.
Launch the shuttle.
Subspace link is in place.
We should be able to get shuttle telemetry, and access the flight controls with minimal delay.
Understood.
Get us as far away from here as possible.
You know what we're looking for, right? Well, I can identify the rocks, but we can't test for concentration.
Our best bet is to bring back as much as possible.
If this works, we should have enough time to load up as much as the Kino sled can hold.
And what if it doesn't? Okay.
I think we're good.
Broadcasting the signal now.
Let's hope they take the bait.
Come on, come on.
That's it.
The command ship just dropped off the screen.
- They've got to be in hyperspace.
- They're on their way.
Gate Room, this is Young.
Start dialing.
This is Gate Room.
We have a connection.
Away team is en route.
Start removing shuttle engine safety protocols.
We're gonna have to time this overload to the last second.
We got anything? Screens are clear.
Oh! Hold on.
Command ship just dropped out near the shuttle.
- They're launching drones.
- Rush, you're on.
Initiating evasive maneuvers.
Barnes, what's our status with the away team? They found several impact craters near the gate.
They've already begun collecting samples.
- Whoa! Watch out.
- It's all right, I've got it.
Stabilizing.
Initiate the overload.
You sure? If it can't get close enough Just do it! They're launching more drones.
The shuttle doesn't have much time.
Overload in 10 seconds.
Six, five, four It's gone, but it's a pretty safe bet more are on the way.
Yeah, we're not going to wait around to find out.
Nice work, gentlemen.
You got what you need? We're good.
Let's get this stuff out of here.
You ready to go? I don't know what I'm gonna say.
He doesn't even know I'm his father.
I'm just some guy who shows up every once in a while to see how he's doing.
And, how is he doing? His mom is 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.
Well, I wouldn't make any rash decisions.
What about you? What are you gonna say to Sharon? Oh, I just got back, and I didn't see her.
She's at a conference in Brussels.
Not enough time.
Sorry.
You know, You go back billions of light-years, cross an entire universe, and you're just separated by a couple of thousand miles.
Anyway, I got to talk to her on the phone.
What'd you say? I said I was sorry.
That this wasn't fair to her anymore, and she should just move on.
What did she say? Not much.
She She just started crying.
Eat up, everybody.
Except for the canned goods, this is all going to waste anyway.
For once, I'm stuffed.
I can't eat another bite.
Mmm.
I think I can use just a little bit more.
Oh, yeah? All right, Colonel, how about a toast? - Really? - Yes.
All right.
All right, why not? Well, we've been through a hell of 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 a We're family now, whether we like it or not.
Sons, daughters, sisters.
Even the slightly crazy uncle who, despite everything, still manages to come through for you in the end.
You are the smartest, bravest, most compassionate people that I have ever had the honor to serve with.
To family.
- To family.
- To family.
Sweet dreams.
You all right? Yes, sir.
Well, I guess you're finally going to get some sleep.
Three years.
That should be enough.
Lieutenant, go ahead.
Are you sure? Yeah.
Yeah, we're going to be fine.
So, Rush and Eli are finishing up the last of the programming.
They should be done by the time I get back.
- You're not going to go see Emily? - We're done.
Why re-open old wounds? - You know, for what it's worth - David, listen, my marriage, that was That was broken a long time ago, and I have no one to blame but myself.
Whatever happens, we're not giving up on you.
Some of us may have a few more gray hairs, but we'll still be here.
Good luck, Everett.
Thanks, David.
- How could we have missed it? - There was no way of knowing.
But we ran a diagnostic! And it showed no problems, because at that stage, that particular section had yet to be fully engaged.
- What's going on? - 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 died.
We might be one short.
Okay, try it now.
It's no use.
Right.
Go back down to the Control Interface Room and go through the database.
There's over 1,700 pages devoted to this system.
You'd better get started, then.
Colonel, we have to talk.
Eli Before you ask, the answer is, no.
I haven't found any magical solutions yet.
It's gonna take time.
According to 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.
Sounds about right.
Well, he's He's volunteered to be the one.
You're kidding me.
- Really? - Yeah.
He says he's most qualified to figure out what's wrong with the pod and then fix it.
I don't know about that.
Yeah, and I don't think I can let him do it.
You know, I think it's It's gonna be me.
You're going to fix the pod? I'm obviously not going to fix the pod, Eli.
Then you're talking about suicide.
I can't trust him.
I can't be sure he's going to do the right thing when the time comes.
I'll admit he's not perfect, but I don't think that And what if he doesn't find a 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? Then we drop out early and drift.
And wake up in 1,000 years.
- Lf we wake up at all.
- Right.
It's the only choice.
No, it's not.
I'll do it.
- Eli - lf 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, play the part of the eager young protege, take his orders, but I'm not afraid to say it anymore.
I'm smarter than him.
And all three of us know it.
I can't ask you to do that.
And I can't take no for an answer.
Sorry.
Hey.
He told me about the conversation.
Oh.
Right.
- Awkward.
- No, not really.
I knew he wouldn't trust me enough to let me stay.
- You did? - Well, in case you hadn't noticed, we do have history.
Is that why you volunteered in the first place? Because you knew he wouldn't accept? What difference does it make? No.
The only thing I failed to anticipate was that you would volunteer to take my place.
So, you did want it to be Young.
I don't want anyone to die, Eli.
This isn't even my idea, remember? But you didn't come up with a better one.
Not in the allotted time, no.
Which just goes to prove my point.
We're going to need you on the other side.
Oh, I'll be there.
You know, maybe I haven't said this often enough, Eli, but you do have You do have tremendous potential.
I'd hate to see you throw it all away.
I'm not.
Anyway, what's the point of having potential if you're not going to step up when you're really needed? You've come a long way from that video-game slacker I discovered a year ago.
Thanks.
You've been pretty consistent.
Colonel.
Mr.
Wallace.
You're sure about this, right? I've never been more sure of anything in my life.
You're a good man, Eli.
Now, get this done, and we'll see you on the other side.
- Right.
- Right.