Stargate: Atlantis s05e13 Episode Script

As you may've already heard, we've received an invitation.
Or, more precisely, your team has received an invitation, to represent Atlantis at a meeting of leaders from various human populations throughout the Pegasus galaxy.
What's this, a Pegasus version of the United Nations? Nothing quite so formal.
At the moment, it's more of a loose coalition.
Is there any advanced technology in this coalition? No.
But the IOA believes it could be an important first step toward interplanetary government.
A federation, if you will.
The Federation had ships.
Look, what do we hope to gain from this? I mean, the only reason this people even know about each other, is because they happened to inherit the Gate system from the Ancients.
Just because they lack advancement does not mean they cannot benefit from cooperation.
She's right.
It's about time people in this galaxy got together and stood up for themselves.
Against the Wraith.
Why not? The Wraith are at war with each other, which is why the people trying to form this coalition feel the time is right.
And they want us to be part of it.
The Council liaison will be with you in a moment.
They're really rolling the red carpet out for us.
I'm sure they're just trying to keep the details of this meeting a secret.
Guys? Not good.
Season 5 Episode 13 Inquisition (v.
1.
00) Where are we? We're not in the same room.
We've been moved.
What's up? What happened? That's a good question.
- What is the meaning of this? - It will all be explained shortly.
The Council wishes to speak to Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard.
I am Kelore of Latira.
This is Shiana of the tribes of Santhal, and Dimas of the free peoples of Riva.
We speak on behalf of the coalition.
You know, if you wanted to keep this location secret, you could have just blindfolded me.
I wouldn't have peeked, I swear.
Lt.
Colonel John Sheppard, you stand before this council as a representative of the Atlantis expedition.
And as such, it falls to you to answer the charges.
Excuse me? You will be given ample opportunity to present your defense, and when all evidence is heard, we will decide the outcome.
What the hell are you talking about? What is this? The Atlantis expedition has been accused of crimes against the peoples of this galaxy.
This is your trial.
- Major, what happened? - We're still trying to figure that out, sir.
One thing's for sure, they're not in the village anymore.
They wouldn't have gone anywhere else without notifying us first.
Not voluntarily, no.
Take as many men as you need.
Search the entire area.
And keep questioning the villagers.
Somebody there knows something.
This was supposed to be a meet-and-greet.
Just cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, maybe a little dancing? Subterfuge was necessary.
You possess technology and military power beyond the scope of most of the indigenous peoples of this galaxy.
Which is why you have been brought to a secure location.
Only the members of this council and key personnel know the Gate address.
So don't waste your time entertaining any hopes of rescue.
What is it exactly that you think we did? According to our calculations, the Atlantis expedition is responsible, directly or indirectly, for the deaths of over two million people in this galaxy.
You've gotta be kidding me.
Tell us about your first encounter with the Wraith.
- I see where this is going.
- When you arrived here, the Wraith were in hibernation, were they not? - Not all of them.
- What do you mean? I mean they attacked us.
What is it? The Wraith! Take that thing down! That's one.
Get down! That was a scouting party, not a culling.
Well, I didn't know that.
All I know is they took our people.
- And you went after them.
- That's right.
You should have left them to their fate.
I'm sure that's what you would've done, but that's not how we operate.
What happened? Well, we went in, we rescued as many people as we could, then we got out.
But not before encountering a queen.
How did this come to you? I don't remember.
Light it up! That has to kill you.
Sir, let's go.
You don't know what you have done.
We are merely the caretakers for those that sleep.
When I die, the others will awaken all of them.
What's she talking about? How many are left? So you admit it.
You woke the Wraith.
Look, sooner or later, they were gonna wake up on their own anyway.
But not for generations.
You see, Colonel, most of the human populations of this galaxy have not yet fully recovered from the last round of cullings.
As a result of this early awakening, several worlds have been driven to the point of extinction Their survivors scattered, their civilizations lost forever.
We're out there fighting the Wraith, day after day, - putting our asses on the line.
- But the fact remains, many who have been killed would be alive today if you had never come here.
Isn't that true? That's it, I'm not playing in this game anymore.
This is just the first of many charges.
If you refuse to participate, it'll be taken as an admission of guilt on all counts, and we will have no choice but to proceed to sentencing.
What are you going to do? Put everybody in Atlantis in jail? Obviously that's not possible.
However, we can refuse cooperation.
That means no more trade, no more relations of any kind.
Atlantis will be completely isolated.
No relations with the likes of you? - I think we can handle that.
- The coalition grows in strength and influence every day.
Soon enough, all of your current trading partners will have no choice but to join and therefore to abide by the ruling of this council.
As for you and your team, an example must be made.
Justice demands it.
Justice is that what you're calling this? A suitable, uninhabited planet has been chosen.
If you're found guilty, you'll be sent there, without any hope of return, for the rest of your natural lives.
Apparently, the planet they picked for us has just enough food for us to survive, so, technically, it's not an execution.
- Great.
- And they took the DHD, so whoever comes through the Gate they're not coming back.
- The Daedalus can find us.
- If they had the address.
Short of that, they'd need to search every solar system in the galaxy for a habitable planet, which would take, what, a million years? Right.
Let's not panic.
I've been to the chamber a couple of times now.
I'm beginning to get a sense of the layout.
The architecture is definitely different from that of the village.
No, we're on another planet.
Judging by the fact there's no natural light or windows, I'm guessing an underground bunker.
- Guards? - Yeah.
Half a dozen or so.
We're going to have to see if they change in shifts.
Any chance you could just convince them that we're not guilty? 'Cause we're not, right? Come on, there is no way the Pegasus galaxy would be better off - if we'd never come here.
- No.
But since your arrival, there have been setbacks.
Lives have been lost.
But there is hope now where once there was none.
Look, as much as I'd like to tell these guys where to put their little trial, we're just gonna have to play along for a while until we figure out how to get out of here.
Mr.
Woolsey, this is Myrus.
He claims to be a representative for the new coalition of planets.
Does he? Are you the leader of Atlantis? That's right.
Then we need to speak.
Well, what's next on the agenda? Did we step on the rose bushes on our last trip to Vedeena? Perhaps you've heard of a plague that's recently swept through several worlds, a sickness that arrives suddenly, runs its course in a matter of days, and typically kills one out of every three men, women, and children wherever it strikes.
There are those who believe it is not a sickness at all but a deliberate poisoning, the work of one individual.
I know who you're talking about.
His name is Michael.
It is said that he is neither human nor Wraith, but some kind of half-breed.
Can you explain to us how such a thing is possible? One of our people was conducting research.
They were trying to come up with a way to solve the Wraith problem once and for all.
You found a way to convert Wraith into humans? Don't ask me the medical questions.
I'm not a Doctor.
And this Michael was one of your test subjects? As a matter of fact, he was the first.
Blood pressure's fine, pulse normal.
You're bouncing back quite nicely.
- Bouncing back from what? - Hello, Michael.
Do you remember me? I'm Dr.
Elizabeth Weir.
This is Lt.
Colonel John Sheppard.
You served under my command.
Your name is Lieutenant Michael Kenmore.
You're in a private room off the infirmary here in Atlantis.
Is that familiar to you? Atlantis I think.
We tried to convince him he was one of us.
But he knew something was wrong, and then he found proof.
Five milligrams! Release me! You will die for this! Others will come for me! After that, he escaped.
He went back and forth between Wraith and human a couple more times until he finally settled somewhere in between.
So once again you admit your guilt.
You unleashed this thing on the galaxy.
We didn't just let him out the front door and forget about him.
We've been chasing him ever since.
A couple of months ago, we managed to catch up with him.
Fire in the hole.
- What happened? - The hyperdrive just exploded.
No, that's impossible.
Main power is out across much of the ship.
- An accidental overload? - It doesn't appear that way.
How did they do that? I will look into it.
- Daedalus, please come in.
- What the hell happened to your Jumper? Hell, I got all turned around in the parking garage.
I was in a rush, so I borrowed this dart.
I've got the team beamed in to a storage device.
Feel free to do whatever you want to that cruiser.
Major Marks, please make that ship go away.
Yes, sir.
Are you sure he was killed? The ship was vaporized.
There was no body to recover.
Well, then, you cannot testify before this council, and under the eyes of the Ancestors, that you know for certain that he is dead.
No.
This is outrageous.
You're telling me that one of the first official acts of your new government was to assault and kidnap my people? They weren't assaulted.
They were arrested.
You've got to be kidding me.
Believe me, not all of us agreed with this decision, but it wasn't taken entirely without reason.
We've been trying to help you people.
What you've been doing is making unilateral decisions that affect the lives of millions, without consultation and without accountability.
This is no longer acceptable.
I'm not going to get drawn into a debate here.
I only need to know one thing Where are my people being held? Of course I can't tell you that.
Fair trials don't take place in secret locations.
Nevertheless I think Mr.
Myrus needs a little time to reconsider his position here.
Escort him to a cell.
My pleasure.
- You're making a mistake.
- Am I? When I was chosen to deliver this message, I knew there was a chance I wouldn't be coming back.
But if you detain me, you will only be confirming what many already suspect That you're a rogue element in this galaxy, operating without restraint or due process.
Lock him up.
Let's go.
All right.
I'm not saying we haven't made some mistakes, but that's 'cause we're the only ones out there fighting.
Nobody else is out there taking on the Wraith.
But isn't that your own fault as well? What are you talking about? The Genii had a plan to combat the Wraith, but they were thwarted when you betrayed them.
Oh, is that what they told you? Because that's not what I remember.
Where's my father? He did not survive.
How? - What happened? - I think we should find out.
Take aim! Cowen, I thought we were just learning how to get along.
She killed Tyrus.
No.
By leaving him to die, you may just as well have killed him yourself.
We will keep this intelligence information and your ship, and whatever quantities of C-4 you have in your possession.
That is all you ever intended to use us.
Your weapons.
No.
I don't think so.
This is what your father died for? In the name of people who would lie and steal from those they would call friends? Well, I lied too.
Jumpers two and three, execute.
You really thought we had one ship, did you? So you betrayed each other.
We came prepared.
They made the first move.
Look, the Genii plan was never gonna work anyways.
They had bombs they couldn't finish without our help, they had no methods of delivery.
If you want a military victory against the Wraith, we're your only chance.
You've been in touch with our off-world contacts? Yes, sir.
- And? - Nobody knows anything.
At least, that's what they're saying.
You don't believe them? Well, frankly, right now, I don't know what to believe, sir.
I mean, these people are supposed to be our friends, but if we can't just walk into an ordinary village without worrying about an ambush, what's the point? We're not there yet.
I refuse to believe that the whole galaxy has turned against us.
Well, it might as well, because right now we have nothing.
Maybe not Come with me.
Open it.
Mr.
Myrus, I have a proposal for you.
So you claim to have had military success against the Wraith? We've done our share of damage.
Even managed to take a few hive ships out here and there.
Really? And how did you manage to accomplish this remarkable feat? Well, I can tell you one thing It's never easy, but one good trick is to get them to shoot at each other.
Look.
See that? It's a dart firing at one of the hive ships.
Why? Sheppard.
Sheppard's actually getting them to fire at each other.
Now, if two hive ships are going at it and you happen to be onboard one of them, that can be a bit of a problem.
That's when you have to improvise.
- Teyla, Lorne, come in.
- Colonel, where are you? - We're on our way.
- You must hurry.
The other hive has found us.
- Can you hold 'em off? - Not for long.
Approaching dart bay.
Acknowledged.
They're inside.
Colonel, request permission to jump to hyperspace immediately.
Negative.
I have another idea.
Teyla, I want you to set a new course.
- Commander.
- What is it? We just received an urgent communication from the hive.
The enemy They're headed straight for us.
Did I also mention that we have a fair amount of Ancient technology at our disposal, because that can be pretty handy too.
There's a hive bearing down on your position.
Yes, sir, I see that.
Stand by.
- Doc, they're killing us here.
- I have it, I have it.
Firing drones.
Let's see, what else did I leave out? There's been so many over the years, you know, it's hard to keep track.
Enough.
You spin a colorful tale, Colonel.
That much is obvious.
Yet for all these fantastic claims, we have no evidence but your word.
This trial is evidence.
None of this would be happening Your precious little coalition wouldn't even exist if we hadn't have pushed the Wraith so far back that you got an opportunity you haven't had in 10,000 years.
Your responsibility in this has already been determined.
You woke the Wraith early, before the population of this galaxy had sufficient time to recover, which eventually led to the Wraith going to war with each other over feeding grounds.
That war is what has given us this opportunity, not some imagined victory on your part.
We will take a recess.
Please take the prisoner back to his cell.
Woolsey, what the hell are you doing here? I've made an arrangement with your captors.
I'm taking over your defense.
I don't suppose you managed to bring a subspace locator beacon, did you? That's Wraith technology.
It's not like we have one just lying around.
I even tried to contact Todd to see if we could borrow one, but he never responded.
What about the DHD on the planet we were ambushed? I mean, you could pull the most recent addresses that were dialed from that.
Already done.
There were over 50 addresses in the buffer.
I almost cleaned out the entire City sending people to investigate all of them, but they turned up nothing.
They took us through more than one Gate.
So it would seem.
This was obviously very well thought out.
They had a very clever plan, but we're smarter and better armed.
There's gotta be a way around this.
They took advantage of one significant weakness We trusted them.
Look, I came here because I have a plan to get you out of here.
Well, what is it? Win the trial.
Look, we were just playing along to buy us enough time to figure out a way out of here.
And how's that coming along? Well, we're We're working on it.
I was Harvard law review.
I was Chief Counsel of the US Army corps of engineers.
Prior to that, I was an appellate advocate for Hartshorne & Slaughter, one of the most prestigious litigation boutiques in all New York City.
Believe me, I can handle three tribal elders with a stack of papyrus.
Some time ago, a number of human worlds were attacked and destroyed from space, not by the Wraith, but by someone else.
Little is known of this mysterious race except that they possess incredibly advanced technology, and are rumored to be allies of Atlantis.
I think I know who you're referring to, and believe me, they are not our allies.
They're called Replicators.
They were created by the Ancients.
If you wish to know the truth of who we are, I will show you.
The Ancients, as you call them, were desperate in their search for a better way to fight the Wraith.
Though greatly outnumbered, they relied on their technological superiority to give them a needed advantage.
Instead of building bigger, more powerful weapons, - they chose to build smaller ones.
- Nanites.
In these tiny killing machines, the Ancients imbued an aggression that surpassed even that of their enemy.
The technology allowed for organic assimilation and self-replication to increase their effectiveness.
And replicate they did.
They grew in numbers, evolving at a rate that took the Ancients by surprise.
The molecular machines began interlocking, assembling themselves to form even more complex organisms, eventually evolving into the most effective and efficient form they knew of.
This is how we were born.
When the Ancients concluded that we would never become the weapon they desired to create, they decided to end it.
So they chose to destroy us, to leave no trace of us behind.
- Some of them managed to survive.
- That's right.
And as the name suggests, they replicated and rebuilt themselves into a powerful force.
Oh My No kidding.
But why would they attack human worlds? It was a strategy they developed in their campaign against the Wraith Eliminate the enemy's food supply.
There's one thing I don't understand, Mr.
Woolsey.
If, as you suggest, they were originally designed to fight the Wraith, why did they wait until now? - I got the ZPM.
We're leaving.
- Wait a minute.
We can't go.
What are you talking about? You said you could get the hyperdrive back online.
I mean, we can, but not yet.
Look, while Elizabeth's been connected, I've been going over the Replicators' base code, and I found this.
What is that? The Holy Grail.
It's their whole reason for being.
It's a command code that directs them to attack the Wraith.
Yeah, but they don't attack the Wraith.
They've been sitting on their nanite asses for 10,000 years.
That's because it's been deactivated.
Are you telling us that you are the ones that activated the attack code? We didn't know they were going to target human worlds.
No, because you acted rashly, without considering the consequences.
We had an opportunity, one that wasn't going to present itself again.
Believe me, Councilors, this decision was not taken lightly.
In fact, it cost us one of our best people.
Get to the Jumper.
You're coming with us.
I can't keep them frozen much longer.
We're not leaving you behind.
If you don't leave right now, none of us will get out of here, so go! That's an order! Come on! Go! One of your people died, and you consider this a grave sacrifice? - As a matter of fact, I do.
- Then imagine how we feel Those of us who have witnessed the deaths of thousands.
We cannot be held responsible for the actions of the Replicators.
Colonel Sheppard made the same argument in respect to the Wraith, and in that case I might be inclined to agree with him.
By your own admission, these Replicators are machines.
So if I were to set a detonator, can I then later deny responsibility for the actions of the bomb? By that logic, you might just as well blame the Ancients.
They created them.
The Ancients, as you call them, aren't here to answer for their actions.
You are.
We know for certain of six human worlds that were destroyed by the Replicators.
But we also know of at least a dozen hive ships that were destroyed, hive ships that would almost certainly have culled within a year.
One could make the argument that, on balance, more lives were saved - than were lost.
- On balance? Is that what we are to you? Figures on a ledger? Pieces that can be moved about in a game of strategy, some to be saved while others are sacrificed? - I'm sorry, I certainly didn't mean to diminish - Real people are being killed, Mr.
Woolsey, real villages destroyed My village, my people.
My husband and children murdered before my eyes.
You're from one of the planets destroyed by the Replicators.
I barely escaped with my life, but not before I saw everything I hold dear get wiped out by a beam of light from the sky.
And I will not rest until someone is made to pay for it.
I guess we can rule out getting her vote.
It's clearly inappropriate for someone that biased to be on the council.
So they stacked the deck against us.
I'm not sure.
Dimas seems to be a reasonable man.
I think he might even be persuaded to vote our way.
Kelore is a little harder to read.
He seemed pretty hostile to me.
- Didn't you say he was from Latira? - Yeah, that's right.
One of our last intelligence reports suggests a growing relationship between Latira and the Genii.
Yeah, he did try to convince me that they should be the ones leading the fight against the Wraith.
- You think the Genii are behind this? - It makes sense.
Apart from Atlantis, they're clearly the biggest military power in the coalition.
If they played their cards right, they could wind up running the whole thing.
But only with us out of the picture.
So we were right all along.
This whole thing's fixed.
I say we go to plan B Wait for the guards come in, I beat 'em up, take their guns, - we shoot our way out of here.
- Do we even know the way out? We know we're at least two levels underground and there's no more than a dozen or so guards at any one time.
What about on the surface? How many guards are up there? And which way is the Gate? And how far? There's a few things we'll have to figure out along the way.
It's too risky.
We could wind up being shot before we even got out of the building.
What other choice do we have? We know we can't win this thing.
Not fairly, no.
What are you talking about? I'm saying now that I know what the game is, I can play it.
Kelore, thank you for agreeing to meet me.
Wait outside.
It cost me rather a fine pocketwatch that used to belong to my father to get him to bring me here.
You shouldn't have bothered.
There's nothing I can do for you.
Maybe I'm just feeling generous tonight.
Speak plainly.
You're backing the wrong horse.
We know you're connected with the Genii.
I don't know what you're talking about.
We also know they're looking to become the military muscle behind the coalition.
We think we'd make a better choice.
You? Atlantis? That's right.
Well, I didn't realize you had those kinds of ambitions.
We've been content to keep to ourselves up until now, but if it's a choice between getting pushed out of the game and taking a more active part, well, that's no choice at all, is it? Of course, for appearance's sake, we can't be too aggressive, so we'll need someone on the inside to help push our agenda Someone to whom we'll be very, very grateful.
And how do I know you haven't made this offer to the others? I think we both know Dimas will only be swayed by reason, and Shiana's going to vote against us, no matter what.
That leaves you.
Mr.
Woolsey, are you ready to face the final charge? I am.
The people of Atlantis stand accused of conspiring with the Wraith.
Conspiring? We have reports that Atlantis has negotiated with the Wraith and performed military operations with them.
It is said you have formed an alliance with one Wraith in particular.
Todd.
That's what we call him.
This Wraith was imprisoned with Colonel Sheppard by the Genii.
The Wraith was allowed to feed on him but, despite this, Colonel Sheppard realized that their best chance of escape was to work together.
Which way? This way.
And you continue to have dealings with this Wraith? We have occasional contact.
- You trust him? - Of course not.
But he has proven to be useful at times.
He helped us hold off the Replicator fleet long enough for Dr.
McKay to enact a plan to destroy them.
Power down in interior section.
Transferring power from non-critical systems to hull regeneration.
- Our shields can't take much more of this, sir.
- Hopefully, they won't have to.
And get ready to transfer power from the beam weapons to the - What the hell? - Son of a bitch.
He actually did it.
- We need to get out of here.
- Right.
Let's go.
Come on! As much as I'd love to, we shouldn't stick around and watch this go down.
We should tell the fleet to jump to the rendezvous point immediately.
The planet's become unstable.
The fact is we would never have defeated the Replicators without his help.
I think it's safe to say they would have continued their policy of attacking human worlds and, by now, everyone in this galaxy would be dead.
Very well.
As that was the final charge, we will recess to deliberate.
I'd like to make one final statement, if I may.
Very well.
The Wraith are in disarray, but that won't last forever.
Sooner or later, one faction will win out over the others.
And when that happens, they will turn their attention to this coalition with a ruthless vengeance, the likes of which you've never seen.
If you don't want us there when that day comes, fighting by your side, then, by all means, vote us guilty.
I need no deliberation.
I say we get this over with now.
Very well.
I vote guilty, on all charges.
I vote not guilty on all charges.
It falls to you, Kelore.
Yours is the deciding vote.
Well? What's the word? - Not guilty.
- Oh, thank God.
We're free to go.
I never doubted you for a second.
Nice suit.
Being back in the courtroom made me miss my old uniform.
- You're kidding.
- Not the job, just the uniform.
Oh, that's nice.
Well, it seemed appropriate.
So, you going to tell me how you managed to pull this one off? Well, I'd say it was a combination of things My legal skills, my eloquence, the indisputable logic of my arguments, and the bribe I offered Kelore.
On top of that, I had to commit Atlantis to a much larger day-to-day participation in the politics of the Pegasus galaxy.
A way to explain that in my report What's the point of being out here if we don't try to make a difference, right? Let's hope the IOA agrees with you.
Let's worry about that later.
For now, congratulations.
Thanks.