TARANIS.
Taranis is a planet which has a Stargate near to a cliff of volcanic rock. At the base of the cliff is a large doorway, perhaps twenty or more feet high, with huge doors. Massive shafts of varying sizes run up from the door to a large complex built into the side of the rock about halfway up the cliff. This was obviously not built by your usual simple Pegasus colony. At the front of the complex is a large glassed area, some sort of observation deck. Inside the observation deck is a Control Room, looking at least as advanced as Atlantis. Standing at the window looking out towards the Stargate is Doctor Norina Pero, a woman in her thirties. She is, inevitably, slim, blonde and gorgeous. With her are Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard, Doctor McKay, Captain Frio and Ronon. John is standing behind her, looking more at the view than her, unlike Rodney who was more interested in Norina than the view from the window.
"Impressive!" John said.
"Hmm!"
Oblivious to McKay's attention, Norina turns away from the window and gestures into the room. "This is our central Control Room." Norina leads them down some steps to one of the consoles. "And this is our shield generator control."
The controls on the panel on top of the console are obviously of Ancient design.
"The austerity of the facility suggests that it was built during the height of war." McKay said.
"It is well beyond our science. My skills are rudimentary at best."
"Ah, don't be so hard on yourself. It took Doctor McKay years to figure out all things Ancient and he still doesn't completely understand." John said.
"I have a very firm grasp of Ancient technology." McKay said, defensively.
"You've blow up entire planets, Rodney." John told him.
"That wasn't my fault!"
"Well, it didn't do it by itself!"
An older man comes in. "Are these our guests?"
"Yes, Chancellor." Norina introduces the team. "Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Doctor Rodney McKay, Captain Marissa Frio and Ronon Dex. Chancellor Lycus."
"Welcome to Taranis." Chancellor Lycus said.
"Thank you." John said.
"And thank you for finally answering our calls for assistance. We tried several addresses from the database but were beginning to wonder if anyone could hear us."
"Sorry about that. Um, we like to keep a low profile."
"So as not to attract the attention of the Wraith." Marissa said.
"I see. Well, hopefully you can help us. Our shield generator has been giving us trouble for some time now. Our knowledge of the technology is limited, and the Ancestors regrettably neglected to leave behind instruction manuals." Chancellor Lycus said.
Rodney laughs derisively. "Actually, they did. You probably just couldn't understand..."
John deliberately talked over Rodney. "The good news is you found our address. I'm sure we can fix whatever needs fixing."
"And by "we", he means me, so..." McKay reaches behind him and pulls his laptop computer, which was velcroed to his back, off with a loud ripping sound "...shall we get started?"
"I'm sure I could learn a lot from you, Doctor." Norina said.
Rodney looks startled. "Oh! Well, I'm sure I can learn, um..." He trails off, embarrassed, while Ronon grins at him and Marissa unsuccessfully tries to hide a smile. "Let's start here, shall we?" He points to the shield generator control console. Norina walks over to join him.
Chancellor Lycus spoke to the others. "In the meantime, perhaps you'd like a tour of the facility."
"Lead the way."
Lycus leads John, Marissa and Ronon out of the room.
҉
LATER.
ELSEWHERE IN THE COMPLEX.
Elevator doors open and Lycus and the team exit.
"Ooh! My ears just popped!" John said.
"We are deep underground. The Ancestors constructed an extensive system of corridors and tunnels throughout the facility and beyond. In fact, it was by following such a tunnel beneath our nearest settlement that we discovered this facility." Lycus said.
There's a loud rumbling and the complex shakes violently. Back in the Control Room, Rodney looks up from the console and runs to the doorway. He looks around nervously as dust falls from the ceiling. Out in the complex, Lycus seems unperturbed.
"What was that?" Marissa asked.
"Oh, just a tremor. Nothing to be concerned with. Uh, please, this way." Lycus leads them on as they look at each other in concern.
(In the Control Room)
Rodney looks round at Norina nervously. She too doesn't seem particularly bothered by what just happened.
"That was harmonic tremors." McKay said.
"We've experienced several such tremors in recent days. I'm concerned they may have something to do with our generator problems."
McKay was walking towards Norina. "Well, you say your generator is powered by geothermal energy?"
"Yes."
"Well, then I'd say there's probably a connection."
"What were you doing?" Norina was referring to the way that Rodney ran to the door when the tremors happened.
McKay was bluffing desperately. "Well, that, that was, uh, that was the... standard military procedure. In the case of an earthquake, one hides...uh, well, stands in a doorway and, uh, just checks the...structural integrity of the building...for the sake of the civilians."
(Underground)
Lycus leads the rest of the team to a closed door. "This is the main hangar."
"Hangar? For what?" John asked.
"Mere description would be inadequate." Lycus waves his hand past a standard Ancient door panel and the door opens. He leads the team inside and they walk to a balcony.
John's jaw drops. "I see what you mean!"
The balcony overlooks an Ancient ship. It's way bigger than Daedalus and looks very similar to the Aurora.
҉
ATLANTIS.
John is walking with Illyria towards Weir's office.
"It's an Aurora class warship. Obviously you guys built more than one of them."
"Why didn't we become aware of it at the same time our sensors picked up the Aurora?" Illyria asked.
"It's damaged - probably from the war with the Wraith."
"Beyond repair?" Weir asked, over hearing the conversation.
"I don't know. Their scientists - or at least the folks who call themselves scientists - have been working on it for years but it's way out of their league. They know how to turn things on and off, but as far as fixing problems..."
"Well, Rodney should still have the technical specs you brought back from the Aurora mission."
"I told him to take a look at 'em but first I want him to fix the, uh, shield generator - build some goodwill with these people."
"Good idea. Hopefully we can establish an alliance with them. A ship like that..." Illyria
"...would come very much in handy now that the Wraith are probably on their way - I know. Uh, I'm gonna get back there now - uh, make sure he's not distracted." John finished.
"Distracted?" Weir asked.
"Ah, well, the lead scientist, uh, she's very, um..."
"...hot?" Illyria guessed.
"I was gonna say attractive. But McKay is acting very, uh..."
"…smitten?" Weir guessed.
"I was gonna say pathetic." John turns to leave.
"Wait. I should head back with you and begin negotiations with the Taranan leader."
"Illyria-"
"No, John. I'm the best delegate Atlantis has, aside from you, Elizabeth. It would be a waste of my skills to not use me."
Weir thought it over and nodded. Illyria smiled and turned to John. "What's he like?"
"Oh, you know. He's a guy. Didn't pay much attention. Sorry!" John turns and walks away, frustrated.
TARANIS.
CONTROL ROOM.
Rodney is talking with Norina and some of her colleagues. "A shield like this would normally require a Zero Point Module to power it but, uh, this one seems to operate on geothermal energy alone." He turns and walks to another console. Norina follows him.
"Yes, there's an enormous amount of heat beneath the surface."
Rodney turns and looks at her. "Hmm, you're telling me."
Norina glances at him, then turns her attention back to the console. "When I noticed the fluctuations in shield strength, I managed to override the alarms and make some adjustments, but then other lights began blinking and I was unable to understand what they meant. (Rodney leans on the console, gazing at her, obviously impressed by the fact that this is a beautiful and fairly smart scientist.) Shortly after that is when the tremors started."
John walks in with a case. "How goes it, Rodney?"
Rodney rapidly straightens up from the console. "Uh, I was just, uh, still running diagnostics."
"Still? Thought you would have had that fixed. If you want, um, I can call Doctor Zelenka. I'm sure he could, uh..."
"I can handle it, thank you!" Rodney walks over the table that John put the case down on and opens it. John strolls over to Norina, smiling at her. Rodney, unaware of this, talks to John over his shoulder as he tinkers with what's in the case, apparently interfacing it with his computer tablet. "What are you doing back so soon? I mean, I told you this might take some time."
"Uh, Illyria wanted to talk to the Chancellor,-"
"And you let her?"
John seemed to ignore Rodney's comment and continued, "-see if we can establish relations with these good people."
"That would be wonderful." Norina said.
"Uh, in fact, you've been working hard –"
McKay turned round and interrupted. "Uh, no-no-no. I was just about to, uh, show Norina the generator log which, uh, shows that, uh..." he picks up his computer tablet again and looks at it in shock "...you've been running the shield continuously for over a year now."
"Yes. When the device was activated..." she looks at John "...you told me what it was called..."
"The long range scanners - that's just what we call them." McKay said.
"It's from an old TV show..." John said but McKay interrupted.
"Yes, yes." He turns to Norina. "What about them?"
"When they indicated a sudden rise in Wraith activity last year, Chancellor Lycus ordered me to increase the strength of the shield."
"Well, that's unfortunate." McKay said.
"Why?"
"Because the Ancients didn't design these things to run continuously at maximum capacity." McKay explained. He picks up another laptop and takes it over to another console. John shrugs at Norina. "Look, shields are for emergencies only, Norina. When you shut down the alarms, you overrode the failsafes and that means that we're..." He activates the laptop and stares at it in horror. "Oh, no."
"What it is?" Norina and John walk over to join him.
"The reason the Ancients chose to power this facility on geothermal energy is because we're sitting right smack in the caldera of a dormant super-volcano ... or should I say formerly dormant, because drawing all of this energy from the magma chamber has made it extremely active."
"So - things are gonna get worse." John said.
"I think we can safely say that things are gonna get..." McKay searches for the right word "...worse. Yes."
҉
CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE.
Illyria and Lycus are sitting either side of his desk.
"We are seeking to establish relations with civilizations throughout the galaxy." Illyria said.
"As are we. In fact, people from several worlds have chosen to emigrate here, seeking refuge from the Wraith."
"Our interest extends beyond just security, though. We're also interested in cultural exchange and, of course, trading opportunities. As you discovered, we have an extensive knowledge of Ancient technology."
Lycus was looking at her suspiciously. "And we have an Ancient warship."
"Yes. A ship that currently is unable to fly. If we were able to repair it, perhaps we could negotiate..."
Lycus interrupted. "We do not know all of its wonders, but I can only assume it possesses the capability for great destruction. Why would I hand over that capability to you?"
"Now, Chancellor, don't take this as a threat in any way, but we already possess that capability. Now, having that ability and using it are two entirely different things."
John's voice comes over her headset. "Illyria."
"Excuse me, please." She activates her headset. "Yes, John?"
"You and the Chancellor may want to come down to the Control Room. We have a problem here."
"What kind of problem?"
The complex shakes violently for several seconds.
"That kind of problem!"
҉
TARANIS CONTROL ROOM.
Illyria and Lycus have joined the others. Illyria is gazing out of the window at the large flat plain outside. "I don't see any…volcano." She turns to face the others.
"Because you're standing inside it right now. Look, when you think of regular volcanoes, you think Mount St Helens," McKay steeples his fingers to indicate what people think a volcano usually looks like,
or, uh, Kilauea."
"And super-volcano?"
"Yellowstone National Park - with a caldera over fifty miles wide and a massive sea of molten rock just beneath the surface."
"So my- the ancients built the facility here in order to tap into all that geothermal energy."
"Right. And these things don't erupt very often. Thousands, oftentimes hundreds of thousands of years go by between blasts."
"So the Ancients thought, what the hell, plenty of energy down there to run the shield?" John said.
"Yeah, but not continuously." McKay said.
Norina spoke to Lycus. "By doing so, we've increased the pressure of the magma chamber."
"It's expanded to over forty miles now, and increasing." McKay said.
"Can it be stopped?" Illyria asked.
"No. The damage is already done. Look, a significant hotspot rift has opened. The pressure will keep building as magma continues pouring in directly beneath us." McKay said.
"Is there anything we can do to relieve the pressure somewhere else? Uh, maybe we can fire a drone down into the crust on the other side of the caldera." John said.
"Every problem has a military solution in your world, doesn't it? Look, when this baby goes, the whole thing goes." McKay told them irritably.
John turned to Lycus. "Then we need to evacuate your people."
"Is there anywhere on this planet we can help relocate you to?" Illyria asked.
"Look, you're still not getting it. Listen to me, all of you. When this thing erupts, the force of the explosion will be over ten thousand times greater than the blast that destroyed Mount St Helens. It will obliterate half of this continent." McKay said.
"There must be other continents."
"The dust cloud will envelop the planet within weeks, blocking out enough sunlight to kill every living thing. We are talking about an Extinction Level Event." McKay turned to Lycus. "Look, the only option you've got is to evacuate your people to another planet - and I would advise doing it sooner rather than later."
Lycus looks at them all for a moment. "Excuse me." He turns to leave the room, pausing to talk quietly to a guard. "Watch them carefully." He leaves the room.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was my volume turned right down?" McKay looks at the others. "Did he not hear me?"
҉
CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE.
Lycus pours himself a drink. The door beeps. Lycus turns to an aide standing at the door and nods to him. The aide passes his hand over the door panel and the door opens. Illyria is standing outside. She walks in. Lycus nods to his aide again, who leaves the room. Lycus takes a drink as Illyria walks closer.
"Chancellor Lycus. Doctor McKay is the finest scientist we have. I trust his advice without reservation."
"And I don't know you."
"You asked for our help, and we came."
"To fix our field generator, not incite evacuation of our planet."
"Your shield generator is what's causing this problem. Now, we would not advise such drastic measures unless there were no other alternatives."
"I'm just finding it curious that you advise us to leave this planet shortly after you discover that we possess an Ancient warship."
"You think we're trying to get you to leave so we can take your ship?"
"As I said, I don't know you."
"No, you don't."
The complex shakes violently. Outside, all across the caldera, several plumes of smoke burst out of the ground. Part of the ground collapses and more smoke pours out.
҉
TARANIS CONTROL ROOM.
Lycus hurries in, followed by Illyria.
"Is everyone alright?" Illyria asked.
Over by the window, John is tending to a Taranan technician who is sitting on the steps. "Nasty cut on his forehead."
"Reports of the wounded are coming in from the settlement." Norina reported.
John walks away from the technician, having put a field dressing on his injured head.
"I'll call Beckett - get him up here." Illyria said.
"You'd better make it quick. The last tremor opened a hydrothermal vent in the base. The ground is eroding beneath us." McKay said.
John turned to Lycus. "You need to get your people off this planet now."
"They can come to Atlantis. They'll be safe there." Lycus hesitates. "If we didn't answer your call for help, this would still be happening." Illyria said.
"Chancellor, please listen to them." Norina pleaded.
Lycus nods. "Alert the settlement. Tell our people to gather only their most precious possessions and come here as quickly as possible. We'll begin evacuating immediately."
"Good." Illyria turns away and activates her headset. "Marissa, Ronon, come in."
҉
LATER.
As Taranans begin arriving at the complex, Illyria and Lycus are down in the lower corridors. They meet Marissa, Ronon and Doctor Beckett as they arrive.
"Oh good, you're here. We're just about ready to escort the first wave back to Atlantis." Illyria told the good doctor.
"Where are the wounded?" He asked.
"There's a technician up in the Control Room that needs tending to. They're also bringing more wounded in from the settlement."
"What can we do?" Marissa asked.
"You can help Colonel Sheppard facilitate the flow of evacuees. Chancellor Lycus and I are going to handle their arrival on the other end." Illyria told her.
"This way, Carson." Marissa and Ronon lead him off as Lycus and Illyria head in another direction.
҉
TARANIS CONTROL ROOM.
Rodney is dialling the D.H.D. as Carson comes in. "Rodney?"
McKay was pointing to the technician sitting on the steps. "Right here."
Carson runs over to the technician. Rodney continues the dialling sequence, then walks over to the window and activates his headset radio. "Gate's dialled. You're good to go."
(Outside the complex)
Lycus and Illyria lead the first group of evacuees towards the Gate as it whooshes.
"We will see you on the other side. Please, make it quick." Illyria told McKay.
She and the group begin to walk through the Gate.
(Control Room)
Rodney nods, then walks back to the console, activating his radio again.
"Sheppard. The first wave's on its way. How you doin' with the next group?"
"Keep the line moving."
The complex shakes violently. By the Gate, people scream as the ground just in front of the Gate erupts and smoke and steam billows out. The group turns and runs back towards the complex. Magma begins to erupt from the ground. Rodney races to the window, activating his radio.
"Sheppard! Get those people back inside the facility!" McKay selects another setting on the radio. "Atlantis, this is McKay - raise the shield! I repeat - raise the shield!"
Outside, as the earthquake continues, the Gate falls forward and crashes to the ground, which is already covered with magma. It begins to sink into the red hot molten rock.
In the Control Room, Norina stares out of the window in horror as the earthquake subsides. "The Stargate."
"It's gone!"
Outside, the Gate sinks below the surface of the magma.
҉
ATLANTIS.
In the Gateroom, Illyria and Lycus lead their group away from the Gate. They stop and turn in surprise as the shield comes on behind them. Illyria looks up at Doctor Weir who is standing on the balcony in the Control Room.
"Why did you raise the shield?"
"McKay gave the order just before we lost contact."
Explosions hit the rear side of the shield.
"What is happening?" Lycus asks.
The Gate shuts down.
"I don't know." Illyria said. She quickly walks up the stairs to the Control Room, Lycus following. "Run a Gate diagnostic."
"Power levels were intermittent the last few seconds before it shut off. Something must have terminated the connection from their end." The Tech said.
"Dial them back." Weir ordered.
The technician dials the D.H.D. The Gate dials, then groans and powers down. "Can't establish a wormhole."
"Something's happened to their Stargate." Illyria pointed out.
"There's nothing wrong with our Gate. Dial it again." Lycus demanded.
The technician dials again. The Gate dials, then groans and powers down. "We're getting nothing."
Lycus looks at Illyria. "You orchestrated this, didn't you?"
"What?"
"You lured me here to hold me hostage in exchange for our warship."
"I assure you, Chancellor, that is not what's happening here." Illyria turned to Weir. "Elizabeth, the Daedalus is on its way back from Earth. Can you contact Colonel Caldwell and divert them to Taranis?"
"Right away."
Illyria spoke to Lycus. "We're gonna find out what's going on, I promise."
"I will not be cut off from my people."
"My people are on your planet too, Chancellor. We're both cut off."
҉
TARANIS CONTROL ROOM.
John, Marissa and Ronon run in.
"What the hell happened?" John yelled.
"The Stargate - it was swallowed up by the magma." Carson said.
McKay was staring wide-eyed. "We are so screwed!"
"You mean we're stuck here?" Ronon asked.
"If we have no way of contacting Atlantis..."
"We are totally screwed." McKay finished for Marissa.
"Alright, hang on. Let's not panic." John told them.
"This facility has no means of direct subspace communication." McKay said.
"Will you just take it easy?" John yelled at him.
McKay got high-pitched. "We're inside a soon to be erupting volcano!"
"Illyria will try to dial us back. When she can't get through..." John thinks for a moment "...she'll send the Daedalus."
Rodney points at him hopefully, though his eyes are still wide in terror. "Daedalus, right - that's good!"
"Er, what if the volcano erupts before then?" Carson asked.
Rodney stares blankly.
"The ship in the hangar. Maybe McKay can fix it." John said.
Rodney's terrified expression changes to one of irritation. "Oh, maybe I can fix it! Place the pressure squarely on my shoulders for a change!"
"Well, I've discovered you're pretty good under the threat of impending death!" John yelled back.
Rodney points at him as if he's about to start shouting at him, then realizes that he's absolutely right and calms down a little. He walks over to Norina and puts his hand on her arm.
"I am, actually." He turns and runs out of the room. The others follow him.
҉
ANCIENT SHIP.
In a Control Room, Rodney is working on a console as Norina stands beside him watching what he does. "OK - and ... primary power ... is ..." McKay points towards the wall screen without looking at it
"...online."
The screen obligingly lights up. Lights come on in the room. Rodney turns and heads for another console, Norina following him.
"I wonder how many more ships like these exist." Marissa said.
"A few more like this and we can give the Wraith a serious fight." Ronon said.
Rodney walks around the Bridge activating various controls, Norina never leaving his side. "Life support should be back up and running in a few minutes."
"Good. That's good." John said.
"And I have, uh, discovered the ship's name." McKay looks at his computer tablet. "It's the, um, Hippaforalkus."
"The what?"
"Yeah, well, it appears to have been named after an Ancient general ... Hippaforalkus."
"Well, we're not calling it that!" John told him.
"Oh good, then what about, um..."
"And we're not calling it the Enterprise either!"
"I wasn't gonna say that! Look, for my second choice, though, I'd go with, um..."
"How about we name it later?"
"Fine."
"Whatever its name, this ship is large enough to fit a lot people." Marissa told them.
"Could fit all the settlement if we had to." Ronon backed her up.
"Let's hope we don't have to." John said.
Colonel Steven Caldwell's voice comes over the radio but it is very distant and distorted. "Colonel Sheppard, this is the Daedalus."
John activated his radio. "Go ahead."
They hear nothing but static. John looks at Rodney. "Signal's having trouble breaking through. We're gonna have to boost it. Can you get communications online?"
"Right, I'm on it." McKay hurries over to another console, the ever-faithful Norina following him. He activates some controls. "Right, try it now."
"Yes, sir, we're here. Where are you?" John spoke into his head set.
"We've just arrived in orbit above Taranis. Where are you? We've scanned the base and found no life signs."
"Well, this part of the base must be, uh, shielded."
"I hear you could use some assistance?"
"Well, the Stargate on this planet's been swallowed by lava and we're in a volcano that could erupt any second, so yeah, yeah, we could use a little help."
"Get yourselves out into the open where we can get a lock on you."
"Well, sir, we promised to help these people. We're gonna need the Daedalus to evac 'em back to Atlantis."
"From the number of people that we're detecting, that's at least four trips."
"But the Daedalus is pretty big ship. Surely you could fit more..." Marissa said.
"This is a spaceship, which means that our life support resources are finite. Four trips would already stretch those resources to the limit."
John turns to Rodney. "Do we have enough time for that?"
"There's no way to know for sure. I mean, it'll be close."
"All the tremors have stopped." Ronon said.
"For the moment." Marissa added.
John turned to his radio. "Alright, Beckett's on his way back to the settlement to treat the wounded. Marissa and Ronon can join him - organize people into groups that can be beamed aboard. In the meantime, McKay and I are gonna stay here and continue our work on Plan B."
"No. No-no-no-no, we need to get out of here." McKay said.
"We can start the process, but if things get worse and the Daedalus can't get everyone offworld, we're gonna need another lifeboat."
"And Plan B is what?"
"We've found a sister ship to the Aurora ... called the ... Orion." John smiles at Rodney, who grimaces and groans. "McKay's trying to get the sublight drive online."
"Really? Well, a ship that large, you should be able to get everyone else out in one trip."
"Yeah, well, whether or not we live or die is all up to Rodney."
"This is so unfair!" MacKay and Norina head off.
"Sounds like a plan, Colonel. Let's get to it."
҉
SETTLEMENT.
In a large village some distance from the main complex, Carson has gathered all the injured Taranans into what looks like a barn. He is examining a woman. "Right, over there you go." He gestures where she should sit down, then walks over to Marissa.
"Have you selected which patients will go first?"
"Aye, this group here." He gestures to a group of people lying on the ground. "They're the most severely wounded. I've alerted the Daedalus' Infirmary. They're waiting for them."
"Ronon is outside gathering the remainder of the first group. Everyone has seen and felt the first signs of the impending eruption and, despite our best efforts to keep them calm, some are beginning to panic."
"How long before the Daedalus is able to return?"
"Twelve hours to travel to Atlantis and back."
"Twelve hours? And they hope there's enough time to make four trips?"
Marissa shakes her head doubtfully. Carson sees Ronon approaching.
"Ronon, this way." Ronon walks in with a man and woman. The man has a cut on his head. "To the far left - the next group to go."
"Alright - come here, everyone." Ronon ushers the man and woman towards the group lying on the ground. "I need you to stand here." He gestures to some other injured people sitting nearby and brings them closer to the group. "Stand here. Don't worry - you won't feel a thing."
He walks over to Carson and Marissa. Marissa activates her radio. "Daedalus - this is Captain Frio. We have several hundred Taranians standing by at the various beaming sites. We are ready."
"Understood."
Asgard transporter beams sweep the villagers away.
҉
ATLANTIS.
In the Control Room, Illyria and Lycus listen to Caldwell as he reports over comms.
"The first wave of refugees are onboard. We're headed back to Atlantis."
"Thank you, Colonel. We'll be ready to receive them. Illyria out." She shuts off her radio.
"Then what? Once my people have been evacuated to this city, what happens to us then?" Lycus asked.
"You're welcome to stay here with us, or we can help you find a safe, suitable planet you can relocate to." Weir told him.
"And if what is happening on my planet is a false alarm?" Lycus asked.
"I doubt that's the case." Illyria said.
Zelenka comes over and interrupts apologetically. "Queen Illyria. Queen - I'm sorry, it's important."
"Excuse me, Chancellor. Doctor Weir." Illyria walks over to the wall screen with Radek.
"The long range scanner."
Illyria stares at the screen. "A hive ship."
"Yes - headed towards Atlantis."
Illyria closed her eyes briefly. "How far out?"
"Three weeks, perhaps."
"Just the one?"
"So far."
"So far…"
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
Rodney is working on various consoles as Norina follows him around.
"I have already learned so much from you just in the last few hours." Rodney looks at her. "Perhaps one day I could study under you."
Standing behind them, John looks up to the ceiling in disbelief.
McKay looking away. "Uh, yes, well, I really ... um, really look forward to that. But first, we need to, uh, get off." John squints at Rodney's back. "Uh, first we need to get off the planet ... first we need to get off the planet, and then you can be under me..."
The complex shakes. Rodney promptly ducks down under the console, leaving Norina to fend for herself. John, being more of a gentleman, runs over and holds her as she tries to keep her feet. Outside, two massive pyroclastic columns erupt from the surface.
Inside Orion, as the earthquake subsides, Rodney pops his head up from underneath the console. "OK, that was a big one. That was a lot stronger than the, uh ..."
He looks around to John and Norina who are just straightening up, their arms still around each other. They gaze at each other. "You alright?"
Norina was gazing into his eyes. "I'm fine."
Rodney looks away, fed up. He stands up and taps the console hard. "All good under there." John lets Norina go as Rodney turns and walks to another console. "OK ..."
҉
SETTLEMENT.
Carson stands at the barn door looking out as ash rains down from the sky. Marissa comes over and stares in amazement.
"What is it?" Marissa asked.
"It's just ash beginning to fall." Carson told her.
"Is that a sign that the volcano will erupt soon?"
"Diastrophism is a wee bit outside my bailiwick." Marissa shakes her head at him blankly. "I mean, no, I doubt it. Remember what Rodney said. When she goes, we'll know."
Behind them, a heated debate has broken out.
"Who decided that?" Ronon asked.
"We all did." A man said. Marissa and Carson turn to join the discussion. "Everyone's voice was heard."
"What is wrong?" Marissa asked.
Ronon gestures to the man who just spoke. "This is Vonos. He's from another settlement."
"Hullo there." Carson said.
"How long before the Daedalus returns?" Ronon asked.
"Still several hours." Marissa looks at Vonos. "And I'm afraid the second evacuation group has already been selected, but you and your people will be able to leave in the third."
"That won't be necessary." Vonons said.
"He thinks he can outrun this thing." Ronon said.
"What?" Marissa said.
"A day's walk from here, there is a river - wide, calm - should offer protection from any lava flow. Another two days after that, we're at the sea ..."
"Listen to me." Carson interrupted Vonons. "There's a cloud of ash spreading across the sky. If that doesn't choke you to death, you'll surely die in the explosion."
"The only chance of survival is to evacuate this planet." Marissa told him.
"And the only way out of here is on our ship." Ronon said.
҉
TARANIS CONTROL ROOM.
John and Norina walk in. Norina talks to the technicians still in the room. "Time to go."
The technicians turn and leave. John walks over to the window as Norina goes to a console. John looks at the view. As well as the large lake of magma where the Stargate was, the two pyroclastic columns are rising in the distance. Jets of steam and smoke are rising from various places on the plain.
"It's getting a hell of a lot worse out there." As he speaks, two more pyroclastic columns burst out of the ground.
"That last tremor opened up many more fissures. We have a problem." Norina said.
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
As Rodney works, John contacts him over radio.
"Rodney, come in."
Rodney activated his headset. "Go ahead."
"Looks like there's a lot of new vents opening up - a lot of ash going into the air. They're headed towards the settlement. We don't have time to wait for the Daedalus. How are those engines coming?"
"I'm not even close."
"Well, then, I guess we're all gonna die."
"Oh, you're doin' that on purpose!"
(Flip to John)
Norina turns and looks at John, puzzled, but he gestures to her to stay quiet.
"What?" John said nonchalantly.
"You're creating an impossible task that my ego will force me to overcome."
"Oh, yes, yes, that's exactly what I'm doing. It has nothing at all to do with saving the lives of these people. It's all about you." John deliberately makes his voice angry. "Now get your ass back to work and fix those damn engines!" Norina stares at him. He grins at her. "He'll fix 'em! Trust me."
They leave the room.
҉
SETTLEMENT.
BARN.
"Alright, folks, can I have your attention please? I'm afraid there's been a change of plans. We need to bring everyone from the settlement back to the base. Once at the base, we'll board another ship called the Orion. Now, it's a lovely ship with lots of room for ..."
"Why?" Vonos interrupted Carson.
"As you can see, the conditions outside are rapidly deteriorating. We may not have time to wait for our ship to return, so we would like everyone to proceed down the tunnel that leads back to the base. The Orion will safely evacuate everyone before the volcano ..."
"Why did we not board that ship in the first place?" Vonos interrupted Marissa.
"The engines are not currently in working condition but our people are confident they'll have 'em fixed before the volcano erupts." Carson said.
Vonos turned to his group. "This is why we should not have waited. We cannot trust what they say. We must leave this place now."
"And go where?" Ronon asked.
"To the river."
"Have you looked outside, big man?" Carson asked.
"The air'll be clear beyond the river."
"No, it won't! That cloud stretches for bloody miles!" Carson yelled at Vonos.
"You will die out there." Ronon said.
"Maybe. But it's better to do battle with death than idly wait for it to take you." Carson looks away in despair. Vonos looks around at the other Taranans. "You are all welcome to join us."
"No! At least in here we stand a chance of survival. Out there, it is suicide." Marissa said.
Vonos looks at the Atlantis team for a moment, then resolutely walks out into the rain of ash. About ten other people follow him. Marissa, Carson and Ronon watch them go, then turn away.
"Alright. Everybody else - please, come this way. Down the tunnel." Marissa said.
҉
ATLANTIS.
NIGHT TIME.
Illyria is standing on the balcony outside the Control Room, gazing out over the city and the night sky. Lycus talks with one of his aides inside the Control Room for a while, and then comes out to join her. She smiles at him, and then he looks up into the sky.
"Do you know which of these stars is Taranis?" He asks.
Illyria shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I don't."
Lycus looks down over the city. "Your city is incredible."
Illyria is smiling proudly. "Yes it is."
"Queen Illyria, your people have been putting their lives in jeopardy to save my people, and I have rewarded that kindness with doubt and suspicion. I apologize."
"That's not necessary. I understand how you must feel."
"I truly believed the Ancestors' shield would protect my people. I could not have been more wrong."
"We'll save as many as we can."
"I believe you will."
҉
TARANIS UNDERGROUND CORRIDORS.
John runs to meet Carson who is leading the refugees through the tunnels.
"OK, this way, folks. Hurry. Hurry."
"Good, good. Keep 'em coming. Where are Marissa and Ronon?" John asked.
"Still back at the village gathering the rest of the people, then they'll be on their way."
"Good. Get these people to the ship."
"Alright." Carson turned to the Taranans. "Come on, move it, let's go, come on!" He runs off with them. John stays where he is, calling out instructions to the people who are just arriving.
"Go on - straight down to the hangar, folks! The ship is waiting, plenty of room." The complex shakes as another earthquake begins. "Don't panic!" John continues to usher the people onwards. "Plenty of room."
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
As the ship shakes, Rodney activates his radio. "Sheppard."
"What?"
"I just got the atmospheric sensors online. I'm reading dangerously high levels of sulphur dioxide spewing into the air from dozens of fumaroles. Look, it is rapidly becoming toxic out there. Make sure you get people to stick to the tunnels."
"We'll pass the word. How about those engines?"
"I'm still working on that."
(John's POV)
"Keep me apprised." He changes the setting on his radio. "Marissa, Ronon."
(In the settlement barn)
Marissa is directing people towards the tunnel. She coughs as she activates her headset. "Yes, Colonel."
"We've got toxic gas venting into the atmosphere."
Marissa coughs. "Yes. It has already made its way here."
"Get everyone into the tunnel underneath the settlement ASAP."
"They're heading your way. Ronon's found one remaining family at the edge of the village. He's returning and then we will go." She coughs heavily.
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
As Rodney continues to work, John runs in.
"Beckett and Norina are helping people get on board. It's getting pretty tense, but nobody's trampled each other ... yet." Rodney's computer beeps ominously. Rodney slowly raises his head. John recognizes his expression. :What?"
"Two large fissures just opened up near the base. One of the lava flows just covered the hangar directly above us. We're talking over thirty feet thick." McKay reported.
"Is the door gonna hold?"
"I don't know - I-I-I think so, but that's not the bigger problem. Even if I can get the engines fixed, there is no way to fly this ship out of here. We're stuck."
҉
SETTLEMENT.
Marissa stands at the open door of the barn, coughing. She activates her radio.
"Colonel Sheppard, this is Captain Frio. Please respond." She coughs heavily. "Colonel, if you hear me, please respond." She coughs again, then sees who is approaching through the rain of ash. "Ronon!"
Ronon runs towards her, carrying a small child in each arm. He is followed by two adults and a teenage girl.
"Did everyone else get through?" He asked
"Yes. We are the last to remain."
"We'd better get going, then."
"Ronon, the tunnel is blocked. I was just there. It collapsed during the last tremor."
Ronon takes the two children he is holding over to their parents and hands them over, then returns to Marissa as she coughs convulsively. "We can't go back out there."
"I've been trying to hail Colonel Sheppard."
"So we're stuck?"
"It would appear so."
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
John runs back in. "Time for a military solution."
"For which problem?" McKay asked.
"We've got an armory full of drones on board. Maybe we can blast through the hangar door."
"The hangar door is directly above us. The molten lava would destroy the ship." McKay was having a lightbulb moment. "Not if I can get the shields operational."
"Tell me you can do that."
"I can do that." McKay walks over to a wall panel. "Once they're operational, we'll be able to provide enough protection to, uh ..." He trails off as he opens the panel.
"To what?"
"Talk amongst yourselves."
"What are you doing?"
McKay was taking crystals out of the panel. "I have an idea."
"What kind of idea?"
"Can't talk, busy."
"Just give me a basic..."
"Not now, please."
John grunts angrily and turns to Norina. "I hate it when he does this."
҉
SETTLEMENT BARN.
The family is sitting huddled together on some straw, the parents talking quietly and comfortingly to the children. Ronon checks on them, and then walks across to Marissa who is sitting on the floor leaning against a roof support and holding a cloth over her nose and mouth. He sits down with his back leaning against her arm.
Ronon's voice husky from the toxins in the air. "What are we gonna do?"
Her voice was equally husky. "There is no place to go."
"I'm not good at sittin' around waiting to die." He looks out of the door. "Maybe we can make it back to the base on foot."
"Outside? We'll never make it. As long as we can breathe, there's still hope. We may be able to last a few minutes longer in here than out there."
҉
ORION.
Carson is directing the refugees down a corridor. "OK, hurry, ladies and gentlemen. Right down the hallway there. Thank you. Right down there."
John runs up to him. "Carson, how're we doin'?"
"We're just about ready. There should be another group of refugees coming on board now."
"Marissa? Ronon?"
"Well, they helped the last family. God, I haven't seen them."
John activates his radio. "Marissa? Ronon?" There's no response. "Marissa? Ronon? Please respond." He turns to Carson. "Don't leave without us." He runs off.
"No, of course not." He continues directing the people. "Right down there."
҉
SETTLEMENT BARN.
Ronon's head is down as he struggles to breathe. Marissa looks at the family, then turns her head towards him.
"They are still alive, but barely." She said weakly. The family are lying down, the children barely conscious. The mother is weakly stroking the hair of one of the smaller children. "Perhaps you were right." She struggles to draw breath. "We should have tried to make it back to the base on foot."
"No. You were right. We'd be dead. As long as we can breathe, there's still hope."
Just then, an Asgard transporter beam sweeps them all away.
҉
DAEDALUS.
The ship is in orbit above the planet, which has a huge plume of smoke rising up from the area where the complex is. Colonel Caldwell stands on the Bridge looking down at the sight as Marissa and Ronon walk in.
"We owe you a debt of gratitude, Colonel." Marissa told him.
"Frankly, yours were the only life signs that we could detect on the planet. What happened to the others?" Caldwell said.
"Sheppard, Beckett and McKay, they took the rest of the people back to the base. We got cut off from them." Ronon said.
"Well, that's brilliant, the base is shielded. I can't beam them out of there."
"They were attempting to load the rest of the people on board the Orion, hoping Doctor McKay would be able to get the engines working before the eruption." Marissa explained.
The three of them walk forward to the windscreen and look down at the smoke rising from the complex.
҉
ATLANTIS.
ELIZABETH'S OFFICE.
"What are you saying - they're all dead?" Illyria asked, panicking.
"We don't know. One way or the other, we can't hail them on the radio because of extreme electrical activity in the ash cloud. We can't even detect their life signs." Caldwell reported over the radio.
"So if you make contact, what are your options?" Weir asked.
"Well, Colonel Sheppard could have saved some of the remaining population, but instead he tried to save every single one of them by taking refuge aboard the damaged Ancient warship, which has pretty much taken any options I might have had out of the equation."
"Stay as long as you can." Illyria directed.
"Hermiod says the volcano's about to erupt. We should know for sure by then."
"Be advised: we have detected a hive ship heading towards Atlantis." Weir said.
"Just the one?"
"I'm afraid that's all the good news we have."
҉
TARANIS UNDERGROUND CORRIDORS.
John runs towards a closed door. He waves his hand over the door panel but the door doesn't open. He reaches out to try and pull it open manually but snatches his hand back with a hiss of pain as the metal burns him. He activated his radio.
"Marissa, Ronon, come in?" There's no reply. He runs off. Nearby, the last of the refugees have made their way into a corridor but the door at the end is closed. Two of the Taranan men reach for the door but John arrives and calls out to them. "Stop it! The door's probably hot. You don't wanna touch it. Let's try this way." They head off towards another door but it closes before they can reach it. "OK, not that way either. Rodney, come in."
(In the Orion Control Room)
"Go ahead."
"I've run into the last group of villagers. I'm trying to get them back to the ship. Looks like the base is going into emergency lockdown. We've got doors sealing off everywhere. We could really use some help trying to find another way back."
"Alright. I'll have Norina call up the base schematics to see if she can, uh ..."
Just then, another earthquake hits. The ship and the corridors shake violently, and in the corridors the lights go out.
(Corridors)
"Rodney. Rodney. Do you copy?" John gets nothing but static. "Dammit!"
҉
DAEDALUS.
In the Engine Room, Hermiod the Asgard reports to Caldwell over comms. "Colonel. I am attempting to calculate the precise time remaining before the main eruption."
(On the Bridge)
"We should try to land." Ronon said.
"The planet's surface is far too unstable to attempt any landing."
"So our only option is to sit here and wait?" Marissa asked.
"There is one other option."
"What?" Ronon asked.
"We could leave."
"That's not an option we're considering." Caldwell said.
҉
TARANIS UNDERGROUND CORRIDORS.
John is leading the refugees along the corridors by torchlight. "I'm starting to smell sulphur dioxide here. Stay close, stay calm, try not to take too many deep breaths."
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
Norina talks into a hand radio as Rodney works on a wall panel nearby.
"Colonel Sheppard, are you there?" No reply. "Colonel Sheppard, please come in."
Carson runs in. "Any luck?"
"Not yet."
McKay was walking over to join them. "There's too much interference. Look, the atmosphere is heavily charged with electromagnetic energy. This baby's ready to blow."
"The Taranan people are all on board except for the last group that Colonel Sheppard was escorting." Carson said.
"Marissa and Ronon?" McKay asked.
"We've lost contact with them as well."
Rodney hesitates. "Right." He goes back to the wall panel.
҉
TARANIS UNDERGROUND CORRIDORS.
The group reaches a dead end. John shines his torch around and sees a closed door nearby. "Please be the hangar door." He hands his torch to a woman behind him and goes to the door, talking to a couple of the men. "Help me pry this thing open."
With the men's help, he forces the door open. He takes the torch back from the woman and walks inside, the others following. They hurry along a short corridor, turn a corner and run out onto the balcony from where John and the others first saw the Orion. John looks down at the ship for a moment, and then turns to the others.
"This way."
He races off, the others following.
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
Rodney closes the wall panel and goes over to Carson and Norina. "Alright. Tell the people to get on the floor and secure themselves. I think the eruption is imminent." Carson looks down, full of grief for the potential loss of the rest of the team. "We're ... just about ready."
"Ready for what?"
They turn and see John standing in the doorway.
"Oh, thank God!" Carson shouted.
McKay was smiling in delight. "What took you so long?"
Jon was walking into the room. "Just about ready for what?"
"To activate the shields." McKay said.
"You said the blast from the eruption would wipe out half the continent."
"It will, and after four point one seconds of those extreme temperatures and pressures, our shields will be depleted."
"Well, as much as I'm all for living for another four seconds ..."
"That's not very much time for anything, Rodney." Carson said.
McKay was opening his arms and grinning. "It's plenty of time to open a hyperspace window." John stares at him blankly. Rodney looks bewildered. "What? That's my plan. Didn't I tell you about that?"
"No." Carson said.
"No, you didn't." John said.
"Well, you were too busy running around looking for people." McKay told him.
"Well, tell us the damn plan!" John yelled.
"Fixing the sublight engines was impossible in the amount of time we had left. They were just too badly damaged, but I devised a sort of a patch that in effect diverts auxiliary power to the hyperdrive. Only enough for a fraction of a second, mind you." McKay said.
"That won't get us very far." John said.
"We don't need to go far. Any old orbit will do."
"And then what?"
McKay was rolling his eyes and leaning on the console. "Well, then, Norina and I were planning a small dinner for us all, nothing fancy ..."
"Rodney." Norina said.
McKay got high-pitched with indignation. "Well, what does he mean, "Then what"? Then we won't die horribly!"
"So your plan is to not blow a hole in the hangar but to sit here and wait for this cataclysmic eruption to take place." John said.
"With the shields and inertial dampeners at full strength, yes."
"I think I may be missing something. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when the volcano erupts, don't we as well?" Carson asked.
Rodney clicks his fingers and points at Carson. "That's the plan."
"That's the plan?" John asked.
"That's the plan!"
"That plan sucks!"
"Aye!" Carson agreed.
"This ship will be ejected along with the magma and steam several thousand feet into the air." McKay explained.
"The ship can survive that?" John asked.
"For exactly four point one seconds, yes. Look, the hangar should disintegrate. The moment we're clear, we open a brief hyperspace window, jump to space before the explosion depletes our shields and incinerates us, hmm?"
John stares at him wide-eyed. Nevrously, he said, "Okay."
Norina is smiling at Rodney. "What?"
Carson was staring at him. "Very clever, Rodney."
John is still looking a bit wide-eyed.
"Hmm. Well ... don't thank me 'til it works ... which it probably won't. 'Scuse me." McKay ducks down beneath the console.
҉
DAEDALUS.
"Colonel. I believe the eruption will occur in fifty two seconds." Hermiod said.
"Are you sure?" Caldwell asked.
"I would not state it if I wasn't."
҉
ORION CONTROL ROOM.
Rodney is lying on his back on the floor, working on the underside of the console. Norina is squatting down and holding a computer tablet so that he can see it, while John and Carson are also squatting and watching. Rodney snatches his hand back from the console with a cry of pain.
"What?" John asked.
"Oh! I bent my fingernail back! I hate that!"
Carson lowers his head in disbelief.
Condescendingly, Norina says, "Yes, that can be painful."
"Yeah, will you look at that?" He holds his middle finger up to show her.
"Are you done?" John yelled.
"Almost. Look, does anyone have nail clippers?"
"Rodney!" Carson yelled.
John smacks Rodney's leg.
"Ah! Not helping! Alright ..." McKay types on the computer that Norina is holding, then reaches up to the underside of the console again and adjusts something. "So ..." he counts off the items on his fingers "... hyperdrive's ready, inertial dampeners engaged, shields are up ... We're good to go." He scrambles up from underneath the console, stands up, then stares, wide-eyed. "Whoa!"
Nervously, Norina says, "What?"
Rodney blinks. "Got up too fast."
҉
DAEDALUS.
"Forty seconds." Hermiod announced.
҉
ORION BRIDGE.
Rodney and the others run in.
"Where's the P.A.?" John asked.
McKay was pointing to the Captain's chair in the middle of the Bridge as he runs to a seat at a console and sits down. "Arm of the chair."
John sits down in the Captain's chair as Norina finds a seat at another console. John activates the P.A. "Alright, folks, all chairs and seat backs into your upright and locked positions."
The area around the chair lights up as he settles into it. He frowns at Carson, who has so far been beaten to the seats he was aiming for by both Rodney and Norina and who now looks around the room in a panic, then runs to another seat.
"Don't hold your breath - it could happen any time in the next half an hour."
Carson finally sits down and screws his eyes shut as he hangs onto the arms grimly. The ship starts to vibrate.
Outside, more and more vents of steam and gas and pyroclastic flow burst out from the surface.
Inside the ship, Norina closes her eyes. Rodney hangs onto his console as the vibrations increase.
Outside, the caldera begins to erupt.
҉
DAEDALUS.
"Five, four, three, two, one."
҉
ORION HANGAR.
The floor of the hangar explodes as the volcano erupts beneath it. Lava bursts through. Orion is blasted into the air.
From Daedalus, the crew watch as a massive explosion erupts from the planet's surface and a huge cloud of smoke begins to rise. Seconds later, a hyperspace window appears and Orion flies out of it.
On the Bridge of Orion, John stares at what he can see. We switch to a view from behind him and see that the entire front wall of the Bridge is a windshield - or a viewscreen - and shows that they have arrived safely in space.
"It worked!" Carson yelled.
Norina smiles across at Rodney. "You really are a genius." Rodney is still clinging onto the console, staring at nothing in particular, wide-eyed. "Rodney?"
Quietly, Rodney said, "I'm good."
҉
DAEDALUS.
BRIDGE.
Caldwell spoke into comms. "This is the Daedalus. Are there any survivors aboard?"
"Yes, sir. In fact, we have a pretty big passenger list." John said.
On the Daedalus Bridge, the crew cheer and shake each other's hands. Marissa and Ronon smile in delight.
҉
ATLANTIS.
CONFERENCE ROOM.
"The explosion was every bit as destructive as I feared. The, uh, ash cloud has encircled the entire planet." McKay said.
"Will the Taranian people ever be able to go home?" Marissa asked.
" Not for many years, I'm afraid." Carson said.
"We found a planet that Chancellor Lycus feels is suitable for them. We've already started relocating the people there." Weir looks at John. "I'd like you and your team to assist them, just to make sure the relocation goes smoothly."
"I'll take a repair team back to the Orion - get the engines fixed." McKay said.
"I thought you told Norina you couldn't fix it." John said.
"It was never a question of whether or not I could fix it; it ..." McKay turns and sees John's smug expression and trails off in irritation as the others grin.
"Well, as quickly as you can, Rodney. The Chancellor has graciously allowed us to use the ship in exchange for our help." Illyria smiled.
"I assume there's still a hive ship on the way?" Caldwell asked.
"Yes." Zelenka said.
"Why only one ship?" Ronon asked.
"We don't know. Maybe they're just coming to prove we're still here, but if they manage to do that..."
"Well, at least we've got the Orion now, and the city's supply of drones has been replenished." Caldwell interrupted Weir.
"It's enough to put up a hell of a fight." John said.
"Let's not fool ourselves. If they come in full force - and there is no reason to believe that they won't this time - then, I'm sorry, but ..."
"... it's not gonna be enough." Illyria finished for McKay. Everyone looks at each other as they realise how bad this is going to get. "It's all we've got."