Episode Guide

Episode 1: "72 Hours Ago"
1/7/2012

Date: 28.10.2094 - 1.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: Marcus "Centurion" Daskar, Nufae "Bastet" Daskar, LCOL Jessian "Ronin" Wetal, Dr. Ken "Doc" Nobuyoshi, CDR William "Titan" Rowe III, SSGT Ernie "Wrecker" Mazziferri, Xavier "Refund" Grey, LTJG Judas "Vagabond" Lovejoy, CPL Lalandra "Buzzkill" Kato; Special Guest - Lisa Hayes-Hunter; Dr. Emil Lang, Janice Lang, FADM Max Sterling, ADM Rick Hunter, COL Davin LaPlant, CAPT Walter Donovan, CAPT Donald Jacksen, LCDR Rem "Ice" Lurbell, William Rowe, Jr., LCDR Reynard, 2LT Burns, Sanji Kahn, Aanya Eshaan, "Lucas Smith"

Synopsis: With the crew of the Brokko Ankou having taken their seperate ways about the SDF-3 Pioneer we take a look back at how the small fleet of the "New Sentinels Alliance" was formed. Aboard the Ark Royal-class Elbrus, Captain Walter Donovan addresses his crew. His speech is similar to those given on 24 other Alliance military vessels. With the proverbial line drawn in the sand, many long-time friends and crewmates find themselves on opposite sides of the issue. Those who do not join Admiral Hunter and Fleet Admiral Sterling are sent off-ship. The Elbrus shows the divide as well as can be, losing half her crew. Among those that stay are LTJG Judas Lovejoy, a seasoned pilot of the first Sentinels Alliance and XO of the Arrowheads, and CPL Lalandra Kato, a skilled but green gunner crew chief.

Back at the present, Rowe and Ernie re-enlist into their old roles. Rowe gets transfered to the Elbrus as her fourth CAG, the flight group in which Lovejoy serves. Ernie finds himself among the Cavaliers aboard the Hammerhead-class dropship, the Victory. Joining him on the Victory are both COL LaPlant and LCOL Wetal, transfered to the Section 6 Rangers as a special attachment for the Spartan team. With the events on Earth only hours in the past, the crews settle in as the captains of the amassed ships meet to discuss their next move.

The meeting opens with a discussion about the Glyph on Earth as well as the events leading up to its activation. Many questions are asked, including the phenomenon of Nobuyoshi seemingly saving "himself". After lengthy debate on what is happening to Earth, it is decided that a recon mission planetside is needed. With a task at hand, the meeting of the captains is concluded leaving most of the questions unanswered.

In the morning, a smaller gathering takes place in the same conference room. During the meeting, a plan is formed to locate and capture the clone Marcus Daskar. Six ships will be sent to Earth for the mission with the crew of the Brokko, along with members of the Elbrus and Victory, charged with landing near the Glyph to search for signs of the clone Daskar and capturing him if the opportunity arises. Covering the Brokko, the Victory, and their escorts from the Elbrus is left to CPL Kato and her crew. As bombardment commences, the pilots will have to fly close to the firing solution to ensure safe landing. Soon after the briefing, the mission gets underway.

As the mission progresses, the crews are uneasy. The lack of any enemy fleet or soldiers at all sets an eerie calm to what was expected to be a more dangerous undertaking. The landing of the ground forces, save for a few mishaps with the Spartans, goes without a hitch. With the LZ secured, Centurion, Titan, Vagabond, Doc, and Refund advance on the Glyph. Along the way, a lone figure appears walking across the plain. Lucas Smith, dressed in the same suit he wore just two days ago when he was immolated, advances slowly on the forces. The command comes down to capture him, prompting Lovejoy to fire two knockout missles. The missles hit, leaving a cloud of gas and dust covering the target. As the wind blows the debris away, Smith still stands. The only damage seems to be to his dark glasses which he discards, revealing his eyes which are now sewn shut. Pulling out what seems to be a P-14, he makes a call to Marcus. When he opens communications, there is a brief moment of what sounds like countless voices screaming before Smith begins to speak. After a little taunting from Lucas, he stops speaking to "take another call."

Aboard the SDF-3, Lisa Hayes-Hunter gets reports that a subspace mass is detected. From seemingly nothing, a fleet known to have attacked Nova Porilad appears deeper into the solar system. Attempts to communicate are not returned and shortly thereafter the SDF-3 picks up traces of active communication jamming. The remaining ships of the fleet move to combat positions as the SDF-3 begins to charge its reflex cannons. The Killer of Men's main "cathedral" ship begins to launch fighters as the amassed vessels move to attack.

Down on the surface, the LZ begins preparations for evacuation having received reports of the activity in the sky above. Smith then raises his arms, causing a strong wind and the Glyph to start to activate. From within the Glyph, elements of Tassadar's forces start to pour out of the other landscape. As Centurion calls in for ANNIE to fire her synchro cannons, Titan calls for Buzzkill to begin another round of bombardment as the team begins its retreat. Ronin, who has been trained on Smith the entire time, takes her shot. Smith drops as Ronin's bullet hits the side of his head. Just as he does that, the synchro cannons fire at the Glyph. Scoring a direct hit, the only noticeable result is that the portal which had resolved is no longer there. Only a handful of enemies survive; undaunted, they start their flanking of the LZ. As the team retreats, Titan and Vagabond stay to cover Doc, Refund and Centurion. Doc finds himself on nearly the same exact retreat path. While he boosts back, he catches a brief glimpse of what appears to be another Doc saving another Doc.

With the crew secure, Titan begins to advance on the Glyph. When questioned by Centurion and Buzzkill, he cuts comms with them. Vagabond advances with Titan, asking for an explanation but refusing to leave or abandon the mission. Promising that they will talk once back on the Elbrus, Titan moves up to the Glyph. The Brokko has now turned back towards the Glyph, firing its missles at the remaining few "Dark Templars" along with Vagabond. Between the two, they make short work of the Templars. Vagabond gathers up both the remains of Smith and one of the Templar bodies.

Meanwhile, all attempts to chart a slipstream escape result in a possible 14 paths, though none are known to be safe. Doc starts working to try to find a safe path while the battle in space continues. The NSA fleet is managing to hold and remain in the fight, though it is clear that a prolonged combat will spell disaster. As the battle continues in space, the situation on the ground takes an interesting turn.

Titan, now at the Glyph, pops his canopy, exits his Strega fighter and moves towards the Glyph in his flight suit. With no communication between he and Titan, Centurion makes contact with Vagabond. After an attempt to get Vagabond to leave, Centurion informs him that if he doesn't leave, he runs the risk of dying alongside Titan, the latter now having the Brokko's synchro cannons trained on him. Centurion links up with the SDF-3 to Lisa, informing her to keep an eye on Titan; he also tells her that if Titan disappears, he will open fire. After only a moment, Titan removes his hand from the Glyph and proceeds to take off alongside Vagabond.

In space, the six ships sent to Earth rendezvous with the rest of the fleet. In this short time, Doc has managed to narrow the possible slipstream paths from 14 to 6. As he begins to further narrow them down, he receives a message from Titan telling him to take path 6. Taking the advice, Doc begins with the sixth path, checking to see if it is safe. As he works, the Valiant (Lovejoy's ship during the Sentinels Campaign) takes heavy damage and needs to be abandoned. The SDF-3 moves to get the crew safely off ship as it is set to run a collision course with the main "cathedral" ship of the Killer of Men's forces. After a quick and successful evacuation, Doc has confirmed that it is safe to take path 6. The fleet wastes no time in executing slipstream, ending up just outside Pluto, safe for the moment.

Episode 2: "All Cards on the Table - Part 1"

1/20/2012

Date: 1.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR Willian Rowe III, SSGT Ernie Mazziferri, Xavier Grey, LTJG Judas Lovejoy; COL Davin LaPlant, Dr. Emil Lang, Janice Lang, Zor Derelda, LCDR Lurbell, Reese Whedon, Angel Lassek, Colin Minear, Sunny Hodge, Aanya Eshaan, Crayton De Rouin, Morris Davies, Karissa Davies, MSGT Stane

​Synopsis: Aboard the Elbrus,  Lovejoy begins to run the checks on the flight crew as Rowe is held in quarantine. Not shortly after the final check is done, he receives word that Rowe will be getting released soon. He makes his way down to the auxilliary flight deck to meet with him. As they walk, Rowe begins to speak. Before he gets out more than a few words, Lovejoy lays Rowe out with a punch. The Commander stands up, rubbing his face. Lovejoy asks two things:  first, an explanation of what happened on the surface of the Earth; and second, whether he will be reported for punching him or not. Having no desire and feeling as though he earned the hit, Rowe proceeds to tell Lovejoy about who Marcus is and then hints that Rowe himself may be Karu'Naga. The two men head to the debriefing.

 Waiting at the debriefing are LaPlant and some of the ground team at the Glyph. The debriefing opens with LaPlant reprimanding Rowe for his actions on the ground, risking the life of Lovejoy, and going out of the mission parameters. Rowe defends his actions as a worthwhile risk to gather as much data as possible. His words fall on deaf ears as LaPlant makes it clear his only expectations were to get everyone back alive and to capture the clone Marcus if at all possible. Afterwards, he turns his attention to Marcus' threats towards Rowe. Though quiet at first, Marcus eventually lets it out that his actions were simply a precaution. Not satisfied with that answer, both Lovejoy and Wetal begin to put their own opinions into the conversation. This prompts the usually stoic Marcus into an emotional outburst, shouting at Lovejoy and even LaPlant, who clears the air by letting it be known that the Brokko is a military vessel, even if her crew is not. He also reminds Marcus that no one shot him when it was discovered that he could access the Dimensional Gateways. Closing the matter, he urges the assembled to keep in mind that if they keep on this path, their enemies won't have to do anything to win.

 Rowe stays in the room to make his report. Jessian stays behind for a brief time to discuss the mission with Rowe. She gives him a piece of her mind for his actions, something she did her best to refrain from doing during the actual debriefing. Elsewhere, Nufae and Ken discuss Rowe's actions as well. Nufae, her suspicions high, lets it be known that one issue bugging her is that if she is right about Rowe being Karu'Naga, why are both he and Marcus drawn to her? As the conversations come to a close, Nufae invites the crew of the Infinite Sky over for a thank you dinner for saving the crew on the first trip to Earth. During the preparation times, Karissa, aka "Little Swan", visits several members of the crew of the ''Brokko. '' She impresses upon Marcus that he needs to focus on healing the NUA and strongly suggests that Lovejoy be at dinner tonight.

 As the hour comes, the crew of the Brokko  and Infinite Sky meet up in the cargo bay of the Brokko, converted now into a large dining space. Also in attendance are the wayward members of the Brokko, as well as LaPlant and Lovejoy. Dinner is rather uneasy, given the events of the last few days. After the meal, Reese and his crew depart, leaving the crew there with LaPlant, who gets up to speak. He tells the crew that the time for secrets are over. He tells them to "put their cards on the table." Marcus starts the sharing with showing them the video from his visit from Karissa earlier that day. She references Dr. Lang's "prophecy" about he being born "of the nine" and them being "in his care". Rowe follows suit by admitting that he is in love with Nufae. Jessian is the next to lay her secrets out. She reveals her hard drive of "time-revealed" data. The crew continues to talk a bit, realizing that they have to return to the Glyph. Though they now have a mission, they have no plan, nor are all the cards yet on the table.

Episode 3: "All Cards on the Table - Part 2"
1/27/2012

Date: 1.11.2094 - 4.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, SSGT Ernie Mazziferri, LTJG Judas Lovejoy, CPL Lalandra Kato; Tony Lewis, COL Davin LaPlant, Dr. Emil Lang, Janice Lang, LCDR "Ice" Lurbell, CAPT L'ron

Synopsis: Still aboard the Brokko, Rowe lets out his final secret: the Glyph did react to him and that according to Bill Rowe, William is the biological son of Lucifer Hawk. After a brief debate as to what that means, the team begins to make their plan. Taking a few volunteer ships and a small ground crew, they plan to touch down in the same LZ as the morning before. Due to slipstream complications, the approach will be done in sublight, taking roughly a day and a half. With a basic plan put into place and members beginning their tasks, the crew separates for the night. Marcus and William are summoned by Dr. Lang to discuss their unique characteristics. In Dr. Lang's lab, Marcus arrives first. Only a few minutes after, Rowe joins them and Dr. Lang begins to discuss his results. Lang took the liberty of running a few tests on Rowe while the latter was in quarantine. The results of the test were that Marcus and William had identical variance in their genetic structure. What was different, however, was while Marcus resonated at a constant 565 hz, Rowe resonated at 487 hz. Beyond the personal similarities of the two men, Dr. Lang also discovered that the phone Lucas Smith had been carrying gave off a similar range of wavelengths. After some discussion, the two men leave to prepare and rest before the next day's mission. Before sleeping, Rowe makes one last visit to get a "volunteer" for the mission. Needing a demolitions expert, one name stands out from the list of candidates - one CPL Lalandra Kato - who is more than excited to be asked along. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> In the morning, the scattered crew make their way to the ''Brokko. With most preliminary tasks done, they depart for Earth, accompanied by the Victory (with LaPlant, Wetal, and Ernie), and the Archangel ''(with L'ron). Once again they find the space around Earth to be empty as well as having a clean landing on the surface of the planet. Leaving most of the landing party to secure the LZ, the former crew of the Brokko  along with Vagabond and Ice approach along the same path to the Karu'Naga Glyph. During the approach, Janice halts the team, reporting seismic activity ahead in three locations. Titan sends a spider mine to investigate, only to have it swallowed by the Earth and suddenly spat from it. Moments later, two swarms of Cyclone-sized quadrupedal dog-like creatures and one massive beetle-like creature emerge from the ground: they are "new" Inorganics - creatures that, according to LaPlant and Wetal, were created by the Invid Regess' Cerebrates, or "Brains". Ronin takes the first shot from the flank of the large creature, causing it to recoil after striking its leg. Wrecker then scores a single shot to the creature's sensor eye, causing it to drop to the ground. As the swarm approaches the group, the remaining combatants take to the offensive. Centurion cuts one down as it lunges past him, waisting no time in feeding one a spider mine and throwing it back into the swarm. Vagabond takes advantage of being in a battloid Alpha fighter and ignites several under his thrusters. The ground team gets support from ANNIE and Ice, hitting the swarm with turret fire and bombs. As the fight continues, two interesting events take place. Two of the "dogs" stop and begin charging some sort of energy attack to assault Titan in the area. To counter them, he drops two spider mines. The explosion seems to trigger a reaction, causing a larger than anticipated explosion, in turn causing Vagabond to readjust. More curious is the reaction after Buzzkill's mines manage to hit the swarm: after her attack, they turn and retreat. While the reason is unknown, those in the group who have fought Inorganics before know they are not susceptible to fear. As quick as they appeared, the creatures are gone. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> After a quick check to see if they are free from targets, the team makes a cautious approach to the Glyph. Getting within the normal activation distance for the Dimensional Gates, Titan walks forward alone. The Glyph remains inactive as he breaches the normal zone. Once Centurion comes past the mark, the Glyph opens showing them the pastoral scene they saw before. After a bit of debate, Titan moves through the Glyph's aperture followed by the rest of the crew, if not somewhat reluctantly. On the other side, they get a transmission from a friendly Cyclone. The pilot is none other than Tony Lewis. He, along with a small group of what seems to be a militia, take the group to a safe area roughly five miles from the Glyph. The greeting is brief and Tony is eager to talk, but only after they are away from the Glyph.

Episode 4: "The Other Side"
2/3/2012

Date: 4.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, SSGT Ernie Mazziferri, LTJG Judas Lovejoy, Xavier Grey, CPL Lalandra Kato; Tony Lewis, COL Davin LaPlant, Dr. Emil Lang, Janice Lang, LCDR "Ice" Lurbell, CAPT L'ron

Synopsis: On the other side of the Glyph, the crew led by Tony and his militia make their way to the remains of a downed Robotech Master's assault lander. While the Brokko crew catches up with Tony, Vagabond takes to orbit to discover what lies beyond the sky. What he finds above the Earth is a violent storm of burning hot plasma and gas which eats at the hull of his Alpha. Not daring to stay too long, he captures some of the atmosphere in a missile, abandoning its warhead and sealing it. He makes it back to the surface with minimal damage and reports his findings. Now on the ground he meets Tony for the first time. The two share an uncomfortable greeting before plans start being made for how to proceed. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Amongst the discussion, Marcus expresses a desire to leave. He shares that he has a connection with his clone and does not want the connection to give away their position. Tony protests that the mission has always been to capture the clone Daskar and retreating isn't the way to do so. With no clear intel, Rowe decides that the best course of action is to evacuate the civilians to the LZ on the other side and resupply to be able to handle a larger force. Jessian volunteers to keep eyes on the Glyph, though when ordered to take the sniper from Tony's team with her she refuses the order. As the others prepare, Rowe makes his way back into the ship where Tony is packing up his Cyclone. Rowe makes some inquiries of Tony, though to not much end. Suddenly, Wetal reports that there are several cloaked enemies near the Glyph. Taking that as a cue to get moving, the team hurries to prepare. However this is cut short by Wetal's second report that the clone is at the Glyph. The team begins to move out, leaving behind the militia with a promise to return to get them. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> At the Glyph, Ronin witnesses an odd series of actions. The clone Marcus seems to be arguing with the Covenant forces there. As they approach the Glyph, Vagabond buzzes overhead at Mach 3, knocking the small force amassed there prone. Ronin, having now spotted Carl Barlow, takes her first shot, dropping him. Vagabond, having returned to the site, swoops down and grabs the clone Marcus in his hand. Centurion himself jumps into combat as an energy blast comes from behind one of the surrounding structures, hitting Vagabond and crippling the arm not holding the clone. As Ronin provides support, Centurion cleans up the rest of the group rather quickly. With the clone secure, the team gathers the civilians and returns to the Glyph. On the other side, they regroup with the LZ team and take off. With the exception of Rowe, the entire team is assembled on the Brokko making the day and a half journey back to the rest of the fleet.

Episode 5: "Mirrors and Reflections"
2/10/2012

Date: 4.11.2094 - 5.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, SSGT Ernie Mazziferri, LTJG Judas Lovejoy, Xavier Grey; Tony Lewis, COL Davin LaPlant, Janice Lang, LCDR "Ice" Lurbell, CAPT L'ron, CDR Kami, Mr. Russo, Clone Marcus

Synopsis:  Aboard the Brokko, the crew gets busy in both securing the Clone Marcus and making the damaged Alpha ready for flight should the need arise. Lovejoy and Ernie set to the latter task. In the hangar bay, Ernie mans a crane to assist in detaching the damaged arm. While the removal is performed without a hitch, Ernie accidentally releases the chain on the lift. The day is saved by Lovejoy, who deftly grabs the falling arm with the good arm of the Alpha.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Meanwhile in the med bay, the crew secures the clone with some straps. Doc gets to work collecting tissue samples from him while he is unconscious. While this is going on, Janice shares with Nufae some of her past and why she has been so anxious about this mission. After a few hours, the clone wakes up. Though he is all right, he has lost all functional hearing and has to be communicated to via typing on Doc's P-14. They begin to question the clone, getting few answers but a little more perspective. The clone conveys that a good deal of what he did was not his idea. He eludes that the next location for an incident is Praxis, as far as he knows. The rest of the trip goes without much incident until they get close to the New Sentinels Fleet.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">A wave of energy washes over the Brokko and the Archangel. For most the crew, the only oddity is the sight of a wrecked fleet, including the SDF-3. However, Nufae, Ernie, and the Clone Marcus all begin to see disturbing things. For Ernie, the ship simply starts to disappear. For Nufae, space seems to grow a large monstrous mouth and the Brokko seems to be heading into the gaping maw. Tony, upon seeing Nufae, becomes incapacitated with an unbearable pain. He pleads to have someone remove him from the bridge, prompting Lovejoy to oblige him. The ships by this time have turned and breach the same plane that caused the disturbance. Upon doing so, all sensors read normal and they get a hail from LaPlant asking if everything is okay. They soon land on the Pioneer, safe and sound.

<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in">Episode 6: "Confessions of Fate" 2/24/2012

Date: 5.11.2094 - 6.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, LTJG Judas Lovejoy; Tony Lewis, FADM Max Sterling, Lisa Hayes-Hunter, ADM Rick Hunter, ADM Miriya Sterling, COL Davin LaPlant, Senator Arivali Kahn, Sanji Kahn, Victoria Brihan, MAJ Kincaid

Synopsis:  Back on the Pioneer, the crew of the Brokko Ankou transfer the Clone Marcus Daskar to the custody of the New Sentinels Alliance. After settling everything in after the trip, Marcus, Jessian, Judas, and William join LaPlant for a mission debriefing. Rowe gives his report, and after giving recognition to Lovejoy, Lala, and Ernie, discusses Wetal's insubordination. Wetal explains her actions but to no avail as LaPlant agrees with Rowe. After a quick but heated debriefing, the crew departs, waiting for the official interrogation of the Clone Marcus.

The interrogation begins, conducted by Lisa Hayes-Hunter with the crew of the Brokko as well as Max, Miriya, and Rick feeding her questions. He pleads to them that while his actions were appalling, it was the kinder of the two choices presented to him. He also claims that there was no real choice, that everything that is happening is predetermined. He continuously insists that he is just a pawn and that those controlling him have given him no real choice. He continues that the Xel'Naga have brought this fate to mankind for their interference in the affairs of men. The last information given is that the next appearance of the Glyph, he believes, will be on Praxis: at the same location of the divide of the Regent from the Regess. As the interrogation ends, the assembled begin to ponder on what the next move should be. Marcus calls for a third trip to the Earth to reverse the effects of the Glyph, an act that he believes will require both he and Rowe to interact with it. This comes in spite of the claims from the clone that Marcus will die soon as a result of the events that have occurred. A popular choice among most the crew, Rowe suggests that a second simulation needs to be run to hopefully gain more insight into the situation. He explains to an inquisitive Lisa Hayes-Hunter the simulation experiment peformed by Dr. Lang, though when asked he finds he does not know the point of the simulation in the first place. As Rowe leaves to enlist the help of Little Swan, taking an overexcited Lala Kato with him, the rest of the crew begins to try to piece together the puzzle and figure out the best move to make. Later, Lisa and her team begin to dig further into the information presented by the Clone Marcus, who insists on being called "Alan".

<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in">Episode 7: "Truth and Consequence - Part 1" 3/2/2012

Date: 6.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, LTJG Judas Lovejoy, CPL Lala Kato; Tony Lewis, COL Davin LaPlant, Dr. Emil Lang, Janice, Reese Whedon, Karissa "Little Swan" Davies, Crayton De Rouin

Synopsis: Following the events of the Alan's interrogation, COL LaPlant has Marcus, Nufae, Jessian, Ken, William, Judas, and Tony report to the Pioneer conference room. Once everyone assembles, the team discusses their options at this point: Do they return to Earth? Or do they take Alan's word and head to Praxis? Rowe once again states that it would not hurt to try Lang's experiment again. LaPlant then suprises them by reinstating everyone as Dark Unit until further notice, and the team is given field commissions and promotions. With the team now dismissed, Rowe leaves to discuss the plan with Dr. Lang, and the simulation is set.

Time passes, and the team arrives at Dr. Lang's research facility aboard the Pioneer. There, they see that a total of nine simulation pods have been arranged, much like Marcus, Nufae, and William remember before. It is soon discovered that "Little Swan" is already inside, and Dr. Lang is ready to begin. Shaking off the unfamiliarity of the BCS/BDI controls of the pods, the team enters an ultra-realistic world that quickly changes to a vista of a more surreal quality: a normal tarmak gives way to a pastoral countryside, looking much like the Salisbury Plain, and indeed, the Glyph and Stonehenge are there. From there, they approach the Glyph cautiously, all the while Kato makes grass wreathes for everyone. Marcus and Williams' approach again seems to cause the Glpyh to activate, and a new scene washes over the area. They now seem to be within an ancient subterranean stucture, complete with huge columns and arches that extend to infinity.

As they investigate their new surroundings, Little Swan admits that this is not her doing, that she is no longer in control. She looks to Marcus and tells him that it is time to end it, that it is because of his connection with his clone that they are here. As Marcus begins to meditate to hopefully break the connection, Karrisa begins to wander about. Lovejoy catches a glimpse of her talking to someone and goes to investigate. As he rounds one column, he sees his wife who has long since been dead. Shortly thereafter, Marcus informs the crew that it is done, that he no longer is connected to his clone.

The structure fades away to the Salisbury Plain once again. The Glyph is active, but the aperture gives no clear picture to where it leads. As they begin to figure out how to escape the simulation, Tony becomes increasingly agitated, eventually confronting Karissa and demanding that she end this. Though hesitant, she eventually does so. Back in the lab, Dr. Lang seems beside himself. The simulation gave an error, and while the crew experienced several hours in the simulation, the entire exercise took just over 30 seconds of real time. Jessian is the first to leave, wanting nothing to do with the experience. Karissa, still seemingly agitated herself, storms off. Dr. Lang goes to chase her, but is stopped by the crew and questioned briefly. He only gives short answers, intent in following after Little Swan. As he does, the crew slowly departs. Shortly after leaving the lab, the crew stumbles upon a huddled group of Pioneer crewmen, among them several MPs and medical staff. Getting closer, they see what has happened: someone has fallen off a nearby mezzanine to their death. When they catch a glimpse of the body, it is that of Karrissa. As they take her away, some of the crew spot a mysterious note hastily scribbled on a napkin. It reads, "Many years ago, renowned physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer stated, "'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." Keep this in mind, my friends, my last hope for our future, as you contemplate your final moves," written in the unmistakable handwriting of Dr. Lang.

Episode 8: "Truth and Consequence - Part 2"
3/23/2012

Date: 6.11.2094; 1.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: CAPT Marcus Daskar, CDR Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, LT Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, LCDR Judas Lovejoy, CPL Lala Kato; SFC Tony Lewis, COL Davin LaPlant, LCDR "Ice" Lurbell, Reese Whedon, Angel Lasek, Crayton De Rouin, Morris Davies, Mr. Russo, Lucifer Hawk, The Regess, Yan'Me, Anthony Loren, Carl Barlow/The Regent

Synopsis: As the group stands around the scene of Little Swan's death, Dr. Lang rushes out of his office to see what has happened. Upon seeing her, he collapses in his doorway, beside himself. Ken stands with Janice, looking on, not sure what to do.

As the group contemplates the scrawled message, Rowe, disturbed by the events, heads down the corridor. Ken stands with Janice as a security officer talks to Lovejoy about what has happened. The talks conclude rather quickly, and most of the team heads back over to the Infinite Sky, carrying the awful news to Reese's crew.

Meanwhile, Ken and Janice talk with a shaken Dr. Lang, who speaks of more prophecies regarding the A.I. computer, Hypercomp, and that somehow, as Lang puts it, "I was powerless to stop her from dying...but Hypercomp knew." Lang then stuns both Ken and Janice, saying that, due to the recent events surrounding Karissa's death, he is resigning his position as head of the RRG, and is recommending Janice for the job and Ken as head researcher (to take Janice's position, effectively). Ken then heads back to the Brokou, where he informs Nufae what was said by Lang.

LaPlant soon discusses the plans to move the rest of the Fleet to Miranda [a moon of ?] and the mission to take Marcus and his team to Earth to attempt to disable the Glyph.

App. 40 hours later, Nufae sets the Brokou down on Earth once again. The on-board Spartan team (borrowed from the Victory) fans out to establish a perimeter. Within moments, seismic activity is detected, and Titan and Centurion head directly to the Glyph. After approaching within six meters of it, an image resolves within the aperture, although it isn't in focus. The two then move in and touch the Glyph; unknown to the rest of the team, they go "inside" and have a conversation with several interesting individuals.

With no time having passed "outside", Marcus communicates privately with Ken, telling him, "We need you here. The powers that be say you might not return..." Ken suits up and heads out; Nufae witnesses a strange, recurring image aft of the ship. Ken approaches, and increasingly, the gravimetric and subspace oscillations intensify in the area. With Ken now in intense pain from unseen injuries, Rowe picks him up and takes him to the Glyph, reaching out to touch it once more.

Then, the world seems to stand still. All outside instrumentation simply stops, and then, just as quickly, the Glyph vanishes, leaving Marcus, Ken, and Rowe alone...along with the remains of Stonehenge, appearing once more as ruins. All the team's systems begin restarting, and it would seem the Earth has returned to normal once again! While Marcus and Rowe assist Ken in getting back to the ship, Lovejoy takes to the upper atmosphere to see what he can see, and reports that everything seems normal.

With Ice now joining Vagabond high above the Earth, the pair see their radars light up with several enemy vessels:  it looks to be Tassadar's Covenant fleet, lead by an Arbiter, with several carriers decloaking. Ice calls back to the Brokou, letting them know the situation, and then accelerates through the carrier group, drawing their fire from Vagabond! With a target in sight, Marcus orders ANNIE to fire the synchro cannons, scoring a direct hit on the Arbiter's shields. With Vagabond and Ice fighting to keep off the carrier group's fighter, the Brokko bursts through the atmosphere, guns blazing. Ice and Vagabond fight back to the Brokko, landing aboard safely while cover is provided. Wetal makes an attempt to "connect" with the enemy ships, but is unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Nufae prepares to engage the slipstream drive while her ship takes a pounding from the swarm of Tassadar's fighter craft. With the Brokko's comms offline and badly damaged, she becomes a pinpoint of light, entering FTL travel.

The ship arrives safely, just over 1 AU from Praxis. Vagabond is the first to notice a strange occurrence:  his Spartan suit has synched with the local ADF network and is showing the date and time to be 2094.11.01, 1321 hrs - mere hours after the team departed originally - and not five days as had seemed to pass on Earth! The crew doesn't have much time to come to grips with this realization as somehow, a transmission comes through on the Brokko's damaged systems:  it's Barlow, and he seems to know that the rest of the Fleet is "several hours" behind. He leaves the crew with a message before ending the transmission:  "Do me a favor, the next time you see the Regess, say hello for me." With that, Marcus listens to Lovejoy's plan and makes the decision to take the Brokko to Praxis' L4 point so they can plan their next moves.

Episode 9: "Truth and Consequence - Part 3"
3/30/2012

Date: 1.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: CAPT Marcus Daskar, CDR Nufae Daskar, LCOL Jessian Wetal, LT Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, LCDR Judas Lovejoy, CPL Lala Kato; SFC Tony Lewis, COL Davin LaPlant, Dr. Emil Lang, Vice-Admiral Mueller, CAPT Donovan Rg'nir, Kireff, CDR Jonas (Praxis Gate Facility commander), CMDR Jackson, The Invid Regent

Synopsis:  With the Brokko headed to the L4 point of Praxis, the crew changes their IFF signatures to avoid detection. In this area, there is an observation platform/military comm satellite. Tony, Rowe, and Ken are in sickbay. Due to the events on Earth with the Glyph, Ken has fractured lumbar vertbrae and is out of it; Wetal is passed out due to mental exertion. Tony also wants to check out Rowe as well. Kato slips into the medbay with some sake for Ken.

Tony and Rowe discuss heading back to the site on Praxis. According to Alan, the Glyph will reappear there, and they need Ken to close it for good. Meanwhile, Lovejoy (still in his VF) attempts to scan the area for wreckage that can be used to affect repairs to the Brokko and finds a 5 x 6 m piece of Zentraedi vessel hull that will work.

Ten minutes from the platform, and Kato goes to Wetal to wake her up in her Spartan. Wetal then mentally taps into the communicatons relay of the platform in order to ascertain their situation. She then patches in the comm sat to the ''Brokko. ''Once "inside", she gains ADFIN Gateway access, then A/V connection to a geosynchrounous satellite over Praxis. There is no sign yet of the Glyph in the AO (Area of Operation):  a desolated plateau just a couple of miles from the Praxis Gate Facility. Wetal then accesses the Gate Facility's systems, looking for recent Gate activity, and finds something:  within the last 2 hours, a research team was requested and dispatched due to increases in seismic and gravimetric readings. Lovejoy asks when the Glyph might arrive; based on the Earth calculations, it should arrive at Praxis in less than 4 hours.

In order to try and clear out as many people from the area without attracting undue attention, Wetal attempts to simulate an intruder alert at another ADF base on Praxis; she is successful, but passes out from the effort. Marcus calls Tony in sickbay, and he heads down to assist. Kato attempts in vain to open the Spartan; Tony excuses her and does so instead.

Marcus, Lovejoy, and Rowe discuss how best to proceed, knowing that the Glpyh will appear soon. Nufae has a discussion with Kato regarding *not* messing around with Wetal...for her own health. Wetal also reports back ADF comm traffic - nothing specifically regarding the "rebels", but talk regarding negative contact with the Pioneer and that they are looking for the rebel fleet, AKA, the New Sentinel Alliance.

Meanwhile, the Brokko is in need of repairs. While Nufae preps the shuttle to take them to Arkelstran (shipyards) in orbit of Praxis, Marcus calls his contact there, the Karbarran named Rg'nir. He is rather suprised and not pleased that Marcus is calling him due to their situation, but agrees to take them in to make the repairs.

On the way to Arkelstran, ANNIE reports a subspace mass warning. There is a ship coming in from slipstream - the SDF-1 Alus! It hails the Brokko, and the image of Kireff appears on the main screen. He apologizes for the startling entrance, but quickly asks if the "terrible news" is true, if his "Little Swan has indeed died". Marcus confirms this, and the crew now realize that Kireff is the father of "Little Swan" Karissa Davies. The two relate that they have both seen much in their respective journeys; Kireff also states that he is not the enemy. The conversation quickly turns to Wetal. Kireff says that an unprecedented event has occurred: the Lady Elensh wishes to speak to her. The crew reacts to the surprise of the message. After some discussion, Wetal prepares to board the Alus. Lovejoy, in his VF, takes her there, where Kireff and a small procession greets the two. Kireff asks Wetal to walk with him, and she does. When Lovejoy asks if he can accompany them, Kireff politely declines the request, and Lovejoy stays behind on the Alus' deck to wait.

Some 30 minutes elapse while the Brokko crew muse about what is happening aboard the Alus as well as prepare for Rg'nir to call back giving them landing clearance. Wetal and Kireff soon reappear on the flight deck of the Alus; Lovejoy witnesses a brief goodbye exchanged, and without much else said, takes her back to the Brokko.

Now back aboard, Wetal calls for a meeting in the cargo bay. Everyone reports in; Tony turns up the audio for Ken since he can't physically be there (he'll be laid up a week from his injuries) and heads down. With everyone assembled, Wetal announces that she is staying behind on the Alus, that this starts the next part of her journey, not knowing where it will lead. Wetal thens holds out her Covenant sword and shield towards Marcus, asking that he please give them to her daughter, Alanna, and to train her in their use should he get the chance. When Marcus asks her why, Wetal simply states, "it's where I'm supposed to be." Marcus, not liking this, asks, "that's the best explanation we get?" Wetal says it's all she can say, but that she's sure she would see everyone again in the future - to which Tony says, "I know." With nothing left but to accept this decision, a terse farewell is exchanged between Wetal and the crew, with Tony looking completely calm. Once more, Lovejoy carries Wetal back to the Alus, and she parts with Kireff, waving back to her escort and simply saying, "give 'em hell, Lovejoy."

Shortly after, Marcus gets the go-ahead from Rg'nir, and Nufae resumes course to Arkelstran. Fifteen minutes later, the Brokko lands and a turnout crew swiftly greets Marcus and the crew. The Karbarran seems a bit unhappy with the condition of the ship. Lala makes an effort to introduce herself to Rg'nir, to which he flatly replies, "I don't care." With limited time to get to Praxis, Marcus gives Rg'nir the rundown of what is needed. Repairs commence and the crew lend a hand wherever they can; Lovejoy assists in making repairs to Lurbell's VF-19.

The necessary repairs are made and the Brokko, with Ice and Vagabond as escorts, make way for the site where the Glyph will appear on Praxis. The pair of fighters break away and begin circling the site, and while en route, Lovejoy contacts the survey team that is there to alert them to the imminent danger. Within moments, Lovejoy is connected to the Gate Facility commander, and he quickly explains that this is an "Alpha One" situation - an imminent threat to the planet - as well as name-dropping Admiral Hunter. After some deliberation, the commander tells them to proceed to the landing coordinates at the facility and the survey team pulls out of the Glyph area, but not before the survey team's sensor data is fed to the Brokko.

The amassed forces that have gathered (thanks to Wetal's satellite message) have pulled away from the area, leaving behind only a pair of guards at the Gateway airlock entrance. Vagabond and Ice continue to circle above the fenced-off area of desolation where the Glyph will appear - the spot where the Invid All-Mother split into the Regess and Regent millenia ago. The Brokko lands nearby, guns facing the epicenter.

After landing, the crew begin to disembark. Rowe notices that one of the guards raises his helmet visor, looking in his direction - it's Wedge, from the Ishtar Gate Facility. He takes off in his Spartan to meet with him. The two have a short conversation, after which Wedge hands him a simple white business card with the name Gaelan X. Wedge. Despite this occurrence, Rowe heads back and joins the team who are preparing for the Glyph's arrival.

Suddenly, ANNIE alerts the crew to another subspace mass event, this time within the upper atmosphere of Praxis. The IFF signature is confirmed:  it is the Stingray! Commodore Jackson hails the Brokko, and Marcus talks to him about the Glyph's appearance. Jackson relays that "the Admirals were insistent on coming here", but that he convinced them otherwise - they are making for Epsilon to discuss matters with the Alliance Council. Lovejoy informs Jackson that in about 45 minutes, the Glyph will appear. Jackson says that he can act as a screen for their operation, and also fills in the crew as to what happened with the Fleet after leaving Earth - that "Carl Barlow" was tracking them from some sort of vessel he had never seen before (a strange, silver, triangular ship). He then patches in video of this vessel from the Stingray, showing it firing a projectile weapon at the surface of Miranda. From the footage, visible implosive damage is viewed on the surface. Marcus relays that he's seen this before - it is a SQuID warhead, stolen from the top-secret Project Bright Swan by Marcus' clone, Alan.

Centurion and Titan make their way towards the Glyph epicenter while Vagabond asks Doc about what sensor events will happen when the Glyph appears. It isn't long before a "negative" image of the Glyph becomes visible on sensors. Seismic activity increases, and the team notices that their onboard navigation becomes...less reliable. ANNIE then reports additional subspace mass detections outside of Praxis:  14 vessels that are elements of the 16th ADSEF Fleet, and they are heading towards the team on the ground. Jackson says he'll interecept to buy them time.

Five minutes until "zero hour", and the Glyph area begins to visually change. It is quickly becoming more and more "there" as the seconds tick on. Titan tosses a rock towards the area, and it just disappears into nothingness. Vagabond sends a recon probe into the area, and it also disappears, although telemetry is still being sent to the team from the "other side". What they hear for a split second is static, interspersed with brief screaming - something from a horror film. Centurion and Titan fight to even stay upright at this point. And then, in an instant, the Glpyh appears, and as quickly, the Spartan pair thrusts forward to touch its surface, and...nothing happens. At this, Centurion starts moving towards the pair of guards that have not left while Vagabond orders them to leave. One of them leaves, but the other (Wedge) remains, inordinantly calm. Now Centurion notices who it is, and shoots a glance at Titan. Centurion asks him what he knows; Wedge tells him that he's been keeping an eye out for them for quite some time, and that's what he has to do. Not satisfied with the answer, Centurion takes Wedge to get him out of the area as they all pull back to the Brokko near the Gate Facility.

The activity from the Glpyh continues to ramp up, and the "center" area begins to expand, replacing the landscape with a barren, craggy and spired landscape. Nufae preps the ship for take off. The Stingray reports to the Brokko that the Fleet in orbit has direct orders from the President, something that is confirmed moments later when Vice-Admiral Mueller hails the Brokko. He addresses Rowe, stating that he has direct orders to escort the Brokko back to Huntersville. Rowe then explains that if they are removed from the area, the consequence of his actions would be the loss of Praxis. At that moment, ANNIE reports another subspace mass event. 25 vessels appear near the ADSEF Fleet - it is the "rebel" fleet, minus the Pioneer. CAPT Donovan of the Elbrus then hails Rowe, saying that there is someone that may want to speak with Mueller. The Deukalion hails the Brokko, and Dr. Lang speaks to Marcus, relaying to him that he and Rowe need to head to the Glyph, and that he can transmit the needed "activation frequency" for the Glyph. Rowe and Daskar jump from the ship and head to the planet; Lovejoy follows to provide cover. On the way down, they hit a "wall" of the effect radiating from the Glyph, causing problems with their systems. Rowe's Spartan restarts, and Lovejoy is forced to catch him. With all systems now normal, Ken works with Dr. Lang to transmit the needed signal as Rowe and Marcus get to the Glyph. They reach out again to touch the Glyph, and suddenly (from their view), the normal Praxis is visible, except the pair is surrounded by 20 uncloaked Dark Templar, standing in formation, along with six inviduals in Invid "royal hive guard" body armor. And within this formation, one 10' tall Invid stands - the Regent himself. It "glares" at them, booming voice emanating:  "It certainly took you long enough."

Lovejoy, who can no longer see Rowe and Marcus, notices that his sensor data does a complete 180 - the particle flow reverses and begins flowing back into the Glyph. Just a quickly as it began, the regular Praxis landscape returns, the Glyph effect collapsing...but not before Lovejoy can quickly thrust forward and enter the closing aperture. Now Lovejoy, Rowe, and Marcus stand in the barren landscape (that was on the "other side" of the Glpyh). He sees the Regent standing there, and there is an immediate recognition.

Lovejoy:  "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to kill you."

Regent:  "I never forget a face."

Episode 10:  "Truth and Consequence - Part 4"
4/20/2012

Date: 1.11.2094

Director: Josh Grumble

Cast: CAPT Marcus Daskar, CDR Nufae Daskar, LT Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CDR William Rowe III, LCDR Judas Lovejoy, Father MAJ Simon O'Neill; Tony Lewis

Synopsis:  Vagabond wastes no time, and in seconds, a fierce battle ensues between he and the Regent. Thrusting forward in Battloid mode, Vagabond grapples with the Regent, going ballistic, as Centurion and Titan engage the assembled Invid guards and Dark Templar toe-to-toe. Back aboard the Brokko, Nufae, Tony, and Janice work to find Marcus, Rowe, and Lovejoy. Then, a flash of light is observed by the crew in the direction of Praxis' moon Brelna. Emergency chatter is heard over the team's tac-net, and it is reported that app. 300 Inorganic vessels have appeared there. Tony pulls up imagery of the vessels, then helps Ken get to the bridge at his request to help with the situation...something Tony advises against. At this point, the combined "New Sentinels Alliance" and ADF vessels near Praxis begin to engage the ships, but they are outnumbered nearly 10 to 1. In moments, ANNIE reports a subspace mass detection:  it is the Alus on an intercept course with the Inorganic fleet. Suddenly, Wetal - apparently in control of the Alus - hails the Brokko. Not wasting time with pleasantries, she states that, "I am here to help." The Alus fires its main reflex cannon on the advancing vessels, instantly vaporizing more than a third of the enemy fleet. Just as quickly as it was lost, Marcus is able to somehow again communicate with the team (although neither he nor Rowe or Lovejoy are showing up on radar), informing Nufae of his and Rowe's situation on Earth. He also relays that Lovejoy is KIA, having taken out the Regent in high orbit, assuring their mutual destruction by detonating the entire payload of his VF-19. Meanwhile, Ken sees that the SDF-3 Pioneer has joined the fight, having returned from Epsilon, and the Brokko is hailed. ADM Hunter appears, and ask Nufae where Pioneer should direct her fire; Nufae quickly responds with, "whatever the Alus is firing at!" Before the Pioneer can get off a short, the Inorganic ships disappear in a flash of light - just as they had arrived. On Praxis, Marcus and Rowe have quickly dispatched the Invid guards, and are left with the Dark Templar who now, without the Regent, seem not as eager to fight. Marcus impresses upon the lead Templar that it wouldn't be in their best interest to continue the hostilities, and an agreement is met. Marcus and Rowe then set to figuring out how to reopen the Glyph's aperture, and it isn't long before they do so. Back in the "real" universe", Nufae and the rest of the Brokko crew see that Marcus and Rowe's IFF signatures have returned. As the pair reappear, they turn back to the see the Glyph still standing, reach out to touch it, and it abruptly disappears. Nufae pilots the Brokko down to the surface to pick them up, and the reunited crew heads back into orbit, landing aboard the Pioneer. Aboard the massive SDF-3, a memorial service is held for LCDR Judas Lovejoy. Presided over by a chaplain, Father MAJ Simon O'Neil, the service itself is then followed by a wake which the crew of the Brokko and many of the top brass attend. LaPlant makes sure to introduce Marcus to O'Neil, and impresses upon Marcus that he is a good military asset...

Episode 11:  "It's Just 'Mister LaPlant'"
5/4/2012

Date:  1.11.2094 - 4.1.2095

Director:  Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, SFC Ernie Mazziferri, William Rowe III, CPL Lala Kato, MAJ Simon O'Neill; Tony Lewis, COL Davin LaPlant (ret.)

Synopsis:  It remains 1 November, 2094. With the Clone Marcus, aka, "Alan Daskar", in custody aboard the Pioneer, FADM Sterling is able to convince ADM Nordenbrock that a civilian court must be convened; the statement made by Alan Daskar is fact-checked by not only Lisa Hayes-Hunter and Senator Kahn, but personally by Nordenbrock and his aides. The details would seem to be correct regarding certain actions by President Bold and the now-deceased General Lucas Smith - details that only someone with an intimate knowledge of the two men's daily schedules could know. Convinced of the strength of the evidence presented, Nordenbrock contacts President Bold, informing him that the missing vessels - the "New Sentinels Alliance" - have arrived at Praxis, and that FADM Sterling is cooperating. At this time, the need for a trial regarding what could very well be "treason and subversion of the highest order" is communicated to both the Joint Defense Council and the Judicial Committee of the Senate. President Bold faces no choice but to reluctantly submit to the calling. Also at this time, it is decided that the fate of the ADF officers and crew will be decided in a separate Court-Martial.

By 4 November, arrangements have been finalized and the civilian vessel Illustrious, a 7,000 passenger cruise ship, is tasked with hosting the NUA court, as well as the thousands of sequestered individuals for the trial. All vessels that were part of the "rebel fleet" are made to stay in orbit of Praxis; security around the planetary system triples overnight. With President Bold being called as the primary member of the defense, Vice-President Oriane Kiel (from Ishtar) steps up to run the Alliance.

And so begins the trial of an era. On the prosecution's side, we have a team that consists of heroes spanning eight decades:  the Hunters, the Sterlings, Dr. Lang, Janice, well-known captains and commanders from the REF, the Daskars...all with Ben-Jarus Wellston as lead prosecutor for the people. On the defense is of course President William Bold and his sizable legal team, as well as Alan Daskar.

For the next 54 days, evidence is presented that shows President Bold knowingly colluded with former General Lucas Smith, Alan Daskar, rogue Covenant General Tassadar, "Carl Barlow"/The Regent, and "The Killer of Men", among others, to "pave the way for a new Alliance....controlled by a autocratic oligarchy of malignant forces....under the guise of a democratic union." Bold denies all charges, and often pleads silence. The prosecution's star witness, being Alan Daskar, now is able to publicly state everything that he knows for the entire NUA to hear. Everything seems to change in light of new information regarding their place in the known universe, now with this knowledge of Xel'Naga, Karu'Naga, Dimensional Gateways, and other things that seem too terrible or incredible to imagine. But there it is, on the record, and verified. In the end, Wellston delivers a rousting summary speech to the court, calling upon the jury to remember what is "the spirit" of the New Unity Alliance, and that deciding in favor of the defense would tear that spirit apart. Chief Magistrate Hassiri rules in favor of the prosecution after 54 days of stunning statements, heated examinations, questions, cross-examinations, and passionate deliberations, stating that, "...these are extenuating circumstances of the highest degree....the nature of our Alliance must be preserved." As a result, President Bold is impeached and sentenced to life in prison; Vice-President Oriane Kiel is sworn into office that evening.

Immediately following the civil trial, the court-martial is convended in Huntersville, which includes the highest officers involved. After nine days of testimony and deliberating, Davin LaPlant has his service record appended:  he is given an Honorable Discharge, reversing the effect of events placed upon him by Lucas Smith. Proud Fleet Admiral Maximillian Sterling resigns his commission shortly afterwards (the position being filled in the meantime by Nordenbrock). And Jessian Wetal, now taking a decidedly different path, also receives an Honorable Discharge. Those that participated in the "rebel action" are pardoned, and most return to their post, back to their normal lives.

It is now 1900, three hours after the court-martial is concluded. Retired Colonel LaPlant (who insists on just being called "Mister LaPlant"), Marcus and the crew of the Brokko finds themselves milling about in the busy hangar area of the Pioneer, discussing the events that have concluded, and where to go next. Rowe feels like they aren't done with the Glyphs - something that LaPlant echoes - and also wonders about serving aboard the Elbrus once again. The conversation continues with the group with LaPlant letting everyone know he has a new job - a new position within the Alliance government, something he will talk to the team about later. He also asks Ernie what he intends to do, and that he can recommend to have him reinstated permanently as First Sergeant serving aboard the Victory. Ernie seems to like this idea, stating that those aboard are still, in fact, very green. Their conversation is soon interrupted by a very excited CPL Kato, who runs across the deck to hug Ernie. Shortly after, LaPlant heads off and the team returns to the Brokko, still within the cavernous hangar bay of the Pioneer.

In the Brokko's galley, Ernie is the first to walk in and notice a complete stranger:  it is O'Neill, working with Nufae, cooking a meal for all. This doesn't sit well with Ernie; Tony pops his head around from the med bay, wondering what all the commotion is about, only to have an Invid insult hurled his way by Ernie - in good fun, but poor taste. It isn't long before the crew strike up conversations with everyone else, and a wonderful brinner meal is served. Marcus and the crew note that Xavier hasn't spoken much since the trial, and seemed rather detached during that time period, seen only speaking to Senator Khan. Nufae notes to O'Neill that they have a dog aboard (Justin), to which O'Neill replies with a smile, "I won't cook him." Rowe also relays to Marcus that their Alliance contract is still in effect according to LaPlant. The meal progresses, and O'Neill decides to play the bagpipes for all.

It is now around 2100, and things are winding down. Approaching the Brokko now is LaPlant, seen wearing a civilian suit and tie. Marcus invites him aboard, and a meeting is convened in the galley. Gathered together are Marcus, Nufae, Rowe, Ernie, Tony, Ken, Lala, O'Neill. LaPlant begins to address the team, telling them that "the job is done" and that he has accepted a position on the President's security council. He relays to the crew that they still have a contract to explore the Dimensional Gateways - something the new President is behind. With this new situation, the team will report to LaPlant and Janice (who is now in charge of the RRG); as the military liaison and specialist, MAJ Simon "Reaper" O'Neill will fill the role vacated by Wetal. Taking advantage of the change, Marcus pushes to renegotiate the contract to receive better income for him and his crew; LaPlant also assures him that he is the only one with the emergency protocol to recall his vessel at any time. Nufae mentions that Lala would be a good fit for one of the open spots on the crew. Ernie reaffirms that he will stay, and that he staying gives Marcus the ability to call up a Spartan team should the mission require it; he also asks for tuition "embarassment" - which Marcus corrects as reimbursement - as he is going back to college online. LaPlant confirms that Wetal is returning (although not in the same role), but Xavier has declined to rejoin the team; he also relays to the team that it was Xavier's talks with Senator Khan that made a lot of this possible, as he vouched for the crew's character. The talk soon wraps up, and LaPlant leaves after a private discussion with O'Neill. Nufae, Lala, Ernie, and William stay for a bit, discussing various things; Nufae notes to Ernie that Lala is exactly what the ship needs - another woman that "isn't a raging bitch".

During the coming week, all the legal and otherwise official things are concluded. Also during this week, discussions quickly turn to the Dimensional Gateways, where they have already explored, and where they should go next. O'Neill is brought up to speed by Marcus and crew regarding this. The next day at 1200 hrs, a course is set for Ishtar and the Gate Facility there. The ship safely arrives and the crew is met by Biggs and Wedge, who are as usual guarding the airlock entrance to the Gate itself. The crew enters, and Marcus approaches the Gateway, causing it to activate and an image of the Antarctica Gate Facility appear, startling a trio of technicians on the other side. Marcus then transmits the tones to change the location, but nothing happens. Marcus reports that the Gateway is fine, and so tries to open a location where they've already been with success. Marcus tries a different location, and the image resolves, revealing a dense, lush jungle scene.

Episode 12:  "The Natives Are Restless"
5/11/2012

Date:  4.1.2095

Director:  Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, William Rowe III, LT Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, CPL Lala Kato; Tony Lewis, MAJ Simon O'Neill, SFC Ernie Mazziferri

Synopsis:  With the Dimensional Gateway activated and a destination ahead, the team steps through, entering the jungle before them. Alien animal and insect noises surround them, indicating a lush fauna presence. The atmosphere registers as slightly toxic, containing nitrogen, carbon dioxide, xenon, ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide. A personal fold waypoint is set by all for the Gateway, and then Titan heads above the jungle canopy, approximately 3,000 meters. Centurion sends Doc to follow but on the ground. Titan reports back a group of large flying creatures some 5 km to their magnetic west; he also sees the largest tree he's ever seen, roughly 5 km high. Scanning for Flower of Life traces, Doc finds nothing. The rest of the team begins to head out towards the giant tree, trailing behind Titan's direction, with Reaper, Wrecker, and Awesome hanging back at the Gateway.

The way through the jungle is tough due to the dense flora. Along the way, Bastet takes soil and plant samples for later analysis. Nufae and Boom-Boom head east while the rest of the team advances west, noting strange plants and animals nearby as well as what appear to be large floating islands.

Moving onward, Bastet and Boom-Boom find a large "tree-bridge", complete with high hand rails, measuring one meter wide. They fly up to the bridge and continue to advance. They soon come to a clearing, where they find a group of tall, blue humanoid creatures dressed in primitive garb and weaponry. Not wanting to disturb the creatures, the two quickly head back to the rest of the team advancing west. Titan notes a strange fluctation of gravity, ocassionally pulling to the west.

The team picks up the pace and sees the start of a large clearing, the giant tree roughly 6 km away at this point. Titan reports a quick radar return of a flying creature approximately 27 meters wide and then lands near Doc at the clearing. Behind them, Centurion, Bastet, and Boom-Boom advance. Bastet is the first to notice a group of three of the same alien creatures she saw earlier, all poised defensively with wooden bows drawn. Boom-Boom waves at the group and arrows are loosed in her direction, clanging off her armor. At this, the creatures disappear silently into the jungle.

The team continues to the edge of the clearing, soon noticing a group of the alien beings riding on strange hexapod "horses", with other running on foot, all headed the direction of the team. The alien group is joined by another from the south and continues running. Doc and Titan halt their advance ahead and from the south; the others move up from the west, and then all begin walking slowly towards the advancing aliens. Several minutes later, the aliens halt their run, and it is noted there are others on the backs of flying creatures moving into flanking positions. Doc and Titan stop as they see a taller alien wearing an elaborate headress come into view. Seconds later, the group of aliens near Centurion, Boom-Boom, and Bastet begin raising their weaponry and making loud, whooping calls of some sort. This is soon followed by far-off deep bellowing and what feel like impact tremors of something...significantly large.

Further towards the tree, Doc and Titan see a mist that surrounds it. Now near their position, Centurion, Boom-Boom, and Bastet stand close. From within the mist, several of the aliens athletically jump and tumble out, striking Centurion and the others as they brace for the impact. Spears are flung and arrows are loosed. The attack comes and ends just as quickly, deflecting off the team in their Cyclones and Spartans. The attackers fade back towards the tree, and the sounds around them increase further. The roaring and pounding then erupts from the mist, revealing a huge hexapodal, rhino-like creature, bearing down on Centurion. It is now that the team begin to feel a deep sense of dread and uneasiness, as if the entire jungle is turning against them. Titan goes into thermoptic camo to avoid some of the creatures, and Centurion orders the entire team back to the Gateway as quick as possible. A quick view behind them reveals now thousands of the aliens headed their way, seemingly pouring out of the giant tree. The team then remembers their personal fold waypoint, and all instantly return back to the Gateway.

Now at the base of the Gateway, the jungle yelling and rumbling in the distance, Centurion attempts to activate the Gateway, but does not see the image of the Ishtar facility resolve. Instead, they see a familar white room with an open canopy to a starry sky. Centurion reminds everyone that this is apparently a facility on Mars, and for Doc to check the visible starfield. He does, and relays that this is in fact Mars, but circa 2011 or 2012! They pick up a looping radio signal, determining it to be a pre-recorded greeting for alien life - something that some note to be odd if the time is actually correct. Not wanting to effect the past, Centurion attempts to activate the Gateway again for Ishtar, and it succeeds. The entire team then passes through, safely back on Ishtar.

Episode 13:  "Memories and Protocols - Part 1"
5/18/2012

Date:  4.1.2095

Director:  Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, Jessian Wetal, William Rowe III, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, MAJ Simon O'Neill, CPL Lalandra Kato; Tony Lewis, SFC Ernie Mazziferri, Haydonite maintenance unit

Synopsis:  Back aboard the Brokko and on Ishtar, the team discusses their adventure on the jungle planet, and what is next. Marcus plays back the probe message they discovered from Mars:  a first contact message to any extra-terrestrial life, recorded in numerous languages, saying "greetings from Earth", that was directed at the "face" of Mars.

While Tony takes the samples they collected from the planet, Marcus, Nufae, Ken, O'Neill, Rowe, and Lala review the list of Gateways they have yet to explore, deciding upon the "hub" Gateway that is within Haydon 4.

The team soon prepares and Marcus approaches and activates the Ishtar Gateway. An image resolves, showing a featureless chamber with low white lighting and an elaborate bulkhead door some 12 to 15 meters away. Marcus then sends in the ROV, and its sensors report back telemetry from the other side. In this other chamber is breathable atmosphere, normal pressure, and about 11 degrees C. With no immediate danger present, the team passes through the Gateway, and all set fold waypoints on the other side.

Moving up to the bulkhead door, O'Neill is able to hack the local network, but only sees maintenance data of no real import. He continues to monitor for any information relating to their presence within Haydon 4. Marcus approaches the door, and as he does, there is a displayed change of state of the door and audible hissing as the pressure is equalized. The door opens, and kilometers-long corridor stretches out before them. All the while, O'Neill continues to explore the wireless network he has found.

Several minutes later, and further up the corridor, the team encounters a massive junction of other corridors and service gantries. Within this area, another nearby terminal panel changes from "standby" to "active" as they approach. O'Neill touches the screen, and "Command Line Standby" appears in an alien script - the written language of the Haydonites. He then attempts voice commands, starting with the location of the eight Haydon planetoids. A screen of spatial coordinates and timestamps are listed for all except Haydon 8. He then asks the status of Haydon 8, only getting back, "No response...location unknown." His next query is of the Gateway network data and a map, and displayed is a rendered map of space showing the location of all the Gateways themselves and how they interconnect. At this point, O'Neill receives a notification that a "maintenance bot" of some type has been dispatched to the location of the team.

Within moments, the Haydonite maintenance unit hovers up to the team, coming to a halt. It resembles in structure the Haydonite Ambassador, Veidt. It addresses Marcus directly, asking if there is something that it can help with. Marcus replies that they are exploring the Gates and related information. The Haydonite further states that it will be easier to achieve their results if the team's queries are framed using "natural language" - or, just ask it the questions they have instead of using the terminals within Haydon 4.

For the next several minutes, the team asks the Haydonite several questions regarding the status, locations, and usage of the Dimensional Gateway network, as well as some of the technology behind it, gaining some useful information. They also ask about the Karu'Naga Glyphs, to which it relays anything related to the Karu'Naga was unknown before Marcus and his team discovered it. The team also finds out that the Haydonite records are app. 600 million years old. Through these discussions, the team determines that date exists of previously-destroyed Gates, as well as when any of the Gateways were activated as well as what race of being passed through it at the time. From this, Rowe and Ken ask what races just passed through the Gateway here; it replies with one Invid (Tony), five Humans (Nufae, Ken, Lala, O'Neill, and Ernie), 1 Karu'Naga (Rowe), and 1 Xel'Naga (Marcus).

After the team's questions are concluded, the Haydonite relays that it has a query for Marcus:  "have you reached a truce with the Karu'Naga?" Marcus says, "not that I know of...", to which the Haydonite replies with, "then why is one among you?" The team finds out that there is an ancient protocol in place regarding eliminating any Karu'Naga threat the Haydonites encounter, and that these protocols are currently being suppressed due to Marcus' - a Xel'Naga - presence. To further the exchange, Marcus shares his data regarding the Karu'Naga Glyphs with the Haydonite, as well as information about the "maintenance corridor" he is able to access within the Gateway. The Haydonite thanks him for this information, and relays to him that, as Haydonites, they are neither able nor permitted to repair any part of the Dimensional Gateway Network. It also states that a Xel'Naga by the name of "Alus" had recently been within Haydon 4, and that the Xel'Naga's movements cannot be tracked due to the difference in how they travel within the Gateway Network - making use of "Interstitial Dimensional Planes".

As the conversations between the Haydonite and the team continue, O'Neill references back to a piece of information they received: that the Haydon 4 Gateway was activated prior to the team's visit. Without audio or video to review at the Gate, O'Neill asks the Haydonite if there are any pressure sensors in the room. It confirms this, and O'Neill has the data transferred ANNIE for processing, turning it into an audible conversation. What the team hears is a conversation between this same Haydonite unit and an individual it addresses as "Alus" - or, as most immediately recognize, Wedge! He says to the Haydonite that they will soon be visited by "another of my kind" - Marcus Daskar - and that the protocols regarding the Karu'Naga will need to be ignored. He also says he has "more data to collect" and will try to communicate to Haydon 8. This prompts Marcus to ask about additional information regarding the Xel'Naga; the Haydonite responds, saying the best way to access this is directly from one of Haydon 4's memory nodes deeper within the planet.

As the team starts to move away from the Gateway area, a familiar well-worn Spartan suit appears, walking into the room. The Haydonite says, "interesting, another Xel'Naga signature confirmed." The team looks over as Wetal's IFF comes up on their radar. The Haydonite quickly mentions to Marcus that their are also protocols in effect regarding Ms. Wetal and her access. Marcus soon informs Wetal that she was positively identified as Xel'Nega, and much conversation ensues regarding what the team has learned over the past few days. During this time, Wetal has been able to successfully "link" with Haydon 4, and communicates with the planet, relaying information about the repairs completed to it as well as Haydon 1 and 2, and lack of communication with Haydon 7 and 8.

The team arrives at the memory node, ascending to a large open area surrounded by a metal gantry and suspended catwalks. Their surroundings hum with a massive amount of machinery, not unlike a gigantic server room, and is abuzz with the activity of small service Haydonite units. Towards the center is a console and two raised stone pedestals, about shoulder-width apart, it's construction more organic and alien to the surrounding technology - and very reminiscent of the material that makes up the Gateways. Marcus approaches this area, removing his Spartan armored gloves, and touches the two pedestals. Those watching him see his position very slightly and abruptly shift; he reveals to the team that he was in a type of "maintenance corridor", similar to what he experiences in the Gates, but that it was an area "full of memories", and that each crystal he touched would reveal a past memory of the Xel'Naga; he says that there were far too many to try them all, and that it was a tremendous mental and physical exertion to experience just one of the memories.

Wanting to get more answers, Rowe decides to use the card given to him and call Gaelan X. Wedge, aka, Alus. He answers, and the two have a conversation. Rowe thanks Wedge for holding back the Karu'Naga protocols; Marcus asks if he can call him by his real name, and he says yes, but only in private company. Marcus presses Wedge about accessing the crystals (which he calls "archives"), but Wedge evades the question by saying that Marcus "has some more growing to do" and that the events that led to he and Rowe's "curious and unforeseen gene expression" need to be further studied. Wedge ends the conversation by asking Nufae if she can make more of her chocolate chunk cookies for him, and that the chocolate molecule is a fantastic accident of the universe. When Marcus asks more about he being Xel'Naga and Rowe being Karu'Naga, Wedge impatiently hangs up the phone, moments later physically appearing near their location. Upon seeing this, O'Neill looks at him curiously, genuinely asking, "What part are you to play in God's plan?" Wedge looks at everyone for a moment, then back to Marcus and Rowe, telling them that, whatever led them here - be it providence, fate, or 'God's plan', they are all here for a reason, and that this isn't the first time this has happened...

O'Neill and Wedge banter back and forth from a religious standpoint for several moments, in the end both agreeing that they should all "have faith." As quickly as he arrives, Wedge walks away, and quickly vanishes. The team is left to ponder all that they have learned, feeling even smaller in a universe that seems to be centered around their activities.

Episode 14:  "Memories and Protocols - Part 2"
6/8/2012

Date:  4.1.2095

Director:  Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, Jessian Wetal, William Rowe III, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, SFC Ernie Mazziferri, MAJ Simon O'Neill, CPL Lalandra Kato; Tony Lewis, Haydonite maintenance unit

Synopsis:  Following the sudden departure of Wedge, O'Neill and the team continue questioning the Haydonite representative about the other Haydon planetoids, namely Haydon 7. Retrieving historical data, Marcus has ANNIE transfer infromation to Haydon 4 about the team's encounter with Haydon 7 near Pluto in the Sol System. Wetal also relays that Haydon 4 has stated that Haydon 6 is en route to Haydon 1 to affect repairs. The Haydonite tells the team that, if Haydon 7 and 8 are without updated navigation and mission parameters, the results could be disastrous - as the team has already seen. It is revealed the purpose of all the Haydon planetoids: long-range surveying and archiving (1-4), utility and support (5, 6), and "Gateway Defense" (7, 8). After further discussion, O'Neill summarizes perfectly: if the "bad guys" have control of the Xel'Naga recon vessel [the "Silver Space Dorito"], then they could also have control of Haydon 7 or 8.

More discussion ensues about Xel'Naga technology and specifically the recon vessel in the hopes to track it and ulimately, find Barlow and Tassadar and the deadly SQuID warheads they carry. It is then that Ken and O'Neill have an epiphany:  if Gateway activity can be tracked, and the "escape Gate" aboard the Xel'Naga recon vessel operates on the same principals, then that activity could be tracked and even used in reverse. The Haydonite pulls up additional information and it shows such activity just six hours prior at the Gateway located in the Andromeda Galaxy...which the team discovers to be the same system where Haydon 1 is located. Marcus makes the decision to head back to Ishtar and set a course for the Vesznayur Cluster in Andromeda - the home system of the Gran - and track down Barlow.

Preparations are made aboard the Brokko; Ken and Nufae set to plotting the app. two million light-year course to their destination - a trip that will take just 26 minutes by Slipstream travel. Ken programs the coordinates, and luckily Nufae catches a mistake and correct it. After moving to the minimum safe distance, the Brokko is off like beam of light. The trip seems unusually "bumpy", causing Ken to lose his lunch at one point; Nufae at one point gets a sharp pain of mental discomfort, something that she has experienced before, but only recently.

The ship arrives without further incident, and Ken begins to check all sensors. A brown dwarf star is found, several AU from their location, surrounded by several asteroid fields within the "Goldilocks Zone" of the star. Stored data of the Gran and their home system reveals that, at one time, there were several planets in the system; all that remains now are hundreds of Pluto- to Earth-sized chunks, which the Gran inhabit.

Using sensors only to navigate, Nufae maneuvers the ship through the thick dust ring that obscures the view of the planet fragments from outside the system. As the Brokko advances further, a large radar return is observed. What they see isn't just a fragment, it is two "planets". A visual image begins to resolved, and ANNIE reports back:  it is Haydon 1, and orbiting just above it is Haydon 6. Nufae continues on course, headed to a large planetoid chunk very close by the two Haydons. Ken notes that there is not only a Gateway at their destination, but also one within Haydon 1; the rest of the crew watch as strange, organic-like ships zip in and out of the large planetoid.

While slowly proceeding forward, Marcus contacts Haydon 6. He is successful and it greets him, stating precisely when the last time was that they communicated. It also relays that it will take a further seven months to complete repairs to Haydon 1. Marcus then uploads info to Haydon 6 regarding the Xel'Naga recon vessel; it confirms the vessel's signature was present in this system at the Gateway, but it vanished from sensors over six hours ago and its current location is unknown.

Continuing on for another 45 minutes, the Brokko arrives at an opening in the planetoid. Ken scans the area for landing beacons of any kind, only getting muted and garbled sensor data. Locking on to the Gate's signature, they proceed into the planetoid. Nufae has to do some fancy flying to navigate the interesting gravity "currents" that rock and bobble the ship, arriving within a large "docking area" that looks more like a cavern. To the other end of this area, the team observes a 26 km diameter tunnel covered by a translucent organic membrane of sorts, behind which light can be seen. ANNIE states that a collision will be imminent if they continue. Stopping short of the membrane, Ken observes that it seems to be bowed toward the ship, and he suggests that there is air behind this. Nufae edges the ship forward on maneuvering thrusters, and the membrane slowly flexes and gives way around the ship, closing up behind the vessel as it passes through. Immediately, ANNIE reports an Earth-like atmosphere and temperature present. Just 1 km ahead and to port, the rocky landscape gives way to a structured, polished, amphitheatre-like area some 100 meters below. To the back wall of this area is a standard Gateway, and just in front of that, the Xel'Naga recon vessel, which itself measures just over 3 km.

At Marcus' order, Nufae sets the Brokko down some 8 km away facing the Xel'Naga vessel and Gateway. The team suits up and heads toward the silver delta-wing alien ship, which from what they are able to determine is in a low-power "idling" mode. As the team advances across the featureless, white expanse towards the vessel, ANNIE reports to the team, "Gate Activation Imminent". Now just a few hundred meters from the Gateway, the team readies themselves for combat. Within the Gateway's aperture, an image of the interior of the Xel'Naga ship comes into focus, and standing there is a single individual wearing a badly-worn old EDF flight suit:  Carl Barlow.

"Barlow" walks forward, hands in the air in a sign of surrender. Centurion addresses him, and Barlow asks if it is indeed Marcus Daskar as well as musing if he plans to fire "those things" at him (indicating the Brokko's synchro cannons). The team slowly advances, completely cautious and focusing on the areas around the Xel'Naga vessel while Centurion keeps Barlow engaged in conversation. Centurion and Ronin ask him about the SQuID warheads, a question he evades and answers with a point about Humans not being a peaceful race. Barlow poses questions to the team:  "Why are you here? For the ship? If you really knew where you were, that's why you'd be here." He also has a proposal:  everyone simply leave the other alone and move on with their lives. He continues on, saying he has no further use for the Xel'Naga ship; that the warheads are no longer here; and that they need to accept that what is going to happen...will happen...in regards to the conflict they have are immersed in between the Xel'Naga and the Karu'Naga, that they have never had a choice "since day one". The team continues their questions, asking who exactly he is, to which he answers, "I thought it was obvious...I'm family."

Running out of options and patience, Centurion contacts ANNIE to get her to open comms with the Xel'Naga vessel; ANNIE relays that all attempts have been unsuccessful. With a channel now open, he addresses the ship itself, getting a status report the ship: the crew is gone, and the SQuID warheads were removed two days prior, the destination being the Mars (circa 2011) Gateway. At this, a horrible realization sweeps across most of the crew:  "Barlow" intends to use the weapons to rewrite history! Centurion then makes a snap decision, using his personal fold to instantly move to the front of the Gate. He quickly removes his glove to touch it, but is surprised to find that Barlow is already there and has him in the air, in his Spartan, by the neck. One moment the pair stands there together and the next moment, Centurion stands there alone, heading back towards the team, the Gateway now deactivated. He tells them that, while inside the maintenance room of the Gateway, he fired missiles and spider mines at both Barlow and the "control panel" of the Gate, explaining the deactivation. He then says they are heading out, as he has a pretty good idea where the warheads have gone.

The crew quickly heads back to the  . On the way, Marcus receives an incoming transmission from Haydon 1; specifically, the Haydonite representative. It tells the team that a link with Haydon 2 has been established. It surprises them with the information:  the team is inside of it, not Haydon 1 like they had thought! Haydon 1 still remains nearby, being repaired by Haydon 6. The Haydonite relays that, whatever has recently happened, Haydon 2 is now "awake", and that it will continue to monitor the data between the Haydons - especially for any communications to Haydon 7 or 8.

After some discussion, Marcus decides that they will use the Xel'Naga vessel. He is able to communicate again with the ship, activating its external "Gate" aperture - large enough to fly the Brokko through. ANNIE pilots herself while the team uses their personal fold devices to board; Marcus also provides the internal schematics and controls to the rest of the team. Strangely, Marcus innately knows how to fly the alien ship, something he attributes to the odd connection with his clone's memories. As Nufae boards, she experiences some sort of "episode" and a piercing migraine headache; Marcus yells for Tony, and he takes her to the Brokko's medbay. With Marcus in control of the vessel remotely, a course is set and the ship flies out of the planetoid. Everyone else busies himself with other tasks.

Alone on the bridge of the alien ship, O'Neill begins to read the bible aloud to the computer.

Episode 15:  " - Part 1"
6/22/2012

Date:  5.1.2095

Director:  Tim Foster

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, Jessian Wetal, William Rowe III, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, MAJ Simon O'Neill, CPL Lalandra Kato; SFC Ernie Mazziferri, Tony Lewis, Dr. Emil Lang, Zentraedi captain

Synopsis:  Aboard the Xel'nagan recon vessel...

On the Brokou - a faint knocking up front, loud knocking in Medical

Rowe: Annie? What is that noise?

Annie - "someone is damaging the equipment"

Rowe: Annie, call it up

Ernie is in the cargo bay, smashing things

Rowe heads down, weasel in hand

Tony and Marcus follow

Rowe: Wrecker, what the F are you doing?

Ernie is smashing cargo and equipment around

Ernie: "I can hear it!"

Ernie throws Rowe around then seems to calm a bit

Marcus comes in - restrains Ernie

Marcus pops the manual override on Ernie's Cyclone

Helmet on the ground

Ernie: "Don't you see it?  Don't you hear it?"

Ernie reaches for a weapon

Tony pulls out the tranqs and comes up alongside Marcus and injects him

Ernie goes limp, still sweating

Silverback damaged, booze intact

Rowe checks Ernie's temp - hot and sweaty

Tony checks vitals, pupillary response good

Annie pulse: Temp 99.4F  52 BP: 96/58 14 resp

Annie: according to visual logs, about 45 min ago, he got up and went down to the cargo bay and put on his Cyclone

MD: What were his vitals before he woke up?

Annie: pulse 220/130 HR 192

Tony: Annie, can you pull up his brainwave activity?

Annie shoots them Ernie's EEG data

Ernie does not appear to be out of REM sleep

Annie: Doctor, scanning the other members of the crew aboard - Nufae is still sleeping

Meanwhile, on the Recon Vessel...Ken is exploring the bridge for controls and interfaces

Watal looks for surveillance equipment - was disabled during previous occupants' time on the ship

Watal hacks into the vid footage records:  Red-skinned creatures (Dark Archons) and drones - loading crates of weapons. Monitoring equipment pans by gate - shows Mars, last image is drone trying to erase the data

Watal calls crew on open comms, shares footage

Up on the bridge:  As O'Neill is reading, the ship speaks up...

Ship: what is God?

XV: ... simple answer... being that created the Universe

discussion ensues about nature of God and the Bible and Humanity

As O'Neill is talking, a moment, just for me, stretches

I look around... Boom-boom asked me what's wrong

we talk - she didn't feel it. She's worried I'm "contagious"

I start to move and react more carefully - "walking on eggshells"

On the Brokou:  Nufae wakes up on the medbay - she sees a bright light, then the light goes away - Doc checking her pupils

HD: where am I at? How did I get here?

Tony checks brainwaves of all armored shipmates - normal waves for most of crew - Ken's waves show a "contraction" for a moment

Tony checks Ken's data with Annie - "are there any errors?"

A: No errors, but there is an anomaly...it appears that his brainwaves "phase out"

A: "most of the crew is resonating at 14.86Hz...Dr Nobuyoshi reads 33.8Hz"

A: "Ernie Mazziferi - is experiencing apnic periods.."

Tony goes to check on Ernie - sleep apnea

Nufae is awake and hearing the discussion between Annie and Tony

Tony goes back to examining KN's data - Tony can't find discontinuity

Ship is empty - cleared of useful items

We start speaking - "Far Explorer" - and rattles off a verrrry long designation number...4x10^33..."last mission was exploration of this area... 33,000 years ago"

"... one other crew, 24,000 years ago, who attempted to give new parameters..."

"where?" barred spiral galaxy... 42m lightyears from HQ.. the Fornax nebula

336,000 years ago, left of their own accord... 3 of your days... they were na'ga

I ask for a library image of na'ga... other crew took the ship to Hadon II..

... bring up external view... we are way off course...

Far Explorer is confused and thinks there's a singularity where Hadon VI is

ship is stopped

Ship asks O'Neill to read more of the Book of James

Marcus arrives on bridge and manual controls appear, chair for someone 2.5m-3m tall - spots for 3-fingered hands, pedals...

Marcus pulls up manual - in alien language - "translate into English"

holes in translation - mostly words from Bible

I try to read the terminal - I roll 98 on astrophysics (97) - fail...

Marcus replays recitation of control in slow-mo - too fast

Ship mentions it's at 18% functionality

I suggest we call Hadon VI to us

Marcus hails Hadon VI and asks it to come to us... it acknowledges

Marcus continues to try to operate manual controls

Hadon VI arrives - envelops the ship...

Stuff happens on Sickbay on the Brokou...Tony accidentally ODs on the tranquilizer

Back on the bridge - "Repairs Complete"

O'Neill and I converse with the ship

"100% operational efficiency"

Watal asks Hadon VI to make updated weapons and armor

I get an impending feeling of dread - the air leaving the room

I hail Marcus and head down to the Brokou

He's in the cargo bay, putting away his Spartan

I start removing my Cyclone and talk to him about possibilities of time travel to anticipate the enemy on Mars

Tony and Rowe, 6 March 2011, Earth

1 of 3

established gateway, Xel'nagan user w/equipment

object from current time stream in other time stream

"Set a course"

2 minutes travel

we materialize at the Super Gate

the feeling of impending dread gets heavier and heavier

in front of me, luminescent gossamer strings appear and cross and criss-cross

I "bing" a string in front of me

I "see" Earth, 8000 years ago

I think of Earth yesterday. A string a couple of steps away lights up

I "bing" the string - I feel Earth yesterday

I think of Earth 5 March 2011

A string at the very edge of the bridge lights up

I bing it - I feel Earth in 2011

I grasp the string - the feeling of Earth 2011 is very strong

I lightly pull the string - I get the feeling that any harder and I'll experience Earth 2011

I "tug" the string...I disappear from the bridge

I appear in a building - an apartment

I see a woman in a towel - she starts to scream

I head for the fire escape as a man comes in from the other room

I head down the stairs...

---Back on the bridge... ship says "Sympathetic Connection Established to 6 March 2011"

ship suggests adjusting manual alignment of harmonics

Marcus provides harmonics...gate crackles, image opens

"User Simon, in the event of destruction, I will miss our talks"

The ship departs Hadon VI and goes through the gate...

---Back on Earth...I duck into an alley - get my bearings - midday

I hear and see cops - head West

I get wierd looks

I hear APB - I duck into an alley and hide in a dumpster

I get a slow wawawawa from my helmet comms

I try calling fast and slow "Centurion"...

On the Brokou

Marcus asks Annie for my IFF - it's phasing in and out

Marcus hears a blip, then calls for Doc

"Captain Daskar - there's a Zentraedi combat vessel approaching"

"Raise shields"

Zentraedi vessel hails "the Far Explorer"

O'Neill hails the Alagor

"This ship is an illusion.  If you continue to fire, you will only disgrace yourselves"

"Confirm your status as an Illusion"...

I use the PFD to get to Antarctic gate

The sensation is of walking, but still reach the destination

Nothing is happening quite the same as on the ship

I get the feeling, I "know" that the rest of the crew showed up tomorrow

I walk towards the gate

I see faint threads - I "see" the thread that's my "home" thread that is still being "overtaken" by the other string but it is doing so more slowly

I step within 20' of the gate...

---Back on the Brokou... the crew plans to abduct Lang from the SDF-1 on the eve of the big battle, discussion...

Brokou heads to Mars

---Nufae, Marcus, Tony - fold to Earth

Nufae passes out from shock, Marcus and Rowe feel queasy (additional dimension to PFD)

Tony applies medical skills to Nufae

Dr Lang helps Nufae up

Marcus explains to Lang what the problem (with me) is

Lang says he cannot help. Only Ken can help

He discusses

Tony tries to "scan" Lang - smooth, orderly thoughts, but not

"When are you from?""

2094"

"Perfect... give me this"... hands Nufae a data chip

"I have to get back to work"

...On Mars... they fold into "the white room"

The dome opens... on the dome floor, lit "guide spots" direct their attention

Rowe and Watal see the lights. Rest of the crew (and Annie) do not.

...On Earth... team folds to Antarctica

I "feel" the team is closer

close to the gate, I see the threads but can't interact with them

I remove my glove and touch the gate - nothing happens. I step back

Gate activates - I see the puddle and an archaic door open with the party on the other side

I hail Centurion - we talk - they hear me as if from across a field

I see one thread lighter than all the rest - I follow it hand over hand and appear on 6 Mar

Reunion...

Marcus then activates the gate to Mars and we all go through

Many of us see the lights on the floor

Nufae follows them to a "door" that she can't see and opens it

the "door" becomes real to everyone - there's a 4m glyph behind it

Rowe and Marcus head for the glyph - they disappear

Ernie kicks the glyph and disappears

one by one, we all touch the glyph...

Nufae sees a flashback on her way "through"...

"Have we really fallen this far?"

"It's up to her"

Nufae traces the lines of the glyph and finally falls through...

Episode 16:  " - Part 2"
7/20/2012

Date:  5.1.2095

Director:  Tim Foster

Cast:

Synopsis:  7/20/2012 ---We appear to be in a cave Natural rock floor, ceiling 3m up, walls 4m - obsidian light absorbed less than 1m away by sonar, the cavern opens up and is enormous Titan goes off Awesome is watching team's vitals Wrecker, Boom-Boom, and Reaper - vitals are exactly the same (60 bpm, 16 rps, 110/70, 98.6F) Awesome tells group about odd stats Ernie trips out and pulls off his helmet lights come on Ernie looks more youthful (P.B. +15 temp boost for Ernie, LaLa, and ) We all hear a singing voice telling us we are welcome, etc appears to be coming from in front of us I check audio pickups - it's real "Noble stranger can you tell me where you've been...more important, how did you ever come to be here?...save your energy you journey is far from over...the sunrise...descend to Judgement Valley...descend to burning river..." Sounds rather flat - not much variance, male... writing is all over the walls - I make Lore roll... looks Akkadian as we get closer to the voice, it gets more female (pitch rises) "no direction but to follow what you know...no direction but to trust the final destination...no direction but to fight her flow...no direction but to trust the final destination" Tony has no problems telepathically connecting with Ernie He turns his focus to Nufae - he "sees" her turn to him and glare disapprovingly, "this is not your place.  stop looking in my head" Tony stops - we also stop - I turn to him, look at him - he looks normal I get the feeling here that time is immutable, that this is an origin point Tony replaces his helmet (visor up) and walks on... Nufae 'sees' folks lining the walls, carving Titan gets far enough down to see an arch, sends back pictures "You're a stranger until she tells you your journey's over..." Four of us "hear" "Endinnu" Titan gets near the arch and is stopped "I don't understand but I think you are right - no one should see this..." Titan replies "We will handle it" A creature appears - 5m tall - looks "majestic" - 4 heads, 4 sets of wings Nufae, Marcus, and Rowe understand the voice "None can be here" Rowe feels that we are about to be attacked and flips on his thermoptic camouflage Angel strikes Rowe - 70 pts damage and knocks him back 2m R: Why can't I come through? A: None can enter. I am the guardian Angel swings at Rowe again, strikes the ground in front of Rowe, leaves a mark Wrecker and Reaper get to the Angel Wrecker speaks to the Angel we all get a memory (very real for Rowe and Nufae) of the Angel chasing people out of the garden of Eden Ernie says, "I just want to know if he bleeds", and fires the Angel reaches out and plucks Ernie off the ground, flings him back Marcus confronts the Angel - "you are different... you must prove yourself to me" Marcus gets initiative and parries flaming sword (Ernie's vitals go dim... he's 1500m back) Tony zooms back Marcus moves to shield strike - natural 20 - smacks him in the goat head Angel is "stunned" from the attack, Marcus stabs - feint and dodge Angel attacks with sword, miss - Marcus feels the heat Marcus attacks again - miss Angel goes to grab Marcus - miss Marcus strikes again - parry - pushback Marcus moves to disarm - tie Angel strikes with sword - parry 1/2 damage (34) Angel strikes - 86 points and knock-back Marcus releases spider mines and missiles Angel dodges missiles, moves to strike Marcus calculates personal fold behind Angel - "you cannot use God's road here" Angel dodges next round of missiles and swings sword - miss Marcus makes a mega-hit - we all feel the clang Fight stops - Marcus shuts off energy sword and shield "you have proved yourself.  Why do you want to enter?" vision to Nufae and Rowe - "No one enters, not even me, but if the Gods make you bleed, they have proven their worth" MD: "I command you to let us pass" Camael steps back and turns to unblock path Tony tends to Ernie's wounds Ernie starts to come around I head up to the front Tony drags Ernie to the front - Ernie starts to fade we walk to the arch the "doors" open - we step through I get a sense that this "time" is set off from the rest of the universe Ernie removes his cyclone - starts walking off - wounds heal as we watch "why would you want to wear such a thing here?" (I show Sasquatch riding Nessie photo... 25 XP) Reaper scans the area for Flower of Life...Flower of Life to the North about 5 miles - large tree... Tony heads towards the tree, most of the rest of the party follows Tree is dripping with protoculture [and omniculture? or just omni?] Sign on tree - Nufae reads sign, passes out Nufae has a vision, wakes up with black-in-black iris She can read the sign now... Yggdrassil. . . Watal "connects" with the tree "You are not the assigned caretaker" "It has been 10191 years since I was last activated" She looks at me, "Nagan expression 86%, no children..." Looks at Ernie, "Nagan expression less than 1%, one child..." Looks at Markus, "you have the DNA of Odin, Nagan expression 96%, current children less than one" Looks at Nufae, "Nagan expression 97%...presently gestating..." Looks at Watal, "You are not human; Nagan DNA 33%...may I get a sample?" Eden stares off, prattling about Lalandra, "scanning her timeline..." I start paying close attention to Eden "Odin was one of the three..." Simon asks "how do we stop it?" "I cannot stop it from here" Eden points at me - "You, you may know.  You don't carry the DNA of the others... Porteth...he was the greatest of us...he created me" "... six survived" Tony and Eden argue about the nature of Barlowe/The Regent discussion about Odin's tools/tech, built by Porteth I ask Marcus to look over the Spear - it's ancient, perfectly balanced, roils with energy Eden asks Tony to stay, "the tree has not been tended to in some time" "this place is not for me" Marcus walks up to the glyph, it does not activate I take the spear from Marcus - nothing happens I walk to the tree - nothing happens I touch the spear to the tree - a large glyph lights up I tell Marcus to touch the glyph - he disappears One by one, the party touches the glyph and disppear we are in Fold - but walking - hard path ghostly paths spin off on all directions but we can't access them our path is firm. We walk for 5 minutes to a door. Compelled to go through Sky is dark and ominous - we feel the ground give way - I "jump" - escape the ground collapsing ledge and glyph fall into the abyss atmosphere - breathable but light on O2 I get RF noise and radiation from star - not a happy star Tower extends up 300+ feet up - we boost to the top view of metropolitan cities in the distance markings (that nufae can read) "this is the temple of he who calls himself The Master" Rowe feels comforted by this place We head down to the first floor Statues with names One is marked "the master" - features eroded Another is marked "Imnail" (ancestor of Rowe) I suggest we use the Spear to locate a glyph Marcus thinks about the nearest glyph - the Spear traces a glyph in the air I "help" and we focus on the right place and time Marcus and I can see "through" the glyph to the right but we can't interact with it Marcus thinks about "going home" - no effect Marcus pokes the glyph - no effect we discuss options Rowe gets medieval on one of the statues - the building crumbles, we escape we head into town, the outskirts are 50km away - water once flowed here as we boost towards town, a man walks up to us looks like a perfect human, 2.5m tall he speaks - only Nufae understands "this is the capital city, Inan" "I'll let you in, but you have to follow their laws" a force grounds us it was -20F outside, now it's a controlled environment Watal pulls out a laser sword and tries to cut a chunk off a building we "feel" "any damage... an attack on the city" Nufae tries to argue with the lawgivers - they vanish with Watal

no markings on buildings - some buildings floating Reaper looks at ground - one part looks different than the others, shiny he steps on it and zips miles away instantaneously he returns moments later Rowe touches a building and appears inside he returns an AI appears and offers us refreshment Rowe takes water, we all take water I scan it as Rowe drinks - it's hypotonic. I put it back on the tray I explain we prefer mineral water - "That's disgusting", and she disappears... in the library constellation Fornax - NGC1097 we argue with the archive AI "in 23 minutes it won't matter" it disappears - we leave and are surrounded by peacekeeper entities one walks out from the crowd - "the universe is strange, I don't know how you do it"

Episode 17:  " - Part 3"
8/17/2012

Date:  5.1.2095

Director:  Tim Foster

Cast:

Synopsis:  8/17/2012 ...(from last session) She looks at me, "Nagan expression 86%, no children..."

Eden points at me - "You, you may know.  You don't carry the DNA of the others... Porteth...he was the greatest of us...he created me" discussion about Odin's tools/tech, built by Porteth....

(new session) Combat! I get a couple of aimed shots at one Dark Templar Miss with EP50, Hit w/EP50 (100 pts) - templar turns, Miss with dual EP42 more combat ensues, Titan dodges and recovers to his feet Titan folds up ramp, converses with "Old Nufae" ON: Before you go, a kiss - they kiss Barlowe pulls the Dark Templar to him, drains it, heals, laughs Barlowe pulls the Belkin Cell out of himself, wraps it in his PFD and it vanishes Old Nufae fiddles the console - we all feel the star explode then we feel like we are at every point in the universe... I reappear on the Science Station, in a room, at a console, next to a technician T: Dr Nobuyoshi, I didn't hear you come in. KN: That's OK, I didn't either. I check the time on the console - it's exactly when we left (X) 5 Jan 2095. She's still a bit puzzled. I make an excuse about checking something and I forgot what I was in middle of. She goes off shift. Tony and Lala end up on the Brokou Watal is at the family farm near Huntersville Titan is at home near Huntersville ...Dr Lang sits down next to me DL: I like your eyes I look at the console - my eyes are black now DL: So I think we have much to talk about KN: So it would seem... ...Brokou shows up at Space Station Freedom Crew of Brokou gets an escort to Dr Lang's office... DL: So... you've been through a lot... DL: Were you all together? KN: Yes. In the same room. In combat. DL: Combat? AL: Barlowe. DL: Barlowe. I know who he his...for the last 90 years...piece together the data from the computer... DL: Interesting thing about the gates...to the Xel'nagans, the gates are antiquated, old to them as a horse and carriage is to you and me. They didn't need gates to travel... ...Text from Marcus comes in. Tony calls him... ...Tony calls Rowe residence on Epsilon Rowe seems to know more than us... "She sent us home" Rowe calls Ernie's P-14 - voicemail Rowe gets in a car, goes to hole-in-the-wall bar Ernie is at the bar, in his cyclone, helmet off, empty shotglasses all over the bar... Rowe gets Ernie to the Rowe mansion (PFD to the backyard) Dr Lang suggests we all meet up here in 72 hrs Marcus starts gate hopping to pick up Nufae and meet the rest of us Only Watal is hesitant to come.

Episode 18:  ""
8/24/2012

Date:  6.1.2095

Director:  Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, Jessian Wetal, William Rowe III, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, SFC Ernie Mazziferri, MAJ Simon O'Neill, CPL Lalandra Kato; Tony Lewis, Dr. Emil Lang, Janice Lang, Dr. Ringues

Synopsis:  At Freedom, orbit of Cizion

(the term "Loki hole")

AI in Freedom is Hypercomp

One of Lang's offices is here; Ken is very familiar with this place

Inside is still very Zentraedi/Tirolian

O'Neal "materializes" back with the cat (Lilith)

Scene:  in large conference room - group, Lang, Zor, Janice

footage recorded from the team's excursion to Eden, etc. is unusable; tacnet audio still works

Ernie's left arm in a cast

Lang asks for an account of what happened with the team - full debrief [off screen]

Brings up the point that the SQUiD warheads are still out there...in the past...as it was determined that the Xel'Naga endgame was to change the past

Lang states paradox is best handled delicately...asks where do we go from here?

Lang notes that now their timeline has diverged

Debate if Xel'Naga have defined "ending dates" for a species...

(reference back to a supernova event that "may have killed Barlow/The Regent"??)

Jessian now notices that Ken has dark eyes, just like her, Lang, and Zor. (are Nufae's eyes this way?)

Lang:  more and more of these events that are unfolding relate to the "prophetic ramblings" of Hypercomp

Ken:  crux of the paradox, Mars gate; we know what it looked like in 2011...

Marcus:  we should investigate the gate to see

Lang:  brought Ringues aboard...check on mental health of crew...effects of Gate travel are not known

Rowe:  how long are you keeping us here?

Lang:  not keeping...LaPlant agrees that after testing, take 2 weeks off to relax

Nufae:  take the time to translate what she can for Lang ("Eden text", talk to Tim)

(revisit paradox issues...need Tim's info)

Lang:  no evidence of "them" ever visiting the facility on Mars

34:00

Season 5, ep ?, gametime 2095.01.06 (2012.08.24)  ??:??

1st Session with Tim

500 - Playing in Character

200 - Deductive Reasoning

100 - Clever or Useful

2nd Session with Tim

500 - Playing in Character

100 - Problem Solving (keeping the technician from freaking out when I appeared suddenly)

300 - Saving large group of people (Humanity)

100 - Quick thinking (choosing targets to save Titan)

100 - Daring, clever or not (fighing)

100 - Killing or subduing a great menace (assisting

2025

(I show Sasquatch riding Nessie photo... +25 XP)

100071/131201 -> ?/131201

The party is all on Space Station Freedom, orbiting Cizion

Advanced AI (Hypercomp) that coordinates all manufacturing activities

Still has Zentraedi/Tyrolian feel - large and alien

Conference Room

Main Party, Dr Lang, JANICE...(helmet cam footage has been analyzed - is static; TacNet and still photos OK)

Debrief - random discussion...I propose we go to Mars in the present

Dr Lang informs us that he's called for Dr Ringes (Marduk doctor who has tested Watal in the past)

DL: you need time to think, Mr Daskar? You're going to get that.

Dr Lang has already gone back to Mars. No evidence of any previous incursions, bombs, anything

DL: You will all need rest. Dr Ringes will be here at 0900.

I recommend to Dr Lang that we backup the lab footage when I appeared

Frame to frame, not there, then there (and same phenomenon as when Lucifer Hawke, etc, appear)

We all manage to sleep - on the ship, on the station... we are completely exhausted

0900 - Dr Ringes begins medical tests

1200 - tests are conducted, no news...We are free to go about our business

Afternoon on 6 January 2095

The crew discuss the next step

We talk about the possible places that Brightswan could be disruptive

O'Neill checks the military database for existence of Brightswan materiel

It was created as we remember it; no evidence of where it is now

Over the next two weeks...The Daskars go to Epsilon to get away from "technology and madness"

I (KN) immerse myself in Seeder Lore to match up our recent experiences with the Naga (+10% Seeder Lore skill)

Watal goes to farm - her sister gives birth

O'Neill does research on SQUIDs and ends up researching Hadon planetoids

Finds six SQUID-like projectile weapons on Haydon VII - they've always been there

On 18 January - final judgement passed on Alan Daskar - life imprisonment (where there are other imprisoned members of Majestic)

---Season 5, ep ?, gametime 2095.01.19 (2012.08.24)

O'Neill shows proof of where SQUID weapons ended up (Haydon VII)

We have a plan to query the scout ship for its interaction with Haydon VII

(remember to ask about learning Nagan through Nufae)

Laplant asks about our plan...Dr Lang stays silent, Zor holds his hands to his temples and looks inscrutable.

off we go...Nufae makes her piloting rolls - we pass through the membrane and into the cavern.

The Scoutship is right where we left it, the gateway is off.

We board and start querying the computer

Archival data being deleted - 3% remaining (but backups are on Haydon IV)

Scoutship is empty except for us

Marcus directs the Scoutship to move to Haydon VI

communications complications ensue, but Marcus eventually gets through to Haydon VI

I manage to find a way to describe a way to get around higher-access protocols that initially prevented Marcus from requesting a restore of the deleted data

We ask for last known position of Haydon VII - 23 years old - around Pluto\

Rowe asks for dump of previous known locations of Haydon VII (including which realities it was in)

Destination data jumps around. -23 years in R1, -200 years in R3, -10 years in R4...We ask what's the oldest

R16:ACE9

Ken reacts! "That's not on the gate network!  That's never been on the gate network"

O'Neill asks how Haydon VII moves between dimensions... "Effective Quantum Tunneling"

I ask "how large" R16 is... answer is given in thousands of cubic kpcs.

We head back to Freedom, the Brokou inside the Scout Vessel

Episode 19:  ""
9/14/2012

Date:

Director:  Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, Jessian Wetal, William Rowe III, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, SFC Ernie Mazziferri, MAJ Simon O'Neill, CPL Lalandra Kato; Tony Lewis, Haydonite maintenance unit

Synopsis:  Season 5, ep ?, gametime 2095.01.06 (2012.08.24)  ??:??

100071/131201 -> 12096/131201

We head back to Freedom, the Brokou inside the Scout Vessel...We are:  On the Brokou  In the Scout Ship  Inside Haydon VI  In orbit of vgzzz... cluster  In Andromeda

Season 5, ep ?, gametime 2095.19.06 (2012.09.14)  23:00

XP

800 - Playing in Character

500 - "That's not on the gate network!"

200 - Good judgement (vacation on Freedom, relaxing by reading about Seeders)

100 - Futile Ideas (R16 is not a wee pocket universe)

100 - Clever or useful (Proposing going to Mars to look for SQUIDs)

25 - use a skill at a crucial time

1725

102096/131201 -> 103821/131201

We go back to Freedom. Most of the crew meet with Laplant to formally request new equipment and debrief

Laplant is a bit baffled by the implications of "not in this universe"

Requisitions are made - O'Neill gets a personal fold pod

In the morning... large transport docks. Alpha logistics team deploys to the hangar. 30 minutes later, everything is spread out

o Pallet of Spider Mines

o Nufae's Alpha (and its Beta)

o Ravens for Marcus and Rowe

o Tony's Invid Royal Command Battleoid

o Container with Tony's "flight suit" for his Battleoid

We go out for test flights...Nufae goes for a Alpha-Beta docking maneuver... fail/fail I get "thumped", Nufae's screens go blank

Laplant gives Nufae a little verbal "encouragement"

We go again to dock - I blow the roll, wave off...Finally, third-time, good rolls

Laplant: "all right, people, bring 'em in"

We land on the landing dock of the Dorito

20 min to repair damage to Nufae's Alpha's docking umbilical

Crew clears off - we head out to Haydon VI - arrive 1.5 hrs later

Marcus hails Haydon VI

We board, then start preparing to approach Haydon VII

List of natural enemies:

o Caru'naga

o Velaxi'a

o Ul'griz

I ask where the homeworlds of such are:

o Caru'naga R03:0001

o Velaxi'a  R01:04F4:29D:1SX04

o Ul'griz   R01:10B1:51E:7EC72

I ask Haydon VI to have R01:0001 superimposed on the R01 map of the gate network... it's the center of the Milky Way (and it's clear that there are no gates into R03)

--Marcus gets Haydon VI to move to last known coordinates of Haydon VII

over the next minute, we get that odd "shockwave" effect... and arrive.---

Haydon VI turns on video feed - we are surrounded by a purple nebula glow, and 1000 km away is an 8000 km black planetoid

Off in the distance are lustrous silver "gantries" - massive structures at least 10,000 km off

Haydon VII addresses us... Marcus unfortunately tries to get Haydon VI to repair Haydon VII - the virus leaps to VI... we prepare to escape in the Dorito...

Episode 20:  ""
9/28/2012

Date:

Director:  Josh Grumble

Cast:  Marcus Daskar, Nufae Daskar, Jessian Wetal, William Rowe III, Dr. Ken Nobuyoshi, SFC Ernie Mazziferri, MAJ Simon O'Neill, CPL Lalandra Kato; Tony Lewis, Haydonite maintenance unit

Synopsis:  Season 5, ep ?, gametime 2095.01.06 (2012.08.24)  ??:??

Haydon VII addresses us... Marcus unfortunately tries to get Haydon VI to repair Haydon VII - the virus leaps to VI... we prepare to escape in the Dorito...

Season 5, ep ?, gametime 2095.20.01 (2012.09.28) [RETCON DATE 01.19.2095]

XP

700 - Playing in Character

400 - Deductive reasoning (center of map, galactic zero)

400 - Insight (deducing that we were screwed when the Trabe virus got in)

200 - Good Judgement (being persistent with the Alpha-Beta

500 - Potential self-sacrifice (this entire mission)

100 - Avoiding unnecessary violence

25 - use a skill at a crucial time

2325

103821/131201 -> 106146/131201

Notes about the Trabe Virus

o Artificially created

o Researched by Dr Lang and Dr Stiller

o Majestic mini-project - created by Barlowe

o Sent into the past, encountered by the Trabe

o Can affect organic beings and machinery (powered by biological source)

o in phase between matter and energy

o can be carried via radio or sub-space carrier

O'Neill asks the scoutship to make more anti-virus

The ship recognizes the compound - compares it to Caruna'gan Defense Protocol

discussion ensues

Voice from another chair on the bridge

"Do none of you have faith in your own plans?"

chair turns, Wedge in CVR

we talk about the nature of time and changing events

Wedge wants command of the ship - asks Marcus to help

the crew discusses this amongst ourselves

"The reason I'm here is because I was on the original planning committee"

'Wedge' offers to give us correct coordinates and fold variances to get us to the right place

"Ship: what do you call him?" "Alous"

"Why?  We made a mistake"...

"If the Caruna'ga have their way, you'll never get a chance to approach that table"

"They don't care - they consider their plan perfect"

Alous asks me for my P-14, I give it to him

He spends a few moments looking at it

"Interesting..."

"That was unexpected"

Takes my P-14 to a tactical display...we see a 3D projection of us, the Haydons, etc, over Alous' shoulder

"here", and hands it back to me.

new tables of DiffEq - I understand that I can apply this back in our own universe for much more reliable folding

I share the equations/waypoints with the rest of the crew

o Bridge of Scout ship

o Engineering core of Haydon VII

o Cargo Bay of Brokou

We make plans...O'Neill folds to Engineering Core of Haydon VI

He appears in Edminton, where he grew up (I comment about "having a Nexus Moment" - Josh points at me!)

O'Neill checks his suit - it does not know where he is

Older gentleman comes up to him, "it appears you are about to do something that some might consider foolish..."

"Who thinks that?"

"Those who have much to gain or lose"

conversation completes

O'Neill appears on Haydon VI in the right place

He looks for a port to insert the innoculant (goo)

Makes first computer ops roll, rolls 00 on next roll, fails perception check

Service Haydonite - cylindrical robot - rams him

O'Neill shift 5 miles away - tries again, succeeds

O'Neill removes "diagnostic block" - everything changes

We get a report from our ship - defensive protocols engaged

Rowe (from his external vessel) sees the doors on Haydon VII open - glow from within

Several Haydonite ships head down towards us...Marcus tells Annie to charge synchrocannon and tells the scoutship to connect with a portal

the scoutship takes a moment and finally connect

Haydonite on the ship sees the portal open, then the cannons fire

Marcus hits for 25,000 MDC

Lead ship expands, contracts, and explodes

their shield is visible for a moment, then ruptures

the blast wave takes out the shield of the next ship over, then shreds the ship

the remaining ships split into 2 groups and veer off

Haydon VII sends broadcast message - protocols prevent scoutship from receiving

Rowe picks up the transmission

Haydon VII gives an annoyed and imperious speech

The Scoutship has problems establishing a connection to the next ship

5 vessels "dock" with Haydon VI

O'Neill goes to deliver "goo" to Haydon VI

Goo delivered...

Back on bridge...Ship computer reports fold event

Nufae, Marcus, and I see a red light ring appear - "Dark Archon"

D.A. leaps up and out of the ring in the floor

Marcus throws the spear: 20 v 20!

Marcus decapitates D.A.

3 Dark Templar came through before ring collapsed - they look around to see they don't have the support they expected

Marcus tells them to stand down - they do not attack

Marcus talks to them

He talks them down - they join us

O'Neill folds back to Haydon VI, tells it to fold to minimum safe distance, then folds back

"there is no more time..."

more conversation ensues

3 Dark Templar confer - then warpage occurs

Marcus sets detination sequence at 04:15

Dark Templar swirl energy - goes from blue-green to red

4m Dark Archon appears - starts walking towards the Alpha-Beta combo

Dark Archon envelops device with ring - it disappears

Haydon VI jumps back to R0...

We wait around for the blast to clear...10 minutes later - the "rotten space hive" appears...

Nufae and Marcus saw it in person 15 years ago...New to me and some of the rest of the crew...We see, behind the hive, through the wormhole, a partially destroyed Haydon VII

O'Neill asks Scoutship to launch remote probes... 2 launched - 2-stage launch through wormhole

energy weapons fire at probes but miss

many additional ships are visible

probes report no squid energy signature from Haydon VII - debris in field

we are hailed via subspace - the space hive

Lucifer Hawke addresses us

"You have no idea what you've done"

MD: "I've remained a thorn in your side"

more discussion with L.H.

Marcus asks me to prepare to shift Alpha-Beta bomb to center of Haydon VII

I get the word from Marcus, I press "send", Haydon VII is obliterated

Lots of conversation with L.H.

O'Neill gets L.H. to weep - gives absolution

- fade -

End of Season 3