Episode 4- Mutiny

Teaser

After an Alien attack, the 58th is forced to hitch a ride on a civilian cargo freighter transporting 2,000 cryogenically suspended people (including 200 Tanks) from deep space to new posts. Cooper discovers that his "sister" is among the 200 Tanks in section 46. When an Alien attack disables the cargo ship, the Captain orders section 46 shut down to preserve the power necessary to escape the enemy onslaught, provoking a mutiny among Tank crew members and forcing Cooper to decide where his allegiance lies.

Synopsis

Planet Groombridge 34 - SGT. MONK races the 58 back to the Saratoga. Suddenly - Chig ambush! Heavy fire and Monk takes a shot in the chest. Cooper tries to comfort him. Shane tells Cooper that they found transport to the Saratoga on a cargo ship, the MacArthur. She takes Monk's dog tags and tells Cooper to send them to Monk's family. CAPTAIN LEWELYN greets the 58th as they come aboard. Cooper takes particular notice of the cargo - refrigerated units containing unborn In Vitros floating in their tanks. - End of Teaser - As the MacArthur heads into space, Lewelyn changes course to a faster, more direct route to the Saratoga which takes the MacArthur through "Blood Alley," - a narrow channel between a pair of unstable suns. FIRST MATE POTTER is upset that they are altering their course which puts them in danger. Not only do the hydrogen gasses play havoc with communications, but the solar flares interfere with the computers. Lewelyn overrules him. it's the fastest way to the Saratoga. In the Captain's Mess, Cooper looks around at his friends writing to their loved ones. As McQueen writes to Monk's wife, Cooper asks him if he ever wondered what it would be like to have a family. McQueen's answer is simple: "The Corps is my family." Feeling totally alone, Cooper jogs down the corridors. He comes to a stop at the engine room which houses a dirty, leaking nuclear reactor. CHIEF PETTY OFFICER J.J. KEATS is not surprised when he notices the navel on Cooper's neck, "Every man down here is a Tank. Tanks get all the dirty jobs, like SORREL and ASHBY in the engine room." Keats shows Cooper the cargo hold and explains that the MacArthur has a skeleton crew of seven humans and six Tanks. Mostly they are transporting humans in cryogenic sleep and one section, Section 46, houses In Vitros being taken to a plutonium mining coloy. Desperate to find family, Cooper asks Lewelyn if he can see the cargo manifest. Potter cuts him down, saying: "How can something grown in a tank consider itself related to any Just then a sudden burst of energy hits the ship causing the reactor temperatures to spike. Sorrel and Ashby quickly take the reactor off-line and kick in the back up generators. Lewelyn orders Communications to send the distress signal, but all radio and radar are out. McQueen offers to have his unit assist. He orders Nathan to man the radar, Damphousse to the engine room, Shane and Wang to arm the laser pulse cannons and Cooper to work with Keats on damage control. Cooper hesitates, "He's one of us." McQueen reminds Cooper that he's a Marine, not a Tank. Without the aid of communications or radar, West agrees that the burst must have been a solar flare, but McQueen's insticts tell him differently. Shane and Wang run a weapons check, while Damphousse helps Sorrel and Ashby get the nuclear reactor back on line. Potter completes his inspection of the human cargo. Keats secretly gives Cooper the cargo manifest and wishes him luck in finding family. Cooper checks and rechecks the numbers, turns to find Potter standing in front of Section 46. Before Cooper can force him out of the way, another wave of energy slams into the MacArthur. Everyone struggles to recover as alarms sound and sparks fly. Reactor temperatures spike and Damphousse quickly takes the reactor off line, but the pressure is too much and one of the auxiliary generators explodes. Nathan spots a dark shadow on the radar screen, but can't get an exact bearing. Captain Lewelyn orders power cut to Section 46, to give the most power for the fewest lives. The choice is simple. Keats and Cooper hesitate to destroy the In Vitros, especially because Cooper discovered he has a sister in Section 46. Nathan sees the dark shadow coming around again but can't identify it. McQueen thinks it's a U378. An Alien destroyer that goes for the soft kill. It jumbles communications, spikes reactor temperatures and turns around for the hard kill. With the second generator about to explode, Lewelyn again orders Keats to cut power to Section 46, but Keats refuses. "Too many In Vitros have died fighting your wars." Potter comes into the generator room to cut the power, but Cooper helps Keats overtake him. Keats rushes to get Ashby and Sorrel to stop Lewelyn from pulling the plug. On the bridge, Nathan confirms that missiles have been launched. McQueen orders Damphousse to use all available power to launch the cargo haulers so the missiles will go for them. A hard left rudder and the missiles hit the cargo launchers, sparing the MacArthur. McQueen races off the bridge to find Cooper, but Cooper confronts him first, "How can you let him kill In Vitros?" McQueen explains, "Captain's word is law. It's the only decision he can make." Cooper says he found his sister in Section 46. McQueen says that he'll give Damphousse five minutes to repair the reactor, before he pulls the plug. Keats and Sorrel drag Potter onto the bridge and demand control of the ship. When Lewelyn refuses, Sorrel fires, killing him. McQueen races onto the bridge and Sorrel trains his weapon on him. McQueen demands control of the ship. When Keats refuses, Cooper steps in the middle, not wanting Keats to kill McQueen or McQueen to kill In Vitros. McQueen says "You can't have it both ways." As the MacArthur drifts in space, Nathan detects the Alien ship coming in to confirm the kill. McQueen forces Cooper to make a choice. Cooper convinces Keats to let McQueen take control. McQueen tells Cooper that he must decide if one hundred sixty-eight tanks die or they all die. Realizing he has no options, Cooper races to the generator room, closes his eyes and cuts the power. As the power goes out to section 46, the generator and weapons are restored. Just then a solar flare blasts, scrambling the radar. The U378 can only make visual contact. McQueen plays a fast game of hide and seek, fires the perigee kick motor, sending the MacArthur straight towards the Alien ship. As the MacArthur slides under the U378, McQueen orders weapons fire. Sparks fly as Shane and Wang blast the Alien destroyer. Cheers erupt as the reactor comes back on line and the ship regains full power. McQueen finds Cooper in Section 46 and congratulates him for doing the right thing. As McQueen leaves, he tells Cooper that he never had the courage to look for his family because he was afraid of what he might feel. Cooper slowly walks into the storage unit and finally finds his sister. Tears well in his eyes. He has so much to say to her but can only say, "I'm sorry. Goodbye."

Episode 5 - Ray Butts

Teaser

The 58th is selected to accompany a mysterious Special Forces Commando on a classified sabotage mission to a planet held by alien forces.
Synopsis
A mysterious Hammerhead appears from nowhere off the Saratoga's bow. Attempts to communicate with it go unanswered. Ross and McQueen ponder the possibilities: Chigs flying a captured Hammerhead? A Silicate suicide bomber? Ross decides to deny it access to the ship. He orders a warning shot fired near the craft. No response. The ship overrides the Hanger Bay door, begins to dock! Ross dispatches a security team to the flight deck. The canopy detaches from the plane and rises up to the flight deck. McQueen and the security force pop the canopy to find a dead marine: Lt. Colonel Raymond T. Butts. McQueen unsnaps the Colonel's straps... and is punched in the jaw by Butts! Twice! Wired on adrenaline, the Colonel LEAPS from the cockpit and battles the security force! He's tackled into an empty cockpit bay! McQueen can only rub his jaw and watch. "Kind of a bummer," he says, "getting your butt kicked by a dead guy."

McQueen and Butts sit across a table from one another. McQueen asks Butts questions which Butts tactically avoids. Butts flares on McQueen; harshly calls him a "tank." McQueen barely maintains his cool... "Where're your men?" "My men are my business," answers Butts. "It's the Corps' business," maintains McQueen. The interrogation ends in a stalemate with Butts refusing to tell McQueen how he got to the Saratoga and why... On the Saratoga's flight deck, Nathan, Shane and Cooper admire the Chig missile burns on the side of Butts' cockpit. Shane looks at the flight instruments and reports the plane was on the border of the Cerberus black hole. Shane removes an optical playback disc, planning to trace the flight path. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Butts appears! He yanks Shane away from his cockpit! "Touch that ODP and you'll be wearin' your bra backwards after I twist you in half." Butts proceeds to antagonize the lieutenants, taunting them incessantly. They stand and take it only because he outranks them. When Butts finally dismisses them, Cooper gives Butts back the Johnny Cash CD he found in the cockpit. Butts wraps his fingers around the disc; it evokes a painful, sad memory for him. Later that night, in their beds, Nathan and Cooper complain about Butts. Wang and Damphousse can't believe he could be such a hardcase. Shane takes a different view; she believes it was all a "put on." She can't believe that anyone could be born that mean... something had to have happened to Butts to make him that way. While Shane talks, we see Butts hiding in one of the bunks, listening. He squeezes his eyes shut; he knows she's right... The next day, while taking a break in the Rec. Room, Cooper and Wang watch a hard to come by copy of "Macbeth." To their chagrin, a swordfight between Young Siward and Macbeth is "MONITORED", causing the screen to go black. Cooper uses his butterfly knife to remove the "V-chip" on the television's control panel. The fight's back on! Suddenly, Col. Butts enters from the corridor and he snaps off the monitor! "I saw what you maggots did," he says. "Brass says you're not supposed to see this crap." Wang accuses Butts of hiding behind his rank... "...If you weren't wearing those oak Leaves, sir, I'd be kickin' your ass up between your shoulder blades." A fight breaks out! Butts easily handles the 58th but Wang remarks to Nathan that Butts is worse than what he said. Later that day, McQueen finds Butts on the Saratoga's flight deck. McQueen is livid at Butts for abusing subordinates and disrupting unity among the crew. He tells Butts that he will pull every string he can to remove Butts from the Saratoga, away from his beloved 58th. Butts isn't afraid of McQueen. In fact, he hands McQueen some paperwork... "I got a mission, classified 'compartmentalized,'" Butts says. "And I'm takin' them with me." McQueen is shocked, but there's nothing he can do...

On the Saratoga, the 58th stalk Butts in a training game of PAINTBALL. Butts manages to outsmart and "kill" each of the 58th. "It's a easy as eatin' a pancake," Butts says. Later in the Rec. Room, the 58th complain about Butts' apparent motivations: "He should be trainin' us to use the skills he knows," says West. "Not showin' 'em off." Shane defends Butts. She suggests that maybe he's trying to lead by example. The rest of the 58th look to McQueen for help. He tells them that although they don't like Butts, he's still an officer in the Corps and that they must follow him. He adds, however, that they should watch their backs around Butts. Shane comments that perhaps Butts won't want to use them after the poor way they performed in the paintball game. Shane leaves the Rec. Room, heading for her bunk. She opens the door to the Sleeping Quarters to discover Ray Butts drinking bourbon and smoking. In the dark. In a strained, dark exchange, Vansen asks Butts if he'd die for the 58th. "I'm already dead, Vansen." He tells her, "Tell 'em to hit the rack. We ship out at 01:30." Early next morning, the 58th prepare for the mission they know nothing about. Shane confides in Nathan that she thinks Butts isn't planning on coming back. When the 58th finish up loading the gear, Butts calls for them to get into the ISSCV. McQueen calls to Butts. Just outside of the 58th's earshot, McQueen warns Butts to be careful with his unit. "If I learn that any of my people died... because of you, all your recon skills and special training won't be worth a damn. I'll find you." Butts finishes the conversation by closing the ISSCV's door on McQueen! SLAM! The ship lifts off from the deck and ROARS into space... As the ISSCV streaks toward the mysterious planet 2063F, Butts announces the name and nature of the mission: "You are participating in 'Operation - Get Rhythm,'" he says. "The objective is to retrieve six SA-43 attack jets currently camo'd deep in enemy territory and return them to friendly territory." The 58th are relieved to find out that at least there is a plan for their return. Butts informs them that to execute this mission they are to perform a High Altitude/ Low Opening jump. Uh-oh... the 58th haven't been trained for a H.A.L.O. jump... "It's easy as eatin' a pancake," says Butts. They JUMP from the ISSCV! When they meet at the assigned meeting spot, Butts tells them that he's changed the mission objective. The 58th protest! They demand to know under what authority he has to change the objective! Butts seems to succumb to their requests; he tells them to stash their gear then meet him back here. They do as told and when they return, he's gone!

The 58th uses their Marine training to fan out and search for the missing Lieutenant Colonel Butts... They find Chig tracks along the way... a dangerous sign. Damphousse uses an amplified hearing unit and detects Butts up on a crest. They can hear him digging. "He's planting explosives," says Wang. "Maybe he cached the equipment," speculates Damphousse. Cooper looks over the ridge to check it out and he finds... a dead body! He calls to the rest of the 58th! Butts reacts! He runs towards Cooper then puts a gun to his head! After a charged exchange, the 58th demand that Butts explain the dead Marines. "Explain this, Colonel," demands Nathan. "Was the mission a friendly assassination?" Butts is horrified at the accusation. He lowers his weapon. He explains how his unit, these men, froze up on him during a ground mission. So he left them behind and finished the mission himself. His unit was killed in action, Butts made it out and found the Saratoga. This dark confession tears him up inside. He says he knew of the 58th and knew that he could use them to return to this place and properly bury his unit. The 58th help Butts bury the bodies and in an emotional speech, Butts says his final good-byes to his men. And after the funeral... "Let's get those planes," Butts says.

Butts and the 58th prepare to take the Hammerheads back to the Saratoga. Butts warns the unit of a new red Alien fighter, capable of "skipping" across a black hole's wash to set up ambush. Before they leave, Butts tells them that he never had a chance to tell his friends "good-bye." "Odds are," he says "some of you aren't gonna make it back. Don't spend a whole life regretting..." The 58th say farewell to one another then take off into space! Once clear of the planet, they pick up a pair of "red bandits" on their LIDAR, making their way across the black hole wash. Setting up an ambush. Butts decides that the only way for the 58th to make it home safely is if he takes on the red alien fighters himself. He heads into the black hole's wash! After defeating the bandits, Butts tries to pull out of the giant black hole's massive pull! He struggles with his Hammerhead, pumping the thrusters... "C'MON!" yells Cooper. "BURN 'EM! BURN 'EM." Butts gives it all he's got! But the Hammerhead goes silent. "I'm outta fuel," Butts says. The 58th can only watch as his Hammerhead gets sucked closer and closer into the black hole. Nathan tells Butts it was an honor serving with him. Butts is sucked into the black hole, gone forever. On board the Saratoga, McQueen has prepared a meal for them in honor of Ray Butts: pancakes. Knowing they cannot eat the pancakes, the 58th respectfully dumps them into the mess hall's disposal unit. The pancakes float away from the Saratoga, a tribute to Ray Butts.

Episode 6- The Enemy

Teaser

On a mission to resupply troops on a distant moon, the 58th finds itself the target of advanced Alien germ warfare, which infects them with a self-destructive psychosis that turns them against one another and threatens to destroy them from within.

Synopsis

Vanessa Damphousse is under a preliminary inquiry by Ross for the "failure to obey an order" and "misbehavior before the enemy." She recalls this episode as she looks at the blood on her hand. The 58th is on its way to drop supplies on Planet Tartarus which has experienced the worst casualties since the beginning of the war; not from aliens, but from friendly fire. As they land, a private without a helmet is killed from behind by a Marine. The Marine stalks the 58th citing the following camp cadence, and is eventually killed by a laser mine (buzz beam); "Born in the woods, trained by a bear, double set of dog teeth, triple coat of hair, 'M-mean as hell,' 'A-all the time,' 'R-rough and tough,' 'I-In the mud,' 'N-never quit,' 'E-every day!'" As they retreat to the ISSCV, the 58th is hit with strobing lights which causes burns on their skin. Wang, in trying to kill a cockroach, ruins the radio. Damphousse, after seeing blood on her hand, feels covered in it and tears her uniform trying to get away from it. Hawkes, affected by his feeling of claustrophobia, can't stand to wear his helmet and tries to pull it off while outside. West could swear he hears a woman screaming. Vansen, afraid of the dark, insists on using her flashlight exposing the squadron's whereabouts. To fix the radio, all but Damphousse exit to locate a cluster of 'uplink proms' from the dead Marine's field pack. After the proms are collected, they enter a bunker filled with eight Marines who apparently killed one another. After evaluating the bunker massacre and their own experiences, the 58th discovers that the strobe lights release an electronic nerve gas which intensifies a person's greatest fears. Upon their return, Damphousse, unable to enter the radio room because of her intensified fear of blood, instructs Vansen on how to fix the radio. They succeed in making contact with McQueen and are evacuated from the planet. In closing, McQueen tells Damphousse that the Inquiry Panel has acquitted her of all charges and voted against further investigation.

Episode 7 - Eyes

Teaser

In the wake of the assassination of the UN Secretary General (Earth's "President"), the 58th is assigned to protect the newly elected leader in the face of political intrigue and a subsequent plot to kill him.
Synopsis
The 58th Squadron's one week leave is canceled after the UN Secretary General Spencer Chartwell is assassinated by an In Vitro at New Delhi Stadium. Nicholas Chaput, acting world leader until the election, is in competition with Diane Hayden, US Ambassador, for the Secretary General position. Chaput comes aboard the Saratoga and demands, in view of the recent events, that Cooper and McQueen undergo a loyalty test.

On board the Saratoga, two more assassination plots are revealed; Nathan is requested by Chaput to evade his patrol during a secret meeting wi Hayden, and Cooper - who has been 'brainwashed' by the injection - is compelled to shoot at Chaput's swastika-like medal worn on his chest. Additionally, Shane encounters Silicates brought aboard as guests of Hayden's; namely, Feliciti 0H483 (Shane killed the previous model #597 on Bunuel after discovering she killed her parents.)

Cwirko, involved in the conspiracy w/ Hayden and Thompson, tries to shoot Chaput. He escapes Nathan by boarding a hammerhead; but, due to a malfunction, he is killed when his plane blows up in space. McQueen, released from prison after agreeing to complete the loyalty test, becomes aware of the plot against Chaput and prevents Cooper from being an accessory. Thompson is arrested for setting up Chaput, but Hayden escapes punishment. Eventually, she is elected Secretary General.

Nathan later discovers that Chaput was correct when he said the Board of Governors (Diane specifically) knew of the alien existence before the Tellus mission.

Episode 8- Hostile Visit

Teaser

The 58th snags a disabled Alien warship and converts it into a "Trojan Horse" which takes them deep into the enemy camp for a surprise attack against a huge alien "mothership." The episode ends on a cliffhanger that finds our hero shot down and captured behind enemy lines.

Synopsis

Saratoga is attacked by alien bombers and left powerless for 10 seconds after being hit by a strange electrical charge. The responsible bomber hovers, apparently dead, 200 meters oft The Saratoga's bow.

Lt. Stroud, Krantz, and Webb analyze the ship but cannot inform the 58th if any aliens remain aboard. In spite of Sewell's attempts to thwart the 58th, they board the bomber and discover that it is 'alive.' Filled with a conducting gel made of bacteriohodopsin, the ship can 'heal' itself and transfer bioelectrics to and from the individuals flying it. By inserting their arms into the jell covering the console, the crew and ship can become 'one' in which speed and sequence are key.

Following days of practice, the 58th and McQueen set off for the Orange Alien Planet. They successfully return recognition codes sent by chigs passing by, but are unable to fool the satellite orbiting the planet... An all out battle ensues. Unable to successfully maneuver the ship in extreme battle, they board a life pod and are thrown into space just as the attacker explodes. Unable to steer, McQueen and the 58th tumble in space knowing they'll last as long as the air supply.

Episode 9- Choice or Chance

Teaser

Taken prisoner by AI mercenaries working for the Aliens, the 58th struggles against all odds to escape from an organic 'living prison.'
Synopsis
After crash landing on Kazbek, a hostile planet in Alien territory, the 58th are taken captive by Silicates. Cooper and McQueen manage to escape after the crash. They vow to return for their comrades. Inside the Kazbek mining facility, the 58th are paraded by a group of prisoners presumably taken from the Vesta and Tellus colonies - one of whom reaches for Nathan! Screams his name! Nathan turns to see: Kylen, his long lost love.

On board the Saratoga, Commodore Ross and his crew are able to piece together a cyberspace model of the 58th's destroyed Alien bomber and learn the 58th used the escape pod. But where are they? They have been unable to locate them on the LIDAR. Back on Kazbek, Cooper and McQueen struggle to find where the AIs took the rest of the 58th. McQueen falls down! He orders Cooper to go on without him... Cooper hesitates, then leaves. Inside the prison, Wang, strapped to a "barber chair," is introduced to Elroy El 1327, a Silicate originally designed as a humor model. Elroy menaces Wang asking him for his name, rank, and serial number, then finally twists off the end of his finger, revealing an electric shock needle... In another part of the prison, Feliciti OH 924, the menacing AI (last seen in "Eyes" and "The Dark Side of the Sun"), enters the cell holding Damphousse and Vansen. She gives them a choice: one shall live, the other shall die - they must decide who it will be... Nathan is visited by Kylen, and she tells him to wait for her because she knows a way out - she loves him. She replaces the stone and leaves. Nathan is confused, troubled by something.

McQueen makes his way through the brush, searching for signs of the 58th. Hearing a noise behind him, he waits... then attacks a lone figure. They roll through the thickets, fighting. McQueen puts the weapon to the figure's head, ready to pull the trigger... it's Cooper! He couldn't find out where the Silicates had taken the WildCards so he came back for McQueen. "Time's runnin' out, Colonel," Cooper says, "We gotta find 'em." Nathan paces his cell and hears a sound outside. A MAN enters fromm the corridor and turns off the force field. Nathan is free, but he doesn't leave his cell. He doesn't know who to trust. Kylen appears! She beckons Nathan and he follows... After an encounter with an AI, Nathan and Kylen escape to freedom! Cooper and McQueen surprise an AI and kill it! To Cooper's amazement, McQueen begins to pull the dead creature apart. Inside a cold cell, Wang clamors to maintain his sanity by reciting his favorite Chicago Cubs. Elroy El eavesdrops; then mentions Louis de Jesus, a player who left for the Mets for the money. "But he left for the money," says Wang, "He was a traitor." Elroy concedes the point and ushers Wang out of the cell. Time for more torture. In the Outback, Nathan and Kylen walk together. Kylen wants to get as far away from the prison as possible, but Nathan tells Kylen that he won't leave his friends. Meanwhile, not too far away, Cooper and McQueen have completely dissected the AI; they use its parts to send an SOS call into deep space - hoping to reach the Saratoga. On board the Saratoga, a technician has received the signal... but the transmission has come over a Silicate radio channel, leading Commodore Ross to believe that it might be an AI trap. Not until the technician reads the actual message of the code - "Sailor's grog, Sailor's grog, Sailor's grog..." - Ross recognizes this phrase from a conversation he and McQueen had earlier ("Hostile Visit"), he is now committed to rescuing McQueen. Nathan and Kylen continue their trek away from the prison. Nathan says he's going back to rescue his friends and Kylen says he'll never make it. "There are chig patrols all around the prison," she says. Nathan looks at her again - something's wrong. Still working, fiddling with the AI, Cooper and McQueen discuss what it means to be a hostage... to be tortured. McQueen reveals to Cooper that he was tortured by Silicates during the AI rebellion. Cooper asks McQueen why he sacrifices himself for humans. McQueen answers that he does it so people can't ever say all In Vitros are cowards or lazy. McQueen reinitializes the AI's computer unit, which divulges the AI's "home location" - the prison! Back in the prison, Wang finally breaks under the torture from Elroy El. He tells Elroy he'll do anything he wants...

Shane and Damphousse sit next to one another in the cell and discuss who should live and who should die. As they talk, Damphousse notices a chig soldier in the shadows. The Aliens must be studying them, they postulate... examining human loyalties. A plan is in order... In the Outback, Kylen is keenly interested in the comings and goings of the Saratoga. Nathan, suspicious, gives her the information she needs. Once again she tells Nathan that he need not return for his friends. Nathan is furious! He leaves her and heads back to the prison. On the Saratoga, the Bridge has picked up Alien ships on the LIDAR. As the Saratoga prepares for battle, we learn that the fleet is heading away from the Butterfly Nebula - the same place where Nathan had told Kylen the Saratoga would be. Kylen is a traitor! With what is now a clear opportunity, the Saratoga sets a course for Kazbek to rescue the 58th. Back in his cell, Wang is cleaned up and set in front of a video camera. As Elroy El asks him questions, Wang confesses to war crimes. McQueen and Cooper find the entrance to the prison and gain access inside... Wang is now back in his cell and tries to remember his favorite Chicago Cubs but is too racked with shame. While Shane sleeps, Damphousse whispers to Brandon IM that she wants to be the one who lives. "When we return," Brandon says, "You must kill her."

Feliciti OH and her AI cohorts arrive at Damphousse and Shane's cell. They tell Shane that while she was sleeping, Damphousse chose to be the one who would live. Shane can't believe that Damphousse would betray her but Brandon IM plays back a recording of Damphousse saying she wanted to be the one who lives. Shane is beside herself in anger! She and Damphousse fight! Feliciti moves to stop it, but not before the Alien waves her off. The chig wants to watch them fight... Suddenly, the women attack the AIs! They overpower them and shoot the Alien. Elroy enters Wang's cell and prepares to kill him. Cooper saves the day, but Wang demands that he be the one who shoots Elroy El. Ross sends in a recon team to save the 58th. The rescue is on! Just outside the prison, the 58th find themselves in a firefight, when Kylen appears out of nowhere, calls to Shane and Damphousse to follow her. Nathan draws his weapon and kills her! It was a trap. The dead Kylen morphs into something hideously Alien. Damphousse asks Nathan how he knew. "I never told her your names," answers Nathan. An ISSCV lands and a recon team heads into the prison, one of these men, Sgt. Crossland, clearly has an ulterior motive as he exits the ISSCV. On the way home, the 58th prepare to be seen as a disappointment to the rest of the fleet for failing in their bombing mission ("Hostile Visit"). Back on board the Saratoga, the 58th receive a standing ovation! Commodore Ross tells them that they believed in an act which couldn't be done. With pride, he salutes them. Sgt. Crossland brings a mysterious package to Sewell. Sewell dismisses him, then opens the package so only he can see what's inside. He's scared.

Episode 10- Stay with the Dead

Teaser

Nathan is medavac-ed to the Saratoga, badly wounded after a fierce battle against the aliens which has apparently taken the lives of his comrades. As Nathan recovers, his memory returns. He then begins putting together the sequence of events leading to his evacuation, which reveal that the 58th is still alive. Nathan and McQueen then undertake a massive operation to rescue the 58th who still cling to hope while fending off superior enemy forces.

Synopsis

Nathan West is wheeled into an emergency room on the Saratoga, bleeding and clinging to life... and we learn from a nurse that the rest of the 58th Squadron, his friends, are dead. McQueen sits beside Nathan, laid up and unconscious. Nathan wakes up and asks what happened to the 58th? McQueen gently tells Nathan that he knows what happened to them. Nathan can't remember... In his hospital bed, in a state of delirium, Nathan experiences a FLASHBACK to the past when he and the rest of the 58th - Damphousse, Wang, Vansen, Hawkes and few others - are sitting down on the planet CER to medavac (Red Cross rescue) the 61st Division. The planet has highly-charged ionized atmosphere which makes it prone to many random lightning strikes! The 58th follow their orders and under Vansen's leadership look for survivors. Cooper finds one - Delgado of the 61st. The 58th move to help, but he's been booby-trapped by the Chigs - Delgado explodes! Nathan wakes up with a start! McQueen, who's been holding vigil, holds him down. He gently, and firmly, reassures him that the 58th are all dead. Nathan shakes his head. "No," he can't believe his friends are gone. Later that night, Nathan hears "Taps" coming from a faraway section of the Saratoga. As a twenty-one gun salute is held for the 58th, Nathan watches in agony as their caskets are jettisoned into space. McQueen sits at the foot of Nathan's hospital bed, trying to cheer him up. Nathan reveals that he keeps hearing a voice over and over... "Stay with the dead. Stay with the dead. Stay with the dead." McQueen tells Nathan that he has to try to move on with his life and forget about the 58th, as it's the only way to maintain sanity. Later that evening, Nathan has another violent flashback, which throws him into a convulsive state. Dr. Kanellos, the physician who has been caring for Nathan, grows concerned with the future of Nathan's mental health. He recommends to McQueen that Nathan undergo Electroconvulsive Therapy to erase his long term memory. When McQueen fears Nathan might not ever remember his own family again, Dr. Kanellos worries he might commit suicide if they don't go through with the procedure. In a last ditch effort to restore Nathan's sanity, McQueen plays Nathan a recording from the Saratoga Transmission Communications Log. In the recording, Nathan calls the Saratoga for help and says that everyone is dead. He's the only one alive. Nathan screams, "It's not true!" He twists and struggles in bed, knocking things over...the nurses have to restrain him. Nathan lies awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He crawls out and hobbles down the hall until he reaches the 58th bunkroom. He looks around sadly at everyone's personal belongings until an unknown lieutenant enters and begins removing the 58th's personal belongings - stuffing it all into manila envelopes. Nathan tries to hide but is discovered! Nathan collapses to the ground! As the lieutenant tries to help him, Nathan has another FLASHBACK to the planet CER. Nathan and the rest of the 58th stumble upon Hatfield from the 61st. He's conscious but he's been booby-trapped by the Chigs. The charge is motion-sensitive so rescue is impossible. He pleads with the 58th to please shoot him and take him out of his misery. The 58th argue amongst themselves over whether or not Marines should kill other Marines. In a horrible moment, Hatfield tells everyone to get back and detonates the bomb himself. As the orderlies begin to prep Nathan for surgery, he continues to FLASHBACK. The 58th determine that the Chigs have been intercepting their frequencies, because when the humans call for help, the Aliens triangulate and ambush. That means they're cut-off from the Saratoga. The orderlies continue to prep Nathan - shaving his head, attaching electrodes to his cranium - readying him for the Electroconvulsive Therapy. In the FLASHBACK, the 58th decide to play by the Aliens' rules. "They ambush our Red Cross," Shane says, "Booby-trap our wounded...I say we give it back to them - eye for an eye." They decide to put the bodies of the 61st in their uniforms, make a distress call, and then cover the perimeter with motion-sensory Claymore mines. Ambush the ambush, as it were. Nathan volunteers to be bait along with the 61st. He stays with the 61st and makes a false distress call - the same one McQueen played for him earlier. The call that says he's the only one left alive. But as the Aliens advance on Nathan's position, one of the Claymore mines EXPLODES too close to Nathan! He's knocked out cold with the dead bodies! Nathan awakens from his flashback in a tub of blue restraining gel - a 21st century straitjacket. He screams out, "The tape...it was a trick...SOMEBODY!" No one heeds his cries. Nathan is now ready for the Electroconvulsive Surgery that will erase his long term memory. Colonel McQueen stands over him. Nathan tries to get McQueen to listen to him - the tape was a trick. McQueen tells him not to worry, as it will be over soon. Just before surgery, Nathan has another FLASHBACK. He sees Shane telling him to stay with the dead, stay with the dead. Nathan awakens, summons all of his strength, fights the anesthetic. He asks McQueen what matters to him (Nathan) most in the world. McQueen answers "Kylen," Nathan's fiancee. Nathan answers, "If you asked me whether she's alive, I'll tell you...I don't know - but I have faith. The 58th? I know they're alive. Now I'm asking you to have faith." McQueen has to make a choice. Back on the planet CER, the 58th have fallen back to supplementary positions - hoping for rescue. They receive an extraction signal but can't be sure it's real until they hear "Stay with the dead" repeated over and over. It's Nathan! Back on the Saratoga, the 58th thank Nathan for remembering them. He tells them how much he cares for them. We close the story with another burial at space, this time with the correct names on the caskets...