Episodes 1- Pilot

After decades of peace, mankind discovers that it is not alone in the universe and is pulled into a war with an unknown alien species. A group of new recruits in the United States Marine Corps are thrown into the heat of battle. They each joined for there own reason, but in the end they are all fighting for the same thing, Earth and the survival of the human race.
Synopsis
Years of calling out into the empty reaches of space have convinced man we are alone. But are we? A group of men, women and children stand together on the soil of a new planet, looking up to the stars as the flag of Earth is unfurled. But the peace of the night is shattered by alien warplanes. The colony is destroyed.

Back on Earth, Nathan West and his partner Kylen Celina are nervously going through the final checks in preparation for the launch that will take them to the new colony of Tellus and their dream of building a new world together. But mere hours before the launch they are informed that only one of them can go. Ten members of the crew are to be replaced by In Vitros, people artificially gestated in gestation chambers, known as "tanks". Nathan and Kylen decide that Kylen must go alone, and the only possible way Nathan can hope to eventually be re-united with her is to join the Marines and hope to become a colonial sentry.

Shane Vansen visits her former home on a military base in San Diego. There she relives her parents' brutal murder at the hands of Artificial Intelligence terrorists. Placing a wreath on the very spot where they died, Shane squares her shoulders and sets off to join the Marines.

A building site in Philadelphia and Cooper Hawkes is running for his life. His workmates have discovered he is an In Vitro, a despised "tank" and now they intend to string him up from a girder. But Cooper is no easy mark. He fights back, and the thugs scatter. Seizing an iron bar Cooper chases the ringleader into the street where he dives into the back of a police car. Incensed that the man who tried to kill him is now being protected by the police, Cooper starts smashing the police car. He is quickly stunned unconscious by the police, still entangled in the wire the lynch mob tried to hang him with. He is sentenced to serve a term in the Marines rather than go to prison.

With war suddenly breaking out the training of the new recruits begins in earnest. Nathan West is still angry at his treatment, and, when he hears that the Tellus colony ship has been shot down, terrified for Kylen. Only faith that she is among the few missing survivors keeps him going. Shane, having decided to join the Marines for herself, and to get away from looking after her younger sisters, is exasperated to find all members of the squadron looking to her for guidance. Cooper is sullen and rebellious. Three people thrown together for very different reasons, and the only way for them and their squad mates to survive is to learn to work together as a team.

Episode 2- The Farthest Man from Home

Convinced Kylen may be among a handful of survivors of the attack on the Tellus Colony, Nathan commandeers a fighter craft and returns to the planet, where he encounters Alien resistance which prevents him from completing his rescue and nearly costs him his life.

Synopsis

Special forces US Army Green Berets, headed by Capt. Joyner, board SCVN USS Saratoga with a survivor discovered on Planet Tellus uttering "I'm the Farthest Man From Home." Howard Sewell (from Aerotech Board of Directors who had Nathan thrown off Tellus mission,) threatens to "reeducate" the prisoner during interrogation if he does not candidly speak of his time spend with the Aliens. Nathan, after learning from the prisoner that Kylen Celina might be alive, goes AWOL to Tellus to search for her.

Cooper and Shane fall out of their reconnaissance formation ('Go Elvis') to go after Nathan with McQueen's tacit blessing. Nathan finds Celina's locker with her personal belongings and a line up of photo-tags (w/ digital playback buttons) of those who survived... Kylen's message "Nathan, we're always together." He proceeds to a cave following her direction to "Look to the high ground," and discovers two additional Tellus survivors - Theresa Ashford and Yuko Kaya - living amongst alien graves. They confirm his suspicions that Kylen was taken by the aliens. Nathan plans to attack the campground of aliens holding other hostages, but abandons the search to rescue Cooper whose plane is shot down nearby.

Shane radios McQueen who then boards an APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) to Tellus and orders the rest of the 58th to 'cover' it. Following the rescue, the survivors are taken away by Sewell (their fate unknown) and the 58th's actions are classified "Code Red" (not to be acknowledged or discussed.) The squadron will not see Tellus for another 50 years.

Episode 3 - The Dark Side of the Sun pisode

The 58th is assigned sentry duty on an asteroid where crucial fuel ore is mined, only to discover the mining base overrun by A.I. mercenaries intent on stealing the ore and selling it to the Alien forces. The 58th must stop the A.I.'s at all costs, and Shane is forced to confront these androids who murdered her parents.
Synopsis
Shane is haunted by nightmares of her ship flying into an exploding sun. As she is tossed into space, she drifts into the memory of her parents' murder by Silicates.

The 58th and Lt. Howard Gordon land on the Comet Bunuel to find themselves under attack by Silicates. They retreat into the industrial complex and discover the dead bodies of the miners who worked at the facility. While in the complex, Paul, Vanessa, and Cooper are captured by Al's commanded by Feliciti OH 519. By accessing an injured Al's RAM (Random Access Memory,) Shane and Nathan begin to track the Al's and their crew-mates down.

In an attempt to save the lives of the squadron, Cooper challenges Feliciti OH to "take a chance" at BlackJack; where the stakes are life and death. After Cooper loses 18 to 20, a Silicate (Jean-Paul) proceeds to carry out the execution. At the same time Nathan and Shane attack. While the rest of the Al's descend upon the squadron, Shane follows Feliciti. She discovers that the Silicates killed her parents for no particular reason; they were simply on the losing side of a coin toss. In a rampage, Shane kills Feliciti and Justin, saves the 58th, and shoots down the Al transport plane holding the stolen ore... but her nightmares do not stop.

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.