Chapter Text
HAMMOND – BRIDGE
A tunnel of blue-white energy collapses as the Hammond DROPS OUT OF HYPERSPACE. Stars snap into focus. A golden sun burns ahead, three planets orbiting in elegant arcs.
The BRIDGE hums with controlled urgency. Consoles flicker. Officers take readings.
At the center, COLONEL SAMANTHA CARTER sits in the COMMAND CHAIR—composed, focused, in full command.
CARTER
All stations, report. Helm, bring us to full sensor range. Let’s get a complete sweep of the system.
HELMSMAN
Aye, ma’am. Stabilizing orbit at the edge of the system.
SCIENCE OFFICER
Initial scans coming in. Three rocky worlds, two gas giants. No obvious signs of advanced civilization. Energy signatures are… minimal.
CARTER
Focus on mineral density and crust composition. We’re here for resources—Neutromium, Trinnium, and Naquadah. Prioritize anything anomalous.
A TECH works rapidly, calling up layered scans on the main display.
TECH
Ma’am… I’m picking up something significant. High-density mass concentrations. Metallic signatures consistent with Trinnium… and strong Naquadah traces.
The display zooms in on the THIRD PLANET—a rugged world streaked with mineral veins.
SCIENCE OFFICER
I’m confirming Neutromium readings as well. It’s… unusual. All three resource markers on a single planet.
A ripple of excitement passes through the bridge.
CARTER
(smiles slightly)
Of course it had to be the third planet. It’s always the third planet.
She leans forward.
CARTER (CONT’D)
Bring us in for a closer look. Set a high orbit over the equatorial region and prepare long-range surface scans.
HELMSMAN
Adjusting course. Entering orbital approach.
The ship glides toward the planet. The surface resolves into mountains, jagged canyons, and shimmering mineral deposits that glint in the sunlight.
SCIENCE OFFICER
Surface readings confirm extensive ore fields. Multiple sites show concentrations high enough to support long-term extraction.
CARTER
Let’s not assume anything until boots are on the ground. Prep a science team—geology, engineering, and xenobiology. I want confirmation on purity, stability, and any environmental hazards.
OPS OFFICER
Science Team One standing by.
CARTER
Send them down. Full protective gear. And keep the transporter hot.
Another TECH studies a sensor readout, frowning.
TECH
Ma’am… I’m not detecting a Stargate. No subspace signature. No residual wormhole energy.
A brief pause on the bridge.
Carter considers this, then nods calmly.
CARTER
That doesn’t make this a dead end. It makes it an opportunity.
She looks up at the massive view of the planet.
CARTER (CONT’D)
If this world has the resources we need to build the next generation of ships—and keep Earth safe—then we bring a Stargate to it.
A beat.
CARTER (CONT’D)
Let’s make history, people.
The bridge hums with renewed purpose as the Hammond settles into orbit above a world that could change the future of Stargate Command.
THIRD PLANET – ROCKY HIGHLANDS – DAY
A PUFF OF WIND AND DUST swirls as a STARGATE COMMAND SCIENCE TEAM beams down from the Hammond. The terrain is stark—jagged stone, mineral-laced cliffs, and veins of shimmering metal exposed by ages of erosion.
The sky is pale. The world feels old.
- LEE, LT. PARK, and two MARINES fan out, tricorders active.
- LEE
Atmosphere is breathable. Slightly thin, but within safe parameters. Radiation levels are low… surprisingly low, considering the mineral density here.
- PARK
(reading scanner)
Naquadah concentrations are off the charts. Not just trace elements—this is industrial-grade abundance.
She kneels, brushing dust from a dark metallic outcrop.
- PARK (CONT’D)
Trinnium confirmed. Structural integrity is exceptional. This could support hull plating for an entire new fleet.
A MARINE whistles under his breath.
MARINE #1
So this is the motherlode.
They move forward into a WIDE VALLEY, where the ground shifts from raw stone to something more deliberate.
Stone slabs. Broken columns. Faded geometric patterns.
Ruins.
- LEE
These structures aren’t natural. Weathered, yes—but clearly engineered.
He kneels, running a hand across ancient carvings—worn smooth by time.
- LEE (CONT’D)
Carbon dating estimates… at least several thousand years old. Possibly more.
- PARK
No current life signs. No active power signatures. Whatever civilization built this… it’s long gone.
A gust of wind blows dust aside, revealing something half-buried.
- PARK (CONT’D)
Hold on… I’ve got something.
The team gathers as she clears away debris, revealing a PARTIAL METALLIC FRAME—humanoid in shape, but clearly artificial.
The surface is scorched. Limbs twisted. Chest cavity ruptured.
MARINE #2
That’s… not a statue, is it?
- LEE
No. It’s a machine. Or what’s left of one.
He scans it.
- LEE (CONT’D)
Non-organic construction. Composite alloys. Power core… depleted. Severely damaged—high-energy weapon impact.
Nearby, more shapes emerge as the dust shifts.
MORE METALLIC REMAINS.
Some shattered. Some half-buried. Others still reaching toward the sky, frozen in the posture of a final moment.
- PARK
There was a war here.
She gestures toward the distant ruins—collapsed towers, scorched stone, long trenches carved into the earth.
- PARK (CONT’D)
A big one.
- LEE
And judging by the damage patterns… it wasn’t just between organic forces.
He studies the broken machine, quietly unsettled.
- LEE (CONT’D)
These constructs weren’t scavengers. They look like soldiers.
A silence falls over the team.
Wind whispers through the ruins like distant echoes.
MARINE #1
So what happened to the people?
- LEE
(extremely quiet)
That’s the question.
They move deeper into the remains of a CRUMBLING CITY. Fractured archways loom overhead. The ground is strewn with fragments of both STONE AND METAL.
The PAST feels close here.
- PARK
Switching focus back to the mission.
She activates a DEEP CORE SCANNER, driving it into the ground.
- PARK (CONT’D)
Subsurface analysis in progress…
(beat)
Neutromium confirmed.
Her eyes widen.
- PARK (CONT’D)
Not pockets. Not veins. Entire strata.
- LEE
That’s… impossible.
- PARK
I thought so too. But the readings are stable. Purity levels higher than anything we’ve cataloged in this galaxy.
- LEE
Naquadah deposits?
- PARK
Massive. Enough to fuel shipyards for decades. Maybe longer.
She looks around at the ruins, the fallen machines, the silent battlefield.
- PARK (CONT’D)
Whoever lived here didn’t just use these resources. They thrived on them.
- LEE
Or they fought over them.
A distant ridge reveals a SCARRED HORIZON—burn lines across the land, ancient craters, and what looks like the remnants of massive ground emplacements.
- LEE (CONT’D)
This wasn’t just a settlement. This was a cradle of civilization… and a battlefield where something ended it.
He taps his comm.
- LEE (CONT’D)
Hammond, this is Science Team One.
INTERCUT HAMMOND – BRIDGE
Carter listens intently.
CARTER
Go ahead.
- LEE (V.O.)
We’ve confirmed extensive deposits of Neutromium, Trinnium, and Naquadah. Quantities exceed anything we’ve recorded elsewhere. This world could support large-scale extraction indefinitely.
A pause.
- LEE (V.O.) (CONT’D)
However… we’ve also discovered widespread ruins. Evidence of a long-extinct civilization. And remains of advanced artificial constructs—likely war machines. The planet appears to have been the site of an ancient conflict.
CARTER
Any signs of surviving technology or hostile activity?
- LEE (V.O.)
No active threats. Whatever happened here… it ended a very long time ago.
Carter looks at the planet, thoughtful.
CARTER
Understood. Continue your survey. Document everything.
She lowers her voice, more to herself than anyone else.
CARTER (SOFTLY)
Some worlds build the future… and some worlds bury it.
HAMMOND – BRIDGE
The planet fills the forward viewport—scarred, mineral-rich, ancient.
COLONEL SAMANTHA CARTER stands at the command rail as a COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER brings up a secure channel.
A holographic display resolves into GENERAL JACK O’NEILL at HOMEWORLD COMMAND—arms crossed, curious.
O’NEILL
Carter. Please tell me you didn’t find another planet that wants to kill us.
CARTER
Actually, sir… this one might help save us.
She gestures, and sensor data floods the screen—mineral scans, surface imagery, ruins, robotic remains.
CARTER (CONT’D)
We’ve confirmed massive deposits of Neutromium, Trinnium, and Naquadah—all on a single world. The concentrations are higher than anything we’ve seen anywhere in the galaxy.
O’Neill straightens.
O’NEILL
You’re saying this planet could bankroll the next generation of ships?
CARTER
More than bankroll it. It could enable it. Faster hyperdrives. Stronger hull plating. More efficient power systems. This could change how we defend Earth.
She pauses, her tone shifting.
CARTER (CONT’D)
But that’s not all, sir.
She switches the display to RUINS, BATTLE SCARS, and BROKEN MACHINE REMAINS half-buried in dust.
CARTER (CONT’D)
The planet shows evidence of a long-lost civilization. Advanced. Ancient. There are ruins, signs of a massive war… and remnants of artificial constructs—likely combat units.
O’Neill exhales slowly.
O’NEILL
So… resource jackpot and ghost planet.
CARTER
Yes, sir. And I strongly recommend we do not leave it unclaimed.
She meets his gaze, firm.
CARTER (CONT’D)
This world is too important to risk losing to another power. If someone else finds it first—Goa’uld remnants, Lucian Alliance, anyone—it becomes a strategic nightmare.
O’NEILL
You want to plant the flag.
CARTER
I want to secure it.
She taps another control.
CARTER (CONT’D)
There’s no Stargate here. If we want long-term access, we need to bring one. I recommend dispatching either the Odyssey or the Apollo with a Gate, engineering teams, and SGC personnel.
O’Neill tilts his head.
O’NEILL
And until then?
Carter turns to the viewport—the wounded, silent planet below.
CARTER
The Hammond can establish a temporary surface base. Defensive perimeter. Science outpost. Initial survey and prep for large-scale mining.
She allows a faint smile.
CARTER (CONT’D)
We can start laying the foundation for a permanent installation immediately.
O’Neill studies her—recognizing that familiar look. The one that means she’s already run the numbers ten times.
O’NEILL
You sound pretty invested, Sam.
CARTER
This isn’t just another mission, sir.
A beat.
CARTER (CONT’D)
This planet could define the future of Stargate Command. Of Earth’s defenses. Of our ability to stay ahead of whatever comes next.
O’Neill smirks slightly.
O’NEILL
You’re asking me to approve a mining colony on a haunted alien graveyard.
CARTER
(deadpan)
With incredible strategic value.
A pause.
Then—
O’NEILL
All right. You’ve got it. I’ll authorize the Odyssey to prep a Stargate deployment package and a forward operations team.
He points at her through the screen.
O’NEILL (CONT’D)
But Carter? If anything down there even twinkles in a creepy way, you call me.
CARTER
(smiling)
Yes, sir.
The transmission ends.
Carter turns back to her bridge crew.
CARTER (CONT’D)
All right. Begin establishing a temporary surface base. Engineering, prep prefabs and defensive emplacements. Science, continue planetary analysis. Security—assume this world has a history, and history sometimes bites back.
She looks at the ancient planet below.
CARTER (SOFTLY)
Let’s make sure this world gets a better future than its last one.
The Hammond moves into position, preparing to claim a world that once shaped history—and may soon shape Earth’s destiny.
CAPRICA CITY – NIGHT
Glass towers glow against a star-washed sky. The heart of the Twelve Colonies beats with wealth, ambition, and blind confidence.
Inside one of those towers—
BALTAR’S PENTHOUSE
A luxurious, modern space. Screens glow with research data. Soft music hums in the background.
GAIUS BALTAR stands at his workstation, brilliant, arrogant, distracted.
The door CHIMES.
He turns.
NUMBER SIX stands in the doorway—composed, luminous, and impossibly calm.
She smiles as though she already owns the room.
SIX
You didn’t return my call.
BALTAR
I was busy. Some of us have careers.
She steps inside, slow, deliberate.
SIX
And some of us fund careers.
She drifts closer, fingertips grazing the edge of a glass table.
SIX (CONT’D)
You’re brilliant, Gaius. Everyone knows it. But brilliance is fragile. It needs… protection.
Baltar smirks, masking curiosity with ego.
BALTAR
Are you offering to be my bodyguard?
She stops inches from him.
SIX
I’m offering to be your future.
A beat. The tension hums.
She glances at the open screens.
SIX (CONT’D)
Your work on Colonial defense networks… it’s extraordinary. But you’re limited by bureaucracy. Security clearances. Politics.
She meets his eyes.
SIX (CONT’D)
I could help with that.
BALTAR
(skeptical)
You’re not military. You’re not government. How exactly would you help?
A soft smile.
SIX
I have… resources.
She steps closer, her presence disarming, intoxicating. Baltar’s confidence flickers—replaced with fascination.
SIX (CONT’D)
Imagine it. Full access. No restrictions. No oversight. The freedom to create something perfect.
She leans in, voice low.
SIX (CONT’D)
The most advanced defense system in Colonial history.
BALTAR
And what do you get out of this?
Her eyes hold something deeper—ancient, secret, dangerous.
SIX
You.
A quiet moment. The city glows behind them like a living promise.
BALTAR
(smiling despite himself)
You’re very confident.
SIX
I’m never wrong.
She brushes her fingers lightly against his arm—just enough to unsettle him.
SIX (CONT’D)
Let me in, Gaius. To your life. To your work. To your world.
BALTAR
And if I say no?
Her smile turns knowing.
SIX
You won’t.
A long beat.
Baltar exhales, surrendering to ego, desire, and the illusion of control.
BALTAR
All right… stay.
Her expression softens—triumph hidden behind warmth.
Behind her calm exterior, the first domino falls.
The Colonial skyline—beautiful, thriving, and utterly unaware that its destruction has just been set in motion.