INT. PYRAMID/STARGATE CHAMBER – SUNSET
A pair of Haru Guards stand within the stargate chamber, facing the gate itself, which stands open, the chevrons and engravings aglow, its torus filled with rippling, silver energy.
A TALL FIGURE emerges from the stargate, the white glow enveloping it fading as it regains three-dimensional form. Clad in a hooded robe of some shimmering, black material, the figure is nine feet tall, the fingers on its hands exceptionally long. As it pulls its hood back, though, it reveals itself to be – if not strictly Homo sapiens – still a member of the same genus. Stepping aside, the tall figure allows SIX MORE INDIVIDUALS to step through the portal. These beings are short, squat, and muscular – dwarvish – but also still of human extraction. Between them they carry a large crate.
As the dwarves set the crate down, one of the Haru Guards approaches the crate. At the lanky being’s command, the dwarves lift the lid of the crate up and off, exposing the bricks inside. The bricks are of a smokey gray, slightly iridescent stone – weapons-grade naqahdah.
INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/FAIZAH’S CHAMBERS – SUNSET
Faizah is seated at the long table, engaged in a Senet match – a chess-like game – with one of her servants. Moving an obelisk-shaped piece, she takes one of her opponent’s.
At that moment, Sihathor and two other Haru Guards enter the chambers.
SIHATHOR: The shipment of naqahdah has arrived, Lady Faizah.
FAIZAH: (concentrating on the game) Send the bomb down to the stargate.
With one commanding look from Sihathor, the two falcon-headed guards collect the tray bearing the nuclear bomb and head off for the ring transporter.
EXT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER – SUNSET
More than a dozen figures emerge out of the desert and head for the pyramid. Kawalsky, Feretti, Brown, and the Nagadan kids walk forward with their hands behind their heads, a pair of armed Haru Guards shepherding them from behind; there is no sign of Daniel or O’Neal amongst the captives.
INT. PYRAMID/ANTECHAMBER – SUNSET
Silver light cascades down through the black rings and the pair of Haru Guards with the bomb materialize inside. As the transporter deactivates, the rings retracting back into the ceiling, the Haru Guards head for the gate chamber.
CUT TO
The Haru Guards entering the stargate chamber.
The Haru Guards carry the bomb-laden tray over to the open crate of naqahdah bricks. Lifting the tray up, they set it down atop the bricks, then proceed to turn around and head back on out.
INT. PYRAMID/ENTRANCE HALL – SUNSET
Entering the entrance hall, the pair of Haru Guards and their captives make their way to the entrance into the antechamber. As the approach, the two Haru Guards who delivered the bomb step out. An armoured warrior lifts his hand, commanding them to halt. One of the shepherding Haru Guards then steps forward, approaching the warrior who ordered them to stop.
HARU GUARD #1: (subtitled) We caught the First Worlders and their helpers attempting to sneak back into the city. We’ve brought them back here, as Lady Faizah commanded.
HARU GUARD #2: (scrutinizes the captives; subtitled) The commander and the scribe – where are they?
HARU GUARD #1: (subtitled) Dead – killed in the firefight.
HARU GUARD #2: (subtitled) Why didn’t you report their capture?
HARU GUARD #1: (points at the damaged portions of his armour; subtitled) Our armour was damaged, our long-range transmission capabilities disabled.
The Haru Guard studies the other, blue-green eyes in search of some hidden untruth.
HARU GUARD #2: (subtitled) Disengage your exo-helm.
The other refuses to respond.
Unholstering his energy rifle, the suspicious Haru Guard approaches the other’s companion.
HARU GUARD #2: (angry; subtitled) Disengage your exo-helm!
Instead of obeying, he brings up his own energy rifle – single-barrelled – and jabs it into the Haru Guard’s stomach. The words he then speaks, though heavily bass-toned through the helm’s filters, are in recognizable English.
O’NEAL: How ya doin’?
The disguised colonel squeezes the rifle’s grip and an orange plasma bolt pierces through the Haru Guard’s armour and through his gut, the kinetic energy of the blast hurtling him backward.
As the dead Haru Guard hits the floor, O’Neal and Daniel both disengage their falcon-headed helms, bringing up their energy rifles to focus on the remaining Haru Guard. Just then two other Haru Guards – a pair who had been hiding somewhere within the entrance hall – come out into the open to assist their brother-in-arms.
The resulting firefight is incredibly, intensely bloody. Their hackles now up, the three armoured Haru Guards prove to be formidable opponents, avoiding direct hits from the energy rifles, staff weapon, and M4s of the Terrans and Nagadans long enough to kill several of their opponents. In the end, only five individuals are left standing alive: O’Neal, Daniel, Kawalsky, Sha’ure, and Skarra. Feretti, Brown, and Nabeh are all dead, more unfortunate casualties of this war.
INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/FAIZAH’S CHAMBERS – TWILIGHT
Faizah is still engaged in the Senet game with her manservant. By all appearances, she has the upper hand at this point.
Sihathor enters again.
SIHATHOR: You summoned me, milady?
Taking her attention away from the game for a moment, Faizah gestures for the green-black armoured warrior to come to her. As he approaches, she reaches into her robes and pulls out the pendant bearing the Eye of Atum.
FAIZAH: (hands the pendant to Sihathor) Send the bomb to Earth now.
Accepting the pendant, Sihathor bows his head once in acknowledgement, then turns and leaves the chambers.
INT. PYRAMID/STARGATE CHAMBER – TWILIGHT
O’Neal, Daniel, Kawalsky, Sha’ure, and Skarra enter the chamber. As Skarra and Sha’ure see the stargate for the first time in their lives, their mouths drop agape, captivated by and in awe of this magnificent ring of iridescent black stone.
Crossing over to the bomb, the colonel picks it up and sets it down on the floor, standing it up on end. Setting the timer, he activates the weapon.
O’NEAL: Okay, Jackson, fire it up. You’ve got twelve minutes.
Heading for the dialling device, Daniel whips out his notebook and flips to the page with the address for Earth. When he goes to punch in the first glyph, though, the panel won’t depress, won’t light up, and neither does the stargate. He tries pressing other glyph panels, all to the same effect.
DANIEL: (frowns) Something’s wrong.
Leaving the dais, he steps up to the gate itself. Taking hold of the inner ring, he tries to turn it, but the thing won’t budge.
DANIEL: I don’t believe it!
KAWALSKY: What? What is it?
DANIEL: They’ve sealed the stargate!
Joining Daniel at the gate, he, too, tries turning the ring. It still won’t move.
KAWALSKY: He’s right, colonel. It’s locked up tight!
Before they can consider their next course of action, a Haru Guard – grievously wounded, possibly dying, but not yet dead – enters the chamber, double-barrelled energy rifle in hand. As he levels his weapon at O’Neal, Skarra jumps in between them.
O’NEAL: (horrified) Skarra --!
Skarra opens fire with his M4. The bullets make no mark on the Haru Guard’s bronze armour, but they do pass through the holes already present there, punching through the underlying flesh easily. As he collapses backward, the dying Haru Guard triggers his weapon one last time, firing off a shot which cuts straight through the boy.
Bringing up his own rifle, O’Neal fires several shots off into the Haru Guard, finishing him once and for all. Tossing the weapon aside, he then crouches down to the floor, taking the mortally wounded Skarra into his arms. As the boy looks up at the colonel, he smiles one last, faint smile. He then leaves this world, departing for whatever waits beyond.
INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/BRIDGE – TWILIGHT
As Sihathor steps up onto the ring platform, he turns around, his face of unyielding rock facing forward. Bringing forth his left arm, he presses down on the large, round blue crystal set in the back of his gauntlet, activating the ring transporter.
As the five black rings come up from the floor to surround him, Sihathor engages his helm, replacing one countenance of living stone with another.
INT. PYRAMID/ANTECHAMBER – TWILIGHT
As the aperture in the antechamber ceiling opens up, casting silver light down onto the floor, Daniel takes up his energy rifle and crosses over into the antechamber, positioning himself under the ten black rings as they make their descent. Sha’ure joins him, and despite his protests, he cannot turn her away.
O’NEAL: Jackson!
As O’Neal and Kawalsky approach the lovers, the rings encircle the scholar and Nagadan beauty completely.
DANIEL: Wait for us.
With a flash of silver light, they are gone, replaced with Sihathor.
As the rings return to their compartment, Sihathor swats O’Neal across the face, knocking the colonel aside. He then points his energy rifle at Kawalsky, firing off a bolt which catches the lieutenant colonel in the chest, sending him flying backward.