Previously on "Stargate SG-1":
(Carter) This is Prometheus, otherwise known as the X-303.
Sir, there's an energy build-up in the naquadria cells.
The jump must've triggered a surge that overloaded the control systems.
Stand by to jettison the reactor module.
Even if we plotted a course for Earth using maximum sublight thrust,
it'd take years.
P3X-744.
If we can gate home from there, we can get what we need to repair the ship.
So this thing is different from a nebula. How?
That's why it's so exciting, sir. We don't know exactly.
And this formation just happens to be near our next cool-down coordinates?
It'll only be a little bit out of our way, Colonel. All I ask is two hours, tops.
If only to see the expression on your face first-hand.
- "Kid" and "candy store" come to mind. - I'll try to retain my composure.
Just keep in mind that our mission is to get this bird home in one piece.
(PA) Colonel Ronson, report to the bridge.
Must be time. After you, Major.
Sir, the hyperdrive engines are at maximum safe temperature.
- Shut 'em down, Major Gant. - Yes, sir. Dropping out of hyperspace.
Major Carter, what's our progress?
Well, sir, we covered 49 light years in the last leg.
Considering the hyperdrive was lifted from an Alkesh, that's pretty good.
It was originally designed for a ship one-tenth this size.
Only five more of these pit stops and we're home.
(beeping)
Colonel, a bogey just appeared on our sensors. Dead ahead, 3,000 clicks.
- Can't you identify it? - Negative, sir.
It's closing in on us very quickly.
Sound general quarters.
(alarm)
- Bogey's now at 2,000 clicks. - Raise shields. Arm weapons.
Bogey is now at 900 clicks. It's not slowing down, sir.
How long till we can jump to hyperspace again?
The hyperdrive needs two hours to cool down before attempting another jump.
If we try one before that, it could overload.
Colonel, I'm getting some unusual readings from the alien vessel.
They're scanning us, sir.
Major Gant, set up a wide-frequency broadcast. I wanna talk to them.
Go ahead, sir.
This is Colonel William Ronson, commander of the Prometheus.
- Please respond. - (static)
If you can hear me, I offer you peaceful greetings.
Bogey is now at 400 clicks and continuing to gain on our position, sir.
Sir, thermographic sensors are showing a build-up of energy within the ship.
- Energy build-up is continuing, sir. - Colonel, we have to get out of here.
Major Gant, initiate evasive manoeuvre Delta now.
Yes, sir. Executing Delta.
- Major Gant, report. - Shields are down 69%.
Their weapons are draining our shields.
- 53%. - Reroute auxiliary power to shields.
Weapons Officer, prepare to return fire on my command.
Aft missile bays one through six ready, sir.
Fire one through four now.
Sir, missiles destroyed before reaching the target.
Alien vessel is still gaining on us, sir. Shield strength is at 32%.
Fire all missiles at will.
Wait. Suggest diverting auxiliary power back to the sublight engines.
Major?
The gas cloud. If we can get inside it, it might make it harder for them to track us.
Shields are below 15%.
Even with engines at full strength, we'll never make it.
We might be able to make a small hyperspace jump into the cloud.
Give me a few minutes to override the safeguards.
You have two.
Come on. One jump.
- Weapon systems no longer operational. - Shields are below 10%.
Receiving ship-wide damage reports, Colonel.
This is Major Carter calling the bridge.
Bridge, please respond.
This is the bridge calling all decks.
Please respond.
This is Major Samantha Carter of the US Air Force vessel Prometheus.
As the sole remaining crew member, I feel compelled to keep a log of these events.
After being attacked by a hostile alien ship,
I sustained an injury and lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I found the ship devoid of all crew.
An initial systems review indicated the hyperdrive to be operational.
But the sublight engines remain offline, possibly due to damage from the attack.
I am hopeful further investigation will provide more answers.
However, my first priority is to find out what happened to the crew.
Having searched the ship and found no one,
only one possibility remains to explain their disappearance.
Since all the ship's escape pods have been jettisoned,
I must assume an evacuation order was given after my losing consciousness.
In the chaos that must have ensued, I was left behind.
(engines start up)
(engines shut down)
The sublight engines remain offline.
I guess something about the gas cloud is prohibiting restart procedures.
Thus far, I have been unable to find a way around this problem.
Without sublight engine power to manoeuvre the ship,
I'm left with only one other option.
Damn it.
Major Carter.
- Teal'c? - Hear me.
You must remain conscious at all costs.
- I just need to rest for a while. - You cannot.
Listen to me.
You are injured. If you sleep, you will die.
Do you understand?
I know...
If you sleep, you will die.
(child) * Twinkle, twinkle, little star
* How I wonder what you are
* Up above the world so high
- Is someone there? - * Like a diamond in the sky
* Twinkle, twinkle, little star
Hello?
* How I wonder what you are
(footsteps)
OK...
I have sent out a distress signal detailing Prometheus's situation
and our last known position in space.
I know it may be hundreds of years before it is heard.
That said, Stargate Command was aware of our route
and will undoubtedly do everything they can to mount a rescue.
And if any of the crew survived,
I can only hope they will eventually send help as well.
Therefore I feel my best course of action is to settle in for the long haul.
By my calculations, I have enough food and water to last several months.
With further rationing, it might be possible to double that.
Play with me.
I've been trying to understand why the ship is unable to jump hyperspace.
During my last attempt,
the hyperspace window seemed too unstable for the ship to enter it.
Thus far, sensors have been unable to identify the content of the cloud itself.
It's more likely made up of a denser group of gases than that of a typical nebula.
It's preventing the hyperdrive emitter from transferring power at an even rate.
Until that changes, the Prometheus will remain trapped here indefinitely.
(Daniel) Yep! I'd say you're stuck all right.
You've been running the same diagnostic program for four hours.
What makes you think the results are suddenly gonna change?
Sam! Hello?
Were you this annoying when you were ascended?
Depends who you ask. I thought I had a certain je ne sais quoi. Timing was so-so.
No offence, but I really don't have time for this.
This is ridiculous. You aren't even real.
Well, I'm not so much me as I am... you, really.
I mean, part of your subconscious mind.
So am I real?
That's up to you, I guess. The Socratic implications are quite fascinating.
- Daniel... - You just need some help, that's all.
Can't you just try to go along with this?
You're me, talking to me.
Yeah, basically.
All right. You have a point. I could use some help.
Thank you.
OK, what do you... I want?
Well...
- I think you're going about this all wrong. - This is helping?
You've waited weeks to study this gas cloud.
Isn't that the real reason you volunteered for this job?
Now you're here, finally here,
and you're wasting your time running hyperdrive simulations.
In case you hadn't noticed, I've got a small problem, Daniel. I'm stranded.
Inside the thing you've looked at through a telescope for years.
It's a chance to study something rare and exciting up close. Seize the moment!
Seize the moment?
It's something new that we've never encountered before...
You're ignoring it.
Does that sound like you?
Daniel, I can't even think straight, let alone stay awake.
Sam... you have to check this out.
Trust me. It's important.
(ship creaking)
(creaking)
Oh, my God...
Oh!
- You hear about Sam? - Yeah.
Doesn't sound good.
18 hours past due for contact. Yeah, I'd say something went wrong.
I made a list of planets with Stargates in range of the Prometheus route.
General Hammond has agreed to send SG teams to all of them, including us.
Why?
If something went wrong, they might be able to make it to a planet with a gate.
At which time, they would gate home, wouldn't they?
When the hyperdrive failed on the maiden voyage,
you were nearly stranded on P7X-009. They didn't know where the gate was.
Sounds like a long shot.
Unfortunately the Tok'ra are unable to send a ship now.
They promise to retrace the route as soon as they can, but visiting these planets is...
What?
Is what?
Is something.
Yeah.
Ship's log update. I have discovered
that sections of the hull are being corroded by the gases in this cloud.
Although I have boosted power to our shields,
it has had little effect on protecting the ship.
(creaking)
I've sealed off those sections affected by the corrosion,
but it's only a stopgap measure.
All I know for certain is, if I can't find a way to stop it from spreading,
the ship's hull will eventually be breached.
"When the blazing sun is gone,
when he nothing shines upon..."
Who are you? What do you want?
"Then you show your little light,
twinkle, twinkle, all the night."
Come on. This way.
Wait...
Samantha.
Teal'c, did you see...
- Of course you didn't. - I'm here to warn you.
- I know. I have to stay awake. - That's not all.
Everything may not be as it seems.
The fact that I'm talking to someone who isn't really here kinda speaks to that.
On the contrary. I think it's you that's not here.
What?
I believe you and the other crew members are being held aboard the alien vessel.
- How do you know? - It is possible they are probing your mind.
If so, any information obtained may be used to attack Earth.
Hold on...
Even if you're right and I'm not really here,
what am I supposed to do about it?
Nothing.
Teal'c, give me something here.
Very well.
As you attempt to repair the ship's engines,
you may inadvertently be divulging vital information on Prometheus technology.
I do believe it would be prudent to do nothing.
I can't do that, Teal'c.
Be careful, Samantha.
Wait! Where are you going?
You're wrong, Teal'c. I'm not on an alien ship.
I'm right here.
(groans)
This is real.
Ow! This is real.
The effects of my head injury are getting worse.
I'm not sure how much longer I can last.
My only hope of survival is to somehow free the Prometheus from this gas cloud
without using either the sublight or hyperdrive engines.
I think I've come up with a way. It has its risks.
(alarm)
By venting several levels of pressurised atmosphere,
I am hoping to generate enough propulsion to move the ship.
(creaking)
Come on.
No!
Hello?
Are you here?
Hey!
Have I told you my latest theory? It's really cool.
Lose something?
- Did you see a... - Little girl?
- Yeah. - No.
- You know, you don't look so good. - Yeah.
Anyway, about my theory.
What if this cloud isn't so much a collection of corrosive gases
as it is a sentient being?
I'm saying the cloud is alive, Sam.
- The cloud is alive? - Yeah. It's a sentient being,
like... feelings, memories. A space-borne alien entity, if you will.
- That's crazy. - Why else would it be corroding the ship?
Because the gases are corrosive.
Or maybe we somehow offended it when we flew inside of it.
The point is, if we talk to it...
maybe it'll let us go.
You want me to talk to the cloud?
Would it kill you to try?
- How would I do that? - You said there's a little girl on the ship.
Maybe that little girl is the physical personification of the cloud.
Just go with me on this. Maybe that's its way of trying to communicate with us.
Daniel...
This isn't helping.
Talk to her, Sam.
(girl) * Like a diamond in the sky
* Twinkle, twinkle, little star
* How I wonder what you are
- My mother used to sing that to me. - How obscure.
- I'm so tired. - You can't sleep. Not yet.
- Why? - Because we need to talk.
Eat. You need to keep your strength up.
- Do you have a name? - I'm Grace.
- Who are you? - You know.
No, I don't know.
I'm your father.
Dad?
I know it sounds corny, but you get to an age...
You get to an age where you think about everything you did wrong as a parent.
- Don't take this the wrong way... - I know. I don't look so good.
I wanted so many things for you, Sam,
and look what it's brought you instead.
Sure. But the massive headache really takes the edge off it all.
Are you happy, Sam?
What?
Just answer the question.
Well, at the moment things are a little rough, but in general, sure, I'm happy.
No, you're not. You're content. You're satisfied.
You're in control.
- And that's the problem. - OK. I'm really not following here.
I'm saying you're missing something vital from your life.
The sad part is you have no idea what I mean.
Dad, I am happy.
I've seen and done things most people couldn't even dream of.
- I have an incredible life. - And yet you're alone.
Well, lately the dating scene's been a little stale, but...
then again I am marooned on a spaceship.
No. Always.
For as long as she was alive,
your mother showed me a world beyond just ambition and career.
She gave my life meaning and balance.
It was my honour to love her for the short time she was with me.
And if I were young again and I met her for the first time,
even knowing her fate,
I would do it all over again.
That is love.
Sam, I know you've denied yourself the experience
because you think it must inevitably end in pain and loneliness.
It's time to let go of the things that prevent you from finding happiness.
You deserve to love someone...
and be loved in return.
Report, Colonel.
This one was a bust too. These folks were more in the dark than the first bunch.
They were indeed a primitive society.
Whatever. They hadn't seen any sign of the ship. We're oh-for-seven on this, sir.
You heard from the Tok'ra?
They've made an initial trace of the Prometheus's route.
There's no sign of it at any of the designated cool-down coordinates.
- Assuming they stayed on course. - They're expanding the search,
conducting long-range scans of systems adjacent to the route home.
Hopefully, we'll hear something from them soon.
I don't wanna hear it.
Good. Cos I'm not in the mood.
All right. What?
When Colonel Maybourne and you were stranded offworld,
Major Carter felt a similar sense of frustration.
She despaired at the thought of never seeing you again.
- Not you? - Indeed.
You are like a brother to me, O'Neill.
You're like, what, 140?
A younger brother perhaps. But that is not my point.
Look, T, I know what you're trying to do.
And I appreciate it.
Wanna try?
It's fun.
I remember when I was a little girl, I used to wonder how a bubble could exist.
There's this thing called surface tension. When molecules bind together...
Boring.
Here, just try.
See? Fun.
Yeah.
All right, Carter. On your feet. Let's go.
I was wondering when you were gonna show up.
- You just gonna sit there? - Too tired, sir.
Samantha...
I'm a figment of your imagination. You're gonna call me "sir"?
Old habit. Sorry.
- Are you gonna save yourself or what? - I've tried.
- Just giving up, then? - I don't know what else to do right now.
You'll think of something.
You came to give me a pep talk?
That's what friends are for.
- Friends. - Hey!
This is you talking here. Might as well be honest.
What if I quit the air force?
Would that change anything or is it just an excuse?
- I'd never ask you to give up your career. - Cos you don't feel anything for me?
- Carter... - I'd let you go right now if I knew.
- That easy? - I didn't say it would be easy.
Then what's stopping you, if you really wanna know?
I'm trying.
Maybe it's not me that's the problem here.
Let's face it, I'm not that complex.
- Me? - Sam...
I'm a safe bet.
As long as I'm thinking about you, setting my sights on what I think is unattainable,
there's no chance of being hurt by someone else.
Jacob was right.
You deserve more.
I will always be there for you, no matter what.
Believe me.
So what now?
Go save your ass.
One last thing.
Never mind.
(loud creaking)
(alarm)
- What do you want? - What do you mean?
Whoever you are, I know why everyone else has shown up. Why are you here?
What do you want from me?
I don't want anything, but you do.
"Then the traveller in the dark thanks you for your tiny spark."
"How could he see where to go if you did not twinkle so?"
- What you looking at? - It's complicated.
Try me.
I'm gonna try to save myself with a bubble.
How?
The hyperdrive won't fully engage, but maybe it doesn't have to.
If I can dial down the power flow, I should cause a partial shift into hyperspace,
taking the ship out of the cloud's space-time.
Hopefully, enough to cancel its effects on the sublight engines.
- Neat. - Yeah.
Sam, what are you doing?
She's attempting to rescue her fellow crew members.
That's crazy. Get back to Earth and then bring in the cavalry.
- There's no time. - I agree.
- The alien vessel is too formidable. - Will you guys shut up? Just let her work.
This is Major Samantha Carter of the US Air Force vessel Prometheus.
- Can you hear me? - (static)
I'm thinking you've been stuck in here as long as I have.
The only difference is, I've found a way out.
(static)
Here's the deal. Return my crew - everyone, intact - and let us go,
and I'll help you get outta here. Do we have a deal?
What the hell just happened?
It's a long story, sir. Just bear with me.
I'm activating a hyperspace bubble to include the alien vessel.
- We're gonna bring it out of the cloud. - Major?
I'll explain everything soon enough, sir.
Now what?
We see if they keep their end of the bargain.
Well done, Major.
Sir, I'd like to relieve myself of duty now.
Easy.
Get her to the infirmary.
Hey.
Jack?
Excuse me?
Sorry, sir.
Yes, well...
A massive concussion will tend to disorient one.
How long was I out there?
It's all relative, that time-space continuum thing.
- Sir. - Four days.
I could have sworn it was weeks.
Teal'c and Daniel say hi.
They're planning a bit of a shindig for when you're up and around.
There's talk of cake.
- A cake? - My idea.
Can't wait.
Need anything? Magazine? Yo-yo?
I'm fine.
Yes, you are.
Thank you, sir.
For what?
Nothing.
Think nothing of it. I've got plenty of that.
(girl) * Twinkle, twinkle, little star
* How I wonder what you are
Visiontext Subtitles: Sarah Emery