- Receiving a signal. It's the Kelownans. - Open the iris.
- Mr Quinn. It's good to see you again. - It's good to see you too, sir.
I only wish it was under better circumstances.
We need to talk.
For several months we've been analysing data on the crystal left behind by Thanos.
It was the Goa'uld that occupied our planet 3,000 years ago.
Our progress at first was slow, but we recently made a major, major discovery.
It turns out that naquadria was not originally present.
- Here. - What do you mean?
It's not native to our planet.
It exists in the mineral deposits underground.
I know it does now,
but we believe that those deposits were originally made up of ordinary naqahdah.
- I assume this makes sense to you. - Actually, no, it doesn't.
We found a reference to a process the Goa'uld discovered
which let them convert raw naqahdah into naquadria while it's still in the ground.
It started a chain reaction which has continued on down through the veins,
getting deeper and deeper, and we believe the process is ongoing.
Are you saying that right now there are deposits of naqahdah on your planet
being transformed into naquadria?
Yes. One very large one in particular.
We only recently discovered it because it's so far beneath the surface.
But as the conversion process goes deeper, the heat and pressure get higher.
And naquadria is highly unstable.
We believe that when it reaches a certain depth, it's going to explode.
With enough force to obliterate Kelowna.
The first few references to the conversion process that we found were pretty vague.
I was half-convinced I'd made a mistake in the translation.
Then we came across test results
which show the ratio of naqahdah to naquadria achieved in the process.
Check this out.
The unconverted naqahdah breaks down into lighter elements.
I was wondering why we never found any naquadria anywhere else in the galaxy.
Now I think it's because it doesn't exist in nature at all.
That's why none of the Goa'uld knew about it until Anubis probed your mind.
We've got the latest geological data. It looks like...
- Oh. Hello. - Hi.
Oh... Samantha Carter, this is Kianna Cyr. This is... Sam Carter.
- She helps me out on the translations. - I've heard a lot about you.
- We could use your expertise right now. - What you got?
The naquadria has progressed deeper than we thought.
- How much time do we have? - A few weeks, a month. It's hard to say.
We must understand how the conversion process works if we want to stop it.
Yeah, but the information on the crystal's incomplete.
Then we're gonna have to figure it out for ourselves.
Ambassador, welcome to Earth.
- Actually, it's First Minister now. - First Minister.
This is Vin Eremal and Lucia Tarthus,
the Tiranian and Andari representatives on the council.
Councillors.
Right this way.
I assumed Jonas Quinn would be joining us.
He sends his apologies. He's devoting his attention to the naquadria problem.
Has any progress been made?
So far very little, I'm afraid.
I believe that with the participation of our friends from Earth,
a solution will be found.
We all hope that's the case, but you may want to consider some contingency plans.
We can offer you limited relocation through the Stargate.
Limited?
A full evacuation of an industrialised world is a practical impossibility.
I'm not sure I understand.
You invited us here to propose that we abandon Langara?
Langara is the new name of our planet.
It's from an ancient dialect common to all three nations.
A symbol of our new unity.
- Has a nice ring to it. - It was chosen by a committee.
We understand that if this problem cannot be solved,
Kelowna will suffer severe devastation.
At which point we are prepared to offer the survivors humanitarian aid.
We have limited resources, but we pledge to do what we can.
- Are you kidding? - Has no one explained this to you?
We have tried. They seem unwilling to accept the truth.
If you knew our history,
you'd understand our reluctance to believe Kelownan propaganda.
Our own scientists have studied the problem.
While Kelowna will bear the brunt of the explosion -
in fact, almost half the country's landmass will be destroyed -
you're not taking into account the debris in the upper atmosphere.
It will block the sunlight and lower the average surface temperature significantly.
Your entire planet will be uninhabitable.
It makes no sense. Naquadria is a heavier, less stable isotope than naqahdah.
Conversion should require the continuous input of energy.
But it seems to be continuing on its own.
- Which is impossible. - Not necessarily.
Low-energy fusion can occur in the presence of certain catalysts like muons.
I believe that only works for extremely light materials such as deuterium.
Kelownan understanding of particle physics seems to have come a long way.
We're quick learners.
I wasn't thinking about muons specifically.
Other subatomic particles could have catalysed this reaction.
The real question is why didn't this planet blow up a long time ago?
What do you mean?
You haven't figured out the process
because you've assumed that this transformation began 3,000 years ago.
- That's what the historical data indicates. - Maybe so.
If you put that aside and assume the presence of the right catalysts,
you can account for this reaction.
- It's just a lot faster than you thought. - How much faster?
A deposit the size of the one you discovered
could take as little as a few years to transform completely.
What was that?
Receiving video transmission, sir.
Major, what's your situation?
Most of the fires caused by the earthquake are under control.
Dr Fraiser's organising the distribution of medical supplies.
- It's hard to believe it was a coincidence. - It wasn't.
We traced the epicentre to a small pocket of converted naquadria
located about 20km below the surface.
A small pocket?
When the main deposit goes, the explosion will be 100,000 times greater.
- This planet? - Madronas.
- And how far away is it? - Approximately 14,000 light years.
Give or take.
The Madronans are a peaceful, advanced society
with resources to accept thousands of refugees.
Quinn's reports refer to uninhabited planets capable of sustaining life.
The Andari government might consider relocation if one were available.
Without infrastructure, any uninhabited planet
would not be able to sustain as many Langaran refugees.
I'm not suggesting one planet for all of us.
You want your own planet?
The Andari people would welcome a fresh start, given the oppression we've suffered.
All you suffered under Tiranian rule was peace and good government!
And mass arrests, summary executions!
- In response to terrorist acts! - Whoa!
We're getting a bit off-topic here.
Three separate relocations is just not practical.
Madronas is your best bet to save as many lives as possible.
Jonas. Major Carter.
You've discovered something about the conversion process.
We determined that the transformation must have begun
with a massive bombardment of subatomic particles
which catalyse the reaction and allow it to continue without energy input.
It's possible to create these particles in the lab.
But there's only one way they could have been produced
with enough energy to penetrate several miles into the crust of the planet.
It was the naquadria bomb test.
The test that was conducted two years ago.
We did this to ourselves.
Historical documents indicate that Thanos was destroyed in some cataclysmic event.
Maybe this explosion triggered the chain reaction.
It did. At least with the naqahdah deposit near the surface.
Thanos managed to create naquadria in the lab, but something went wrong.
The resulting explosion released the subatomic particles
which catalysed the conversion of the first vein of naqahdah.
The rest of the deposit transformed in less than a year.
After that it lay in the ground.
Another 10,000 years and it would have decayed back into naqahdah -
if you hadn't mined it first.
Then we set off the bomb, which started the conversion of the second, deeper vein.
This is outrageous.
If what you say is true, the Kelownan government bears full responsibility
for the imminent destruction of Langara.
Your governments formed an alliance to attack Kelowna.
We were looking to defend ourselves.
We went to a heightened war alert after we learned of your research.
- Which proves you were spying on us. - What choice did we have?
We weren't going to rely on the Kelownan government to tell us the truth.
Councillors, please.
These talks must be suspended until I confer with my cabinet.
- For crying out loud! - Jack.
Who cares whose fault it is?
Your planet is gonna blow up. The whole damn planet, Daniel!
I think it's best if we all take a little recess.
General.
- I say we send 'em packing. - Indeed.
We still have the potential to save thousands of lives.
And yet they don't seem to understand or care.
This is diplomacy, the way the game is played. It takes patience.
Yeah? Well, I'm fresh out.
As am I.
I think you're on your own.
However many times you go over this, we'll come to the same conclusion.
There is simply no way to reverse the process.
Maybe we don't have to.
According to the latest geological data,
there's a minor fault line crossing the vein of naqahdah
about a kilometre above the large deposit.
If we could somehow trigger a move along the fault line,
we could isolate the advancing naquadria and break off the chain reaction.
- How do we do that? - Set off a large explosion near the fault.
Stargate Command could provide a small nuclear device.
The only problem is we'd have to get it down there,
which means drilling through 20 kilometres of solid rock.
- What? - There's something I wanna show you.
It took us 2.5 years to build,
at a cost of over half the annual Kelownan research budget.
A deep-underground excavation vehicle.
Cool.
The fore and aft sections have both been outfitted with titanium cutter heads,
each of which can withstand or apply thrusts of up to 50 metric tonnes.
What kind of advance rate?
Uh... about 80 metres per hour.
I know it's not fast enough, but I do have an idea for a little adjustment
that'll give us a lot more speed.
Tok'ra tunnel crystals.
Modified to work in conjunction with the cutter heads.
Pretty impressive. Mind if I look at your power systems?
After you.
- Do we have to show her everything? - Kianna.
Everybody has an agenda, Jonas.
Her people have made no secret of their interest in our naquadria deposits.
Look, I've wanted to come forward with this for a long time,
but I always got overruled by the cabinet.
- Now we have no choice. - We don't need her.
We can go to the Tok'ra ourselves.
I worked with these people for over a year.
I trust them with my life.
Don't worry.
The machine was designed to mine naquadria.
In the terms of our alliance, information relating to naquadria is to be shared.
We were misled.
We intended to tell you once the prototype was fully operational.
Do you take us for idiots?
It was you that created this disaster.
And now you expect to benefit by acquiring alien technology?
It was unfortunate the Kelownans didn't reveal this information sooner.
However, regarding the Tok'ra crystals, you really have no choice.
Without them we won't reach the naquadria vein in time to save your world.
It's that simple.
Wow. Jonas.
This technology is beyond anything I've seen in Kelowna.
I made some adjustments based on what I learned in Stargate Command.
Pretty amazing.
Yeah, I tell you, most of the credit goes to Kianna.
- Kianna? - Oh, yeah.
She took what she learned from me and made modifications to the hydraulics,
the shielding mechanisms, everything.
Without her, this thing would be months away from being operational.
You two have been working closely on this.
Yeah, I guess.
- What? - Come on, Jonas, I'm not blind.
What's going on?
Let's just say that it's in the development stage.
Although I do find her interesting.
I bet you do.
Teal'c. I trust your mission was a success?
Indeed. The crystals you requested.
Thank you.
How are the negotiations progressing?
Well, they finally agreed to send a three-person delegation to Madronas
to evaluate it as an evacuation site.
What of Jonas and Major Carter?
They're adjusting the Kelownan excavation machine.
It should be ready for launch within 24 hours.
Hey. Just in time to help me run a few diagnostic programs.
What?
Jonas, did you design the primary power distribution circuits?
I didn't really design anything.
I did make suggestions for upgrades.
Based on advanced technology you encountered with SG-1?
Yeah, that's right.
Why, what's wrong?
The hardware's different,
but the basic principle is very similar to a Goa'uld design.
- That's impossible. - I went over it three times.
I probably wouldn't have noticed
if I hadn't calculated that the generators were operating at 130% efficiency.
No.
- There's some mistake. - Jonas, who did design the system?
Jonas, what's going on?
- We know. - What are you talking about?
- Who do you serve? - Jonas, whatever you think...
- Whatever she told you is a lie. - They searched your quarters.
Do you want to explain why they found a Goa'uld communication device?
Very well. You know the truth.
Now how shall we proceed?
I'm assuming this is the drug that allowed you to escape detection.
It somehow masks the presence of a symbiote, right?
I'm sending this back to the SGC for analysis.
How long have you been on this planet?
We knew Anubis came here for a reason.
After his defeat I was despatched to find out why he was so interested in this place.
So you work for Baal?
I gained access to Kelowna's research
by implanting myself in a scientist on the naquadria project.
Let me talk to Kianna.
In a small way I've grown to admire this host.
She is exceptionally astute. A superior specimen.
Let me talk to her.
I made the major modifications to the excavator.
If you wish to complete this undertaking, you will require my assistance.
Why would you help us?
We share a common goal. I too wish to save this world.
So you can hand it over to Baal? I don't think so.
Jonas.
Kianna?
She's right. You're going to need her.
Let her help you, for the sake of our people.
It's not her, Jonas. It's a Goa'uld trying to fool us. We've seen it before.
No. Jonas, please.
Get her outta here.
Depth is 2200 metres.
Speed 1.5 metres per second.
- The drills are running hot. - All right.
Bring down your RPMs. Don't overcompensate.
- I can't stay ahead of these adjustments. - You're gonna stall us out. Power up.
You stripped the drill heads.
Control. End simulation.
Jonas, we've got a problem.
Could this be the result of Goa'uld sabotage?
No. Major Carter believes the Goa'uld's modifications
have improved the speed and efficiency of the drills.
The system requires constant adjustments
according to the material it's passing through.
It's kind of like shifting gears in a racecar.
Major Carter isn't confident in her ability to run the drill.
She thinks the best person for the job is the Goa'uld.
You can't be serious.
We could overhaul the system and eliminate the modifications,
but that would reduce the speed of the excavator and it would take weeks.
We don't have that kind of time.
The Goa'uld could have sabotaged it any time.
Instead she helped Jonas improve several key systems.
Only to preserve the naquadria deposit for Baal.
Maybe so, but averting the explosion is our first priority.
Without the Goa'uld, we have no chance.
You've made the right choice.
Your confidence in me will not go unrewarded.
We had no choice. And for the record, our confidence in you is minimal.
Which is, no doubt, why the shol'va will be accompanying us.
And why all of you are armed.
- Who calibrated the primary inductors? - I did.
Launch now and you will burn through them before you pass 100 metres.
Right. I'll take navigation.
Teal'c, take shields and life support.
Indeed.
We are go for launch in 30 seconds.
Powering up.
Engines are at 70%.
80.
- Shields are active. - Navigation computer is online.
Engines are at full power.
Control, we're set to go for launch...
in five... four... three... two... one.
We've just received word from Kelowna.
Our security personnel monitored a communication device of Kianna's.
Apparently a message has come through from Baal.
She's overdue to report. He's waiting for her to send a transmission.
- And if she doesn't? - They'll come to find out what happened.
That's a distinct possibility.
What is it?
We are losing coolant pressure in one of the forward tubes.
We must have broken a seal.
Major Carter, take the controls.
Where are you going?
I can divert coolant from the aft, but I have to do it from the engine room.
I'm coming with you.
You still do not trust me, do you?
No.
Is there any way to contact the excavator?
They're too deep. No radio signal could penetrate that much solid rock.
Telling them about Baal's message will not change anything.
If the Goa'uld doesn't make it back?
That would only happen if the mission fails.
If that's the case, Baal will be the least of your problems.
I suggest we get back to planning your relocation.
- Check it now. - Forward pressure's rising.
We're good.
Maybe now you'll believe that I wish this mission to succeed?
Yeah - for the wrong reasons.
Has it ever occurred to you that serving Baal may not be my only interest here?
I never thought I'd find the company of a human so intriguing.
And suddenly I repulse you?
Not that long ago you felt differently.
That was before I found out who you are. What you are.
And yet the fact remains... you never knew the host before I took her.
All this time it was never Kianna, it was always me.
- What is happening? - I'm not sure.
We're still on course, still descending.
Hull temperature is rising rapidly.
300 degrees.
400 degrees and still rising.
Is there any volcanic activity in the area?
Mount Kallan. But it's been dormant for hundreds of years.
Just because it's dormant doesn't mean there couldn't be magma flows.
Hull temperature is 700 degrees and still rising.
We're passing through a river of molten rock.
Daniel, how's the whole diplomacy thing working out for you?
The latest argument's about selection -
a lottery, assigning positions or setting up a committee to discuss the problem.
I remind them they're facing annihilation, but they can't face their own mistrust.
- I think I can help you out on this. - What do you mean?
Hull temperature is 1100 degrees.
- The ship will not take much more of this. - Divert power to the shields.
We have no way of knowing how thick this vein of magma is.
- If we turn back now, we may survive. - I said divert power to the shields.
Power diverted. Although I'm not sure how much difference it will make.
Hull temperature is 1200 degrees.
Do you really want to risk your life for the people of this world, Major?
I am not so sure they would do the same for you.
We're losing hull integrity!
Teal'c?
Hull temperature is dropping. 1100 degrees and still falling.
We made it through.
Very impressive.
Kelowna will accept nothing less than equal representation.
Really? Kelowna is solely responsible for this problem.
Need I remind you that the Stargate is in our possession?
- For the moment. - Is that a threat?
When it comes to the survival of our people, we will do whatever is necessary.
Now you want a war? We're trying to save your world and you wanna destroy it?
Save your breath, Daniel.
- You folks are done. - I don't understand.
Well, you see, we actually like the Madronans.
They're nice people.
We've decided there's no way we'd subject them to the likes of you.
Deal's off. You're toast.
- General? - Colonel O'Neill's right.
You can stay until we hear back from Jonas and Major Carter.
It's what you get for dickin' around.
Something's wrong.
We're losing speed. 1.5 metres per second and slowing.
It is the forward drills. They were damaged by the magma.
They are coming apart.
- We stopped. - Forward drill's finished.
Cutting power.
- It's as deep as we're gonna get. - What is our position?
We're still over a kilometre from the target.
What if we drop the bomb here?
We're too far from the fault line. It would be pointless.
Then we have failed.
- We have to go back and repair the ship. - Too much damage. It'll take weeks.
I'm sorry, Jonas, but we don't have a choice.
We still have crystals. We can use those to tunnel the rest of the way.
- They'd never make it far enough. - If we focus them,
we can dig a passage big enough for one person.
- That will give us the distance we need. - It might work.
But at this depth, the heat and the gases would penetrate even a Tok'ra tunnel.
- It would be suicide. - I will go.
Do not worry, Major Carter.
I may be intrigued by your willingness to sacrifice yourself, but I do not share it.
- My symbiote will protect me. - Why take the risk?
You still think of me as nothing but a servant of Baal.
You are mistaken.
You haven't told him about the naquadria?
Not yet.
You want it for yourself.
The fact remains that I am the only one who can complete this mission.
The tunnel is complete.
You understand the detonation procedure?
Of course. It is a simple enough device.
I am in position.
I am setting...
the detonator.
This is not good.
Kianna, this is Major Carter. Do you read?
Go ahead.
We're losing power. I think the generators have been damaged.
I was afraid of that. How much power do you have left?
We're down to 70%.
- So much for my empire! - Say again.
If you begin the ascent now,
you may have enough power to reach the surface.
- We're not leaving you behind. - You have no choice.
If the power drops below 50%,
you will not even be able to restart the engines.
I am already dead.
If you wait, you die too.
This is Jonas. There's still time left. Start back immediately.
If you are doing this out of concern for the host,
you need not bother.
The body is already severely damaged.
Even if we make it back,
I may not be able to keep her alive.
Listen to me. We're not going without you, so shut up and get moving.
- We should have heard by now. - Something went wrong.
Power's down to 53%.
She's taking twice as long to get back as she took to get down.
Kianna? This is Jonas.
Come in. Over.
Please respond.
I believe we have no choice but to begin our ascent.
I'll take care of her. Get us outta here.
Powering up engines.
Beginning ascent.
- You waited. - You held up your end of the bargain.
Was that your only reason?
I already know your answer.
Unscheduled offworld activation.
- Receiving a signal. Audio only. - Put it through.
- Gate control to First Minister Dreylock. - This is Dreylock. Go ahead.
We're receiving reports. A major seismic disturbance.
Survey places the epicentre at the target coordinates.
- They did it. - Any word from the excavator?
Negative.
- The power reserves are near depletion. - We're almost there. Ten seconds.
Five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One.
You miss it?
Yeah. I do.
Judging from what you've got to deal with in Kelowna, I'm not surprised.
I'd take danger over one of those council meetings any day.
Yeah.
I don't know what Jack said to 'em, but they are being a little more cooperative.
Let's hope it lasts.
- How are you feeling? - Fine, I guess.
I remember everything, but it's like a dream.
- The symbiote's dead. - She saved me.
She could have let me die with her, but she didn't.
You may find this hard to believe, but she appreciated everything you did for her.
That you tried to do.
Time to go home.