Desslok Mines

Desslok Mines
Desslok is saluted by his commanders as he walks down a red carpet amid chanting.  Huh.  All of the Gamilons are uniformly blue now.  Krypt, Desslok's adjutant, briefs Desslok on the progress of the Star Force.  The commander Talan plans to use Desslok space mines to stop the Argo.  Desslok calls it entertainment and toasts to the defeat of the Star Force.  One of his commanders starts laughing, prompting Desslok to dispose of him through a trap door.

The Argo is moving through space.  On the bridge, Nova notifies Avatar of unidentified objects ahead.  The look at it on the viewer.  Avatar orders the balloon decoy ship to be deployed/  Sandor explains it to Wildstar and the audience. The Baby Argo Balloon flies amongst the mines--the crew recognizes them for what they are just as the balloon detonates them.  Venture maneuvers around them.

The Gamilons--save for Desslok--are amazed that the Argo has changed course/

Nova sees that the mines are following them.  Wildstar suggests warping out of the minefield.  Sandor calls him a cowboy.  Avatar order Venture to full stop--the mines stop as well.  Venture asks Wildstar about the wave motion gun, but there's no time to charge the gun and they start arguing.  Nova computes a course, and Venture weaves the ship among the mines.

The Gamilons are watching.  Desslok gloats.  Venture threads their way through the mines and Wildstar taunts him.  One of the mines shifts position--Venture sees it, and other bridge crewmembers realize the mines are under remote control.

Wildstar promises never to call Venture a space jockey if he stops the ship.  Avatar then orders him to stop.  Orion complains.  Avatar orders Nova to figure out what's controlling the mine.  IQ 9 rolls around, and then Nova figures out there's a sonic wave signaling the mines.  IQ 9 and Sandor take a shuttle out to investigate.  And IQ 9 has hiccups.  Desslok and Krypt watch the shuttle.  The mines close in again.  Sandor is still zeroing in on the control signal.  Avatar orders Venture to tilt the ship 5 degrees to the left.  After some wrangling, Venture tilts the ship.

IQ 9 is having trouble zeroing in on it.  The mines are 2 meters away from the hull.  Avatar orders more tilt.  Sandor and IQ 9 find the control mine.  They EVA from the shuttle, and IQ 9 cludges around on the mine (hiccuping the whole time).  More closing, more tilting, and they're trapped.  IQ 9 hiccups and then finds the controls and disables it.  I mean, it takes a while.  And there's a lot of tension building.  But IQ 9 unscrews a spike from the mine, then he flies into the mine and disconnects a . . . thing with the help of his extenso-arms.  Sandor takes the thing, and all the mines stop closing in on the Argo.

The Gamilon commanders are shocked, and Desslok muses on the kind of men who make up the Star Force.

Avatar orders Wildstar to take the Black Tigers out to defuse the mines with bare hands.  They go EVA and push the mines out of range.

Desslok asks Krypt what the mines were originally called.  Krypt apologizes for presumptuously naming the mines after him.  Desslok starts laughing--sometimes simple solutions are the best, an the barbarians of the Star Force did it with their bare hands.

The minefield is cleared and the Argo takes off.  Desslok dismisses his officers.  He orders Krypt to send Avatar a message congratulating him in Desslok's name. 

Avatar receives the message, but they are unable to trace the origin.  The message is read out loud to the crew.  Avatar orders the wave engine started.  There are 311 days left.