The Sea of Fire

The Sea of Fire

The Argo is cruising through the great Magellanic cloud.  Nova is looking out a window and Wildstar arrives to make fun of her.  She's making wishes on stars.  Wildstar gets all thermodynamic on her, then wants to know what she wishes.  She just laughes.  Then the ship begins shaking.

Venture rushes onto the bridge and demands Orion tell him what's going on--but it's not the engine.  Sandor, Nova, and Wildstar arrive on the bridge.  Nova sees a space net stretched between the stars--and they'll come to a complete stop in three minutes.  Captain Avatar is collapsed in his quarters.  He climbs into a chair.

Wildstar wonders where the captain is, and UFO's are approaching the ship.  The captain lowers his chair into the bridge as the UFOs are identified as missiles.  Venture commences full power astern, but the Argo doesn't move.  Venture and Orion argue over the lack of movement, then Venture manages to turn the ship and the first wave of missiles misses.  Venture and Orion argue some more.  Wildstar asks the captain if he should fire the counter-missiles.  Avatar does not respond, so Wildstar fires them anyway.

Later, Avatar tells Orion and Venture to be more professional.  They apologize and go have a cup of coffee.  Then Avatar yells at Wildstar for not waiting for the order.  Avatar slaps Wildstar, then doubles over in pain and demands to be left alone.

Desslok and his officers are watching the Argo caught in the space net.  Desslok orders some wine, which he pours on the floor.  It becomes a black cloud and gets bigger when he shoots it.  He introduces it as the ecto-gas.  It feeds on energy and destroys matter.  And if the Argo escapes that, there's a star the have to trap it in.  It helps to have backups.

Avatar is being tended by the doctor.  Nova redresses the wound, and Nova and Wildstar begin helping him out of sickbay--then the doctor tells him that there's more than the current wound to worry about--radiation poisoning may require him to be hospitalized.  Avatar refuses.

The Argo is still caught in the space web when the ecto-gas encircles it.  Sandor freaks out.  Avatar orders emergency take-off.  The crew takes their battle stations.  Venture leaps into his pilot seat and orders full power.  The ship breaks free.  Nova finds an opening in the space net--which happens to be right where the Sea of Fire lies.  They ask the captain what they should do.  Avatar orders them to approach the Sea of Fire at full speed.  Sandor protests. 

Desslok watches them fly directly at the Sea of Fire and gloats.  Then he goes to work on, um, other projects.

The Argo approaches the Sea of Fire.  Avatar orders the shields engaged over the hull.  The crew watches the approach, and Avatar orders full speed maintained.  Sandor suggests they put on space suits.  Avatar passes out.  Nova calls the doctor.  An assistant gets him into a spacesuit as he rushes to the bridge.  The doctor orders them to stop, but Avatar countermands the order.  The doctor checks his pulse, and tells him to be careful so he doesn't end up in the  . . . *ominously whispered* "hospital."

Red Star flares 10-times the size of the Argo threaten the ship as Venture maneuvers the ships around them.  The internal temperature is, um, 400 degrees. Venture demands more power from Orion, but is engineers are suffering from the heat.  Outside, however, the flames of the Red Star consume the ecto-gas.  Then the ship plunges headlong into an abnormal flare, too fast to avoid it.  Then Avatar orders Wildstar to fire the wave motion gun.  They hit full power, and Derek fires, dispelling the Red Star flare.  The Argo flies triumphantly through the Sea of Fire. 

Desslok is . . . in bed, no doubt seeing to his other projects.  Krypt starts to tell him about the Star Force, and Desslok says he didn't want to hear about the death of Star Force.  The Krypt tells them that they're very much alive, and Desslok broods instead of gloating.

Aboard the Argo, Nova is wishing on star.  She tells Wildstar that she trusts in the power of her wishes more than the power of the star.  She finally tells him that she's wishing for a certain person to fall in love with her, but refuses to tell him who that is.

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