The Artificial Sun

The Artificial Sun

The Star Force has reached Balan--the half-way point of their trip to Iskandar.  But unbeknownst to them, it's the site of a Gamilon Base.  Conroy, Wildstar, and IQ 9 are on a reconnaissance flight and see . . . a star orbiting the planet Balan?

The bridge crew discuss the mission.  Wildstar and Conroy approach the planet surface and see pod-like plants all over the ground.  And in the center of a crater, IQ 9 sees a Gamilon station.  Wildstar and Conroy do a closer flyby and call the Argo to advise them of the base's existence.

As they close in on the base, anti-aircraft fire greets them, but they evade and continue surveying the planet.  IQ 9 relays the return message from the Argo, but Wildstar decides to shut the base down.  A Gamilon squadron launches.  Conroy tells Wildstar to go back, since he's just flying a recon plane.  Conroy engages.  Wildstar gives IQ 9 the controls, only to have IQ 9 take him back to the ship while Conroy continues the fight.

Wildstar lands and goes to the bridge.  On the bridge, Homer orders Conroy to return.  Wildstar urges Avatar to destroy the base.  Venture protests--they're 44 days behind schedule.  Wildstar points out that they'll just have to fight them on the way back, putting them even more behind schedule.  Avatar agrees to attack just as Conroy in his damaged fighter.

Lysis is mustering his fleet 50 mega-miles from the Balan base.  Balgar paces, getting on Lysis' nerves.  Lysis plots and schemes.  A common enemy commander trait, isn't it?  He knows the Argo will close in to the surface base, and he'll use the artificial star to crush them.  Balgar is upset that Lysis is willing o sacrifice the base.

The base prepares to counterattack the Argo.  The Argo closes on the planet and Avatar orders all hands to battle station.  Wildstar prepares the missile and main gun batteries.  He notices the sun is doing something weird and orders an eye kept on it.

The Gamilon base launches missiles.  The main guns intercept the missile barrage.  Balgar and Lysis watch as they approach straight on to the base.  Lysis orders the artificial sun activated and starts its descent.  The sun closes in on the Argo while it's fighting its way through the missiles.

On the bridge, Eager notices the sun closing in and alerts the rest of the crew.  Wildstar wants to fire the wave motion gun at it.  Eager and Sandor protest, and the fourth missile wave reaches them.  The sun closes, and Avatar orders him to prepare the wave motion gun to fire at the sun.  He and Venture coordinate the aiming--300 seconds to align the gun, 290 seconds for the sun to destroy them.  Lysis gloats and Balgar is upset that the troops on the base will be sacrificed and leaves the control room.

Missiles strike the ship's unprotected flank as the aft guns struggle to shoot them down.  Wildstar orders them to back away from the sun--Venture is afraid the missiles will do even more damage from that close range.  They do it anyway, and some panic ensues as the sun promises to destroy the Gamilon base as well as the Argo.  Nova sees Avatar clutching his chest . . .

Lysis is gloating--until Balgar tells him that Desslok is calling.  Lysis wonders why he chose now to call.  Desslok orders him not to sacrifice the base.  Lysis, enrage, yells at Balgar.

The Argo crew see the sun receding.  Thy come around and prepare to fire the wave motion gun.  The BFG does its thing and destroys the sun.  Fragments from the sun strike and devastate the Gamilon base, but the Argo escapes.  Lysis and Balgar watch in dismay as the Argo emerges relatively unscathed.

A research team lands on Balan the moment the sun is done erupting.  The bridge crew is at ease after the battle.  Wildstar says the plants were the thing that tipped him off to the sun's artificialness.  Avatar orders him to meet with him at a specified time.  Nova and IQ 9 land on the hangar deck and bring a space turtle on board.  The turtle's vestigal eyes and the plants all indicate that the planet normally has very little light.  The ship resumes its crews.

Wildstar meets Avatar in his quarters.  The captain says he's fatigued.  He asks Wildstar for help, taking on some of the responsibilities as deputy captain. 

Any chance the Man-Made sun episode of Dairugger was an homage to this episode?  As well as the team leaders becoming co-captains with Ise?

There are only 253 days left.