Communications Satellite

Communications Satellite

The Star Force has been out of visual communications with Earth for 2 months.  A crew member is having a physical in sick bay.  He has a constant ringing in his ears, but the doctor can't find a physical reason, but guesses he's suffering from homesickness.  He is prescribed a visit to the holodeck with Nova.  She sets up a simulation of snowfall near a harbor.  Crewman Homer seems somewhat cheered up by the simulation until he sees a hologram of his mother carrying firewood and freaks out when it's apparent that she's a hologram.

The Doctor is assisting the Captain to the communications room.  Avatar manages to contact the UN.  They report that the planet bombs have ceased with the destruction of the Pluto base, though the radiation is still spreading.  Suddenly Homer arrives and starts some panic spreading.  We don't know anything about Iskandar, we don't know where the Gamilons are, and we don't know what's really going on on Earth.  Avatar talks him down, and then Homer passes out.

In the mess hall, all the department heads are discussing Avatar's communication with Earth.  Avatar thanks them for their performance while he was in sickbay.  The toast to the crew, the families on Earth, and the captain's health.  They express concern at Homer's outburst.  Venture wonders what the chances of the success of the mission really are.  Avatar tells him there are no guarantees, but they must believe in a future for everyone.  Without that believe, Earth is lost.

General Lysis is informed of the intercepted communications between the Earth and the Argo.  Lysis is planning to destroy morale with a communications relay satellite.

Homer awakens in the middle of the night and goes early to his post in the communications room.  He chases off the crewman on duty, and calls his mother.  He's been using a "secret" frequency.  His mother tells him that his father is very sick.

Earth is bearing the scars of the radiation-laden planet bombs.  Homer's father has been responsible for work constructing underground cities, and has apparently caught some new virus (despite have bandages on his head).  Homer tries to speak to his father, but interference and his father's loss of consciousness ends the call.  Then Homer finds Wildstar looking over his shoulder.  Homer has an angst moment and rushes onto the bridge, pleading with Venture to turn back and return to Earth.  Venture refuses, then Homer freaks out and leaves just as Wildstar comes running for him.

In the hangar, Homer tries to sneak past Conroy to the spacesuit lockers while Wildstar calls to warn Conroy.  Wildstar and Venture rush down to the hangar deck, but Homer is already in space, trying to swim home.

The Argo retroes, and the Black Tigers launch in their fighters to search for Homer.  If this were the 2004 Battlestar Galactica, they woulda just said "Frakk 'im!"  In space, Homer is hallucination that he sees the Earth, but he's actually approaching the communications relay satellite.  The GAMILON communications relay satellite, and the truth slowly begins to dawn on him.  He decides he has to get back to the Star Force.  But, well, he's been adrift in space.  So now he has a freakout about that. 

Wildstar approaches the relay satellite.  Homer waves him in, and Wildstar calls the rest of the Star Force.  Wildstar picks him up and gives Homer the weapons control, allowing him to be the one to destroy the satellite.  Homer's spirits are instantly lifted, and they rendezvous with the rest of the search party.  They return to the Argo.

There are only 255 days left.