Dragged to Gamilon

Dragged to Gamilon

The Argo approaches a phenomena on space, and Venture realizes something is wrong with the compass.  IQ 9 and Nova state the obvious, and Sandor insists the problem isn't with the compass.  Venture decides it's an external cause.  Homer determines that a signal is coming from the Magellanic Cloud where Iskandar is.  Homer does something, and they receive a message from Queen Starsha of Iskandar.  She tells them that Iskandar is the 8th planet orbiting the sun in the Magellanic Cloud, and she will transmit a signal as a guide.  The crew celebrates and shakes hands.

In his quarters, Avatar is bed-ridden.  Recovering from the battle?  Or worse.  Derek and Nova have a "first date" where Derek tries to take a picture of the two of them and she slaps his hand away, then leaves, giggling.

Homer goes to the radio room when they realize the signal from Iskandar is gone.  Venture explains to Wildstar that two Iskandar's have appeared.  They wonder what's going on.  Then one Iskandar disappears from the screen.  Homer surmises it's radio jamming.  Missiles suddenly close in.  Wildstar has the gun crews prepare and range in as the missiles divide into four groups.  Wildstar sends Nova to look after the captain, though Avatar insists Nova should be on the bridge.  Wildstar orders the weapons to fire a counter barrage, but the missiles end up being cluster weapons of some sort and get through.  Venture panics--the missiles have created a metallic cloud that distorts all the sensor readings.

Wildstar has a momentary crisis, wonder if he's cut out to lead, then orders Conroy out in a fighter to collect missile fragments.  Conroy is forced to launch without instruments.  Sandor analyzes the fragments, and determines that they are of Gamilon origin.  After some mental gymnastics, Sandor, Wildstar and Venture realize that the "second Iskandar" is Gamilon--they never thought about where Gamilon actually was.

In the Gamilon capital city--which is underground--Desslok is relaxing in a pool, getting a massage when Starsha calls him on a space phone.  She is upset at the radiation scattered around Iskandar.  Desslok mocks her, and asserts that the devastation of Earth was for the benefit of both planets.  Because Galveston--er, Gamilon needs a new planet, so he's decided to depopulate Earth.  Starsha then taunts him with his repeated losses against the Star Force.  Desslok cuts her off. 

Desslok, now fully clothed, arrives at the Gamilon, um, government chambers.  Fine.  Let's just call it the Reichkanzlorei.  He gives us a geological lesson on the strange double-crust structure of Gamilon, and that the volcanoes of the lower crust have created seas of sulfur, which will figure in his final plans to destroy the Star Force.  It involves missiles, coastal gins, and other crazy schemes.  The generals sure seem to like it.

The Argo is still enshrouded by the metallic cloud, and Wildstar agonizes over Starsha's true allegiances.  Then Nova calls him to the radio room--Starsha is calling.  She warns them of Gamilon and their jamming and . . . she gets cut off.

Wildstar apologizes to Venture for having a meltdown.  Wildstar then goes to Avatar's cabin, where Avatar advises him to get past the Gamilons.  Then the ship is struck and starts shaking.  Wildstar emerges on the bridge to discover that the magnetic cloud is dragging the Argo towards Gamilon.  The crew rushes to battle stations.  On Gamilon, the tractor beam weapons are dragging the Argo to the planet, despite Venture's best efforts.

They brace for a crash, and then plummet straight through an opening in the crust into a sulfurous sea.  The Argo splashes down.

Teh crew is scattered across the bridge where they fell.  Wildstar struggles back into his seat and rouses the rest of the crew.  He orders IQ 9 to analyze the sea--but Nova and Sandor are still trying to reassemble him.  Then a storm starts.  IQ 9 starts his analysis as the storm rages.  IQ 9 informs them that the ship will dissolve in this sea.  Venture orders them to lift off.  Bits of the ship are already corroding and falling off.  Then bombs start dropping on them.  The explosions drive them back under the sulfurous waves. . .

There are only 164 days left.