Harmony - Recap

Sheppard and Rodney are on a diplomatic mission to a planet with a royal family. They meet with Flora and Mardola, attractive sisters who head the royal family. They thank Atlantis for their assistance and then ask one more favor: they’d like the two to escort their sister, Harmony, on a pilgrimage to ancient ruins to perform a ritual so she can become queen. Sheppard and Rodney are eager to take on the mission, figuring Harmony is as attractive as her sisters… until they find out she’s a pre-adolescent.

The men have no choice if they want to maintain good diplomatic relations. They take Harmony through the woods, but it turns out she’s a spoiled brat who keeps picking on Rodney. When he tries to complain, she starts crying and makes it appear that Rodney is to blame. As they’re going through the woods, they hear a strange noise which Harmony identifies as “The Beast.” She says it won’t harm her, although she’s not sure about them, and insists they continue. They continue on, with Rodney arguing with her every step… until Sheppard disappears and several Genii soldiers surround them. They tell Rodney to surrender the girl and he stalls until Sheppard sneaks behind them and stuns them: he knew they were there and slipped away. Harmony figures Rodney was planning to sell her out, which he not-so-convincingly denies. She tells them that the Genii used to trade with her people until her mother the Queen kicked them out, and she’d keep the same relationship. Sheppard figures someone else in the royal family has cut a deal with the Genii in return for trade benefits and eliminating Harmony. He wants to turn back but Harmony insists they go on to the ruins. Sheppard overrides her and they start to head back.

At the palace, a Genii Field Captain sneaks into the palace and meets with Mardola, giving her a communicator while she berates him for failing to locate the party.

Heading back to the palace, Sheppard is forced to make camp for the night and Harmony slips away. They track her to a cave where she’s killed a bird and is feeding herself. Rodney is interested in eating and they decide to stay in the cave when they hear the Beast in the distance. It becomes clear Harmony is romantically interested in Sheppard and offers him the position of her consort. He puts her off as gently as he can and outside they hear screams from the Genii. Sheppard goes to investigate while Rodney and Harmony verbally spar back and forth, and he claims he doesn’t not like her.

Sheppard finds two dead Genii, who have odd puncture wounds he can’t identify. When the other Genii approach, he hides and overhears them saying they now have orders to kill all three of the fugitives. He gets back to the cave but Harmony says they should continue to the ruins since the Beast won’t go there, and it’s closer then the palace. They agree and the next morning get to the ruins and stun the two Genii guarding it. Harmony has a pendant that she’s supposed to use but nothing happens: the Genii reveal they tampered with the control crystals. Rodney identifies the place as a base constructed by the Ancients as a testing ground for their mini-drones. He figures out that the pendant is a passkey and Harmony has the Ancient gene. The mini-drones are on automated patrol and are the “Beast.” However, the Genii messed up the crystals and he’ll need to repair them before Harmony can activate the ruins and pass her initiation.

One of the Genii calls the stunned guards and Sheppard tries to bluff it out without success. McKay goes to work on the crystal controls as the Genii arrive and open fire, saying Harmony’s sister betrayed her. Pinned down, Sheppard figures anyone with the Ancient gene and the passkey can operate the system. As soon as McKay gets the system working, he tries to protect Harmony while Sheppard makes a run for the controls and activates them. He summons the mini-drones and then turns them against the Genii, killing their leader and forcing the others to flee. Harmony thinks that Sheppard tried to usurp her position by taking the passkey pendant and activating the drones. She’s also pleased that Rodney tried to save her, even though he says he just tripped and fell on her.

Later at the palace, they order a search of Flora and Mardola’s quarters and find the Genii communicator. Mardola is taken way, protesting that Harmony is too young to be queen. Sheppard and McKay attend Harmony’s coronation, where she speaks highly of Rodney and unveils a painting of the epic journey. Rodney is heroically firing a gun while Sheppard is cowering behind him. Sheppard is not amused.


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