B7 series 1

"The Way Back"
by Terry Nation
Directed by Michael Briant

(c) 1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1994 by Susan Clerc, Micky DuPree, Carol Reed and Susan Beth Schnitger.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake -- Gareth Thomas
Jenna Stannis -- Sally Knyvette
Vila Restal -- Michael Keating
Bran Foster -- Robert Beatty
Ven Glynd -- Robert James
Dev Tarrant -- Jeremy Wilkin
Tel Varon -- Michael Halsey
Maja -- Pippa Steel
Ravella -- Gillian Bailey
Dal Richie -- Alan Butler
Arbiter -- Margaret John
Doctor Havant -- Peter Williams
Alta Morag -- Susan Field
Clerk of Court -- Rodney Figaro
Computer Operator -- Nigel Lambert
Guard -- Garry McDermott

Uncredited:

Public address
Public address (male)
Assorted rebels
Trooper
Female prisoner

Walk-ons:

Les Shannon Derek Southern
John Hensen Sandy Sinclair
Barry Summerford Mort Jackson
Beryl Nisbett

NOTE: ______ = unintelligible

[A security camera monitors a sterile white hallway. Thoroughout this scene other people pass through the area in a lackadaisical, "out of it" manner while the P.A. broadcasts soothing music and announcements. Blake stops and looks around before moving on]

P.A.: Attention. Level thirty-eight walkways will be closed for one hour. Level thirty-eight cardholders must report to
Central immediately.
RAVELLA: [Waiting behind a pillar labeled L/37] Roj.
BLAKE: Ah, Ravella.
RAVELLA: [She pulls him behind the pillar] Did you have any trouble?
BLAKE: No.
RAVELLA: You followed the route I gave you?
BLAKE: Yes. Can we get on with it please.
RAVELLA: Come on. [They begin walking]
P.A.: [In the background, mostly unintelligible] ____ engineering of the new ___ of the new discovery ____-
RAVELLA: And eating and drinking -- you've managed to do without?
BLAKE: Well, since you were so insistent I've done without food or drink for thirty-six hours.
RAVELLA: How do you feel?
BLAKE: Hungry and thirsty, of course.
RAVELLA: Nothing else? [She turns to check behind them]
BLAKE: Ravella, is this some kind of practical joke?
RAVELLA: It's no joke.
[Unnoticed by Ravella and Blake, Dev Tarrant, who had been
walking in a "drugged" manner, drops that mannerism and
begins to follow them at a distance]
P.A.: The President will be answering questions about new
population control ____ measures.

[They walk down a metal staircase into sub forty-three]
RAVELLA: All our food and drink is treated with suppressants. Going without for a day and a half, they should be wearing off.
BLAKE: [Laughs] Not that again.
[Richie emerges from the side and kisses Ravella on the cheek]
RAVELLA: Dal Richie, Roj Blake. [They shake hands]
RICHIE: Been looking forward to meeting you. I hear your family settled on the Outer Planets?
BLAKE: Brother and a sister on Ziegler Five.
RICHIE: Do you hear from them much?
BLAKE: I get vistapes a couple of times a year. Look, what is this? I was told you had some news about them.
RICHIE: No, not me. The man we're going to meet. He specially asked us to contact you so he could tell you in person. He
was on Ziegler Five a few months ago. [They have moved closer to a large, closed door]
BLAKE: Where is he now?
RAVELLA: Waiting for us. Outside.
BLAKE: Outside?
RICHIE: Don't worry. It's not all that bad. The air's fresh though it smells different.
BLAKE: You realize going outside is a Category Four crime?
RICHIE: We do know the law.
RAVELLA: Yes, so whatever you see tonight you keep silent about.
RICHIE: Well? Are you coming?
BLAKE: Let's get on with it. [Richie fiddles around with the door panel and a tool box] What are you doing?
RICHIE: Picking the lock.
[Ravella looks back toward the staircase]
BLAKE: What is it?
RAVELLA: It's nothing.
[Tarrant watches from the stairs]
RICHIE: Now, one more thing. If you open the door, it registers on the computer. These are circuit integrators. Now you could steal this entire section of wall and the machine would cheerfully ignore you. Ready?
RAVELLA: [To Blake] Now look: you report anything to the authorities, you'll find yourself implicated more deeply
than you imagine.

[Richie turns a crank on a box and the door opens. Tarrant watches from the stairs as the other three exit, then follows them through the door, up a ladder, and finally outside. The city, a huge, grey dome, looms behind them against the night sky]

[They stop at a stream. Ravella scoops up a handful of water and drinks.]
RAVELLA: [To Blake] Try some.
BLAKE: Hm?
RAVELLA: It's natural water. [Blake tries some] The stuff we get's been recycled a thousand times [Blake spits it out] -- and it's dosed with suppressants.
RICHIE: I'll check ahead. Watch for my signal.
RAVELLA: Okay.
BLAKE: Improves the flavor if nothing else.
[Richie wades off across the stream, carrying his boots.]
RAVELLA: Doesn't it bother you that you spend your life in a state of drug-induced tranquility? [removes her boots]
BLAKE: We've got to traverse that?
RAVELLA: Yeah.
BLAKE: [Removes his boots] Why should the Administration try to drug us?
RAVELLA: To keep control. They've been stepping up the suppressants because the number of dissidents is growing.
BLAKE: Should I take this? [Picks up Richie's box and they begin to cross the stream]
RAVELLA: They've seen what's happening and they want to stop it.
BLAKE: Stop what?
RAVELLA: Don't you know? Don't you remember anything about the treatments they gave you?
BLAKE: I've had no treatments.
RAVELLA: I thought there'd be something left, some trace of memory.
BLAKE: What about my memory?
RAVELLA: There's the signal. [A flashlight beam is seen waving.]

[Tarrant watches from the bushes. Blake and Ravella approach the tunnel entrance and are admitted by Richie]

[Tarrant follows their route]

[The tunnel. Richie takes his box from Blake. There are many people in the corridor, wearing mainly gray toned robes very different from the garb of city dwellers. They all watch as Blake passes by them.]
BLAKE: They're Outsiders!
RICHIE: Quite a few of them are working for our cause now.
BLAKE: But it's illegal to have contact with anyone who lives outside the city.
RICHIE: Right, but then this whole meeting is illegal.
BLAKE: I'm leaving. I want nothing to do with this. You told me I was going to meet a man who could tell some news about my family.
RICHIE: Hold on, Blake. You've got to hear Foster.
BLAKE: I don't want to hear Foster. I should report everything I've seen to the Administration.
RAVELLA: You can't do that.
BLAKE: Why not?
RICHIE: We've left documents in the city with your signature on them. Forged, of course, but convincing enough to implicate you in everything we've been doing.
RAVELLA: Don't have any doubts. One word in the wrong place can make you look as guilty as any of us.
RICHIE: And looking guilty is all it takes.

[Foster approaches the three of them and shakes Blake's hand]

FOSTER: Roj! Good to see you. It's been a long time. [Persists] Bran Foster. Oh! Stupid of me. You don't remember. You had the treatment.
BLAKE: Look, what is this? I've had no treatments, my memory is fine. Now what is going on?
FOSTER: Now, now, now. [He takes Blake aside]I know, I know, it's difficult for you. Then, too, it's difficult for those of us who knew you before. But the important thing is, you're here.
TARRANT: [Enters and speaks to Ravella and Richie in the background] I had trouble getting out of the city, the route was crowded. For a while there I thought we'd been infiltrated.
FOSTER: Dev Tarrant's here. Dev! [Beckons him over] You remember Roj Blake.
TARRANT: Oh, yes. We met before. [They shake hands]
FOSTER: [To Blake] Dev Tarrant. [To Tarrant] Ah, I'm trying to persuade Roj to rejoin us.
TARRANT: Yes. [Takes his leave]
FOSTER: [Still leading Blake aside] Now, I want you to listen to what I have to tell you. After that you can do whatever you like.
BLAKE: All right. Now what do you know about my family?
FOSTER: Well, I'll come to that. There are other things you should know first.
BLAKE: Forget the other things. Just what do you know?
FOSTER: [Tarrant is visible in the background through most of this] They're dead. Your brother and sister are both dead. I'm sorry, I didn't intend you to hear it like that. They were executed four years ago just after your trial.
BLAKE: Executed? No, that's not true. I hear from them regularly. I had a vistape only a month ago.
FOSTER: Those tapes are fakes. Part of the treatment to keep your memory suppressed. Now, this isn't going to be easy for
you, but I'm going to have to tell you things about
yourself of which you have no memory. Will you hear me out?
BLAKE: Go on.
FOSTER: Four years ago, there was a good deal of discontent with the Administration. There were many activist groups. But the only one that really meant anything was led by Roj Blake. You and I worked together. We were outlawed and hunted. But we had supporters and we were making progress. Then someone betrayed us, I still don't know who. You were captured. So were most of our followers. They could have killed you. But that would have given the Cause a martyr. [As Foster continues, we see Blake's memories of being tortured, captured, and beaten] So instead they put you into intensive therapy. They erased areas of your mind, they implanted new ideas. They literally took your mind to pieces and rebuilt it. And when they'd finished, they put you up and you confessed. You said you'd been "misguided." You appealed to everyone to support the Administration, hound up the traitors. Oh, they, they did a good job on you. You were very convincing. And then they took you back and erased even that.
BLAKE: What happened to the others?
FOSTER: In their benevolence, the Federation allowed them to emigrate to the Outer Worlds. Like your family, they were executed on arrival.
BLAKE: Why are you telling me this now?
FOSTER: Because we're preparing to move again. And if it were known that you were with us, we'd get more support. How do you feel? Will you help us again?
BLAKE: I don't know. I'm not even sure that I believe you.
FOSTER: It's all true.
BLAKE: I have to think.
FOSTER: Of course. We'll talk after the meeting.
BLAKE: Hmm. [He walks off to another part of the tunnel]
TARRANT: [Steps up to him] What do you think?
FOSTER: I don't know. There's not much left of the man I knew. We'll see. All right, let's get started, shall we?
TARRANT: [Announcing] All right, everybody, come on. Let's start the meeting now. You come over here and make a group.
[The rebels sit in a group on the floor and applaud as Foster steps in front of them to speak.]
FOSTER: Thank you for turning up. Now we all know the risks that we're running in being here, so I'll be as brief as possible. You've probably heard that the settlers in the Outer Worlds are rightly demanding greater autonomy. If wecan help to unify their voices, the Administration will have to listen.

[Blake wanders through the tunnel and hides when he sees Federation troopers arrive. While this is happening, Foster's voice is heard in the background. It sounds like a repetition of his last two lines]

[Meeting area]
FOSTER: The security forces are already overstretched. If we can step up our campaign of civil disobedience here on Earth, they will have to concentrate their forces here, and that will give the Outer Worlds much more freedom of action. Now we must aim to have at least one world declare its independence within the next two years.
REBELS: Hear hear.

[Back in the tunnel, Blake changes hiding places as more troopers appear. Again, Foster's voice is in the background, apparently repeating his last lines]
TROOPER: [V.O. on comm link] Unit Three, move in.

[Meeting area]
FOSTER: Now, I think most of you know my old friend, Dev Tarrant. Dev will give you details of how we can all help.
TARRANT: We've got to cause as much disruption as possible in the food manufacturing division. There's nothing more effective than ration cuts to cause unrest. I've worked out methods by which this disruption can be implemented. [Troopers enter from several directions]
FOSTER: [To the rebels] Now, do not attempt to resist arrest. No matter what the provocation, we must not resort to violence. [To troopers] We claim our rights as citizens, and demand to be treated as civil prisoners.

[The troopers open fire and the rebels scramble for cover that isn't there. Scene cuts between the massacre and Blake listening helplessly in the tunnel. Blake emerges from hiding some time later and sees the corpses. When he returns to the city, he is captured, triggering again the memories shown during Foster's talk with him]

[Cell. Blake is sitting cross-legged on a metal bunk, with his hands pressed to his temples. There is droning/humming noise in the background throughout]
HAVANT: You're obviously suffering from a severe emotional disturbance. We must try to unravel this fantasy.
BLAKE: It is NOT a fantasy.
HAVANT: Of course it isn't.
BLAKE: [Looks up] Do you believe me?
HAVANT: To you it isn't a fantasy.
BLAKE: [After a pause] Get out! Leave me alone.
HAVANT: Reality is a dangerous concept. Each one of us interprets it in a slightly different way. Every sense impression is filtered by the brain and altered, sometimes just a little, sometimes completely, to fit our individual model of what the world is about. If that model should be challenged ...
BLAKE: [Has started chanting over and over to himself] I am NOT insane. I am NOT insane ...
HAVANT: No. You must put that thought completely out of your mind. You've had a shock.
BLAKE: [Stops chanting] Yes.
HAVANT: We must work together to uncover what that shock was. I'm going to prescribe a mild sedative--
BLAKE: No drugs!
HAVANT: --a mild sedative to help you to sleep. You must rest.
BLAKE: No! No drugs.
HAVANT: All right, no drugs. Now try not to think anymore. Don't worry, we'll get it sorted out.
BLAKE: [alone, huddled down in a corner of the cell] I can't remember. I can't remember!

[Ven Glynd's office. Blake, pacing in his cell and glaring at the security camera hidden in the ceiling light, is shown on a large screen on the far wall throughout the scene]
GLYND: Can he break through the memory blocks, Dr. Havant?
HAVANT: It's unlikely. We don't eradicate memory, of course, merely make it inaccessible. But in the normal healthy mind the barriers are impenetrable. Should he suffer anything like a nervous breakdown, where all the mental circuitry
malfunctions, as it were, then he might just possibly find a route into his past.
GLYND: Mm. That might just possibly prove something of a problem.
HAVANT: Can't he be eliminated?
MORAG: No, he's a symbol of opposition to the Administration.
HAVANT: So?
GLYND: We've done cross-sectional psych readings which show that a high percentage of people, particularly the younger ones, believe that Blake's trial was a showpiece, that his statements were rigged.
MORAG: His death could be used by the dissidents. They need a hero. Alive or dead, Blake could be it.
HAVANT: Difficult. I suppose my department could infect him, some rapidly terminal disease. Would his natural death help?
GLYND: I don't think so.
MORAG: What we need is something to discredit him. If he could be deported to Cygnus Alpha .... Doctor, am I right in
thinking you can create experiences, implant them into a subject, who will then believe that they really happened?
HAVANT: Of course. In fact, creating an illusion of reality is quite simple.
MORAG: Good. Then I think we can totally destroy Blake's credibility and get him sentenced. [to Glynd] But I'd like to do a feasibility check. [Gynd nods] Doctor, would you come with me please.
HAVANT: As you wish.
GLYND: I want to bring charges soon, Morag.
MORAG: Oh, I shall report back. [Morag and Havant exit through the main door and Tarrant enters from a back corner]
GLYND: You heard?
TARRANT: I heard.
GLYND: Satisfied?
TARRANT: Not yet. He can identify me. My whole operation is at risk. I'll be satisfied when the risk is eliminated.

[Cell]
BLAKE: [V.O.] Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember.

[Glynd's office, later. Morag is already seated]
GLYND: Varon. Come in. [Varon does so] Do sit down.
VARON: Thank you.
GLYND: You know Morag, don't you?
VARON: Yes. Morag.
MORAG: Varon.
GLYND: I've got a defense assignment for you. Not a very pleasant one, I'm afraid.
VARON: [Takes a plastic flimsy from him] Eh.
GLYND: Morag is prosecuting.
MORAG: The evidence is indisputable. If I were you, I should concentrate on the mitigation.
VARON: Mm.
GLYND: Varon, I'm aware that I needn't say this to you of all people, but I will say it because I feel so very strongly about this case. I want you to do everything in your power to help the man. Our first concern must be to see that he has justice.

[Prison. Varon gives a guard the plastic flimsy and the guard pushes some buttons]
P.A.: [V.O.] Security clear on cell unit M-three for Justice
Department access. [Varon walks over to a small table facing onto the glass wall of Blake's cell. Blake is lying on his back on the bunk]
VARON: I'm Tel Varon, Justice Department. I've been assigned to defend you.
BLAKE: I don't need a defense. I'm going to plead guilty.
VARON: Come now. Certainly the evidence against you is strong --
BLAKE: I just want to make a statement in open court. I want those responsible for the massacre brought to trial.
VARON: I'm sorry?
BLAKE: There can be no justification for deliberate murder.
VARON: There's nothing in the charges about murder. There are a number of other counts. Assault on a minor, attempting to
corrupt minors, moral deviation ...
BLAKE: Let me see that! [He gets up and reads the sheet Varon presses against the glass] All involving children! None of this is true!
VARON: Of course not. That's why you surprised me when you said you'd plead guilty.
BLAKE: [Splutters] Well, yes, but not to this, not to these charges.
VARON: They are the only ones that have been brought against you. And I must tell you frankly the evidence against you is very damaging.
BLAKE: Well, if there is any evidence, it's been faked!
VARON: I've had the opportunity of talking to the children -- that is, the prosecution witnesses -- and they do seem very
certain of their facts.
BLAKE: Oh, yes, yes. Yes, their briefing would have been perfect. [Sits back on the bunk]
VARON: If I may, I'd like to outline how I think we should conduct your case.
BLAKE: [In the background behind Varon's lines] They set me up beautifully.
VARON: There is a possible approach if we could cite your record: your breakdown after your involvement with those illegal political groups, the remorse that you felt, the guilt you carried has placed you under an enormous strain. And we can submit that these assaults, these aberrations were carried out whilst you were mentally unbalanced.
BLAKE: I will offer no defense, but I will plead not guilty.
VARON: These are grave charges. Without extenuating circumstances, you might face deportation. A mental institution would be better than spending the rest of your life on Cygnus Alpha.
BLAKE: [Firmly] I will offer no defense. Right?
VARON: Won't you reconsider?
BLAKE: Even if you could prove me innocent, the charges have been made. I've got to hand it to them. [To the security camera] You've done a brilliant job!!

[Courtroom. Varon enters and joins Blake in an alcove]
VARON: Good morning.
BLAKE: I've had a chance to think things through. It's vital that I have the opportunity to make that statement to the open court.
VARON: Well that's up to the Arbiter. It's not usual.
BLAKE: There's no way you can prove my innocence, is there?
VARON: [protests] You've given me no chance to try.
BLAKE: IS THERE?
VARON: It is doubtful.
BLAKE: I AM innocent.
VARON: I've spoken to the children. Their statements were all verified by lie detector. And that puts them beyond dispute.
BLAKE: [Motions for him to sit down] The Administration has gone to enormous trouble -- I mean, they've even put themselves at risk. There must be a number of people involved who know the truth. Now why? Why would they take that chance?
VARON: There's no possible reason that I can think of.
BLAKE: Look, I know you've heard the evidence, but, just for the moment, assume that I am innocent.
VARON: All right.
BLAKE: Now at first, I thought they wanted to silence me because I was the witness to the murder of twenty people. The only witness.
VARON: If they're as ruthless as you suggest, then why didn't they simply eliminate you?
BLAKE: Because I was something of a political figure -- or so you told me.
VARON: It's true, you, you had a considerable following, but then you publicly denounced your whole movement and pledged support to the Administration. It's suggested there are still people who secretly believe you were coerced into that
statement.
BLAKE: Exactly. And my death would merely reinforce those beliefs. It, it's exactly the same as if I were arraigned for being at a proscribed political meeting. And so they trump up these charges against me.
VARON: If it were true, do you realize the implications of what you're saying? It would mean there is corruption at a high level of the Administration.
CLERK: Now be silent. By the authority of the Terran Federation, this tribunal is in session. [The arbiter enters, escorted by several troopers]
CLERK: The Arbiter will permit submissions. [Troopers take reddish plastic boxes from Varon and Morag]
ARBITER: Let the accused be brought forward. [This is done] Have you the accused been made aware of the charges that are laid against you? And do you fully understand the nature and gravity of those charges?
BLAKE: Yes.
ARBITER: Who speaks for the Federation?
MORAG: I do.
ARBITER: Who speaks for the accused?
VARON: I do.
ARBITER: Are you both satisfied that the evidence was fairly obtained? And that all statements were certified as true and correct by lie detector?
MORAG: I am.
VARON: I am.
ARBITER: Is the accused satisfied that his defense has been fully and fairly prepared?
BLAKE: The charges against me are totally false. I am not guilty, therefore I offer no defense.
ARBITER: Your guilt or innocence is what we are here to determine. If there are no further submissions, the case will be examined. [The clerk presents each advocate with one of the boxes, from which they remove clear spheres] Let it be seen that the evidence for the prosecution is sealed and approved by the defense. Let it be seen that the evidence for the defense is sealed and approved by the prosecution. [The spheres are placed into the justice machine] Let the matter be assessed and may justice prevail. [The spheres blink alternately but one stops sooner then the other] The accused has been found guilty on all charges. [The charges appear on the large screen behind the arbiter -- see Addenda after transcript for their text.] His crimes have been accorded a Category Nine rating, and as such are adjudged most grave. In sentencing you, the judgment machine has taken into account your past record, your service to the state, and your loyalty to the Federation. None of these have mitigated in your favor. It is the
sentence of this tribunal that you be taken from this place to an area of close confinement. From there you will be transported to the penal colony on the planet Cygnus Alpha, where you will remain for the rest of your natural life. This matter is ended.
BLAKE: I wish to make a statement.
ARBITER: There can be no more said regarding this case. The matter has been assessed and judgment made.
BLAKE: But the evidence is false. These charges are lies.
ARBITER: If you have any complaint against the conduct of this tribunal, it must be directed through your advocate.
BLAKE: You've got to listen to me. [Guard injects him and as he passes out he sees Tarrant. Blake's memories are again
shown under Foster's voice]
FOSTER: [V.O.] They erased areas of your mind, they implanted new ideas. They literally took your mind to pieces and rebuilt it. And when they'd finished, they put you up and you confessed. You said you'd been "misguided." You appealed to everyone to support the Administration, hound up the traitors. Oh, they, they did a good job on you. You were very convincing. And then they took you back and erased even that.

[Transit cell]
PRISONER: [Screams as she is dragged along by guards] Let me go! Let me go! No! No! No! No! Let me go! Let me go! No! No! No! No! Let me go!
[Jenna follows the scene from behind the bars and then walks between the cots and watches Vila steal the unconscious Blake's watch. As Vila reaches for more, Blake comes to and pushes him away. Jenna observes their exchange]
VILA: Easy! Take it easy! I hate personal violence, especially when I'm the person.
BLAKE: Who are you?
VILA: I'm Vila Restal. [They shake hands]
BLAKE: Where are we?
VILA: In a transit cell.
BLAKE: I don't understand.
VILA: You're on your way to the penal colony on Cygnus Alpha. Or you will be when the prison ship's refueled. Try to look on the bright side. It must have something. None of the guests have ever left early. In fact, none of them have ever left at all.
BLAKE: Why are you going there?
VILA: They didn't give me a choice. I steal things. Compulsive, I'm afraid. I've had my head adjusted by some of the best in the business. But it just won't stay adjusted.
BLAKE: A professional thief.
VILA: More a vocation than a profession. Other people's property comes naturally to me.
JENNA: [Sits down next to Blake. To Blake] What's the time?
VILA: [Hands the watch back. To Blake] Just taking care of it while you were unconscious. The place is full of criminals.
BLAKE: [To Jenna] Thanks.
VILA: [Indicating her] Jenna.
BLAKE: [Also to her] Blake.
JENNA: What's your story?
BLAKE: Well, I'm innocent -- of what I was charged with anyway.
VILA: We have something in common, then. We're all victims of a miscarriage of justice.
BLAKE: It's true!
JENNA: Of course it is.
BLAKE: What about the others?
VILA: Oh, a very antisocial bunch. Murderers, liars, cheats [Looks at Jenna] ... smugglers ...
JENNA: [To Vila] -- thieves --
VILA: -- and they're the nice people.
BLAKE: How long before we take off?
JENNA: About twenty-four hours. If you're expecting a last-minute reprieve you'd better forget it. [Her hand is in his hair] Once they get you this far there's no going back. You'd better get used to the idea. Nobody out there gives a damn about you. [She nudges his head]

[Varon's quarters. Varon clears his throat in the doorway and Maja turns in bed]
MAJA: What time is it?
VARON: Late.
MAJA: Come to bed. [He does and they kiss]
VARON: There's something wrong, you know.
MAJA: Blake.
VARON: Mmm. The prosecution evidence was so complete that I accepted it. I assumed Blake was guilty and concentrated on
justification and appeals for mercy.
MAJA: Well, what else could you do? You interviewed all the victims, the witnesses. None of them had any doubts.
VARON: Perhaps they should have. [kisses her again]
MAJA: What do you mean?
VARON: I don't know. Perhaps Blake is guilty. Even so it's ... too perfect.
MAJA: Where are you going?
VARON: The Public Records computer.
MAJA: To look for what?
VARON: I don't know.
MAJA: Give me one minute and I'll come with you.

[Public Records Office. The operator is very involved in listening to music on a sort of walkman with glasses]
VARON: I'm Tel Varon with the Justice Department. I want to run a check on the medical records of those children. [Lays a
piece of paper on his desk]
OPERATOR: It'll have to wait until morning.
VARON: I want them now. [Shows ID]
[The operator grudgingly complies]
OPERATOR: Alpha three-three-seven five. C-six-one-two: Leesal, Renor. [As they are called out, each record appears on a large screen on the wall across from the operator's desk -- see Addenda for transcript of these records.]
OPERATOR: Three-four-one-seven: Deca, Carl. Three-five-one-two: Fen, Payter.
VARON: [To Maja] Nothing. Admissions to clinic, treatment records. It all tallies with the evidence. [To operator] Let me have the school attendance records on those three.
OPERATOR: Alpha three-three-seven-seven: Leesal, Renor. [Each record appears in turn on the screen -- see Addenda for
their text.]
VARON: [To Maja] Well that's interesting. He was absent from school on the afternoon before the assault.
OPERATOR: C-four-one-seven: Deca, Carl.
MAJA: So was he.
OPERATOR: C-five-one-two: Fen, Payter.
VARON: [To Maja] Well that makes it more than a coincidence. Now where were they? [To operator] Give me the admissions to
the Central Clinic on that day.
OPERATOR: Alpha zero-zero-two-eight-eight Alpha. [Screen flashes red]
MAJA: What's the matter?
OPERATOR: The information has been classified. It can be obtained by the priority three clearance.
VARON: But I need that information.
OPERATOR: Not possible.
[Maja hands Varon a brooch]
VARON: Look, the Justice Department can get a clearance [Places the brooch on the desk] but it takes time.
OPERATOR: This didn't happen, of course.
VARON: No, of course it didn't.
[Operator pushes more buttons and records again appear on the screen]
VARON: Look at that: outpatient admission, identity unrecorded. And there's another. And a third.
MAJA: Three unidentified admissions on the date the victims weren't at school.
VARON: It's not absolute proof, but it gives us somewhere to start.
MAJA: But why would they have been to the clinic?
VARON: Mental implantation?
MAJA: What's that?
VARON: A fictional experience and emotion, implanted into the mind so vividly and permanently that it becomes reality.
MAJA: Is that possible?
VARON: The process was perfected years ago, but prohibited by the medical profession. But if it is being used again --
MAJA: Blake could be telling the truth.
VARON: And that could blow the top off the whole Administration. Come on.
MAJA: Where are we going? [They exit]
OPERATOR: [Into comm] Security.

[Transit cell. Varon and Maja talk to Blake through the bars. Jenna watches from the side. Vila sidles up and startles her, earning a dirty look]
VARON: The meeting place -- how did you get to it?
BLAKE: I, I don't know. It was dark.
VARON: Which exit did you use?
BLAKE: Sub forty-three.
VARON: Forty-three -- that would be on the north side. All right, where did you go from there?
BLAKE: Well, we walked for about three miles. There was a stream.
VARON: Is there anything else you can tell us?
BLAKE: Yes, there was a man. I saw him in court just before I passed out.
MAJA: What about him?
BLAKE: Well, I'd seen him before, at the meeting. I, I thought he was one of them. He must have betrayed them. His name was Tarrant.
VARON: Dev Tarrant?
BLAKE: Do you know him?
VARON: He works in the Outer Worlds most of the time. He's in Security.
BLAKE: He's a murderer.
VARON: Then he'll come to trial like everyone else in this coverup.
BLAKE: And what about me?
VARON: Well, first I'm going to talk to my superior and get a holding order on you so that at least you can stay here on Earth while I investigate.
BLAKE: You haven't got much time.
VARON: With luck I'll get you taken back to the city detention area within -- couple of hours.
BLAKE: Thanks.
VARON: Listen, I, I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'll be in
touch. [He and Maja leave] [Jenna and Vila approach Blake]
VILA: Friends in high places? Can't you put a word in for me?
BLAKE: I'll try and think of one.
JENNA: Leaving us?
BLAKE: I hope so. [Vila chuckles. Blake to Jenna.] Nothing
personal. Why are you here? You didn't tell me.
JENNA: I was trading 'round the Near Worlds. I'm a free trader.
VILA: A smuggler. She's a big name. It's an honor to be locked up with her.
JENNA: I'm glad you're pleased.
P.A.: [V.O. male] Attention security personnel. Launch is advanced to seventeen hundred hours Earth time. That is all.
VILA: That's about eight hours.

[Glynd's office]
VARON: Well, it looks to me as though we've all been used. It wasn't Morag's fault of course, but the prosecution case was based on a very well-organized deception.
GLYND: But why?
VARON: Well, Blake claims he was arrested after he went Outside.
GLYND: Outside?
VARON: Yeah, about three miles beyond sub forty-three.
GLYND: What did he go Outside for?
VARON: An anti-Administration meeting. He says everyone there was murdered by security forces.
GLYND: Leaving him a sole survivor?
VARON: No, and, and a security agent named Tarrant. He says Tarrant organized the massacre.
GLYND: Ah, I can't believe that. Still, it will bear examination.
VARON: Then you'll order an inquiry?
GLYND: Yes. You've raised a reasonable doubt. The whole matter must now be investigated.
VARON: Thank you.
GLYND: Now go home and get some rest.
VARON: Not yet. I, I'd like your authority to go Outside the city.
GLYND: To look for those tunnels? No, I'll have a team make a survey of the area.
VARON: All right. And Blake's holding order?
GLYND: You leave everything to me. Go home and get some sleep. You've done as much as you can. [Varon exits office and joins Maja in the hall outside and the scene now cuts between the office and hallway as Varon and Maja eavesdrop]
MAJA: Is he going to be all right?
VARON: Something ... there's something not ... "to look for those tunnels" ... I didn't say anything about tunnels.
MAJA: What?
GLYND: [Into phone] Link me with Dr. Havant, Central Clinic.
HAVANT: [V.O. over comm] Doctor Havant.
GLYND: Ven Glynd. I think we may have a problem. Might be best if you were unavailable for a few days.
HAVANT: [V.O.] Is it a very serious problem?
GLYND: No, no, no, nothing that can't be handled.
HAVANT: [V.O.] I'll take a few days leave and stay at home.
GLYND: Good. Arrange to take calls only from me. Goodbye. [Breaks link]
MAJA: What does it mean?
VARON: It's obvious. He's involved.
MAJA: Then where do we go from here?
VARON: Higher up. Even to the President if we have to. But if we're going to make accusations against Glynd we'll need the
strongest possible evidence.
P.A.: [V.O.] A limited supply of protein ___ are now available from the ___ section of the food dispensing units.

[Varon and Maja enter a room]
VARON: I'm going to try something. [Opens comm link] Central Clinic, Doctor Havant. [To Maja] Tell them it's Glynd.
HAVANT: [V.O. over comm] Doctor Havant.
MAJA: Doctor Havant, I have Glynd for you.
VARON: Sorry to call you again, but are there any clinical records about the matter? Treatment charts, medical notes?
HAVANT: [V.O.] Yes, of course. They're in my office. You want them?
VARON: Yes, I'd like to have a look at them. Leave them at reception and I'll have them picked up.
HAVANT: [V.O.] I'll get my assistant to bring them down now.
VARON: Thanks. Goodbye.
HAVANT: [V.O.] Goodbye. [Breaks link]
VARON: We've got them. You go to the clinic and pick up the records, then go home and collect the tape camera.
MAJA: Where are you going?
VARON: To talk to a thief and borrow a lockpick. I'll meet you in two hours at sub forty-three.

[Transit cell. Blake and Jenna are standing at the bars]
JENNA: You're running out of time.
BLAKE: They've had long enough to issue a holding order.
JENNA: It's a long process, formalities. Don't worry, they'll get it. I wish someone was working for me. Till now it doesn't seem real. Now it's getting close, I'm getting scared.

[Sub forty-three. Maja descends the staircase and looks around]
VARON: Maja. [She turns] Did you get everything?
MAJA: [Nods and hands it over] And there are the records from the hospital.
VARON: Good. [Examines them] Yes, we can build a case on these.
MAJA: Did you get what you wanted?
VARON: Come and see.
MAJA: I've never been Outside before.
VARON: I have, years ago. I didn't like it much; it's very strange.

[An alarm sounds, apparently back at security. A trooper sits down at a keyboard much like that for the Public Records computer and Varon and Maja appear on his viewscreen. He pushes some buttons]

[Outside the city. Vaja and Varon approach the entrance to the tunnels.]

[Transit cell. A guard is prodding the prisoners to move]
GUARD: All right, listen to me, all of you. Move out of here in single file into the embarkation channel. Come on, let's get started. Move! [Rousts Jenna] You! Come on. Move! Out. Pick up your bag. Go! Come on, faster, move. [To Blake]I said move. Single file! With one behind the other. Keep them in line, guards. You in front, move!

[In the tunnel. Varon and Maja find the corpses]
VARON: Stay here. I'll, uh, I'll search the bodies and get picture tapes. [He pulls out a camera and begins recording]

[Exterior of the London]

[The London. The prisoners shuffle in. Blake takes a seat by the window]
VILA: [In the background as the guard is yelling] ___ it's going to be a very very long eight months I'm telling you ___ Do you know how to work these harnesses? you just stick it in here ___ it's going to be a very very very long eight months
GUARD: All right, come on, move. Keep moving. Come on, faster. Keep your voice down. Find the seat that's allocated to you and sit in it. Fasten the harness. Stand by for liftoff. Keep your voices down. You, fasten your harness. You, down in the front. That's your seat. Come on, move. You, stop talking. Fasten your harness.
BLAKE: How long before liftoff?
GUARD: You in a hurry to get there?
JENNA: Don't worry. There's still time.

[Tunnel. Varon finishes recording and rejoins Maja]
VARON: I've got everything we need.
MAJA: Enough to keep Blake here on Earth?
VARON: More than enough.

[Exterior shot of the London]

[The London. Blake has not buckled his harness and the guard approaches him]
GUARD: You different to everyone else? Fasten your harness.
BLAKE: What?
GUARD: Hn. Maybe we can help you hear better. You can start with a couple of hours confinement. You'll be surprised how
quickly your hearing improves. [to guard near a control panel] Seat eleven, confinement! [the other guard presses a few buttons. Blake's seat spins away from the window and constraints emerge from the sides to encircle him]

[Exterior of the London taking off]

[Outside. Tarrant and two troopers watch as the London blasts off past the dome]
TARRANT: [turns to look down at the ground] I think a transporter accident. Killed instantly. Very tragic. [To troopers] See to it, will you? [One of the troopers nods. The camera shifts to reveal the corpses of Varon and Maja lying on the ground]

[Exterior shot of the London]

[The London. Blake cranes his neck to look out the window at Earth and the moon]
GUARD: Take a long look. That's the last you'll ever see of it.
BLAKE: No, I'm coming back.

** the end **

Addenda:

I. This is the arbiter's wall screen at the end of the trial:
---------------------------------------------------------
3. ML563/MIN
4. ML563/MIN INCITE CORRUPT ACTS
5. ML563/MIN COMMIT CORRUPT ACTS
6. CR236/PER KIDNAPPING
7. CR192/PER ASSAULT
8. CR193/PER INTENT TO INJURE
9. CR193/PER CAUSE ACTUAL INJURY
10. CR333/SEC RESIST ARREST
11. ML100/DEV MORAL DEVIANCE
guilty of all charges
----------------------------------------------------------
[The last line blinks]

II. These are the medical records of the children:

==================================================
02247/1520

A 3375 C612 LEESAL RENOR
BD GRP. BG (AN) TEMP. 94.8 p/80
X42. .1.5. B2 MATERNITY 731814 11
DR. A.J. GLOBBS 812714
X42. .4.3. VAC AD NA 713094
X42. .10.6. CARD. CX 617
X43. .5.3. 1 TNA VMA 902
X45. .1.5. C27 714
X46. .5.3. X TR 107
X49. .3.7. P CR 202
==================================================
02247/1521

A 3375 C417 DEC
BD GRP BG (AN) TEMP 94.8 p/80
X43. .6.2. B6 MATERNITY 731224
DR. PAINTER HAMER 812597
X43. 10.11 VAC AD XX PA 713132
X48. .4.3. BLT TREAT Z 093
X48. .8.8. BLT C P2 618
==================================================
02247/1522

A 3375 C512 FEN PAYTER
BD GRP BG A TEMP 94.8. pulse 82
X43. .2.1. B4 MATERNITY 731002
DR. CAEN VEN 812753
X43. .8.4. VAC AD CA 713913
X44. .5.3. CHEST A 52 512
X46. .7.3. 1 TV (RG2) 912
X47. .6.8. 6 AST 2163
X48. .4.4. LR2 TLO 107
X49. .7.5. MLO (M UNIT) 3257
====================================================

III. These are the school records of the children:
[Note: much of the screen is obscured by Varon and Maja's heads,
so these are incomplete.]

==================================================
02247/1523

A 3377 C612 LEESAL RENOR
SCHOOL ZL 2 LEVEL 716 HT SAYL N.
X48.1 .48 .6.3 ..**
X49
X51 -------------------
X52
==================================================
0 2247/1524

A 3377 C417 DECA CARL
SCHOOL ZL 14 LEVEL 552 MA LONEY
9. .3.6
. .6 ----- 6. 24
1. .3 .8. 12
.2. .6
==================================================
02247/1525

A 3377 C 512 FEN PAYTER
SCHOOL ZL 3 LEVEL 417 HT VARN
9. .3 17
. .8 ----- 8. 25
.3 6. 17
62. .

=================================================

"Space Fall"
by Terry Nation

(c) 1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a partial dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1993 by Jonathan Day and Micky DuPree.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake
Jenna Stannis
Kerr Avon
Vila Restal
Olag Gan
Captain Leylan
Raiker
Artix
Selman
Klein
Trent
Garton
Wallace
Teague
Krell
Nova
Dainer

Uncredited

Remaining Guards
Remaining Crew
Remaining Prisoners

[External shot of London. The Earth can be seen, but it is small and distant.]

[Switch to view of prisoners. Focus on Jenna and Blake.]

[Switch to view of Earth and Moon receding in the distance.]

[Switch to Flight Deck]

ARTIX: Attitude stable, trajectory firm.
RAIKER: Systems check.
ARTIX: We have full function on all navigational systems.
RAIKER: Confirmed.
ARTIX: We have full function on all communication systems.
RAIKER: Confirmed. Power status?
ARTIX: Full function, course is set, we have a clear on Mars beacon.
RAIKER: [To Leylan] We have a go confirmation on all systems, sir.
LEYLAN: Thank you Mr. Raiker. Set hyperdrive speed, Time Distort five.
RAIKER: Time Distort five...

[Raiker operates a control and immediately there is heavy vibration of the flight deck and the men are pressed back in their seats.]

[External shot of London. Main drive activates.]

RAIKER: Five and running.

[Raiker checks his wrist chronometer.]

LEYLAN: Lock in full auto.

[Leylan gets up.]

LEYLAN: I thought maintenance was supposed to have fixed that high-dee shift vibration.
RAIKER: That's what they said.
LEYLAN: That's what they always say. They don't bother! Nobody bothers anymore.
LEYLAN: [To Artix] You'd better identify us to Space Security.
ARTIX: Yes, sir. [Into comms system] This is Civil Administration ship London. We are in transit from Earth to Cygnus Alpha, transporting prisoners to the penal colony. We have Federation clearance for direct flight, authority number K-Seven-Zero-One.

[Raiker checks his wrist chronometer again]

ARTIX: [Into comms system] Transmission ends.

[Raiker picks up an electronic clipboard.]

[Artix picks up a hand-held sound system. He puts a single headphone to his left ear.]

[Leylan notices and walks over to Artix]

LEYLAN: Still studying for your Commander's credentials, Artix?
ARTIX: Yes sir. I don't want to spend the rest of my life on old tubs like... I... I mean...

[Leylan smiles]

LEYLAN: I know what you mean.
ARTIX: I'm sorry, sir.

[Leylan walks towards the exit to the Flight Deck]

LEYLAN: I'm going to my quarters. Anything I should know?
ARTIX: Yes, there's a report of some meteorite activity about eighteen hours ahead ship-time. Space Met say it should have cleared our course well before we reach it.
LEYLAN: Well, keep an eye on it anyway.

[He continues towards the exit, then pauses]

LEYLAN: [To Raiker] And Mr. Raiker, give the prisoners the usual pep talk, and assign them their duties.
RAIKER: [Not entirely happy] My pleasure.

[Both Leylan and Raiker walk through the door of the flight deck.]

[Switch to view of corridor outside of the Flight Deck. There are two doors on the left, as the camera sees it.]

[Leylan heads towards the first door he reaches]

LEYLAN: Oh, and, err, use the highest level of suppressants in the prisoners' rations. I like 'em docile.
RAIKER: Yes, sir.
LEYLAN: Err, Mr. Raiker?
RAIKER: Sir?
LEYLAN: There's a female prisoner on our manifest.
RAIKER: I've noticed that sir.
LEYLAN: Yes... well... err, be discreet.
RAIKER: Yes, sir.

[Door to the prisoner's section opens. Raiker steps in]

RAIKER: [To prisoners] I'm Sub-commander Raiker, and I think there are a few things you should know.

[Raiker walks down the rows of seats]

RAIKER: The voyage to Cygnus Alpha will take approximately eight months ship time. During this period, you will obey every order and instruction that is given you. There is a punishment scale for infractions, which starts with long periods of confinement in your launch seat and ends with the Commander's right to order execution.

[Raiker heads back up the rows, to the door on the left of the prisoner's section]

RAIKER: If you have any complaints, I don't want to hear them. Understand this clearly. You have no rights whatsoever. None. Questions? [To guard] Open it up. [To prisoners] This is the limit of your world from now on. It has mess facilities, sleeping bays, recreation area. Sort out amongst yourselves how you use it. There are other rules. But you'll find out what they are when you break them. That's all. Clear your harnesses, you're at liberty to move.

[The prisoners, apart from Blake, stand up and wander out into the other section.]

RAIKER: [To Blake] What have we here? Not a troublemaker, I hope?
BLAKE: I didn't hear an order.
RAIKER: You didn't hear an order, sir. ...SAY IT!
BLAKE: I didn't hear an order...sir.
RAIKER: That's better. What's your name?
BLAKE: Blake.
RAIKER: So you're Blake. Well, made quite a name for yourself a few years back. [He sits down.] Quite the celebrity. Something of a comedown for a leader of men, isn't it? Molesting kids?
BLAKE: The charges were false.
RAIKER: [sarcastically] Oh yes, of course. Well, let me tell you something Blake, as far as I am concerned, you are just another piece of cargo. Remember that and you might just survive the journey. Do you understand?
BLAKE: I understand... sir.
RAIKER: Good. You're learning.

[Raiker stands up and walks over to the guard by the control panel]

RAIKER: [to guard] Let him clear.

[Switch to Prisoners' other room]

VILA: Do you think this is a good time for me to tell them I suffer from flight sickness?
NOVA: I don't think they'll be very sympathetic.

[Raiker enters]

JENNA: I expect they'll find a cure for it, though. A permanent one probably.
VILA: They amputate your head!
RAIKER: [To Jenna, putting his hand on her shoulder] Come with me.
JENNA: [To Vila] Here goes.

[Raiker and Jenna walk to the other end of the room]

RAIKER: What's your name?
JENNA: Jenna Stannis.
RAIKER: Unfortunately, Jenna, there are no special facilities for female prisoners. But if you should find things difficult, I might be able to arrange something more comfortable.
JENNA: That's very considerate of you.
RAIKER: Why make it hard on yourself?
JENNA: Why indeed?

[Whispers something to Raiker]

[Raiker slaps her across the face]

RAIKER: You'll come round! I can be VERY persuasive!

[Avon takes a note from his top pocket]

[Jenna walks back to Vila, Avon & Nova]

JENNA: That one's going to enjoy giving us a hard time.
VILA: And you've improved his mood no end! Why couldn't you be nice to him?!
JENNA: He's not my type.
VILA: You can't afford to be choosy now!
JENNA: Why else would I be talking to you?
VILA: Thanks!
JENNA: Pleasure.

JENNA: [To Avon] What've you got there?
AVON: Nothing.

[Blake enters]

BLAKE: Do you know how those door panels work?
VILA: No, not that type.
AVON: It's simple enough. All authorised personnel have their palm prints filed in the computer. The blue sensor plate reads the print. If it conforms, the computer opens the door.
BLAKE: Neat.
AVON: Most computer-based functions are.
VILA: Blake -- Kerr Avon. When it comes to computers, he's the number two man in all the Federated worlds.
NOVA: Who's number one?
VILA: The guy who caught him. [To Avon] You've got nothing to be ashamed of. D'you know, he came close to stealing five million credits out of the Federation Banking System.
BLAKE: What went wrong?
AVON: I relied on other people. Why all the questions? Or is it merely a thirst for knowledge? [Puts note away]
BLAKE: Not exactly. Having defined the problem, the first step towards a solution is the aquisition of data. You should know that.
AVON: Define the problem then.
BLAKE: How to avoid spending the rest of our lives on Cygnus Alpha.
VILA: That may not be a problem. [Leans over] I've heard a rumour that these prison ships don't actually go all the way to Cygnus. They wait until they're in deep space, and then quietly dump you out of an airlock.
AVON: You're a fool.
JENNA: They are on a fixed price contract. They get paid the same whether we get there or not. And hyperdrive running is expensive.
VILA: So they dump us and save themselves a trip!
BLAKE: [To Avon] Could it be altered?
AVON: What?
BLAKE: The running log. Could the readings be faked?
AVON: Only by a top-line technician. Nobody on this ship could do it.
BLAKE: Except you.
AVON: Naturally.

[Avon walks towards the door]

JENNA: Was it wise to put that idea into his head?
VILA: What idea?
BLAKE: Oh, he's bright. He'd already thought of it.
VILA: What? What?
JENNA: He fixes the log, the crew dump us, pocket the profit, and set him free.
VILA: That's immoral. The cold-hearted murdering -- let's kill him now before he can do it.
BLAKE: [To Jenna] How much do you know about this type of ship?
JENNA: Not a lot. Converted deep space freighter. Early mark hyperdrive which needs re-stressing by the feel of things. Whole lot should have been scrapped ages ago.
BLAKE: Could you pilot it?
JENNA: I expect so. Why?
BLAKE: Well, once we've taken this ship, we'll need a pilot.

[Several exterior shots of spaceship London moving through space]

[Switch to flight deck]

LEYLAN: There shouldn't be anything there at all. It's empty space. Nothing orbits through it, no marked space wrecks, no navigational hazards, nothing.
ARTIX: Well, there's something there now, and our course takes us right through it.
LEYLAN: Hmm.

[There is a build-up of sound. A short time later, the ship seems to be hit by something.]

[Raiker enters, carrying a flask and a cup]

RAIKER: What's happening?
LEYLAN: Full spectrum shock waves. We had one about ten minutes ago but that was only scale two. What was the reading on that one?
ARTIX: Seven.
LEYLAN: Right, put all sections on standby, turbulence alert.
ARTIX: [Into desk-mounted intercom] All sections on standby, all sections on standby. Turbulance alert, turbulance alert.
LEYLAN: [To Raiker, at the same time as Artix is speaking] Put out the deflector shields, there's some debris too.
RAIKER: Deflectors out. Where's the blast coming from?
LEYLAN: Somewhere in that top right hand sector.
RAIKER: That's total void!
LEYLAN: Not now, it isn't! [To Artix] Show him!

[Artix hits a few buttons. A screen above the main flight position lights up, showing two blobs moving in a curve towards each other]

RAIKER: I've never seen anything like that before. Can you increase magnification?

[Artix hits a few more buttons. The screen now shows several blobs.]

ARTIX: We're at the limit now.
RAIKER: What sort of range?
ARTIX: We're about five subsecs on the high-dee grid.
RAIKER: Anything coming in on the communicators?
ARTIX: No, static right across the range.
RAIKER: I suppose it could be some sort of meteorite collision.

[Two blobs collide. The screen is flooded with light]

RAIKER: What the hell was that?!
LEYLAN: I think it's a damn great space battle. Two fleets, maybe more.
ARTIX: We haven't got any heavy combat stuff in this section, have we?
LEYLAN: Well, they're not Federation ships, and that's not our battle. I want a new course. Take us round it, with a three subsec margin from the outer limits of the action.

[Another build-up of sound. Ship rocks from another shock-wave hitting]

LEYLAN: Reading?
ARTIX: Scale nine!
RAIKER: Shift course now, and we'll be taking those blasts broadside! They'll smash the guts out of us!
LEYLAN: Better that than run into the middle of a war. [To Raiker] Manual control, Mister Raiker. [To Artix] Put the ship on full emergency, all crew to operational stations.
ARTIX: [Into desk-mounted intercom] Full emergency, full emergency. All crew to operational stations. All crew to operational stations.

[Blake is crawling though a narrow access channel. The ship lurches from another shock-wave. When he recovers, Blake continues to a small panel. He taps it three times and waits.]

[Switch to prisoners]

VILA: [To Gan] Keep an eye on me as well, will you?
JENNA: [inaudible]
VILA: Hey, Klein, got a little trick to show you.
KLEIN: Have you?
VILA: Now watch very, very closely, right? Right? Now watch carefully, watch carefully... And a one...
KLEIN: Right, yeah.
VILA: And a two...
KLEIN: Yeah.

(something inaudible)

VILA: Watch closely now...

(remainder of trick is inaudible)

BLAKE: [To Jenna] I got past both the metal grilles this time. It'll work if only I can get him to do it.
JENNA: He's through there.

[Switch to the first prisoner section]

[Blake walks through to where Avon is sitting. He sits down in a chair
alongside]

BLAKE: If you had access to the computer, could you open the doors?
AVON: Of course. Why?
BLAKE: Just wondered how good you really were.
AVON: Don't try and manipulate me, Blake.
BLAKE: Now why should I try and do that?
AVON: You need my help.
BLAKE: Only if you can open the doors.
AVON: I could open every door, blind all the scanners, knock out the security overrides, and control the computer. Control the computer and you control the ship.
BLAKE: Then I do need your help. There's a service channel, runs the whole length of the ship. Every other compartment has an inspection hatch. The last one opens onto the computer section.
AVON: Give me one good reason why I should help you.
BLAKE: You're a civilized man, Avon. On Cygnus Alpha that will not be a survival characteristic.
AVON: An intelligent man can adapt.
BLAKE: Or recognize an alternative.
AVON: I already have one.
BLAKE: A private deal with the ship's crew to fake the running log? You've had four months to think about that. And it didn't take you that long to work out that they would have to kill you afterwards to keep you quiet.
AVON: Whereas you are offering me safety.
BLAKE: I'm offering you the chance of freedom.
AVON: Generous, considering mine will be the most important job.
BLAKE: You'll do it then.
AVON: When?
BLAKE: Now.

[Jenna and Vila enter. The noise leading up to an impact becomes audible. Jenna and Vila rapidly get into launch seats]

[Switch to flight deck. The ship is shaken quite badly.]

LEYLAN: Damage report!
ARTIX: [Into intercom] All sections report damage, all sections report damage.
VOICE: Section Two. Err, Port deflector shields buckled, sir.
VOICE: Section Four. The outer hull has been punctured astern.
LEYLAN: Auto-repair circuits.
RAIKER: They're sealing it.
LEYLAN: Mr. Artix?
ARTIX: Vision panels have cut out... but I'm getting blind readings, and an echo from something big... and pretty far off. I can't identify it without a scan.
RAIKER: Could it be a ship from the battle fleet?
ARTIX: It's a long way out from the center of the action, seems to be drifting... Well, it's my guess that it's something being pushed along in the shock waves. It's running parallel to us.
LEYLAN: Keep a check on it. And start working on those vision panels.

[Build-up of sound]

RAIKER: Here we go again.

[Ship rocks under another shock-wave]

[Switch to first prisoner section]

JENNA: A couple more like that and we won't have a ship to take over.
BLAKE: Call in Vila.

[Jenna walks through to the other section.]

JENNA: [To Blake] And Gan and Nova.
BLAKE: Are there any others?
JENNA: The rest are doped to the eyeballs.
VILA: Perhaps we should get on with it do you think maybe?
GAN: Maybe. Don't be so nervous, Vila.
VILA: Nervous? I'm not nervous. Just... poised for action, that's all.
AVON: You've got an army of five, Blake. Five and HIM! Do you still think you can take over the ship?
BLAKE: If you do your bit.

[There is a sound from the other end of the compartment.]

VILA: What's that?

[Jenna walks over to the far wall, where a gel is squeezing through some hairline cracks]

JENNA: Sealing gel. If the outer hull gets punctured this stuff floods into the section and blocks it up. It goes solid in seconds. We must have been holed in that last turbulence.
VILA: Gan, what about waiting...
BLAKE: No! These blast waves are our best chance. The crew have their hands full just running the ship. [To Avon] You ready?
AVON: Yes.
BLAKE: Make it good Vila.
VILA: Gan?...

[Vila and Gan head towards the guard]

BLAKE: We'll be ready in exactly fifteen minutes. Will that give you enough time?

[Avon nods.]

BLAKE: Knock out those scanners and open the doors. We'll do the rest. Good luck.

[Blake walks through to the other section. Avon and Jenna follow. Avon pauses at the door.]

AVON: [To Jenna] Luck has nothing to do with it.

[Switch to prisoner's living area]

VILA: You look as if you could do with a drink.
DAINER: I'm always thirsty, Vila.
VILA: Now I want to show you a little trick here. Right, Gan. You know this one.
DAINER: Now, I'll watch carefully this time.
VILA: Right, now watch carefully, watch the old piece of cloth, right... And a one...

[Jenna signals to Nova, who lets Avon into the service channel]

DAINER: Never works first time.
VILA: And a two... One more chance for you, right? Are you watching carefully now?
DAINER: Yeah, right.
VILA: One... two... three...

[Vila pulls the cloth away to reveal a full glass]

DAINER: Now, that's better.
VILA: Not bad, is it, eh? One for you --
NOVA: [To Blake] How will we know when he's made it?
BLAKE: The lights on the scanner -- when that goes off we're on our way.
VILA: -- one for me.
DAINER: You drink it first.

[Replacement guard enters, and swaps places with Dainer who leaves]

GAN: Stay here.
??????: Ok.

[Avon crawls through the service channel. He reaches the hatch leading into the computer room. He quietly opens the hatch, sees the technician, and closes the hatch again. The technician doesn't see this, and continues to check the computer. Avon waits for a bit, and opens the hatch again.]

VILA: He should have made it by now.
JENNA: You think he's been caught?
BLAKE: [Dismisses] No. No, there would have been an alarm. [Looks at the access hatch] I'd better get in after him.
VILA: You can't do that. If it all starts happening while you're in there, who's going to get this lot moving?
JENNA: Well, he's right.
BLAKE: All right, you go then.
VILA: Me? Uh, I'd be glad to, it's just that I've got this problem with confined spaces. There's a medical name for it.
JENNA: Cowardice?
NOVA: I'll go. Well, let me do it. I haven't done anything yet.
VILA: I'm quite prepared to go, it's just that I don't want to let anyone down because of my, uh, complaint.
NOVA: I want to help.
VILA: What do you think?
BLAKE: All right, let's get him in there.
VILA: Gan, let's try it with this one.

[Avon prepares himself, coils up behind the hatch and bursts through. He manages to stun the technician.]

[Switch to flight deck]

LEYLAN: Here it comes again. Hang on.

[Switch to Nova. Three punctures form in the hull immediately by him. He tries covering them with his hands. Doors slam shut either side of him, and the section is flooded with sealing gel.]

NOVA: Help...

[Switch to flight deck]

LEYLAN: Damage?
DAINER: Three hull punctures, sir. All sealed and solid.
LEYLAN: OK. Carry on. [To Artix] What was the force?
ARTIX: Down to nine again. It's reducing.
LEYLAN: Not before time. Where's that echo?
ARTIX: It's practically on top of us! We're on a collision course!
RAIKER: Get those scans fixed! Come on! Move it!

[Switch to computer section]

AVON: Prison compartments... scanners...

[He touches a metal rod against a component. There is a series of sparks.]

[Switch to prison compartment. The scanner suddenly stops.]

JENNA: Off.
BLAKE: Here we go... [To one of the other prisoners] Ready.
JENNA: Come on Avon... [Notes guard] He's spotted it! Gan!

[Gan leaps up, grabs the Guard by the throat & overpowers him]

BLAKE: [Mutters to himself] Oh, come on Avon. The door. Come on.

[Switch to computer section. Avon is just about to open the doors, when Garton recovers and attacks him. There is a lengthy fight.]

[Switch to prison compartment.]

BLAKE: Bring the guard. [To guard] Open the door. [To others] Put his hand on the door.

[Jenna fails to unclench the guard's hand. Gan goes round to face the guard]

GAN: Look, we only need the hand. If you want to stay attached to it, do as you're told.

[The guard finally opens the door]

[Switch to computer section. Avon finally beats Garton and knocks him out. He returns to the computer and opens all the doors.]

[Switch to flight deck. The door opens, apparently of its own accord.]

ARTIX: All checks complete, the fault must be in the computer.
LEYLAN: [To Raiker] Get down there, Mr. Raiker.

[Artix and Raiker leave]

[Switch to corridor. Blake leads, carrying the gun. He covers each corridor they pass.]

BLAKE: Spread out and find the armory. Jenna?
JENNA: What?
BLAKE: Let's find the computer room.

[Switch to Raiker and Artix]

RAIKER: All the doors are open!
ARTIX: Well, perhaps that last shock-wave did more damage than we thought! It looks like the whole system's been disrupted!
RAIKER: Let's find out.

[Switch to Blake and Jenna. As they go through a junction, Raiker and Artix arrive through one of the other exits.]

JENNA: Blake! Watch out!

[Blake & Jenna duck behind cover. Blake & Raiker trade shots. The door to the computer section opens]

AVON: Blake!
BLAKE: [To Jenna] Now!

[Blake fires once at Raiker, & dives into the computer room with Jenna]

BLAKE: [To Avon] Close the door! Come on! Quickly!

[Avon operates a control on the computer. The door shuts.]

[Switch back to junction. Raiker moves in front of the door & signals Artix past. Artix tries to open the door & fails.]

RAIKER: Get up to the flight deck! Tell the old man what's happening!

[Artix runs back up the corridor. Raiker moves towards an alarm button and presses it.]

[Switch back to computer room]

AVON: Now what?
JENNA: Cripple the chip!
BLAKE: We've got all the bargaining power we need. Use it!
AVON: [To Jenna] Excuse me!

[Avon shorts out a number of circuits.]

[On the flight deck, all the instruments go dead. Leylan gets up, looking worried.]

LEYLAN: [To Artix] What the hell's going on!
ARTIX: The prisoners have escaped, sir, and they've got hold of the computer.
LEYLAN: What! Come on!

[Switch to main group of prisoners.]

VILA: "Find the armory," he says. I don't even like guns.

[Two guards turn the corner. Someone shouts something. Gan grabs them by their gun arms]

GAN: Grab the guns!

[Vila and a prisoner both grab a gun each. Two more guards round the corner]

GAN: Stay right there, or we'll kill them. Drop your guns!

[Vila promptly obeys. Dainer shoots the other armed prisoner, then covers Gan]

DAINER: [To Gan] Move and you're dead!
GAN: Vila!
VILA: I got confused.
DAINER: [To the prisoners there] Hands on your heads. Now move. Single file.

LEYLAN: [To Raiker] They're still in there?
RAIKER: Yes, sir.

[Leylan grabs a communicator from it's bracket by the door]

LEYLAN: [Into communicator] This is Commander Leylan. If you come out immediately and surrender yourselves, you will be treated leniently. If not, my men will blast their way in and you'll suffer the consequences.
BLAKE: Those are your terms?
LEYLAN: Yes.
BLAKE: These are mine. You will hand over all your weapons to my men. Whilst we hold the computer, the ship is helpless. It will remain that way until you agree. You will then fly this ship to the nearest habitable planet where the prisoners will disembark. Any attempt by your men to break into this room and we'll destroy the computer. Totally. That's all.
LEYLAN: Now Blake, Blake, listen to me very carefully. There is something large, travelling very near us, and we've been running blind. We may be on a collision course. You're putting everybody's life at risk!
BLAKE: Better make up your mind quickly then.

[Blake cuts off communications.]

[A prisoner moves towards the computer room. Dainer shoots him in the back.]

LEYLAN: Dainer!

[Dainer goes over to Leylan]

DAINER: Sir?
LEYLAN: He wasn't armed.
DAINER: We were lucky. They couldn't find the armoury. We've got most of them back to their quarters, we're just mopping up now.
LEYLAN: So I see, Dainer...!
DAINER: Some of our men have been injured, sir.
LEYLAN: And the prisoners?
DAINER: We've killed six.
LEYLAN: Six?
DAINER: [Glancing at body] Seven. In the course of quelling a riot and protecting the ship, sir.
LEYLAN: Very well. Carry on.
DAINER: Thank you, sir.

[Raiker walks over to Leylan]

RAIKER: [To Leylan] I can get them out of there, sir.
LEYLAN: How?
RAIKER: I want a free hand to take whatever action I think necessary. Do I have your permission, sir?
LEYLAN: [Less than enthusiastically] All right.
RAIKER: [To Dainer and some other guards] Come on!

[Raiker & guards leave]

JENNA: What do you think they'll do?
BLAKE: Their time's running out.
JENNA: So's ours.
BLAKE: We have less to loose.
AVON: You may have, but I value my life!
JENNA: Assuming they do land us somewhere, what then?
BLAKE: Find a way of getting back to Earth.
JENNA: Back to Earth?
BLAKE: Yes. That's where the heart of the Federation is. I intend to see that heart torn out.
AVON: I thought you were probably insane.
BLAKE: That's possible! They butchered my family, my friends. They murdered my past and gave me tranquilized dreams.
JENNA: At least you're still alive.
BLAKE: No! Not until free men can think and speak. Not until power is back with the honest man.
AVON: Have you ever met an honest man?
JENNA: [Glances at Blake] Perhaps.
AVON: Listen to me. Wealth is the only reality. And the only way to obtain wealth is to take it away from somebody else. Wake up, Blake! You may not be tranquilized any longer, but you're still dreaming.
JENNA: Maybe some dreams are worth having.
AVON: You don't really believe that.
JENNA: No, but I'd like to.
BLAKE: Yes, well, you asked me what I was going to do and I've told you. What you do is up to yourselves.
AVON: Right. A new identity, a job in the Federation Banking System. Three months with their computers, I could lift a hundred million credits and nobody would know where they went. Then let anyone try and touch me.
BLAKE: And the rest?
AVON: Have the same chance as I have.
BLAKE: You don't really believe that.

[The communicator starts bleeping]

RAIKER: Blake? Blake... switch on your vision panel... Scanner thirty- four. There's something I want you to see.

[Blake nods to Avon who adjusts a control.]

RAIKER: [On screen] You have a clear view of our little assembly, Blake?
BLAKE: We see you.
RAIKER: [On screen] Then lock off the scanner and keep watching.

RAIKER: I'm going to kill one of your friends every thirty seconds starting now. I'll stop when you give yourselves up, or I run out of prisoners.
BLAKE: Raiker! Listen to me! Raiker, damn you, those men are unarmed!
RAIKER: The talking's over, Blake.
BLAKE: Let me talk to Leylan!

[Raiker replaces the communicator, and cuts Blake off]

BLAKE: [Furious] Raiker! Raiker! [Defeated, to Avon] Open the door.
AVON: You're throwing away our only chance.
BLAKE: Open the door!

[Avon opens the door.]

LEYLAN: Hands on your heads. Stand where you are.
BLAKE: Raiker's switched off... Tell him we're coming out... And quickly!

[Leylan nods, and Artix runs off.]

[Leylan, Teague and a guard enter. Teague unties Garton.]

[Artix bursts into the prison compartment and whispers to Raiker that the holdouts have surrendered. Raiker starts for the exit, stops, and calmly shoots another prisoner.]

[Leylan sees what's happened on the screen and doesn't seem impressed.]

LEYLAN: Move it.

[Everyone slowly heads for the exit.]

BLAKE: Commander, your first officer is guilty of murder. I demand that this incident is fully reported in your log.
LEYLAN: Now don't tell me how to run my ship, Blake... Everything that happens here is logged and filed with the Flight Authority and they'll take whatever action they deem necessary.

[Raiker enters]

RAIKER: You could have won, Blake. All you needed was guts.
BLAKE: I'll settle for yours!

[He lunges for Raiker, but is pinned by two guards. Raiker punches him in the chest.]

RAIKER: Take them back. Put them in close confinement. Not the girl. She and I have some unfinished business. [To Jenna] or did you think I'd forgotten?
LEYLAN: [Icily] Mister Raiker! Have you gone completely mad? [To the guard] Put her with the others. [To Artix] Mr. Artix, get a technical squad in there. I want that computer fully functional in ten minutes.

[Artix dashes away]

LEYLAN: Mr. Raiker! This time you went too far. There'll be an official inquiry.
RAIKER: Naturally, Sir. And I'm sure you'll confirm that I was acting with your full authority. There were other officers present who heard you give me permission to do what was necessary.
LEYLAN: Everything that was said or done by everybody... including me... will be in my report.

[Raiker doesn't look so confident]

[Switch to prison compartment]

[Jenna, Blake and Avon are firmly secured into seats by restraints]

JENNA: How do you feel?
BLAKE: Sick.
AVON: So you should. What a fiasco. You could take over the ship, you said, if I did my bit. Well, I did my bit, and what happened? Your troops bumble around looking for someone to surrender to, and when they've succeeded, you follow suit.
JENNA: What do you think they'll do to us?
BLAKE: Something unfriendly.
JENNA: For a while, I really thought we'd made it.
BLAKE: [Sighs] It was my fault.
AVON: We know.
BLAKE: I'll try and do better next time.
AVON: We had one chance. You wasted it. There won't be a next time.
JENNA: In which case, you can die content.
AVON: [Almost laughs] Content.
JENNA: Knowing you were right.

[Switch to flight deck. The control panels in the flight deck start to light up]

RAIKER: We have power back sir.
LEYLAN: About time.

[Artix enters]

ARTIX: We have normal functions on all systems. They're phasing them in now.
LEYLAN: Have we got scan yet?
ARTIX: Not yet.
LEYLAN: Get me a blind reading on that echo.
ARTIX: It's very close.
RAIKER: These readings have got to be wrong!
ARTIX: We've got the scan back.
LEYLAN: Right, get me a picture.

[Switch to a view of the Liberator]

[Switch back to the flight deck]

RAIKER: I don't believe it!
LEYLAN: Take us in as close as you can Mr. Raiker.
RAIKER: Yes sir.
ARTIX: Where could it have come from?
LEYLAN: I've never seen a ship like that before in my life. She seems to be drifting, Mr. Raiker. Maintain this distance.
RAIKER: Right, sir.
LEYLAN: Try and make contact, Mr. Artix - sound and vision.
ARTIX: This is Civil Administration ship London out of Earth bound for Cygnus Alpha. Please identify yourself.

[Close up of communicator. There is only static from it.]

RAIKER: I reckon she was involved in that space battle we picked up. She got caught in the big blast and the crew were either killed or got out in the life rockets.

[Closeup of the side of the Liberator]

LEYLAN: It's possible. No visible sign of damage, though.
RAIKER: No sign of life either.
LEYLAN: Hmph. Well if she's been completely abandoned...
RAIKER: We could put on a boarding party. You know how much that ship would be worth in prize money if we could get her to a Federation planet? Millions of credits. Millions!
LEYLAN: Leave a skeleton crew on it. We could do that.
RAIKER: It's got to be worth a try!
LEYLAN: Yes it has.

[Walks over to communicator]

LEYLAN: Ahh, Section four? Stand by to run out a transfer tube. Wallace and Teague?
TEAGUE: [Over communicator] Sir?
LEYLAN: Kit out with your survival units. I'll be with you in a minute. [To Raiker] Right. Take us in as close as you can and keep us there.
RAIKER: Yes sir.

[Leylan and a guard enter section four. Leylan sees Wallace and Teague are ready.]

LEYLAN: Good.
KRELL: Transfer tube ready sir.
LEYLAN: All right. Begin extension.

[The transfer tube slowly extends from the London towards the Liberator. Eventually, it reaches it and clamps itself into place.]

KRELL: Locked on, sir. Air pressure established, sir.

[Inner airlock door slides open]

[Wallace and Teague head towards the airlock. Leylan walks over to them.]

LEYLAN: Now, keep your communicators open at all times. I want a full report of conditions inside that ship. If there is anyone alive over there, I want you to make peaceful contact. Weapons are only to be used as defence. Understood?

[Wallace nods]

TEAGUE: Sir.
LEYLAN: All right, in you go.

[Wallace and Teague enter the airlock. The door shuts behind them]

LEYLAN: All right, open airlock.

[Krell reaches for the control panel.]

[Leylan picks up the communicator.]

TEAGUE: [Into his communicator] Starting along the transfer tube now, sir.

[Switch to transfer tube. Wallace and Teague start to walk along it]

[Switch to section four. Leylan paces around the room]

[Switch back to transfer tube. Wallace and Teague reach the hatch]

[Switch back to section four]

TEAGUE: We're against the hull. It is a hatch entrance. I'm about to activate the remote lock activator....

[Teague is crouched up against the hatch, operating some device]

TEAGUE: No response... circuit one.... No response... circuit two.

[Leylan stands still, looking tense]

TEAGUE: No response... circuit three...

[Teague is still trying to operate the device. The hatch starts to slide open]

TEAGUE: No! Wait! It's opening... There's a powerful light source from somewhere. We're going in now.

[Leylan turns round to Krell]

LEYLAN: Krell? Get kitted up and standby to give backup if it's needed.

[Teague's voice can be heard over the communicator]

TEAGUE: We're in some sort of a cylinder. Type of airlock, I think. It's turning! It's fantastic, sir. I... I don't believe it!
LEYLAN: What is it? What's happening?
TEAGUE: Well, we've come out into what must be some sort of a flight deck I think, but it's like nothing I've ever seen before.
LEYLAN: Well, describe it later. Now... now give me life support readout.
TEAGUE: Pressure normal... minimal radiation... breathable oxygen atmosphere.
LEYLAN: Good, good. Now, is there anybody on board?
TEAGUE: Not that we've seen so far, but... I'm sorry? What was that?
LEYLAN: I didn't speak!
TEAGUE: [Hesitantly] Somebody did... somebody said something a...

[Massive hiss of static from the communicator]

LEYLAN: Teague! Report! Wallace! [To technician] Where the hell is that backup man?!

[Krell enters]

KRELL: Ready sir.
LEYLAN: Right. Get across there as fast as you can.

[Krell enters airlock]

LEYLAN: Right. Open airlock.

[Switch to flight deck]

[Raiker and Artix are checking the flight controls.]

LEYLAN: [Over communicator] Raiker. Let Artix take the ship. Get down here.
RAIKER: Right sir.

[Krell walks down the transfer tube]

[Leylan is standing by the communicator.]

KRELL: I'm in the airlock... and it's turning...

[Raiker enters section four.]

[Krell can be heard over the communicator]

KRELL: I'm inside... The design is strange to me... All the flight control positions are empty!
LEYLAN: All right... all right. Now... now don't move. Now, just look around and tell me what you see.
KRELL: What? I heard something.
LEYLAN: What is it?
KRELL: It's whispering... Ssshh... Yes... Yes I hear you... Davor?! What are you.... What are they doing to you! No! No! No!!!!!

[Another massive burst of static bursts from the communicator]

LEYLAN: Krell! Krell! Answer me! Krell! Now listen to me Krell... if I have no signal from you within three minutes, I'm withdrawing the transfer tube. Three minutes!

[Raiker reaches for Leylan]

RAIKER: Wait! We can't give up that easily. That ship's worth a fortune.
LEYLAN: Looks like I've already lost three men. I'm not risking any more of my crew.
RAIKER: Then use prisoners. They've got nothing to lose. Use Blake and the other two. Let them take the risks... why not?
LEYLAN: We might save the other three.
RAIKER: Right. At least we'll have tried.
LEYLAN: Right. Get them equipped and bring 'em down here...

[Artix studies the controls, and heads for the communicator.]

LEYLAN: [Through communicator] Leylan.
ARTIX: I don't know if it's significant sir, but I'm picking up a specific focused energy field close by... I presume it's the other ship?
LEYLAN: Is it constant?
ARTIX: Well, that's the odd thing... there've been two violent discharges... right off the scale, but after each the source dropped back to constant.
LEYLAN: Thank you, Mr. Artix.

[Blake, Jenna and Avon enter, followed closely by Raiker and a guard.]

LEYLAN: I hope Mr. Raiker's made it clear to you that you can refuse to do this.
BLAKE: Oh yes. He's also made it clear that summary execution's one of our options. We chose the other.
LEYLAN: Well if you're successful, I promise that I'll get your sentences quashed.
AVON: And if we're not?
RAIKER: Then you'll have no more problems anyway.
JENNA: What is it that we have to do?
LEYLAN: Find out what's happened to my men and see if it's safe to send a boarding party across.
BLAKE: All right.
JENNA: I've had worse offers.
LEYLAN: Good.
BLAKE: Do we get weapons?
RAIKER: I'll toss them into the airlock... once you're inside.
BLAKE: Very wise.

[Blake and Jenna walk up to the hatch and stand either side of it.]

BLAKE: [To Leylan] All right, open the hatch.
LEYLAN: Open hatch.

[Krell, foaming at the mouth, staggers out of the airlock. He tries to strangle Raiker. Raiker eventually overpowers him.]

RAIKER: Get him out of here.

[Two guards drag off Krell]

JENNA: What do you suppose did that to him?
AVON: That's what we're supposed to find out. Execution may have some appeal after all.
BLAKE: Let's go.

[They enter the airlock. Raiker throws in three guns.]

LEYLAN: Right. Open it up.
[Blake, Avon and Jenna walk across the transfer tube to the Liberator. At the hatch, they see a body. Blake checks it and looks up. Jenna gestures to carry on.]

[The three of them enter the flight deck. Avon heads for the pilot's console.]

JENNA: Beautiful!

[Avon gestures to the console nearest Jenna]

AVON: Look at that instrumentation.
JENNA: A ship like this could go anywhere!

[They look over the rest of the flight deck. Avon notices another body and takes a look.]

AVON: This one is dead also.

[There is a noise. Everyone looks to see where it is coming from.]

[Jenna sees a strange sphere at the far end of the flight deck.]

JENNA: What is it?
BLAKE: I don't know.

[Closeup Jenna. Hallucination of a blonde woman surrounded by three Federation troopers. The woman is screaming.]

[Closeup Avon. Hallucination of a fair-haired man, early 30s, silently repeating, "Avon."]

[Closeup Blake.]

BLAKE: You're dead. Those tapes are forgeries. You're dead!

[The others move towards the sphere.]

BLAKE: No, no. Get back!

[Blake shoves Jenna to one side. He tries to shove Avon away from the sphere, but Avon pushes him back.]

AVON: I must go to him.

[Blake knocks him over. Jenna starts to reach for the sphere again. Blake whirls round and shoots the sphere. Jenna gives a short scream.]

JENNA: What was it?
BLAKE: I don't know.
JENNA: I saw my mother. It was so real. Then something terrible, a nightmare. But it was my mother.
AVON: I saw my brother. It used him like bait. I had to go closer.
BLAKE: And if you had, it would have killed you. No, that thing took an image out of your minds, a memory, and then projected it back at you as though it were real.
JENNA: But why didn't it affect you?
BLAKE: It did, but somehow I knew it wasn't real. [To Avon] Seems I can recognize dreams.
LEYLAN: Blake. Are you all right?
BLAKE: Yes! We're all right. But we're still checking.
LEYLAN: Stay in contact, Blake.
RAIKER: [To a technician] Get me a survival unit.

[The technician leaves]

LEYLAN: What're you going to do?
RAIKER: They're still alive. I'm going to make sure they don't get any ideas about staying over there.
LEYLAN: Raiker!
RAIKER: Yes sir.

[Blake and Jenna continue checking the flight deck. Avon sits down at one of the consoles.]

AVON: Blake! This would account for what happened to the crew.
BLAKE: What is it?
AVON: Life rocket launch control -- it's been operated.
JENNA: But why?
BLAKE: Maybe that thing drove them out.
AVON: I imagined it was some kind of defence mechanism.
BLAKE: [To Jenna] Could this ship operate under her own power?
JENNA: I don't see why not.
BLAKE: But could you pilot her?
JENNA: Eventually I might just be able to make her start and stop.
BLAKE: You've got two minutes, no more.

[Blake heads towards one of the exits]

BLAKE: Help her Avon.
AVON: What are you going to do?
BLAKE: Check the outer hatch in case someone decides to try and join us.

RAIKER: I want a boarding crew kitted out and ready to follow me over.

[Technician nods.]

[Switch to Blake, trying to push/pull the hatch closed.]

[Switch to Raiker. He sees what Blake is trying to do. He fires. Blake falls over, injured. Raiker takes aim and fires again.]

[Switch to flight deck of Liberator]

JENNA: Shall we risk it?
AVON: Why not?

[Jenna operates a control.]

[Switch to Transfer Tube. The hatch closes, and the tube disconnects. Raiker tries to cling on to the sides.]

[Switch to Liberator. It starts to move away from the London.]

[Switch to Raiker. He starts to slide down the tube, and eventually goes flying into space.]

[Switch to flight deck of Liberator. Blake enters rubbing his shoulder.]

AVON: What happened?
BLAKE: Slight disagreement with Raiker. And then the hatch closed.
JENNA: We're on our way.
BLAKE: What course have you set?
JENNA: Name it. We're free. We've got a ship. We can go anywhere we like.
BLAKE: Follow the London to Cygnus Alpha. Then we can free the rest of the prisoners. [To Avon] With a ship like this and a full crew, then we CAN start fighting back.

[Avon looks less than pleased]

[End credits]

Cygnus Alpha
by Terry Nation

(c)1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c)1993 by Micky DuPree and Caroljean Hanson.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake
Jenna Stannis
Kerr Avon
Vila Restal
Olag Gan
Vargas
Leylan
Artix
Kara
Laran
Arco
Selman
Zen

Uncredited:
Guard

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Laran is seated by a fire, roasting some meat. He takes it and hacks it in two. He rises as Kara walks by. She studies the sky, then returns to stand beside him.]

LARAN: There. There it is. The Federation ship bringing in prisoners.

KARA: Prisoners? New souls for the faith.

[Exterior. Civil Administration Ship London passes over planet.]

[Interior. Prison ship London, flight deck. Leylan is completing report. Artix enters.]

LEYLAN: How long before we make planet fall, Mr. Artix?
ARTIX: I'll run a check.
LEYLAN: Are the prisoners quiet?
ARTIX: Yes, sir. (checks console) Forty eight minutes thirty seconds. We're dosing the air supply with suppressant vapor and they're under constant scan. Security have put on double guards and I've armed the crew as well, just as you've instructed.
LEYLAN: All a bit late in the day, too.
ARTIX: (operates visual screen so that Cygnus Alpha is visible) It doesn't look very hospitable, sir.
LEYLAN: What?
ARTIX: Cygnus Alpha. It doesn't look very hospitable, sir.
LEYLAN: I want you to send this report. Beam it to the nearest Federation base for relay to Earth.
ARTIX: It's not going to do much for my promotion prospects, sir.
LEYLAN: You can live down your part of it. You're young.

[Artix hesitates]

LEYLAN: Send it, Mr. Artix.
[ARTIX puts the report on the computer]
LEYLAN: (v.o. recording of report) This is Civil Administration Ship London in transit from Earth to Cygnus Alpha, transporting prisoners to the penal colony. We have sustained crew casualties during an attempted mutiny by prisoners. (visual of Raiker) Five dead, including Subcommander Raiker. (visual of Blake, Jenna and Avon) Three prisoners escaped in a spacecraft of unknown origin. Prisoners Blake, Stannis, and Avon. The London is again under authorized control and proceeding to destination. Message ends. Retransmit to Earth on priority circuit. Confirm please.
ARTIX: We have confirmation. Will they go after Blake?
LEYLAN: They have no choice.
ARTIX: They'll never find him out there. (pause) I said, sir they'll never find him out there.
LEYLAN: They won't have too. He'll find them.

[Exterior. Liberator in flight]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck]

BLAKE: Everything ok?
JENNA: I think so.
BLAKE: Whoever they were, they certainly knew something about engineering.
JENNA: I'd feel a lot happier if we knew what had happened to them.
AVON: Blake, what do you make of this. (Indicates a storage compartment)
BLAKE: Some sort of storage space.
AVON: Possibly.

[Outer cover disappears. Areas of the compartment light up. Blake reaches for one of the guns]

AVON: Careful.
BLAKE: (taking one of the guns) Handgun?
AVON: It's a bit elaborate for a toothpick.
BLAKE: Depends how elaborate their teeth were. (touches another of the gun handles) Ow. That one's hot.
AVON: (takes that weapon) No it isn't. (touches another handle) That one is, though. Jenna.
JENNA: What is it?
BLAKE: Seems to be an armory.
AVON: Take that one there.
BLAKE: Be careful though. It may be hot.
AVON: No, I don't think so.
JENNA: (taking the gun) No, it isn't.
AVON: Single function isomorphic response.
JENNA: What?
BLAKE: I think he means it'll only let us have one gun each.
AVON: Well, it certainly gives one a feeling of independence.
BLAKE: What does?
AVON: This. (points gun at Blake)
BLAKE: You're a free man.
AVON: That's right. So I am.
BLAKE: (walking away from Avon) How does she handle, Jenna.
JENNA: A bit scary. It's almost as if she were alive.
AVON: Well, I must say all this technology has an organic feel about it. (drops the gun onto the seat) It's not just advanced. It's ...
BLAKE: Conceptually alien?
AVON: Yes.
JENNA: There are a lot of controls that I haven't dared touch yet.
BLAKE: Well, I doubt whether we'd understand the manuals, so go ahead and try one. Go on.
JENNA: Well, don't blame me if it's self-destruct.
BLAKE: I doubt if I'll ever speak to you again.
JENNA: Ok, here we go.

[Jenna pushes button. Liberator undergoes massive acceleration. Crew are subjected to high speed blackout effect.]

[Exterior. View of space during ship's acceleration]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Jenna manages to counter the acceleration. Crew recovers]

BLAKE: That was quite a trip.
JENNA: There was certainly a lot of power in it. Did you get a blackout effect?
BLAKE: Yes.
JENNA: So did I.
AVON: Negative hyperspace.
BLAKE: You mean we crossed the anti-matter interface?
JENNA: That's impossible.
AVON: That's what they said about the light barrier.
JENNA: Well, which one next?
AVON: (points to another control) Try that one. (He grabs the back of a seat)
AVON: (as no obvious change occurs) Something of an anti- climax.
JENNA: Blake, I can't move my hand.

[Blake moves to help her]

AVON: Don't touch her.
JENNA: It's as though my hand was part of something. It's mixed with something else. It's ... it's in my head. Something in my mind. Asking. Answering. (pause) No. (pause) Ah, it's so peaceful, it's beautiful, (pause) to be completely known. It's like (pause) innocence.
ZEN: Welcome, Jenna Stannis.
JENNA: Who is it?

[Avon picks up Federation handgun from seat]

ZEN: Zen. Welcome, Roj Blake.
BLAKE: Where are you? Show yourself.
ZEN: Your species requires a visual reference point.
JENNA: Blake.

[Lights come on in an oval portion of one bulkhead]

ZEN: This is your reference point.
AVON: You're a computer.
ZEN: As you say, Kerr Avon.
BLAKE: Who owns this ship. Where are they?
ZEN: The navigation units will accept your spoken commands. Please state speed and course.
BLAKE: I want a course for the Earth Federation penal planet, Cygnus Alpha.
ZEN: Galactic center coordinates are confirmed.
BLAKE: (to Jenna) Speed?
JENNA: Standard?
BLAKE: Standard speed.
ZEN: Confirmed.
JENNA: (looks at controls) That's done it. It seems we're on course now.
AVON: It didn't answer any of your questions. More than that it deliberately ignored them. A computer can't have a will of it's own.
JENNA: You'd better tell Zen that.
BLAKE: Let's look around the rest of the ship. And find out exactly what it is we've stolen.
JENNA: Salvaged.
AVON: Why don't we just interrogate Zen?
BLAKE: Even if he'd answer...
AVON: I'll make it answer.
BLAKE: I'd still prefer to find out for myself. I'm not sure I entirely trust a computer with a mind of it's own.
JENNA: I don't think it means us any harm.
AVON: It has no feelings about us at all. It's just a machine.
JENNA: If you say so.
BLAKE: Either way, it'll keep. Come on.

[They exit flight deck]

[Exterior. Civil Administration Ship London in flight]

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Kara and Laran watch the London's approach]

KARA: Go to him and tell him new bounty has come from the darkness. I will go to the place of rebirth.

[Laran and Kara exit in different directions]

[Interior. London. Flight deck.]

LEYLAN: Berthing sequence automatic committed.
ARTIX: Seventeen. Sixteen. Fifteen.
LEYLAN: Landing beam alignment confirmed.
ARTIX Fourteen. Thirteen. Twelve.
LEYLAN: Check main retro drive.
ARTIX: Eleven. Ten.
LEYLAN: Entering silo.

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. London on final landing approach.]

[Interior. London. Flight Deck]

LEYLAN: We have ground zero contact. All off.
ARTIX: All off, sir.
LEYLAN: Right, disembark the prisoners, Mr. Artix. Maintain full security until they're in the holding bay. I'll program the computer for the return. We lift off in d plus thirty.
ARTIX: Thirty minutes? (pause) Sir, we've been in space now for eight months. I wouldn't mind stretching my legs a little.
LEYLAN: Not on this planet, Mr. Artix. Now get the prisoners off and let's go home.
ARTIX: Yes, sir.

[Artix leaves bridge.]

LEYLAN: (v.o. of recorded report) We have sustained crew casualties during attempted mutiny by prisoners. Five dead, including Subcommander Raiker. Three prisoners escaped in a space craft of unknown origin.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

LEYLAN: (v.o. of recorded report) Prisoners Blake, Stannis and Avon.
BLAKE: Avon. (walking around in teleport area) What do you think?
AVON: Before I decided to put my talents to more profitable use...
JENNA: And got arrested.
AVON: I handled the computer analysis for a research project into matter transmission. It was based on a new alloy...
BLAKE: Aquatar.
AVON: That's right.
BLAKE: Yes, I worked on that project too.
AVON: Small world.
BLAKE: Large project.
JENNA: I didn't work on it.
AVON: The molecular structure of Aquatar (picks up teleport bracelet) appeared to contain the key to the reduction and the transmission of matter as pure energy.
JENNA: Instant transportation.
BLAKE: (picks up bracelet) Send solid objects like radio signals. Trouble was it seldom worked.
AVON: And on living matter it never worked. Put a living creature into one end, take a dead creature out of the other, or nothing at all.
JENNA: So you think that is what all this is for? Matter transmission?
BLAKE: These bracelets contain Aquatar or something very like it.
JENNA: (as ship sounds change) What's that?
BLAKE: (to Jenna) Check it, would you?
JENNA: Yes. (exits)
AVON: The question is, have they solved the problem of living matter.
BLAKE: And if they have, could we teleport down to the surface of the planet without ever having to land the ship.
AVON: Too many ifs for my taste.
BLAKE: (indicates bracelet) Presumably these are part of the recall system. This looks like a communicator. (into the bracelet) Hello. Testing. One. Two. Three. (to Avon) Seems to work all right.
AVON: Tuned to transmit directly to the ship. Let's ask the computer how the system works.

[Jenna enters]

JENNA: Blake. I think you'd better come.
BLAKE: What's happened?
JENNA: We've stopped. Everything's gone dead.

[All exit teleport area]

[Exterior. Liberator appears stationary]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Crew enter]

BLAKE: Zen.
ZEN: Please state speed and course.
BLAKE: Cygnus Alpha, standard speed.
ZEN: Completed. The Liberator is in stationary orbit, one thousand spacials above the planet surface.
BLAKE: I see.
AVON: "The Liberator"?
JENNA: He got that from me. It was something I was thinking.
ZEN: Your thought was accepted.
AVON: Show us the planet.
ZEN: You require the remote visualization unit?
AVON: Yes.
ZEN: Please look at the screen.
JENNA: (Cygnus Alpha appears on main viewscreen) So that's where we would have spent the rest of our lives.
AVON: What now?
BLAKE: We've got to go down there and rescue the others.
AVON: You're not going to try and land this thing?
BLAKE: What's the alternative?
AVON: Leave. I'm free, and I intend to stay that way.
BLAKE: And I need a crew. (pause) Zen, how does the teleport system work?
AVON: Would its function be injurious to our species? Have you the necessary data?
ZEN: Wisdom must be gathered, it cannot be given.
AVON: Don't philosophize with me you electronic moron. Answer the question.
ZEN: ZEN!
AVON: ZEN!
JENNA: I don't think he likes you, somehow.
AVON: I think I may have to reprogram this machine.
JENNA: That still won't make you likable.
BLAKE: Avon's right we can't land the ship. (pause) I'm going to have to risk the teleport system. (pause) Come on.

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Corridor leading to holding cell.]

ARTIX: Come on, move it. Hurry. Move it. (Prisoners file in) Guard, make a double check that the rest of the prisoners are secure.
GUARD: Yes sir.
ARTIX: Move it.

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Holding cell. Door shuts behind prisoners]

ARCO: What happens now, then?
VILA: This is nice, isn't it. What a miserable hole. If we all complained do you think they'd give us a refund.
ARCO: Shut up.
VILA: Can't you see the funny side of it? Hey, have you heard this one. There was a young lady from Cygnus, who thought that...
ARCO: (grabs Vila) Are you going to shut your mouth or have I got to do it for you.
GAN: (separates Arco and Vila) Only if you're lying down, cause if you touch him again, I'm going to break your arms and legs off.
SELMAN: Why do you suppose they put us down here.
VILA: Just a holding area. They'll release us soon. Don't worry about this place. It's what's on the other side of that that bothers me.
SELMAN: What do you think it will be like, Arco?
ARCO: How should I know. It won't be good will it? They don't put penal colonies on easy living planets.
SELMAN: What about guards, authorities.
VILA: Why should they bother. It's a long walk back.
SELMAN: Well, why are they keeping us here.
GAN: Relax.
VILA: This is probably the nicest place on the planet. (Sound of the London's engines) Listen.
SELMAN: They're getting ready to lift off.

[Wall on one side of holding cell slides back. There are bars beyond it.]

ARCO: Can you see anything?
GAN: Some sort of passage.
VILA: Cold as a corpse's armpit.
ARCO: What's that smell?
SELMAN: It's like something rotting.
VILA: Dinner probably.

[Sound level from London increases.]

VILA: (covering his ears) Oh.

[All prisoners cover their ears]

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. London takes off.]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Holding cell. The prisoners are covering their ears as the sound gets louder.]

[Interior. London. Flight deck.]

LEYLAN: Release prisoners.

[Artix presses button.]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Holding cell. The barred gate slides back, giving access to the passageway.]

ARCO: What now?

GAN: What else is there? I mean we don't have much choice do we? Right.

[They all go down passage and look out onto the planet.

VILA: (pointing) There's someone there. Look.
ARCO: Where?
VILA: There.

[Across the way Kara beckons them]

VILA: Someone beckoning. Do you see it, Gan. (pause) It's gone.
ARCO: I didn't see anybody.
VILA: You must have done.
ARCO: I tell you I didn't. You're so scared your brain's curdling.
VILA: (to Gan) Did you see it?

GAN: I saw (pause) something.
VILA: There you are.
GAN: We're going to have to see what's out there sooner or later.
VILA: Let's all go. (pause) Uh no, on the other hand, let's all stay.
GAN: I'll take a look. (walks across the planet surface and disappears from view.)
ARCO: Gan. You all right.
VILA: Gan. (Echo) Gan.
ARCO: He might be in trouble. Come on.
VILA: Shouldn't we wait a bit longer? I mean, he might be all right. And if he isn't, what chance do the rest of us stand?
ARCO: Come on.
VILA: Look, uh... (others all go past him in the direction Gan took across the planet surface) Look wouldn't it be better if we all stay together? (Echo) Together. (Others disappear from view) Arco. (Echo) Arco. Great oaf. Why couldn't he stay here? (Vila looks around. Yells) Arco. (Vila runs to follow them) (Echo) Arco. Arco. Arco. (Echo) Arco.
[Vila catches the group. They walk around and find Gan kneeling in front of some sort of cross with a corpse suspended on it.]
ARCO: Gan. Gan. What is it?

[Gan stands up]

ARCO: What is it?

[Gan turns over sign. On it is written, "So perish unbelievers"]

ARCO: So perish unbelievers?

[Gan pulls back the hood from the corpse's face. He steps back with a gasp.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Blake puts on bracelet. Avon and Jenna are seated at console.]

BLAKE: You got it worked out yet?
AVON: Educated guesses. I can't be certain.
BLAKE: Now is the time to see how educated your guesses are.
AVON: I still think this is a stupid risk.
BLAKE: Which I'm taking. (pause) So let's get on with it. (moves into the teleport) Give me four minutes. After that, start making educated guesses as to how to get me back again.
JENNA: Good luck.
BLAKE: All right, Avon. Let's get started.

[Avon presses several buttons> Blake teleports.]

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Blake materializes on the planet's surface.]

BLAKE: (into communicator) Jenna, it appears to have worked.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area.]

BLAKE: (v.o.) Start counting.
JENNA: Four minutes.

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Blake begins exploring. He ducks out of sight as a group of robed figures pass. He rises and moves away. They see him.]

LARAN: A deserter. Kill him.

[The priests pursue Blake, trying to surround him. He climbs a hill.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Avon and Jenna are seated at the teleport console. Avon marks a control.]

JENNA: Wish we could be sure that's the right one to bring him back.
AVON: We can't be sure, can we.

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Blake has reached the top of the hill. He is holding an exposed root. Laran is already at the top and cuts through Blake's handhold. Blake rolls down the hill.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

JENNA: Thirty seconds.

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Blake is confronted by robed figures at the bottom of the hill. They look up at Laran, who nods. They draw their swords.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

JENNA: Time's up.

[Avon presses button. Teleport does not operate.]

JENNA: Keep it pressed down.
AVON: I AM keeping it pressed down.
JENNA: Well, it can't be the right one.
AVON: Then which one?
JENNA: I don't know. Try that one. Here. (She reaches over and presses a different button)

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Blake dematerializes.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

JENNA: We got you back.
AVON: It works.
JENNA: (runs over and hugs Blake) I was so worried.
BLAKE: I had a few sweaty moments myself.
JENNA: What was it like?
BLAKE: Well, nothing at all really. It's a bit like your property when Vila's around. (pause) Suddenly it's somewhere else. (Laughs)
AVON: This would be worth a fortune to the Federation.
JENNA: It actually got you down there, onto the surface of Cygnus?
BLAKE: What do you think this is? (brushes dust from his arm) Moon dust.
AVON: Did you see anything while you were down there.
BLAKE: Not much. And now we know how the system works, I'll go back down and find our people. Bring back anybody who wants to come. From the little I did see, they won't take too much persuading. [Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Prisoners are walking when they see a dark shape in the near distance.]
GAN: Wait. There's a building.
VILA: Cozy.
GAN: What do you think it is?
VILA: The architectural style is early maniac.
ARCO: We need food and shelter.
VILA: But do we need them that badly? (Arco passes him going toward the building)
ARCO: Listen we....(stops and points)

[Kara and several robed figures approach]

GAN: Who are you?
KARA: I am the servant of your God. Kneel.

[Gan kneels. The others follow his lead. Kara walks over to Gan and kisses him. She takes his hand, indicating he should rise]

KARA: Welcome, brothers. Come. Follow us. God has prepared a place for you.

[They follow her toward the building. Vila and Arco pause.]

ARCO: Well?
VILA: I like God's taste in servants.
ARCO: Shut up.

[They follow the others]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

AVON: I think we've got it worked out now. Transmit and receive are quite straightforward. All the other controls are directional. A little more practice, we should be able to put you down with precision.
JENNA: Got everything?
BLAKE: I'm all set.
AVON: How long do you want this time?
BLAKE: Four hours should be enough. (into communicator) Testing. (to Avon) Any change and I'll contact you on this.
JENNA: If something happens to you... if we don't hear or we can't get you back?
BLAKE: You must decide for yourselves. But I wouldn't want you to leave too soon.
AVON: Oh, come on, Blake. Do you really think we'd leave you down there?
JENNA: No, we wouldn't.
BLAKE: No, I don't think you would. (walks into teleport) Right. Shall we get started.
JENNA: All right. Ready? (pause) Go.

[Avon presses button and teleports Blake.]

[Cygnus Alpha. Exterior. Blake materializes on the planet's surface. He moves toward the building. Blake approaches the main door. A sign with a crude carving of a hand reads "Only from this hand comes life." He enters what appears to be the main room of a church. The sound of chanting can be faintly heard. He explores. There is a rough sculpture of a head above an altar. He conceals himself when he hears someone approach. Kara enters and kneels before the altar. Vargas enters from another door.]

VARGAS: His blessings are upon you. Speak and he will hear you.
KARA: I am thy true servant. (kisses Vargas' feet)
VARGAS: The souls from the outer darkness are amongst us?
KARA: They are in the place of the novices.
VARGAS: A true bounty. Have they been touched by the death?
KARA: The curse of Cygnus is upon them all.
VARGAS: Then let them know his mercy. You will teach them the first law. Only from his hand comes life.
KARA: Only from his hand comes life.
VARGAS: And from his wrath comes death.
KARA: And from his wrath comes death.
VARGAS: We obey him and give thanks for his mercy.
KARA: We obey him and give thanks for his mercy.
VARGAS: He is the giver of salvation.

[Vargas opens a compartment and places some white tablets on a plate Kara holds.]

KARA: Salvation.
VARGAS: His power drives out the ravening beast that is death.
KARA: Death.
VARGAS: It is he who must be obeyed.
KARA: We thank you.

[Kara exits in one direction, Vargas in the opposite. Blake makes sure they have gone, then attempts to open the cabinet.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Jenna is seated at console. Avon enters]

JENNA: Is there a maximum range on this?

AVON: Of course. I don't know what it is though.
JENNA: What would happen if you teleported somebody beyond the maximum range?
AVON: I would imagine that they would appear momentarily in space, and then that their atoms would be scattered to the solar winds. Why don't you go and do a little exploring. I'll keep an eye on things here.
JENNA: You wouldn't be trying to get rid of me would you.
AVON: I have to get rid of Blake first. You're next on my list.
JENNA: That would have been very disarming, if I didn't know that you meant it.

[Jenna begins to leave. She turns at the bottom of the stairs]

JENNA: Avon.
AVON: Yes.
JENNA: Could you kill someone? Face to face I mean.
AVON: I don't know. Could you?
JENNA: There's one sure way of finding out. (She leaves teleport area)

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Blake continues exploring. A noise attracts his attention. He walks up to a door and looks through a sliding section. Laran sits sharpening his knife.]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. View from cell holding new arrivals. Kara watches the men, who are obviously ill]

[Interior. Kara moves up the passage and joins Laran]

KARA: The sickness will end soon. When it does, he will come to them.
LARAN: With other souls to do his work, there will be a chance for me ... for the ... for the faithful to rise to the priesthood.
KARA: He will not fail you. You will be rewarded. (climbs stairs and exits.)
KARA: (from top of stairs) Have faith, Laran. (she crosses room and enters another door)

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. From hiding, Blake watches her leave. He goes to the door and opens it. Laran has resumed sharpening his knife. Blake descends stairs and douses light.]

LARAN:: (grumbles)

[Blake runs down the passageway to the cells holding the new arrivals]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Cell. Vila goes and gets some water. Gan is standing with his back to one wall]

BLAKE: (whispers) Vila. (pause, then louder) Vila. (pause) Gan.(pause) Gan.
GAN: (moves to bars) Blake.
BLAKE: What is it? What's the matter with everybody?
GAN: How did you get here?
BLAKE: Never mind that now. What's wrong?
GAN: Disease. Something in the atmosphere. All new arrivals get it.
BLAKE: Well, can it be cured?
GAN: The priests have given us a drug. They say we'll be over it soon.
BLAKE: Why are they keeping you prisoners?
GAN: We're not prisoners. We're just confined 'til we're well again.
BLAKE: Listen...
GAN: No, the priests, they've been very good to us, Blake. They've given us food and drink. Treated us well.
BLAKE: Listen, I've got a ship. I can take you and the others off this planet.
GAN: We can't leave here.
BLAKE: What are you talking about?
GAN: The sickness. We're all infected.
BLAKE: You said you've had the drug.
GAN: No, you don't understand, Blake. To survive we have to be treated with the drug every day for the rest of our lives. If we leave here, we die.
BLAKE: Everybody?
GAN: Everybody. The priests call it the curse of Cygnus, and no one is immune.
BLAKE: Well then why haven't I got it?
GAN: Ah, you will have. We all came down with it about two hours after we arrived.
BLAKE: But I've been here for nearly that long.
GAN: Then it's already in your system. Blake, you can't go back to your ship.
BLAKE: I'll talk with the leaders. I'll get them to give us a supply of the drug or at least tell us how it's made. In return I can...I can offer some of them a chance to get off here.
GAN: They might agree. It's worth a try.
BLAKE: Well, I'll have to persuade them. Now you rest, now. I'll be back. (Gan moves to the interior of the cell)

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Passageway. Blake starts for exit. One of the priests comes up behind him and hits him. He falls to the floor, unconscious]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Avon is at the teleport controls. He is examining the circuitry. Jenna enters.]

JENNA: Avon. (comes down the stairs and models her new clothes) What do you think?
AVON: I'm glad to see you haven't been wasting your time on frivolities.
JENNA: (noticing teleport console) What have you done?
AVON: Just looking.
JENNA: If we can't get Blake back...
AVON: Where did you get the clothes.
JENNA: I found a room full of them down there. Why don't you go and have a look?
AVON: Perhaps I will. Just out of curiosity. (Rises) You can take over here, can't you. (gestures to one of the panels) That is the recall button. (starts to leave)
JENNA: Avon.
AVON: Yes?
JENNA: There's another room you should see while you're down there. At the far end. You might find it interesting.

[Avon exits teleport area]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Vargas looks out of window at the Liberator]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Main room of the temple. Blake is manacled to a chair. Vargas is watching him.]

VARGAS: You are recovered?
BLAKE: Just about.
VARGAS: An interesting design. (picks up Blake's gun) A hand weapon of some kind. You will instruct me in its use.
BLAKE: I'm not too certain about it myself.
VARGAS: Your possessions are forfeit. (uncovers the teleport bracelets laying on the table) I found these (picks up a bracelet) fascinating. Some sort of body adornment I thought at first. And then I wondered why a man would carry so many. Perhaps to use in trade, in barter. And then I thought again and that didn't seem to be the answer either.
BLAKE: They have no value in themselves.
VARGAS: Ahhh. (crushes a teleport bracelet) How did you get here?
BLAKE: I was a prisoner on the Federation ship.
VARGAS: (crushes another bracelet) That is untrue. The prisoners were observed from the moment they landed. All are accounted for. So when a new star was in our heavens, then I understood. It is a spacecraft, isn't it? (holds up another bracelet)
BLAKE: Don't destroy any more of those.
VARGAS: Answer me.
BLAKE: It is a spacecraft. I was a prisoner on the Federation ship. With two others I escaped and we took control of a ship.
VARGAS: It seems unlikely, but it has the ring of truth. (puts on teleport bracelet, laughs) I am the supreme power here. (picks up Blake's gun) My word is law. My followers obey without question. (points gun at Blake) They worship me.
BLAKE: Or fear you.
VARGAS: The two are inseparable.
BLAKE: Why you?
VARGAS: I am directly descended by the true and chosen line. Mine is the power by right.
BLAKE: But this planet was uninhabited until the Federation brought the first batch of fifty criminals here. Is that the noble line from which you stem.
VARGAS: My ancestors came here on that first shipment. They had nothing. The Federation gave them no tools, no supplies. So they worked together. They worked hard. And made a community. There were children born here. They were settlers trying to build a new world on a new planet. Later, more Federation prisoners came. There were disagreements. The community began to break up. They fought and killed. All that they had achieved was being destroyed. And it was my great-great-grandfather
who found a way to unit them. (picks up old, rusty revolver from table) He gave them a religion. Brought them together in the love and fear of God. That is the line I stem from. (yells) That is what gives me the right to rule.
BLAKE: Forgive me for my ignorance. I... I was wrong to question your authority. I apologize.
VARGAS: You are wise. Unbelievers perish in his wrath.
BLAKE: I came here only to find my friends. They have a disease. I understand you have a drug which will combat it.
VARGAS: They will require it each day for the rest of their lives.
BLAKE: Well, I ask that they be allowed to choose whether they come with me. I ask that you give me a supply of that drug.
VARGAS: No.
BLAKE: I need those men. I must have a crew.
VARGAS: (yells) NO! This society needs people. New blood, muscle and sinew to work the land. Human souls are the only currency. Our God is bankrupt without them.
BLAKE: Will you trade them then? There must be something on my ship that you need.
VARGAS: Toys like this? (picks up gun) And these. (picks up bracelet) Is that what you offer me.
BLAKE: What do you want?
VARGAS: Power.
BLAKE: That you already have.
VARGAS: Here, yes. But to take the word beyond, to gather followers in new worlds, new disciples bound together and obeying the one true God. That is what I want. That is what you will give me.
BLAKE: How?
VARGAS: Your ship. You will give me your ship.
BLAKE: No.
VARGAS: I command it. You will contact your ship and order it to land.
BLAKE: I can't do that.
VARGAS: You are mistaken. (to priests) He has defied the word. Teach him what happens to unbelievers. (They grab Blake) Teach him.

[In another part of the room is what looks like a torture area. A priest stands holding a chain. Vargas laughs. OOV Blake screams]

[Exterior. Liberator in stationary orbit.]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Vargas' room. Kara looks out window at the sky. Vargas sits reading.]

KARA: Is it a sign?
VARGAS: It tells us that the time is come to take our truth out into the universe. New worlds shall honor the power of the word.

[Laran enters]

LARAN: Lord Vargas.
VARGAS: Yes, Laran.
LARAN: The unbeliever will not submit.
VARGAS: (sighs and dismisses Laran with a nod and a wave of the hand) Kara, go to the place of novices. Speak to those who have newly come to us. Tell them what happens to those who disobey.

[Kara exits. Vargas remains seated]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Avon enters carrying a sack.]

JENNA: You found it then?
AVON: (empties the sack on the table and jewels spill out) Do you know how much is in there? Millions. Millions. And this is just a sample. There must be almost as much wealth in that single room as there is in the entire Federation banking system. Look at it.
JENNA: You could buy a lot of freedom with this.
AVON: You could buy anything with this. Anything at all. Think of it Jenna, there isn't anything you couldn't have.
JENNA: But what about Blake?
AVON: What about him?
JENNA: No.
AVON: We could own our own planet.
BLAKE: We're not leaving him there.
AVON: We have to. He's a crusader. He'll look upon all this as just one more weapon to use against the Federation. And he can't win. You know he can't win. What do you want to be rich or dead? (picks up necklace) We might never have this opportunity again.
JENNA: An hour. We'll wait an hour. If he's not back by then we'll leave.
AVON: Why? Why wait?
JENNA: Because that way I can convince myself that we gave him a fair chance. If he's not back by then.... (walks away)
AVON: All right.

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Cell. Door is opened and Blake is tossed in. Others stand away from him.]

BLAKE: Give us a hand, will you?

[No one moves. Finally, Gan helps Blake to his feet]

BLAKE: Thank you. What's the matter with you. Selman? Arco? Vila?
ARCO: You've got to give them what they want, Blake.
BLAKE: Oh, really? That madman wants the ship. Give him that and we're finished.
ARCO: We're finished already.
VILA: They're not going to give us the drug unless you do as they order. Without it we die.
SELMAN: Tell him the rest.
VILA: If you delay, one of us will be chosen for sacrifice.
ARCO: We're not going to let that happen, Blake. If they can't convince you then I will. (tries to attack Blake)
BLAKE: (sidesteps the attack) You're pathetic. I should leave you to rot. You want to live like slaves? Live or die at the whim of a madman, then fine. But you're not taking me down with you. I'm getting out. I'm better off without you.
VILA: Even if we got away, we wouldn't have the drug.
BLAKE: I know where it's kept.
ARCO: How long will it last?
BLAKE: That ship up there is the most advanced design I've ever seen. There are medicines on board. There's a laboratory. We can... we can... we can analyze the drug, make it ourselves.
ARCO: That's what YOU say.
BLAKE: Very soon now they're going to come and take one of you away and there is nothing you can do to stop that happening, because there is no way I am going to order that ship to land. The choice is very simple. You can either fight or you can die. (pause, looks around at all of them) Well?GAN: (moves to stand beside Blake) Well, I'm with you.
BLAKE: Anyone else?

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Main chapel]

VARGAS: (standing at the altar) Only from his hand comes life. And from his wrath comes death. We obey him and give him thanks for his blessing. (gong sounds) It is time. Bring the chosen one to the place of sacrifice.

[Laran exits. Vargas picks up Blake's weapon. It accidentally discharges.]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Cell.]

BLAKE: They're coming. Ready?
GAN: Yes.
BLAKE: (looks at others crouched on the floor) It's your last chance. (to Gan) All right?
GAN: Right.
BLAKE: Let's get down.

[Blake, Gan, Vila, Arco and Selman crouch down among prisoners.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

AVON: (pacing) Oh, come on. There's no point in waiting any longer.
JENNA: There's still six minutes.
AVON: We've made our decision. Let's just get out of here.
JENNA: Six minutes. We'll wait.

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Main chapel. Robed figures are gathered, kneeling before the altar. Chanting can be heard. Robed figures enter escorting Gan, his hands shackled.]

BLAKE: (disguised in robe) The novices made attack on us. We were able to overcome them.
VARGAS: They will be punished. Come, prepare the sacrifice.

[Gan walks forward and lays on table.]

VARGAS: (to image above the altar) Oh, Lord of our people, in offering up this sacrifice we crave your blessing. (holds knife up)
VARGAS: (turns to table and raises knife over Gan) Oh Lord of our people, we dedicate this sacrifice to you.
BLAKE: Now. (he throws off his robe) Get the bracelets.

[Gan takes of binders. The prisoners fight with the priests. Blake puts on a bracelet.]

BLAKE: (into communicator) Get us up, Avon. Quick.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area.]

BLAKE: (v.o.) Make it fast.

[Avon does not move. Jenna reaches for the button. Avon grabs her hand.]

AVON: We lose it all.

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Main chapel. The fighting continues. Gan manages to retrieve a bracelet. Vila crawls past the table and gets one.]

BLAKE: Vila, where's Selman?
VILA: He's dead.

[Fighting continues. Arco is wounded. Gan throws man aside. A priest throws a spear.]

KARA: Gan.

[Gan steps back. The spear misses him and hits Kara. The fight continues. Blake is struggling with one of the priests. Vila stabs the priest.]

BLAKE: Don't just stand there Vila. Run.
BLAKE: Gan, come on.

[They run out door. Gan slams it shut and holds it]

BLAKE: Gan, can you hold them?
GAN: As long as the door doesn't break.
VILA: Did you see? They killed Arco.
BLAKE: I don't understand. There's no response from the ship.
VILA: Perhaps these bracelets don't work any more.
BLAKE: And we can't hold out much longer. That's certain.
VILA: And they'll be getting reinforcements.
BLAKE: Look, there's only one way for it. You and Gan run. Out there hide among the rocks. Anywhere. At least in the dark you've got a chance. I'm going back in to get the gun.
VILA: They'll kill you.
BLAKE: Gan, when I give the word, let go of the door.
VILA: Blake, we'll all be killed.
BLAKE: Gan, do as I tell you. Now.

[Gan opens the door. Men come hurtling out.]

GAN: (pulls Vila away) Come on.

[ Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Blake grabs gun. Three robed figures attack him. They struggle. The gun goes off, hitting the image above the altar. The others fall to their knees. Blake jumps over crossed lances blocking the door. He rolls over into the next room]

VARGAS: No.

[Blake's bracelet comes off. Vargas closes door and points gun at Blake. He fires and misses. Blake runs but is blocked by the wall. Vargas points gun at Blake and laughs]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

JENNA: We've got no choice.

[Jenna presses button]

[Cygnus Alpha. Interior. Vargas is teleported.]

BLAKE: (grabs bracelet) Get me up.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area.]

BLAKE: (v.o) Make it fast.
JENNA: (presses button) Get the ship moving.

[Avon exits. Blake, Vila and Gan materialize. Vargas materializes in another teleport section.]

JENNA: (turning to teleport) Blake?
VARGAS: (point gun at others) Get over there. All of you. You'll take this ship down to the surface.
JENNA: We're already moving away.
VARGAS: Then get it back.
BLAKE: If you kill us, there is no way you can run this ship. You're getting further and further away from your precious drug.
VARGAS: (Laughs) There is no drug. A simple compound. The disease is a mild poison that clears itself. But for centuries the followers have believed in the disease, believed in the cure just as you have believed.
BLAKE: So you and those before you built your power on fear and ruled them with it.
VARGAS: I ruled. I ruled. A small prison planet with never more than five hundred people. But with this. With this I could rule a thousand planets. For that prize, do you think I would hesitate to kill you? Now take this ship back to Cygnus Alpha.

[He backs up into teleport area]

VARGAS: NOW. I was their priest. I shall return to them a god... A god...

[Blake teleports him into space where he explodes]

[Exterior. Liberator is under way.]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Entire crew is present.]

ZEN: Information. Sensors register that Liberator has been scanned by detector beams. A fleet of ships is approaching and has changed course toward this system.

BLAKE: Put them on the screen.

[Viewscreen shows star field. Three moving objects can be seen.]

JENNA: There they are.
BLAKE: Identify.
ZEN: Available data classifies them as Federation pursuit ships.
BLAKE: Set a course to take us away from them. Maximum speed.
ZEN: Course and speed confirmed.
AVON: With our speed we'll probably outrun them. This time. But they'll keep coming. Pushing us, tracking us. They'll never give up.
BLAKE: Nor will we. When we can handle this ship properly, we'll stop running. Then we'll fight.

Time Squad
by Terry Nation

(c)1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c)1993 by Micky DuPree and Ruth Hanson.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake
Jenna Stannis
Kerr Avon
Cally
Vila Restal
Olag Gan
Zen
Alien 1
Alien 2
Alien 3

[Exterior. Liberator moves through a star field]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Blake is at the main pilot's console. Jenna is beside him. Gan, Vila and Avon are at their usual flight positions.]

BLAKE: (manipulates controls) Check.
JENNA: Right, one more time. Cut primaries, reverse thrust.
BLAKE: Check.
JENNA: Stabilize and trim back to stationary.
BLAKE: Check.
JENNA: (to Avon) Negative anti-gravs. (Avon presses buttons) Compensate for orbital drift and hold. (points to button) Hold.
BLAKE: All confirmed.
JENNA: Good.
BLAKE: Right. Let's check with the expert. Zen, report status.
ZEN: Liberator is stationary and is stabilized in an anti- orbital posture.
VILA: Whatever that means.
BLAKE: It means we got it right.
JENNA: Together we can fly this ship manually.
GAN: I think we make a good team.
AVON: Well, hurray for us.
VILA: What's eating you now?
AVON: I'm just wondering how long we're going to live to enjoy our new found skills.
BLAKE: Zen, three sixty degree survey. Put etheric detector beams on maximum. Report any space vehicles within range. Vila, put visual survey on the screen.
ZEN: Negative on all systems. There are no space vehicles within detector range.
JENNA: We've lost them.
VILA: So much for federation pursuit ships.
GAN: At least we know we can outrun them.
VILA: Outrun them, in this we can out stroll them.
AVON: Don't get too relaxed about it. They'll keep on coming.
VILA: We have the whole universe to hide in.
BLAKE: Except that we're not going to hide. Very soon now the Federation ships will know exactly where we are. Or at least where we've been.
VILA: I don't follow you.
AVON: Oh, but you do. And that's the problem.
BLAKE: Up until now we've only been a minor irritation to the Federation. I think it's about time we hurt them.
JENNA: I don't like the sound of that.
AVON: Neither do I. I thought it was agreed we wouldn't do anything without discussing it thoroughly.
BLAKE: True. It was also agreed that anybody could opt out at any time. Just tell me when you want to leave.
AVON: Oh, I will. But in the meantime I think we have a right to know what it is you're planning.
BLAKE: Zen, set a course for Saurian Major, speed standard by two.
ZEN: Speed and course confirmed.
AVON: That falls a little short of my idea of a thorough discussion.
GAN: We can talk and travel. We're safer on the move.
AVON: Another one who's prepared to let Blake do his thinking for him.
BLAKE: Enough, Avon.
VILA: Saurian Major?
BLAKE: Zen, visual star sector four two point six one. It's there, on the edge of the system. One of the early self-governing colonies subsequently annexed by the Federation. When the settlers declared their independence again, the Federation crushed them with typical efficiency.
JENNA: How typical?
BLAKE: Half the population were butchered. The other half were rounded up and transported to frontier planets. A few managed to escape to the hills and form guerilla bands.
VILA: Why are we going there, though? I mean I feel for them. But we've got problems of our own.
BLAKE: They've built a vast transceiver complex there. All Federation signals and navigation controls are beamed into Saurian Major, boosted and redirected. It's a vital nerve center in the Federation space control system. Destroy that, and you blind, deafen and silence them. That's what we're going to do.
AVON: A blow for freedom.
GAN: Yes, our freedom. For a clever man you're not very bright. Deaf, dumb and blind how are they going to catch us?
AVON: I'm sure Blake will manage it somehow.

[Exterior. Liberator moves through a star field]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Jenna is at one of the flight
positions. Blake is dozing on the forward seating. A steady
beeping noise is heard.]

JENNA: Blake.
BLAKE: (half asleep) Hmm.
JENNA: Are there any artificial satellites on our course?
BLAKE: I don't know, I'll check. (presses a variety of controls on the console next to him.) Well, none to be seen. Are you getting something?
JENNA: Yes, something.
BLAKE: How long has it been registering?
JENNA: Couple of minutes. Signal's getting stronger.
BLAKE: Zen, visual detector scan and computer analysis on grid one one five, please.
ZEN: The signal is mechanical. It emanates from a space projectile of unidentified origin. Translator units categorize the signal as a distress call.
BLAKE: Estimate the projectile's speed and course.
ZEN: No indication of motive power. The projectile's movement is only subject to space drift and orbital influence.
JENNA: If they've lost power, they're in real trouble.
BLAKE: We don't have much option then, do we? (to Zen) How far away are they?
ZEN: One million seventy three thousand spacials and closing.
BLAKE: Well, re-program course and speed to rendezvous with the projectile. Lock off on one hundred spacials.
ZEN: Speed and course confirmed.
BLAKE: You better tell the others.
JENNA: All right. (walks toward the passage off Liberator flight deck, then stops)
BLAKE: Problem?
JENNA: Putting out a false distress signal. It's a trick used by space pirates.
BLAKE: Well then, we'll have to be careful.
JENNA: I'll get the others. (Jenna leaves Liberator flight deck)

[Exterior. Liberator still under way]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Entire crew is present]

AVON: There's nothing coming back except the same distress call. It must be on a mechanical repeater.
BLAKE: Do you recognize the type?
AVON: No. Primitive. Too small to sustain a full life support system by the look of it.
JENNA: Doesn't seem to be any heavy armament.
BLAKE: Could be a high speed transporter.
JENNA: To transport what?
VILA: Do we care?
JENNA: (slight laugh) Getting nervous?
VILA: No, I've been nervous all along. I do not like the look of that thing.
BLAKE: Zen, have the sensors picked up any sign of life?
ZEN: No information can be given.
BLAKE: That is not what I asked. I want to teleport across there.
ZEN: There is room.
BLAKE: And life support?
ZEN: There is life support for a (pause) limited (pause) period.
BLAKE: I'll go and take a look then.
JENNA: I'll come with you.
BLAKE: Avon.

[Blake and Jenna leave the Liberator flight deck]

ZEN: (with difficulty) It is in... in... in...
AVON: I'll have to overhaul that (pause) thing.
ZEN: (drawn out) ...sane.

[Avon leaves Liberator flight deck]

GAN: I wonder. It's almost as if Zen has a limiter.
VILA: A limiter?
GAN: Something that stops him from helping us too much. Or maybe it's someone who stops him.
VILA: Gan, if you're trying to scare me, you're succeeding.

[Exterior. Liberator approaches the alien craft.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport room. Avon is at the console.
Blake and Jenna are preparing for teleport]

BLAKE: Let's see just how precise you can be.
AVON: Are you sure you can trust me?
BLAKE: For as long as we're useful to each other. We'll keep the voice channels open. (to Avon) All set?
AVON: Ready.
BLAKE: Sure?
AVON: As I'll ever be.
BLAKE: (to Jenna) All right?
JENNA: (nods)
BLAKE: Right. Put us across.

[Avon teleports Jenna and Blake]

[Interior of the alien projectile. Blake and Jenna materialize. The interior is cramped. There are three oblong containers visible, taking up most of the available space. To the rear is a hatch to another compartment]

BLAKE: More by luck than judgment.
JENNA: Ah, don't tell him that.
BLAKE: (into communicator) Thank you, Avon. (to Jenna) You ever seen anything like this before?
JENNA: No.
BLAKE: (examines the lock on the rear compartment, then moves forward) Well?
JENNA: Controls are very basic. Just enough instruments to make a safe landing. Everything's manual.
BLAKE: Why put manual controls in an unmanned craft? What's that?
JENNA: Distress relay. Probably cuts in automatically when a major fault develops. Ah, here it is.
BLAKE: What?
JENNA: The fault. Circuit tracer. There's a malfunction reading on the auto-navs. That's what must have activated the cut outs on the propulsion units.
BLAKE: Well, that explains why they're drifting. But you don't put circuit tracers in an unmanned craft. There must have been a crew on board.
JENNA: Well, the locks on the inner hatch are still secure. (indicates rear compartment) What about this one here?
BLAKE: It's locked.
JENNA: So if there was a crew ....
BLAKE: They're still here. (Opens the outer cover on one of the containers. There is a male alien in it)
JENNA: Blake, look. Look at his eyes. He's alive. (They bend over and look into the container. Blake touches the outside surface of the unit and draws his hand back quickly.) What is it?
BLAKE: It's cold, it almost took the skin off my fingers.
JENNA: That's it. This is the same process they used centuries ago on the early deep space flights. They subjected their crew to extremely low temperatures to suspend the aging process. This is a cryogenic capsule.
BLAKE: (Opens the outer cover on the other cryogenic capsules. One of the occupants is dead; the other, alive.) There's not much we can do for them here. Re-animation will be a slow process.
JENNA: We can't just leave them here.
BLAKE: Yeah, we'll worry about that when we get back. Our air is running out, in case you hadn't noticed.
JENNA: I hadn't wanted to worry you.
BLAKE: (Into communicator) Avon, do you read?
AVON: (v.o.) I hear you.
BLAKE: Bring us back. (Pause) (v.o.) Bring us back.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Avon is at the console. Gan
is there]

AVON: I can't. The teleport control is burnt out.

[Vila enters Liberator teleport area]

JENNA: What did you do?
AVON: (v.o.) Not a thing. It blew all by itself.
BLAKE: (v.o.)Can you repair it?
AVON: No need. There is an automatic repair system and it's working.
BLAKE: (v.o.) How long?
AVON: I don't know.
BLAKE: (v.o.) Why not?
AVON: Zen won't tell us.
BLAKE: Our air is running out.
AVON: (v.o.) Yes, I was afraid of that. How long?
BLAKE: Minutes. Get Zen to maneuver the ship 'round and bring the entire projectile on board.
AVON: I'd already thought of that. Zen refuses to do it.
BLAKE: (v.o.) Then you'll have to.
AVON: That's very chancy, Blake. If Liberator so much a nudges that ship--
BLAKE: (v.o.) Then you'd better get it right.
AVON: (To Vila and Gan) Shall we get on with it?

[All three exit to Liberator flight deck]

[Interior. Alien projectile]

BLAKE: Why didn't Zen warn us?
JENNA: I think he tried to.
BLAKE: I'm sorry.
JENNA: I'm all right.

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Avon is at the main pilot's console; Vila at the flight position to his left, Gan to his right]

AVON: Lock the inner hatches, positive pressure.
VILA: Locked.
AVON: Equalize the lower hold pressure.
GAN: Equalized.
AVON: Open the main locks.

[Exterior. View of Liberator hold opening]

AVON: Visual. (A view of space from the interior of the hold is displayed on the main viewscreen.)
VILA: Ramp fully open.
AVON: Good. Moving to line up. Right lateral, minimum power.
VILA: Too much. You're overshooting.
AVON: Left lateral. That's enough. Hold.
VILA: Square on.
AVON: Give me a fall line projection. Good. We're aligned and we're ready to go. Do you two know what you have to do?

GAN: Uh huh.
AVON: I hope so. Commencing docking procedure (pause) now.

[Interior. Alien projectile]

BLAKE: He's taking his time.
JENNA: It's delicate maneuver. He'll get there.
BLAKE: I'm breathless with anticipation.
JENNA: (laughs)

[Exterior. Liberator moves closer to alien projectile]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck]

AVON: That's very good. Gently. Easy. Easy. Good. Alignment is exact.

[Exterior. Projectile veers out of alignment with Liberator]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck]

VILA: She's turning.
AVON: Right lateral.
VILA: Quickly.
GAN: She's drifting under the laser projection.
AVON: Down degree point zero one.
VILA: You're too close. She's going to hit the ramp broad side on.
GAN: Get around.
AVON: Down another point. More lateral.

[Interior. Alien projectile. Blake and Jenna]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck.]

VILA: You're too close. Pull away, Avon.
AVON: No time. She's coming 'round. Gan, when the tail is on the laser projection, I'll go straight in.
GAN: NOW!

[Exterior. Projectile is brought on board Liberator]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck]

VILA: You've done it. You've done it.
AVON: Close the main locks. Zen, transfer to inner hold number five.
ZEN: Transfer process commenced.

[View from hold. Outer doors close]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck]

GAN: Hull re-pressurized.
VILA: Inner hatches released.
AVON: Switch the visual.

[Main screen view changes to projectile at rest in inner hold]

VILA: Very delicate. You know, with hands like that and a decent upbringing, he might have made a respectable pick pocket.
AVON: Yes. We better go down and check that they're all right. Keep a watch, Gan.

[Avon and Vila leave Liberator flight deck]

[On board projectile. Jenna and Blake open outer hatch. They step out of projectile into inner hold]

VILA: (entering hold) There you are, you see. Nothing to worry about. What have we here?
BLAKE: Take a look.

[Avon enters hold]

BLAKE: (to Avon) Thank you.
AVON: Glad to be of help.
JENNA: You don't sound too sure about that. Thanks anyway. Nice flying.

[Blake goes to intercom]

GAN: (v.o) Gan.
BLAKE: Blake. See if Zen's back on our side yet.
GAN: (v.o) I don't think he ever left it.
BLAKE: Tell him to resume course for Saurian Major, speed standard by two.
GAN: (v.o.) Understood.
BLAKE: (to Jenna) Anything?
JENNA: (examining hull of projectile) Most of it's been scraped away.
BLAKE: Must of been in space a long time.
JENNA: I wonder where it came from.
BLAKE: (laughs slightly) More interesting is where it was going and why. Let's see if Avon's got any ideas.

[Interior. Alien projectile]

BLAKE: (to Avon) What do you think?
AVON: (seated at flight controls) It's an old ship. Or from a technologically backward culture. Sublight drive. So obviously the destination was outside the star system from which it was launched.
VILA: (sitting beside Avon) Obviously. Why?
AVON: They wouldn't bother to put the crew into suspended animation unless the journey was likely to last longer than the natural life span of a man. The cryogenic system halts the aging and the decay. These two are probably hundreds of years old.

BLAKE: Is there any idea of where they were going and why?
AVON: No, but they weren't planning on coming back. All the instruments are set for landing. There's nothing for take off.
BLAKE: There'd be no point in going back. The world they left would be dead years ago.
AVON: No sign of any weapons. In fact there isn't much equipment at all. Either they were headed for a civilized destination where they expected a friendly reception or ... we are missing the point entirely.

[Avon rises and moves back to the cryogenic capsules]

VILA: It all seems a bit single minded to me.
AVON: I've cut in the re-animation unit. It will take a little while, but these two should come out of it and then they'll be able to tell us what it's all about.
BLAKE: Can we speed it up?
AVON: It's programmed. Interfere with it and you could kill them.
BLAKE: Well, there's no point in waiting around. We'll take a look at them in a couple of hours.
AVON: Oh, wait a minute. There is something we could do. We could take out the program in the autonavigational unit, link it into our own computers and take a reading on planet of origin, the course and the destination.
BLAKE: It's worth a try.

[Avon moves back to flight controls. Inside one of the capsules,
the alien moves his hand.]

[Exterior. Liberator is once again under way.]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Jenna is at the main pilot's
console, Avon and Vila at their usual positions. Blake enters]

BLAKE: How are you getting on with that?
AVON: I'm still waiting for the decoders to work out the notational system. It's taking rather longer than I thought.
BLAKE: Has anyone been down to see our guests lately?
JENNA: Vila went down a little while ago.
BLAKE: And?
VILA: Thawing nicely. Couple of hours, we should be able to talk to them.
ZEN: Liberator is now in stationary orbit one thousand spacials from the surface of the planet Saurian Major.
BLAKE: Then it's time we went. Vila, I shall want you down there with me.
VILA: Oh. Right.
BLAKE: Bring your bag of tricks. Avon?
AVON: Isn't he enough?
BLAKE: Their detectors are concentrated on neutral space. We came in from Federation territory. They won't have spotted us yet. But they will, sooner or later, and I can do what needs to be done faster with your help.
AVON: No doubt.
BLAKE: Jenna will teleport us down.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Vila and Gan are loading
box. Blake, Avon and Jenna enter teleport area.]

BLAKE: (to Jenna) Put Zen on constant scan. I want to know immediately if those Federation ships come into this system.
JENNA: Of course. (goes to teleport controls)
BLAKE: Gan, help Jenna keep an eye on those aliens. And remember, one of you must be on standby at all times we may have to get off Saurian quickly.
GAN: Don't worry.
JENNA: How long are you going to stay down there?
BLAKE: Depends on what we find. Saurian day is about thirty six hours that should be all we need. (to Avon) Are you ready? [Avon, Blake and Vila move into teleport alcove] Right. Put us down.

[Jenna teleports Avon, Blake and Vila]

[Exterior. Surface of Saurian Major. The ground is rocky.
There are strange plants dotted here and there around the area.]

VILA: (touches plant, then draws his hand back) Ehyeh.
AVON: Did it sting you?
VILA: It's warm. Clammy. A bit like flesh.

[Avon reaches out to touch plant]

BLAKE: You have to be careful of the planet life around here. Some of it's carnivorous.

[Avon draws hand back quickly]

BLAKE: Some species even have an intelligence rating.
VILA: That's a comfort. I should hate to be eaten by something stupid.
BLAKE: (holds up pocket chart) Now look. This is thecommunications complex. This is where we are.
VILA: Looks like a long trek.
AVON: How do you intend to make contact with the rebels?
BLAKE: If they're any good, they'll make contact with us. We won't make any secret of ourpresence. Just set up camp and wait.
VILA: And if the security forces get to us first?
AVON: They won't patrol this far from the complex.
BLAKE: A small fire first, I think.

[Avon and Vila move off]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Jenna and Gan are present]

JENNA: No sign of pursuit ships yet.
GAN: Oh, they'll find us. Sooner or later.
JENNA: And then we'll fight.
GAN: Yes.
JENNA: I keep wondering whether it wouldn't be better to optout of all this. Find a safe planet. Hide.
GAN: They'd still find you.
JENNA: I suppose.
GAN: But if you wanted to leave, you know Blake wouldn't try to stop you.
JENNA: No, I know. What about you? Are going to stick withhim?
GAN: I have to. I... I want to stay alive. And to do that I need people I can rely on. I can't be on my own.
JENNA: What do you mean? (pause) Gan?
GAN: I killed a security guard. They said it was murder. But he had a gun. I was unarmed. You see, he killed my woman.
JENNA: That must have been terrible.
GAN: I'm sorry, my head aches. I'll be all right in a little while. I suppose I should go and look at our frozen friends.
JENNA: Relax, I'll go.
GAN: Thanks.

[Jenna leaves Liberator flight deck]

[Interior. Liberator hold five. Jenna enters and climbs into projectile. She closes the outer cover of the cryogenic unit containing the dead alien]

JENNA: (looking at the other units) Surely we left these open.

[Jenna opens the outer cover on one of the units. The inner cover is fogged. She opens that as well. She reaches down and feels the pulse of the alien inside. His hand moves and grabs her wrist. She frees herself. She opens cover on the remaining unit. It is empty. She checks the lock on the rear compartment, then climbs out of the projectile into the hold.]

JENNA: I know you're here. We're not going to harm you.
JENNA: (walks cautiously around) There's no need to hide. Can you understand me, we're not going to harm you.

[An object is thrown and hits Jenna. She grabs her arm and moves to the communicator. It has been smashed. Jenna runs for the exit. The alien pursues her. As she steps through and closes the door, alien grabs for her. She bites his hand. Alien screams. Jenna slams the door and locks it.]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. It is empty. Jenna runs in]

JENNA: Gan, one of them... Gan where are you?

[Gan enters Liberator flight deck from opposite direction]

GAN: What's happened? What's the matter?
JENNA: Gan, one of them attacked me. I tried talking to him but I couldn't make him understand.
GAN: It's all right, you're safe now. Where is he?
JENNA: He's in the hold. I've locked the door. He threw something at me. I think he's practically broken my arm.
GAN: Let's take a look at it, eh.
JENNA: (Jenna rolls up her sleeve, to reveal bruise. She sighs in pain) I tried to get you on the communicator, but he'd smashed it. Then he rushed me.
GAN: He's probably frightened.
JENNA: No, he didn't look frightened. He just looked murderous.
GAN: Could be, he's been asleep for centuries. Then, he wakes up in a strange place. Not knowing what's happening. (applies healing pad to Jenna's arm) Or why.
JENNA: He could be confused, I suppose. We have no idea what mental damage can be done by long term cryogenic suspension. (Looks at her healed arm) That's amazing. Thank you.
GAN: You stay here. I'll go and sort him out.
JENNA: Gan. (hands Gan a gun) Be careful.

[Gan leaves Liberator flight deck]

[Communicator chimes]

JENNA: Jenna.
BLAKE: (v.o.) Blake. We haven't made contact with the rebels yet. We're moving. Reference three three four zero. I'll call in again when we get there.
JENNA: Right.
BLAKE: Anything happen with the crew of the projectile.
JENNA: One of them... They're recovering. Everything's under control.

[Exterior. Saurian Major]

BLAKE: Good. I'll check with you later. (into communicator) Blake, either of you found anything yet?
AVON: (v.o.) Not a thing.
VILA: (v.o.) Several plants with designs on my body. Apart from them, there's nothing else in sight.
BLAKE: All right, come on down. We'll try somewhere else.

[Blake begins to put out fire. From behind a red-clad figure knocks Blake off balance. Blake rolls down hill. Cally slides down after him, and plants a foot in his chest.]

CALLY: (telepaths) Who are you? (pause) Will you answer my question? Who are you? I ask you for the last time, who are you?
BLAKE: Do you mind if I get up. (lunges at her)

[Cally quickly goes around him and knocks him flat again.]

CALLY: (telepaths) Try that again and I'll blow your head off. Now what are you doing here?
BLAKE: My name is Blake. I'm trying to make contact with the resistance group.
CALLY: (telepaths) How did you get here?
BLAKE: We came from.... (looks quickly to the side).

[Cally also looks to the side. Blake grabs her and throws her over his head. Blake disarms her. Points the gun at her on the ground]

CALLY: May you die alone and silent.
BLAKE: Well, you can talk then. You may be telepathic but you certainly can't read minds or you never would have fallen for that, would you.
CALLY: I will tell you nothing.
BLAKE: I'm not with the Federation security force.
CALLY: I do not need to read minds to know that you lie.
BLAKE: I came here with two of my crew a few hours ago.
CALLY: I keep a check on the landing area. Nothing has come in or gone out.
BLAKE: I'm hardly likely to use the landing area am I? I need to contact the resistance fighters.
CALLY: Your words are meaningless to me.
BLAKE: We came here to destroy the communication center. Your people have information that would be invaluable to us.
CALLY: Oh, it is quite clear that you seek information.
BLAKE: (disables the weapon) I'll make contact some other way. Take it. (puts the gun down in front of her) We'll manage without you. (walks away)
CALLY: (picks up gun and gets to her feet) Can you prove what you say?
BLAKE: If I can get inside that center I'll prove it with the biggest explosion you've ever seen.
CALLY: I might be able to help you. Perhaps.
BLAKE: Well, make up your mind I've got no more time to play games.
CALLY: (restores weapon function) What is it you want to know?
BLAKE: Let's start with who you are.
CALLY: Cally, my name is Cally. (crouches and spins toward a noise, gun raised) Out.
VILA: (comes out with hands raised) No need for belligerence, pretty lady. I'm harmless. (moves down the slope to join them) Quick, isn't she?
CALLY: Is he one of your crew?
BLAKE: One of them.
AVON: And he's useless as he said. (comes out from cover) I've had a gun on you the whole time. You were dead as soon as you broke cover. (Avon comes to join them)
VILA: Harmless was the word I used.
AVON: You couldn't even get that right. (to Cally) How do you come to be telepathic?
CALLY: I am from the planet Auron. I was sent from there to aid the freedom fighters of this planet. But my people are the Auronar.
AVON: And they are telepathic.
CALLY: And quick. I would not have died alone.
VILA: Why can't you read our minds?
CALLY: Because you are not telepathic.
VILA: Could I read yours?
CALLY: You could receive my thought if I wished you to.
BLAKE: Cally, how do we contact the resistance force?
CALLY: There is no resistance force. They're all dead.
BLAKE: All of them?
CALLY: We were getting stronger. The security forces kept hunting us, but we knew the hills and jungles too well. We made an attack on the main generating plant. And for the first time, they saw us a real threat.
AVON: What happened?
CALLY: They released poison from the sky. All the fighters died, except me. Perhaps because I am alien to this planet.
BLAKE: You've been working alone ever since.
CALLY: My work was in communications. But there will be companions for my death. I plan to raid the complex. To destroy until I am destroyed.
BLAKE: Well, our aim's the same. But I wasn't planning a suicide mission.
VILA: I should hope not.
CALLY: He fears death?
VILA: I plan to live forever. Or die trying.
BLAKE: If you can get us inside that complex, we'll provide all the destruction you want. And still get out safely.
AVON: Or die trying.
CALLY: (telepaths) I will guide you. (starts away)
BLAKE: (follows Cally, then turns back to Avon and Vila) She said yes.
[Avon and Vila exchange glances and follow]

[Jenna enters Liberator teleport area, looking for Gan. The lights dim, then resume normal operation]

JENNA: (into intercom) Gan, are you all right?

[Interior. Various areas of the Liberator]

JENNA: (v.o.) Gan, respond please. Report your location.

[Interior. Liberator hold five. View of broken communicator.]

JENNA: (distorted v.o.) Report your location.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

JENNA: Gan, where are you?

[Jenna draws her gun and begins making her way to the hold. She reaches the hold, opens the door and enters.]

[Interior. Liberator hold five. Jenna enters.]

JENNA: (whispers) Gan.

[There is a heavy cable connecting the projectile to the main power supply in the hold. Jenna goes to the projectile and looks in.]

[Interior. Alien projectile. Jenna is visible through the open hatch]

JENNA: (whispers) Gan.

[The sound of a door slamming shut. Jenna moves away from the hatch. A hand reaches up from inside one of the cryogenic units.]

[Interior. Liberator hold five. Jenna is moving back toward the exit. Alien drops down from above. They struggle. He draws his knife. Jenna shoots him. Gan climbs out of projectile and slumps down]

GAN: (groans)
JENNA: (moves to him) What happened?
GAN: Jenna, couldn't stop them. Couldn't stop them. Implant.
JENNA: What!
GAN: (groans)
JENNA: Brain implants.
GAN: Limiter. Not possible for me to kill now.
JENNA: Gan, what happened in the projectile.
GAN: Never wanted to. They kill. Anyone, everyone who isn't theirs.
JENNA: One of them is already dead.
GAN: The other one. I saw his face. Jenna, despises us.

[Exterior. Saurian Major, outer edge of the communications complex. Blake, Avon, Vila follow Cally]

CALLY: (telepaths) It's clear.

[They move on. They penetrate the interior of the complex. It is heavily guarded. Arrive at heavy door.]

BLAKE: This is it. The control room for the paraneutronic generator. If we can sabotage the limiter settings, the chain reaction will blow this entire complex off the planet.
AVON: We'll need to blast the door. That will alert the guards before we've even started.
VILA: (to Avon) Listen fingers, computers are yours, doors are mine. Right?
BLAKE: You can open it?
VILA: One side please. (picks the lock) There you are.
BLAKE: (opens the door) Good, Vila. Very good.
VILA: It was almost nothing.

[They begin to move through the open door. Guard spots them and yells]

BLAKE: Everybody inside. Come on, quick.

[An alarm sounds. All run down the inner corridor and into the generator room]

[Saurian Major. Interior. Generator room]

AVON: Vila.
BLAKE: (closing door) Avon, can you do it?
AVON: (crouching near control panel) Five minutes. (pause) I know. Make it two.

[Liberator teleport area. Jenna enters. Second alien attacks her. They fight. He is about to kill her. Gan comes in with gun, but cannot fire. Alien takes gun from Gan. Jenna fires and kills alien.]

JENNA: (coughing) It's all right. We got them. Everything's over.

[Saurian Major. Interior. Generator room.]

AVON: Adjuster. (Cally hands him a tool)
BLAKE: The door won't hold much longer.
AVON: I'm nearly finished. Magnetic probe.
VILA: That's running up into the danger level.
AVON: I have to neutralize the safety circuits. Otherwise it will close down the reactor.

[Saurian Major. Interior. Guards in the corridor are firing at the door.]

BLAKE: (gives Cally teleport bracelet) Put this on.
CALLY: (takes bracelet) What is it?
BLAKE: Our way out. Put it on.

[Cally puts on bracelet]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Jenna and Gan. The lights dim again]

JENNA: Gan, the aliens have linked their ship to our power source. I'm getting a very heavy power loss. I'll have to disconnect. You'll be all right, won't you?
GAN: (nods) Yes.

[Jenna leaves Liberator teleport area for the hold. Gan leaves for the Liberator flight deck.]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Gan comes down the stairs and falls.]

ZEN: Olag Gan. Basic decoding of projectile's autolog is now complete. Occupants are identified as programmed guardians. They are conditioned to eliminate any life form which could be a threat to the brood units and genetic banks contained in the rear section of the projectile. Liberator crew are such a threat and will be attacked. There are four guardians. Repeat, four guardians.
GAN: (Gasping for breath) Jenna. (gets up and starts back out) Jenna.

[Interior. Liberator hold five. Jenna is inspecting the power hookup]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Gan enters, moves guardian's body.]

GAN: (yells) JENNA! (passes out)

[Interior. Liberator hold five. Jenna begins to disconnect power cable.]

[Interior. Alien projectile. A hand unlocks the rear compartment]

[Saurian Major. Interior. Guards in the corridor continue their barrage.]

[Saurian Major. Interior. Generator room]

AVON: (pulls out a part of the control mechanism) Got it. Reaction's building. Nothing can stop this generator now. (smashes the part with his foot)
BLAKE: (into communicator) Jenna, we're ready. Stand by to bring us up. (pause) Control.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Gan regains consciousness, pulls himself up, trying to reach teleport controls]

BLAKE: (v.o.) Control. Now! Jenna. Gan. Teleport NOW. (Gan makes another attempt at the controls) Can you hear me?

[Saurian Major. Interior. Generator room]

AVON: It's going. It's going up.
BLAKE: Teleport now.

[Interior. Liberator teleport area. Gan operates the controls]

[ Saurian Major. Interior. Generator room. The group is teleported. The security forces break into the room. The control unit explodes, killing the guards.]

[Interior. Liberator hold five. Jenna is still working to disconnect the power cable.]

[Interior. Alien projectile. Rear compartment is opening.]

[Interior. Liberator teleport area]

BLAKE: Where's Jenna?
GAN: Jenna. In the hold.
BLAKE: Look after him. (runs out of Liberator teleport area)

[Interior. Liberator hold five. Guardian creeping up on Jenna, his knife drawn. Blake enters]

BLAKE: Jenna!

[Jenna falls. Blake pushes alien. Alien falls against power panel and is killed]

[Interior. Liberator flight deck. Entire crew and Cally are present. Main screen on, explosions]

BLAKE: That should give them problems for a while.
CALLY: (telepaths) You have my thanks.
BLAKE: Pleasure. (pause) Do you wish to return to Auron?
CALLY: I cannot return to my people. I have failed.
BLAKE: Then stay with us.
CALLY: Thank you.
JENNA: What are we going to do about the projectile.
BLAKE: Dump it in deep space.
JENNA: Thanks a lot.
GAN: I don't like the sound of that. It's murder.
AVON: Would you rather it was hooked back into the power system. You heard Zen. A single cell from those genetic banks can be incubated into fully grown adult in one point six minutes.
VILA: We could be up to our armpits in homicidal maniacs within the hour.
BLAKE: Maybe that's why Zen was so uncooperative.
JENNA: It seems to me it should have taught us something. Something about the wisdom involved in bringing aliens aboard.
BLAKE: Seven of us can run this ship properly.
VILA: Six surely.
BLAKE: You forgot Zen.
AVON: You're not counting that machine as a member of the crew.
BLAKE: Oh, what do you say to that Zen?
ZEN: Please state course and speed.
BLAKE: Very diplomatic. Set a course for Centero, speed standard by two.
ZEN: Confirmed.

The Web"
by Terry Nation

(c) 1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1993 by Ruth Hanson and Micky DuPree.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake
Jenna Stannis
Kerr Avon
Cally
Vila Restal
Olag Gan
Zen
Saymon
Geela
Novara
Decima

The surface of an unnamed planet. A forest path lead to a clearing. In the center of the clearing is a laboratory complex.

SAYMON: (V.O.) They must come. They must. They must. They must come. They must. (Interior of the laboratory complex). They must. They must. They must come. They must come. (Another room in the same lab. A power unit is nearly exhausted) They must. (Another room. A male figure is
seated on a lounge chair). They must. They must come to us. They must come. (The same room from another angle. A second figure, female, is seated on another lounge chair.) They must. They must. They must come. They must. They must. (Another room in the same complex. A shrunken humanoid form is suspended in a life support tank.) They must come to us. They must come. They must.

Flight deck of the Liberator. Jenna presses intercom switch.

BLAKE: (V.O.) Blake.
JENNA: Jenna. Sorry to wake you, but I think you should get down here.
BLAKE: (V.O) What's wrong?
JENNA: Our speed is increasing.
BLAKE: (In his cabin, lying on cot.) Can't you compensate?
JENNA: (V.O) It's not an external influence, it's us. The primary drive is accelerating.
BLAKE: All right. I'm on my way. (Rises)

Interior of hold three. Door opens, Cally enters. She is armed, carrying a rectangular device and a tool pouch. She moves to access duct, attaches the device to the panel and presses the activator. The timer activates. She exits the hold.

Flight deck of the Liberator. Blake enters from the passageway, buttoning his shirt.

BLAKE: Well?
JENNA: Speed standard by three and building.
BLAKE: How quickly?
JENNA: If it continues like this it will be off the scale in about twelve minutes. Zen says the automatic repair service should have it under control by then though. Seems to be a malfunction in the PN overrides.
BLAKE: Zen, estimated repair time.
ZEN: Eleven point three zero two minutes.
BLAKE: Whew! That's cutting it a bit fine. What caused the malfunction?
ZEN: The malfunction was deliberately induced.
JENNA: (Whispered) Deliberately induced?

An intersection of passageways aboard the Liberator. Cally moves down the passageway. From an intersecting passage Vila enters.

VILA: Cally. (Waits) Cally, what do you think of the outfit.

Cally stops, pauses and turns. She advances on Vila.

VILA: Cally?

She strikes him on the head with the tool pouch.

Flight deck of the Liberator

JENNA: Speed standard by four and building.
BLAKE: (Depresses intercom switch) Avon.

Teleport area. Avon is working over an equipment console.

AVON: Yes.
BLAKE: (V.O.) I need you on the flight deck.
AVON: I'm busy
BLAKE: (V.O.) NOW, Avon.

Flight deck of the Liberator

BLAKE: Zen, how are the repairs going?
ZEN: They are proceeding on schedule.
BLAKE: What caused the malfunction? (Pause) Well?
ZEN: Involvement is not permitted.
BLAKE: If the ship's blown up, lofty disinterest won't save you.
JENNA: Speed standard by five and building.
BLAKE: Forward detectors on maximum. Full scan. Abort course programs. Key all navigation systems to anticipate potential collisions and neutralize.

ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: (Depresses intercom switch) Avon.
AVON: (Still in teleport area) All right!
BLAKE: (V.O.) If it was all right, I wouldn't need you here.

Cally enters teleport area. Watches Avon from entry. She moves forward when he notices her presence.

AVON: Our leader seems a bit piqued.
CALLY: What are you doing?
AVON: A little private research.
CALLY: (Moves to stand next to him) Why?
AVON: All knowledge is valuable.
CALLY: (Touches her temple as if listening) Which are the forward detector links?
AVON: What? (Pause) Oh, uh (Pause) Those two there. Why do you want to know that?
CALLY: I'm interested in your work.
AVON: (Pause) Yes. (Pause) Well, I suppose I'd better go and see what it is that Blake wants.

Avon exits. Cally moves to detector comp and unrolls tool pouch.

Flight deck of the Liberator

AVON: What exactly are you accusing me of?
BLAKE: I'm asking if your researches have included the PN overrides.
AVON: I haven't been anywhere near them. (Sits down)
JENNA: Speed standard by six and rising.
ZEN: There is a partial malfunction on the forward detectors.

In the teleport area, Cally continues to tamper with the detector comp. It shorts out, burning her hand.

Flight deck of the Liberator

ZEN: Forward detectors are now dysfunctional. Navigation computers have switched to theoretical projections.
BLAKE: Now we're blind as well.
JENNA: But who?
AVON: Cally.
BLAKE: What?
AVON: It's Cally. (Rises and moves to passageway)
BLAKE: (To Jenna as he follows Avon) Warn Gan and Vila.

Blake and Avon exit.

JENNA: (Depresses intercom switch) Gan.

Gan is reclining on a cot in his cabin

JENNA: (V.O.) Respond please.
GAN: Yes, Jenna. What is it.

Teleport area of the Liberator. Avon and Blake enter and stop. Cally is facing them, weapon in hand.

CALLY: I should regret the necessity to kill you.
BLAKE: Why are you doing this, Cally.
SAYMON: (V.O.) They must come.
CALLY: (Advances on Blake and Avon) Move back to the flight deck.
AVON: Look at the burns on her hand.
BLAKE: She must be in agony.
CALLY: (Continues to advance) I will kill you if you do not obey.

Flight deck of the Liberator. Blake and Avon enter, Cally is not immediately visible behind them.

JENNA: Speed standard by seven. Speed seems to be increasing by (breaks off when she catches sight of Cally). So it was you.
CALLY: (Steps forward and motions Jenna away from flight controls. Jenna hesitates) Must you invite death?
JENNA: (Joins Blake. Cally moves to the console and begins altering settings) Navigation computers can't cope with a change of course. We're running blind.
CALLY: (Gan enters stealthily from other passageway). Don't move.
BLAKE: Jenna's right, Cally. This ship's out of control. We're as good as dead now. (Pause) Zen, what's our speed?
ZEN: Standard by eight point six five.
AVON: (Steps forward) If you're trying to steal the ship, there are other ways.
JENNA: You're not Cally, are you.
SAYMON: (V.O.) They must come.

Cally makes a move as if to shoot Jenna. Gan yells and grabs her hand. Cally cries out in pain and struggles with the crew, then blacks out.

The surface of the planet.

SAYMON: (V.O.) They must come to us. They must. They must. They must come. (Interior of the lab.) They must come to us. They must. They must. They must come to us. They must. They must. They must come to us. They must come.

Flight deck of the Liberator. Avon and Jenna are at the flight controls. Blake and Gan are standing nearby. Cally is lying on the deck. She regains consciousness and attacks Blake. Gan restrains her and she collapses again. He holds her.

JENNA: (Moves from controls and slaps Cally). Whoever you are, it's over.
CALLY: (V.O. telepathically) Thank you, Jenna.
AVON: (Pulls Cally's head around to face him) What was all that about? (She faints again)
BLAKE: (To Gan) Better keep her sedated.
AVON: And locked up or dumped.
JENNA: You should never have brought her on the ship.
AVON: (To Vila as he enters) And where have you been hiding?
VILA: All I said was what do you think of the outfit.
ZEN: Repair monitors report explosive device attached to primary power channel.
BLAKE: Where?
ZEN: Hold three, access duct seven.
BLAKE: Can the automatics neutralize it?
ZEN: No.
BLAKE: Why not?
ZEN: There is no damage.
AVON: Computer logic. Until the bomb explodes there is nothing for the repair system to repair. Zen, can you reprogram the automatics?
ZEN: Preemptive interference in crew activity is forbidden.
BLAKE: Oh, he'll clear up after us, but he won't stop us making a mess. (Exits, running down passageway)
AVON: (Moves to follow him) You made this mess.
JENNA: We're all in it, Avon.
AVON: (Over his shoulder from the passageway) Yes, aren't we.

Interior of hold three. The device attached to the access duct continues to tick.

On the flight deck of the Liberator

JENNA: (To Gan as he carries Cally out) You better lock her in.
GAN: I will.
JENNA: (To Vila) Anything on the detector scanners?
VILA: Not a thing.
JENNA: Speed's up to standard by ten. Drive repairs, how long?
ZEN: One point two five minutes.
VILA: Can you stop us then?
JENNA: If we don't hit something first. Forward detectors?
ZEN: Repair monitors are assessing the damage.
VILA: A bomb was all we needed.

Blake runs down passageway and skids to a halt before the door to hold three. He enters hold and moves to examine the device. Avon enters behind him.

AVON: Be careful of that thing. If the light goes out you've got about three seconds. (Blake touches the device, the light goes out.) Look out. (He lunges at Blake and pushes him out of the way. The bomb detonates).

Flight deck of the Liberator

ZEN: Major disruption of primary power channel. All systems switched to auxiliary power. All drive units are dysfunctional.

The interior of hold 3. Blake and Avon are still on the floor.

BLAKE: Thank you. (Pause) Why?
AVON: Automatic reaction. I'm as surprised as you are.
BLAKE: I'm not surprised.

Blake and Avon get up from floor. Blake exits, Avon stays and examines damage. Surface of the planet. Then the interior of the laboratory complex.

SAYMON: We must make ready. We must make ready. Ready. Ready. Ready. (The two figures rise and move into another room.) They approach, drawing closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. We must make ready. We must make ready.

On the flight deck of the Liberator.

JENNA: It wasn't what she was doing. It was the way she was. If you looked into her eyes it wasn't her looking back at you.
GAN: Avon says that's because she's an alien.
VILA: Everyone's an alien to him.
BLAKE: He's certainly more at home with machines.
ZEN: The navigation computers have completed a theoretical projection of Liberator's position.
BLAKE: And?
ZEN: This star system is largely uncharted.
VILA: Oh, that's marvelous. We're not sure where we are, but if they were sure they wouldn't know where it was anyway.
ZEN: Repairs to the primary power channel are complete. All drive units are now fully functional.
BLAKE: Reduce speed to standard by point five.
JENNA: Reverse primaries. Speed now standard by point five.
BLAKE: Put up navigation projection.

Main viewscreen shows a series of six circles.

ZEN: Circles indicate projected planets. Positions are unconfirmed.
BLAKE: Well, put up our estimated position. (An additional circle is added to main viewscreen close to one of the existing circles) That's too close to something we can't see.
JENNA: And we're not sure is there.
BLAKE: What about the detectors?

ZEN: Partial malfunction is still not traced. Repair monitors are in phase two reassessment.
BLAKE: Gan, see if there's anything you can do to help Avon. Tell him we need those detectors now.
GAN: Right. (Leaves flight deck)
ZEN: Hull sensors indicate a major gravitational field within Liberator's ambit.
BLAKE: Jenna, compensate the gravitational drift.
JENNA: Our speed's dropping.
BLAKE: Field drag?
JENNA: Field strength's only three point five. It must be something else.
ZEN: Limited range forward vision is available should you require it.
VILA: Why couldn't you tell us that before.
BLAKE: Put up forward vision.

Main viewscreen shows strands of white in the path of the Liberator. Density of fibers increases.

VILA: What is it?
JENNA: Meteorite dust?
BLAKE: Strands like that? Look there's more of it.
JENNA: It's rubbing across the hull.
VILA: And it's getting thicker.
JENNA: It's like a spider's web.
VILA: Some spider.
JENNA: That's what's pulling our speed down.
BLAKE: Increase power to compensate.
JENNA: It's getting worse all the time.
BLAKE: If there is a planet there we should be close enough to get signals now. Vila, go and see how Cally is, will you.
VILA: Must I?
JENNA: It's not catching.
VILA: It brought my head out in lumps.
BLAKE: Get a move on.
VILA: Right, I'm going. (Leaves flight deck).

In the teleport area of the Liberator

AVON: (Examining a portion of the detector equipment). Nothing wrong with that.
GAN: What are you trying to do?
AVON: Bypass the detector comp and use another of the systems to receive the signal.
GAN: Can it be done?
AVON: Of course. It's just a matter of finding the link. Some of this technology is a little more advance to that which I'm used. I'm having to guess at some of it.
GAN: What about the automatic repair system.
AVON: Oh, it'll do the job. Eventually. It's very methodical. (Begins linking wires to Liberator systems). It starts at the beginning and it works its way through. It's slow. You should appreciate that problem. (Throws a switch. Circuit boards short and burn.) No, that wasn't the one.
GAN: It'll take days to repair that.
AVON: On any ordinary computer system. But this isn't any ordinary computer system. A malfunction of that size would have registered on the autorepair. It should cut in about five seconds. Watch. (Pause, looking at his watch) It will be cutting in about (Pause) now. (Autorepair restores the circuitry.)
GAN: That is fantastic.
AVON: Yes, isn't it. (Disconnects a wire) As a matter of fact it is. We could make a fortune with it if it wasn't for
Blake.
GAN: In what way?
AVON: There's always a market for technology like this.
GAN: I don't think Blake would agree to that.
AVON: There will come a time when he won't be making the decisions. (Avon smiles)

On the flight deck of the Liberator. Cally and Vila enter

BLAKE: Cally!
VILA: It's all right. She doesn't remember a thing.
CALLY: How did I burn my hand?
BLAKE: It was an accident. (Takes hold of her arm) Look, we're very close to a planet but we don't know what it is. I can't find any transmission sources. Will you please run the checks for me. (She moves to communication position. Blake follows.)
ZEN: Sensor indicate increasing density of silica based organic material adhering to the hull.
VILA: About spider's webs.
BLAKE: Hmmm, what about them?
VILA: They're used for trapping food.

The exterior of the Liberator, moving through the increasingly dense strands.

The flight deck of the Liberator

BLAKE: (to Cally) Anything?
CALLY: I've tried all recognized systems but there is nothing. No transmissions of any kind.
BLAKE: We'll move out. Go back the way we came.
JENNA: Without detectors? Blind backtracking is a good way to run into pursuit ships.
BLAKE: We've no choice. If we get clear then we can outrun them if necessary.
ZEN: Sensors register increasing gravitational influence. Field strength now eight point six.
BLAKE: We're moving closer into the planet. (He moves to the navigation position) Vila, I want a new course. Locate the center of that gravitational field. I want an attitude that takes us directly away from it.
VILA: Right.
BLAKE: Jenna, stand by to bring her round. (Pause) How much reserve power is there? Jenna. (Jenna is immobile, her hand extended toward the controls, eyes unfocused. Cally moves down to join Blake.) Jenna? What's wrong?
CALLY: What is the matter with her?
BLAKE: I don't know. Vila, give me a hand. We'll take her to her quarters.
SAYMON: (V.O. speaking through Jenna) We have waited for your coming for many years. Welcome. It pleases us that you are here.
BLAKE: Who are you?
SAYMON: We will meet shortly and then we shall answer all your questions. For now, it is only important that you understand the danger of your situation.
BLAKE: Danger?
SAYMON: Your ship is trapped. You cannot free yourselves.
BLAKE: We can free ourselves at any time we wish. You underestimate the power of our ship.
SAYMON: On the contrary. You overestimate it. We have examined your ship most carefully through our daughter Cally. You would require to sustain your maximum power for one hundred and sixty hours to break out of orbit. Your energy cells would be exhausted in less than one hundred. Gravitational attraction would draw you back to your present position before your cells would be recharged.
BLAKE: If we are trapped, then by whom?
SAYMON: We do have some influence on your safety in that it is within our power to release you from the web. That we can and will do in return for assistance from you.
BLAKE: What do you want from us?
SAYMON: In a few moments we will transmit a homing signal. It will give you a precise landing position. We will talk again when you have landed.
BLAKE: Listen.
CALLY: (Touching her temple) It has left her. Blake, that could've been one of the Lost.
BLAKE: Well, don't be mystical Cally. Explain.
CALLY: It is the legend of my people. They were cast out. Unfit to share the soul of Auronar.

A signal begins broadcasting to the Liberator. Cally moves back to the communications position.

CALLY: Yes, it is a beacon signal.
BLAKE: Get a fix on it.
VILA: Are you going down?
BLAKE: Not if I can help it. I don't like the sound of anything I heard. Let's try to pull her out of here.
JENNA: (Recovered, unaware of passage of time) Ready to go about?
BLAKE: Jenna? Are you all right now?
JENNA: Yes. (Pause) Of course, I am.
BLAKE: Yes. Vila is the course set?
VILA: Uh, on the panel now.
BLAKE: Lock onto it Jenna.
JENNA: She's responding very slowly. Coming round. That's it. Locked onto course.
BLAKE: Right. Give it all we've got. Full thrust.
JENNA: Coming up. Full power.
BLAKE: Speed?
JENNA: Standard by one half.
BLAKE: Cut in the auxiliaries.
JENNA: That's helped at bit. We're now up to standard by one and one half and building but slowly.
BLAKE: Vila.
VILA: Yes.
BLAKE: It's time to use the neutron blasters.
VILA: At last. I've been looking forward to this.
BLAKE: Take it easy. It might blow us all up. Se if you can blast a hole through that web. Fire.

Vila attempts to fire. An alarm sounds.

ZEN: Neutron flare shield has not been activated.
VILA: Which one's that?
BLAKE: Activate the neutron flare shield.
ZEN: Confirmed. Blasters are cleared for firing.

Vila fires. Main viewscreen shows the blasters clear a hole in the web. it begins to close up again immediately.

VILA: I did it.
JENNA: We're picking up speed.
BLAKE: All right, now keep it going.
VILA: It's closing up.
JENNA: We're getting drag again. We're slowing down.
BLAKE: Fire again, Vila.

Vila fires again with similar result.

ZEN: Power banks one and two now exhausted. Energy drain exceeds recharge capacity.
VILA: Every time I blast a hole in it, it just knits up again.
BLAKE: How long can we sustain this rate of power loss, Zen?
ZEN: Standard drive plus auxiliaries can be sustained for ninety hours. Each neutronic discharge reduces that capacity by three hours.
BLAKE: How much distance have we covered?
ZEN: One hundred spacials.
BLAKE: We're not going to make it. All power off.
JENNA: All off.
CALLY: What will you do?
BLAKE: We don't have much choice.
JENNA: We're drifting in again.
BLAKE: Let her go. Cally, get an exact fix on that beacon. Tell Avon and tell him to stand by. I'm going to have to teleport down. Vila, I want an atmosphere and gravity check.

Surface of the planet. Decimas are wandering through the compound.

SAYMON: There is little time left. They will come to us, but it must be soon. There is little time left. (Interior of the lab. Saymon suspended in his life support tank) They will come to us, but it must be soon. It must be soon. It must be soon. (View of Decimas, outside the lab, pounding on the windows.) Soon. Soon. Soon. Soon. There is little time left. Soon. Soon.

In the teleport area of the Liberator

BLAKE: Set?
AVON: Ready.
CALLY: (Enters, carrying surface gear) I must come with you.
BLAKE: No.
CALLY: But you can trust me.
AVON: Really?
BLAKE: I know we can. Whatever's down there can control you. It's already demonstrated that.
CALLY: I was unprepared.
AVON: So were we.
BLAKE: It's better that you stay here. (Moves to stand by teleport console. To Avon) If I call for backup get down there fast.
GAN: We'll be ready.
BLAKE: Gan, keep an eye on Cally. (Gan gives thumbs up sign)
AVON: What if something should happen to you and we can't get you back?
BLAKE: Then all you have to do is get everybody else out of this mess. (Stands within teleportation area. Avon smiles slightly) All right put me down.

Avon teleports Blake. Cally leaves the teleport area, followed by Gan. On the surface of the planet Blake materializes in a wooded area. There are thick strands of a white substance clinging to the foliage. Light colored round objects are scattered throughout. He starts toward the clearing. From cover a Decima throws a crude spear. It strikes Blake in the hand. He draws his weapon and moves quickly toward the laboratory complex. At the main entrance to the laboratory an unarmed Decima approaches Blake.

BLAKE: Keep back.
DECIMA: Help us. Help us please.

The door opens and Novara steps out. He raises his weapon and touches the Decima in the chest with it. The weapon discharges and kills the Decima.

NOVARA: Come inside. There are more of them in the compound.

Blake and Novara step inside the lab. Geela is waiting just inside.

GEELA: You are hurt. Come, I will treat the wound.

They move through to another room. Geela begins cleaning the wound on Blake's hand.

BLAKE: (To Novara) Why did you kill him, he was no threat.
NOVARA: One of them obviously was, but don't worry it was only a Decima.
GEELA: You were lucky. It could have been much worse. We've had groups of more than fifty of them in this area. (Pause) Can you close your hand?
BLAKE: (Closes hand slowly, painfully. Sharp intake of breath)
GEELA: The tendons are not cut. (Geela extracts an organism from a container and places it on the wound.)
BLAKE: What is it?
GEELA: Don't be alarmed. It's a simple enzyme culture. Tissue regeneration will take only a few moments.
NOVARA: I'm sorry this happened. The Decimas are becoming a problem. When we have full power again we will reduce their numbers.
BLAKE: He was asking for help.
GEELA: Don't waste your sympathy. They want help to destroy us. Stupid they may be, but they know that our power is diminished. That we are at our most vulnerable. There only hope for a future is to wipe us out.
NOVARA: They've made several full scale assaults on the lab. They can't do too much harm of course. Their weapons are too primitive. But they are a threat. And they will have to be suppressed.
GEELA: There, you see it's dead. (Brushes away the desiccated remains of the organism)
BLAKE: (Examining his healed hand) That is astonishing.
NOVARA: A useful technique for small wounds.

They move into an adjoining room.

BLAKE: I've never seen anything like it before.
NOVARA: Our mission has specialized in tissue creation and regenerative processes.
GEELA: Among other things.

They all sit down.

NOVARA: I am Novara and this is my sister Geela.
BLAKE: Blake.
GEELA: We are happy to see you. We thought your ship would land. How did you come here?
BLAKE: We have a teleportation process.
NOVARA: Fascinating, perhaps you would explain it to us.
BLAKE: I thought you had already examined our ship.
NOVARA: Not all of it.
BLAKE: You used Cally to sabotage us and force us to come here.
GEELA: Would you have come otherwise?
BLAKE: Perhaps.
NOVARA: In that case, we apologize.
BLAKE: You communicated with us through another member of my crew.
NOVARA: A simple mental process known to the ancients. We have developed and refined it. It is more reliable than mechanical transmissions.
BLAKE: You said you have a way to free us from the web.
GEELA: That is correct. We created "the web" as you call it.
BLAKE: What is it?
NOVARA: It is a silica based life form. A mutation not unlike fungus. Its spores germinate rapidly and it has enormous tensile strength. It can trap and hold the most powerful ship.
BLAKE: What's it for?
NOVARA: It was a line of research which got out of control.
BLAKE: Then how do I release my ship?
GEELA: We developed a fungicide that can be projected by a beam. It will clear a corridor through the web. You will be able to move freely.
NOVARA: However, that is where the problem lies. The problem is both yours and ours.
BLAKE: And so presumably the reason why you brought us here.

They stand up.

GEELA: Let us show you. Come.

They move to another room where a power control unit is operating. You recognize this?

BLAKE: Power cells?
NOVARA: Flutonic power cells. As you can see from the registers one of them is totally exhausted. The other almost so.
BLAKE: And you have no means of recharging them.
GEELA: No, when we have used what remains our life support systems will fail and we will die.
NOVARA: But perhaps more significant from your point of view, we do not have enough power to project the fungicide.
BLAKE: So you want me to provide fully charged energy cells. And in return ...
GEELA: We provide clear passage out of orbit.
BLAKE: (Examining the unit) I don't know that we have this type of cell. I dare say we have something that can be adapted.
NOVARA: Then you agree?

Outside the lab, Decimas scream and pound on the windows.

BLAKE: Dwarves?
GEELA: Decimas.

Geela and Novara move to one side of the lab. Blake moves to the other side of the lab and looks out the door. He sees a circle of Decimas removing their dead comrade. A few moments later, Geela and Novara join him.

NOVARA: The attack was a diversion so they could move their dead.
GEELA: Stupid creatures. Taking of life seems to affect them. Almost as if they had emotions.

The Decimas begin to throw rocks at the door.

NOVARA: The changes in them are astonishing. The earlier generations showed no indication of aggression. (Pause) Are you going to contact your ship?

BLAKE: Blake.

Flight deck of the Liberator.

CALLY: Cally.
BLAKE: (V.O.) Tell Avon I need two fully charged flutonic power cells.
CALLY: I will tell him.

In the laboratory complex.

BLAKE: Call me when he is ready to bring them down.
CALLY: (V.O.) Understood.

Flight deck of the Liberator.

VILA: Ask him what's happening down there.
CALLY: No, he's gone. He didn't sound as if he was in trouble.
JENNA: He'd have found a way of letting us know if he was.
CALLY: But the Lost have great power.
VILA: Why would they need these cells then? (Pause) I'll go and tell Avon. (Exits)
GAN: Flutonic power cells.
ZEN: The detector malfunction has been rectified. Full function on all systems is now available.
JENNA: Run immediate navigation check and pinpoint our position, then a maximum range orbital scan.
ZEN: Detectors indicate unidentified craft at extreme range.
JENNA: Put them on the screen.

Main viewer displays graphic of five federation pursuit ships in close formation

CALLY: There they are.
JENNA: Pursuit ships. Don't they ever give up.
GAN: Zen, are they coming this way?
ZEN: If they maintain present course and speed they will pass at a range not exceeding two million spacials.
JENNA: Their detectors'll pick us up at that distance. That's too close.
CALLY: Shall I tell Blake?
JENNA: There's nothing he can do till we're out of the web.
CALLY: But he should be told.
JENNA: If he's bargaining it will weaken his position.
CALLY: You're very practical.

Decimas are exploring the area immediately outside the laboratory. Inside, Geela is making adjustments to the console.

GEELA: Complete. The beam is now aligned to your ship. When we have full power this control will project a ray that will clear a route through the web. It will take three hours to close in again.
BLAKE: Should be enough time.

They move back into the adjoining room.

BLAKE: What was the original purpose of the project?
NOVARA: Genetic engineering. The main aims were to halt the aging process in humans. To find a way to maintain continuous life.
BLAKE: Immortality.
NOVARA: And to create a new species of animal. Creatures that would be able to perform simple menial tasks. Animal machines that cost nothing to produce and little to maintain.
BLAKE: (Laughs). Experiments like that have been banned for centuries.
GEELA: Which is why we had to establish our laboratory on an uninhabited planet.
BLAKE: Were any of these creatures made?
NOVARA: Yes. We engineered an efficient four function animal. Using the same basic genetic form we then increased it to ten functions. The Decimas.
BLAKE: You made the Decimas?
GEELA: The prototypes. They breed naturally, but a mutant strain has become dominant. They seem capable of thought. They exhibit primitive emotions, weaknesses we thought we had eradicated.
NOVARA: They will all have to be eliminated so that we can be certain the mutant strain is destroyed.
BLAKE: They're intelligent, living creatures. You can't just wipe them out.
GEELA: We gave them life. We have the right to take it from them. Please don't concern yourself. They're simply laboratory constructed animals as are we.
BLAKE: You? You are made?
NOVARA: We were genetically engineered, allowed to grow to maturity, then our aging processes were stopped. We have no lives of our own. We are simply flesh and blood creatures operated by our creators.
SAYMON: (V.O. speaking through Geela) (Laughs) You seem confused my friend. We had intended not to meet with you. However, you will be leaving us shortly. No harm can come from your knowing us. Geela will bring you.
GEELA: Come with us, please.

Blake follows Geela and Novara back through the room and into the lounge area. His communicator chimes.

BLAKE: (Into communicator)Blake.
AVON: (V.O.)Avon.
BLAKE: You ready?

In the teleport area of the Liberator

AVON: One of the flutonic power cells is fully charged. The other will be ready in precisely two minutes.

In the laboratory.

BLAKE: Get them down here as soon as you can.

In the teleport area of the Liberator

AVON: There's something else. The detector banks are now fully functional. They've located the pursuit ships and they're coming this way.
BLAKE: (V.O.) Have everybody standing by. In the laboratory We'll move out as soon as we're both back on board.
AVON: (V.O.) Good.
BLAKE: (to Geela) I'm sorry.

The three climb a few steps and enter a room Blake has not seen before. The room is dominated by a tank containing the shrunken body of a being suspended in fluid and hooked to a life support system.

SAYMON: You must excuse me. I have not spoken with these lips in a long time. My name is Saymon. That is the name by which this body was once known. I am a corporate identity. We exist through this body.
BLAKE: We?
SAYMON: We were from Auron. There were six of us when we set off on this project. Unfortunately our knowledge was not far enough advanced then to eliminate death. But we did possess the power to keep alive our thoughts and ideas. The bodies reverted but the minds lived on.
BLAKE: Cally's people. The Auronar.
SAYMON: Yes. We were from the Auronar but not of them as Cally is.
BLAKE: That's why you were able to control her.
SAYMON: That is why we had to control her. She would not have accepted us freely.
BLAKE: You are the only one of the six that is left?
SAYMON: Mechanical aids sustain this body. Through it all six of us continue to live. Our combined mental powers generate Geela and Novara to carry out all physical operation in our experiments.
BLAKE: (Looks at Novara and Geela) They have no life of their own.
SAYMON: None. If our life support should fail, they would simply wither away. Thanks to you and your energy cells that will not occur.
BLAKE: So that all I have spoken to them about, all they have told me, that was you talking not them.
SAYMON: Correct.
BLAKE: And did you mean what you said? You're going to destroy the Decimas.
SAYMON: It would have been wiser to have done so before they became so numerous. But to discharge a lethal level of radiation required more power than we had available.
BLAKE: But the cells I'm providing will give you that power?
SAYMON: Of course.
BLAKE: No. I can't let that happen.
SAYMON: Without that power you cannot escape the web.
BLAKE: Then we must come to a new understanding. You won't get those cells until we do. (In the teleport area of the Liberator) (V.O.) Avon stay on board until you hear from me.
VILA: This is Vila.
BLAKE: (V.O.) Don't teleport Avon until I say so.
VILA: I just did. (In the laboratory) (V.O.) I put him down about ten seconds ago.
BLAKE: (To Saymon) He'll be in the compound now.
SAYMON: If the Decimas reach him, he'll be in danger. Those power cells must be protected.
BLAKE: I don't give a damn about your power cells. There's a friend of mine out there.

He turns and runs for the main entrance of the complex. Geela and Novara intercept him near the exit.

NOVARA/GEELA: (Simultaneously) We will help.

Outside the entrance to the lab, the three survey the compound.

BLAKE: (To Geela) You take that side. (To Novara) You take that side. And I'll go straight on.

The separate. Novara moves through the area followed by Decimas. Geela moves in the opposite direction also followed by Decimas. Blake moves toward the area where he first teleported down searching for Avon.

AVON: (From behind Blake) I've been looking for you. What's going on?
BLAKE: Let's get under cover first. (They move behind some undergrowth and crouch down) Got the cells?
AVON: (Indicating a box in his hand) What do you think these are, field rations?
BLAKE: Listen, these's a problem. If we let them have those, they'll use them to wipe out an entire race of creatures, people here.
AVON: If it concerns you, don't give them the cells.
BLAKE: No, there's more. They've got a carrier beam which projects a fungicide which'll clear a way through the web for us. It doesn't work without this power.
AVON: Ah well, if it's between the creatures and us there's no argument. Even your irrational conscience should be able to cope with that. (Pause) What do you want to do?
BLAKE: Hold off long enough to make a deal.
AVON: You're going to have to be quick, Blake. Those pursuit ships are coming this way.
BLAKE: I'll hide these cells. (Conceals power cells in the undergrowth). They can have them when they agree to our terms.
AVON: What ARE our terms?
BLAKE: They can use lethal radiation to kill everything out here. If they allow us to destroy the radiation equipment at least the Decimas will have some form of chance.
AVON: Why should they agree?
BLAKE: They need the power. They can't survive without it.
AVON: Neither can we.
BLAKE: I'll bear that in mind. (Tosses empty box away.)
AVON: Don't worry. I'll remind you.

Novara and Geela approach. Blake and Avon rise. Avon draws his weapon.

NOVARA: Let's get back inside quickly. Where are the cells?
BLAKE: He didn't bring them. We'll get them when we've talked.
GEELA: You are lying.
BLAKE: You will get them when you agree to our terms.
NOVARA: (To Avon) Put your weapon down. (Avon looks at Blake) Do it! (To Blake) You. Now, the cells.
AVON: I didn't bring them.
GEELA: (Touches Avon's hand with her weapon. She releases his hand.) Minimum power. A full charge would cut you in half.
NOVARA: Understand. Your lives are totally unimportant to us.
BLAKE: All right.

Blake retrieves the energy cells.

NOVARA: Quickly.

They all move back into the laboratory building.

GEELA: (Just inside the main door) The cells.

Blake surrenders the cells to Geela. She hands them to Novara. He goes through to the power unit without securing the main door and begins installing the cells. Blake, Avon and Geela follow him.

NOVARA: (Completing installation) I will irradiate.
BLAKE: No! Novara.

Decimas who have been quietly entering through the open main doorway attack Geela and Novara, but leave the members of the Liberator crew unharmed. During the confusion, Blake moves to the power console and activates the fungicide beam.

BLAKE: Right, that's the beam.

Avon and Blake move to the stairs leading to Saymon's sanctuary.

AVON: These are what you wanted to protect.
BLAKE: They're fighting for their lives.
AVON: Who isn't.

They step inside the room.

Exterior of the Liberator trapped in the silica web. A pulsing light beam strikes the web and the ship. The web begins to dissolve.

On the flight deck of the Liberator. Jenna, Gan and Cally are waiting.

JENNA: Look.

Main viewscreen shows the web dissolving.

GAN: He did it. We're free.
JENNA: Not yet.

Interior of the laboratory. The Decimas continue their attack. They are destroying equipment. Geela and Novara are dead. The Decimas attack their remains.

AVON: (Back on the stairs) Let's get out of here.
BLAKE: (Into communicator) Blake. We're ready. Bring us up.

They step back into Saymon's room and teleport field envelops them. Saymon screams. The Decimas move into the room and begin to destroy his life support tank.

Flight deck of the Liberator

BLAKE: Navigation computer to evasive action strategy. Key course and speed to optimum escape probability. Basically, lose them, Zen.
ZEN: Confirmed.
AVON: One thing they proved back there.
BLAKE: What?
AVON: Biological machines will never replace the real thing. They're far too unpredictable.
BLAKE: At least the Decimas stand a chance now. You can't separate living creatures. Being alive involves them together.
AVON: I couldn't agree with you less.
BLAKE: It's a fact of life. Zen, when we've lost the pursuit ships, resume course for Centero.
ZEN: Confirmed.
AVON: I'll tell you a fact of life, Blake. Change is inevitable.
BLAKE: Why else'd we fight, Avon.

END

"Seek-Locate-Destroy"
by Terry Nation

(c) 1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a partial dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1992 by Tommy Persson, Susan Beth Schnitger, Didi Johnson, and Micky DuPree.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake
Jenna Stannis
Kerr Avon
Vila Restal
Servalan
Cally
Travis
Olag Gan
Zen
Prell
Bercol
Rontane
Rai
Escon
Eldon

Uncredited:
Male voice (Public Address)
Second male voice

[Planet Centero. Outside what looks like a manufacturing plant.]

P.A.: Attention, please. This is planet Centero communications base control. Routine robot surveillance is now in operation.

[A mobile robot rolls by, swivels its head, then moves on. Blake materializes, looks about then runs to take cover. He moves deeper into the building as he hears the robot approaching, brushing by a hanging cable as he goes. The robot shoots a stream of flames onto the still swinging cable just seconds later.]

BLAKE: [into bracelet] I'm down and safe. I'm somewhere inside the main complex. Is Vila ready?

[Liberator teleport room. Jenna is at the controls, Vila is standing near her with his open box of tools. Gan and Cally are nearby.]

JENNA: [into comm] Hold on, just checking. [to Vila] Are you ready?
VILA: Tell him I've just worked out a completely new strategy. It's called running away.
JENNA: He's ready.
BLAKE: [v.o.] Put him down.
JENNA: [into comm] Standby.

[Vila is putting some tools back inside his box and fumbling with the lid.]
GAN: Come on, Vila!

[Vila gets the box closed and moves into the teleport bay.]

JENNA: Ready? [Vila nods resignedly.] I'm putting him down -- now.

[Vila dematerializes.]

[Centero. Vila materializes in the same place as Blake had earlier. He looks about, then starts running in the exact opposite of the direction Blake took.]
BLAKE: [beckoning] Vila, over here.
[Vila runs to join him.]
VILA: Where are we?
BLAKE: Shhh, no noise. There's a security robot patrolling the area. As far as I can tell we're in the outer compound. Top security section should be back that way. Now, stay close to me and keep your head down.
VILA: [hopefully] Why don't I stay here and keep watch?
BLAKE: Come on. [They run, pass alongside a wall and come to a gate in a chain-link fence. A sign on the gate reads "TOP SECURITY."]
BLAKE: There it is. That must be the way in. Can you open those gates or are we going to have to climb them?
VILA: You won't get over it. That'll have every detector device you can imagine, and a few more besides. I'll have to get a closer look at the locking system.
BLAKE: All right, I'll keep watch.
[Vila moves over to the gate, pausing first to try a set of locked doors nearby. He shrugs at Blake who motions him on to the gate. Vila eyes the gate, opens his box and applies a tool to the inside of a panel he opens. There is a large electric spark and the end bit of his tool is burnt off. Vila looks at it in disgust and replaces it in his box. Blake hears the robot approaching and flattens to the ground.]
BLAKE: [calling softly] Vila, take cover.
[Vila keeps working on the panel.]
BLAKE: Vila!
[Vila reaches into his box. The robot passes by. Blake looks over at the gate -- no Vila in sight. Blake runs over to the gate and looks around.]
BLAKE: Vila?
[Vila sticks his head out of the doors he'd checked earlier.]
VILA: Has it gone?
BLAKE: How did you get in there?
VILA: There isn't a lock I can't open -- if I'm scared enough.
BLAKE: Are you scared enough for that one?
VILA: What do you think?
[Both move over to the gate and look at it. Vila sets back to work with a couple of tools.]
BLAKE: How does it work?
VILA: Anybody authorized to go through the gate has a physio-psycho pattern registered in the central computer. [Hands one of the tools to Blake.] Hold this. When he wants to go through, this scans him and feeds the reading back to the computer. All you've got to do is intercept the feedback from the computer. [Vila holds one finger on a component inside the panel.] Now, you stand in front and I'll press the scan button. [Vila presses a red button with his other hand. Blake's face is illuminated by a red light.] Retrieval system, no record, refusal signal, now. [Vila pulls his hand away from the panel. The light on Blake's face changes to green, there's a buzz, and the gate swings open.]
BLAKE: Nice going.
VILA: Any very talented person could have done it.
BLAKE: Come on.
[Blake enters. Vila starts to follow with his tool box but hears a beeping from the gate controls so pauses to close the panel he'd opened. They run inside, slipping safely behind a patrol group. They see two guards at a door. Blake whispers to Vila who nods, then approaches the guards.]
VILA: Hello there. How are you? Excuse me wandering about your premises but I wonder if you can help me. I'm an escaped prisoner. I was a thief but recently I've become interested in sabotage, in a small way you understand, nothing too ambitious, I hate vulgarity, don't you? Anyway, I've come to blow something up. What do you think will be most suitable? [Throughout this babbling the guards have been looking back and forth at him and each other in disbelief. Blake slips up behind them from the other side and takes out one of the guards. Vila bashes the other with his tool box.]
GUARDS: Agh!
[Blake runs inside. Vila starts to follow then stays with the guards.]
VILA: Blake, don't leave me.
[Blake moves down corridors, draws his weapon and looks around. Back at the door, Vila arranges the two unconscious guards into a seated position leaning against each other, then enters the building. He looks around in a corridor.]
BLAKE: [calls softly] Oy. [Vila jumps as Blake comes up behind him.]
VILA: Oh, you gave me such a shock, you did....

[Teleport room. Avon and Cally are holding mines which Gan packs into a
carry bag, Jenna is at the controls.]
AVON: All you've got to do with these is find a metal surface and they'll stick fast.
GAN: Right.
CALLY: They're taking too long.
AVON: That's the trouble with heroics. They seldom run to schedule.
JENNA: They'll find it. There's not going to be a sign up there saying "This way to the cipher room."
GAN: They may need help.
CALLY: I think so, too.
AVON: They would have called in.
JENNA: Avon's right.
AVON: [looks over at Jenna] I usually am.
JENNA: Blake says wait so we wait.

[Corridor outside Cipher Room. Blake and Vila move cautiously down the corridor then duck into cover as Prell wheels a dolly out of the room. He leaves it in the corridor and returns inside. Blake mouths something to Vila then bursts into the room and points his weapon at the technicians and guard inside.]
BLAKE: Stand still! Vila, get his gun. [Vila takes the gun from the guard and herds the others with it.]
VILA: All right, all of you, over there, against the wall, quickly.
BLAKE: [into bracelet] Jenna, we found it. Standby.
[Teleport room]
BLAKE: [v.o.] Phase one is now complete. Get an absolute locator fix on my signal. As soon as you are set, put them down.
[Gan, Cally and Avon move over to the teleport controls.]
JENNA: Right.
AVON: It had better be right. A fraction out and you could put us down in the middle of the security barracks.
JENNA: Don't tempt me.
[Jenna is using a panel with an indicator light.]
JENNA: Blake, can you give me a voice check?
BLAKE: [v.o.] Reading out. [The light moves as he speaks, then comes to a stop.] One, two, three, four. One, two--
JENNA: Right, that's it, got it. Locked on. [to others] Ready? [Avon, Cally and Gan enter the teleport bay.] Good luck. I'm putting them down -- now.

[Cipher room. Avon, Cally and Gan materialize.]
BLAKE: [to Avon] Now do you know what you're looking for?
AVON: [shortly] Yes. [Moves off towards the equipment.]
BLAKE: [to Gan] All the equipment here?
GAN: All here.
BLAKE: [into bracelet] Down and safe. Well done, Jenna.

[Teleport room. Jenna smiles and sits back, making notes on a pad.]

[Cipher room]
BLAKE: Vila, back down to the entrance: keep the door covered. Cally, Gan, get the prisoners out of here, find somewhere to hold them. Cally, you stay with them. Gan, when you've started setting charges come back in here.
GAN: Right.
[Gan and Cally leave, herding the techs and guard before them.]
AVON: Blake! [Blake joins Avon, and looks inside an opened panel.] This is it.
BLAKE: You're sure?
AVON: It's been updated since the last one I saw, but it's still the same basic instrument.
BLAKE: You're absolutely positive?
AVON: Yes.
BLAKE: Good, disconnect it.
[Avon starts to work.]

[Storage room with shelves of bins, etc. Cally and Gan herd their prisoners inside.]
CALLY: Move on, move on, stand facing those racks. [Gan pushes the men up against the rack, pats their arms into position.] And keep your hands up.
GAN: Can you handle it, Cally?
[Cally nods, Gan leaves the room.]
CALLY: Now then. Don't move.

[Corridor. Gan sticks two mines to walls and activates them.]

[Cipher room. Avon is working, Gan comes in quickly startling Blake who aims his weapon at him before recognizing Gan.]
GAN: I've set the charges down the corridor.
BLAKE: All right, set a couple in here.
GAN: Two? One would be sufficient.
BLAKE: I want total destruction so nothing can be recognized. If they sort through the debris and find the cipher machine is missing all they'll do is change their code and we'll have wasted our time.

[Storage room. Cally moves over to the door and peers out. Prell reaches one hand slowly towards a canister on the shelf before him but puts it back up empty when Cally moves towards the prisoners again.]

[Cipher room. Gan is starting to attach a mine to a wall.]
BLAKE: Way over there. [Indicates the other side of the room and Gan sets the mine.]
AVON: Gan. [Gan moves over to help Avon who hands him a tool.]

[Outside the door. One of the guards has come to. Vila sees the robot approaching and takes cover. The guard runs to trigger a switch. Vila chases him and knocks him out, but too late to keep the alarm from going off.]

[Cipher room. Blake is standing at the open door. The alarm can be heard.]
BLAKE: That's done it. Gan, watch the door.
[Blake shuts the door, Gan moves over to it as Blake crosses to Avon.]
BLAKE: [to Avon] How are you doing?
AVON: [grunts] Well, the main holders are released but I still can't get it free.
BLAKE: Here. [He tries in vain to pull the cipher gizmo free.]
AVON: It's secured by something that I can't quite fathom. Gan!
[Gan joins them]
GAN: You better stand back. [He reaches into the panel and grapples with the device, grimacing with strain.]
BLAKE: Avon, keep an eye on the door.
[Avon moves over to the door.]
BLAKE: [Checks his timer] Come on, Gan, hurry it up, hurry up.

[Storage room. Vila pops in.]
VILA: Cally.
CALLY: What?
VILA: I've just been spotted. The alarms are ringing. I thought you ought to know. [exits]
[Cally sees Prell reaching toward the shelf, and moves toward him. He withdraws his hand.]
CALLY: I thought I told you not to move.

[Cipher room. Vila bursts in, Avon aims his weapon at him.]
AVON: What are you doing here?
VILA: What do you think?
BLAKE: Lock the door!
[Vila slides a bolt just as a guard reaches the door.]
BLAKE: Get down, both of you.
[Blake blasts the guard through the door. Blake, Vila and Avon push a cabinet in front of the doorway to block it.]
BLAKE: [to Gan] How are you doing?
GAN: I've broken two connections, just two to go.
BLAKE: You've got one minute left. [into bracelet] Stand by, Jenna, we may have to get out of here very fast.

[Storage room. Cally moves in front of a set of shelves. She looks over at the door when she hears some guards running past, and Prell grabs the canister and throws it at her, knocking her back.
PRELL: [to other prisoners] Come on, get her!
[They rush her, and Prell grapples with her, holding her until the guard knocks her out.]
PRELL: [to guard] Right, you watch her. [to other techs] You three come with me.
[They exit. The guard removes Cally's gun.]
P.A.: Attention, please. This is base control, red alert! All security personnel to report to number one command post immediately.

[Outside building. A squad of guards jog by.]

[Storage room. Cally attacks the guard. They fight, she wins and knocks him out. She realizes her bracelet has come off and starts searching for it, around and behind the racks.]

[Cipher room. Gan bends back a sheet of metal and pulls the cipher device free.]
GAN: Got it!
BLAKE: Right, everything into the bags. [into bracelet] Jenna, stand by to bring us up in, about, twenty seconds. [Shots of Cally still searching, overlaid by the timer on a mine ticking down.] Now! [Blake, Avon, Vila and Gan dematerialize.]

[Shots of Cally still searching, the timer reaching zero, explosions, fire, Cally's body lying behind the fallen rack, her bracelet lying beside her.]

[Teleport room]
JENNA: [lays device on control panel] So you got it.
BLAKE: It was close though.
AVON: Too close. Another few seconds we'd have all been blown up.
VILA: Well, it wasn't my fault.
AVON: Well, whose fault was it? I thought you were supposed to guard the corridor.
VILA: You were supposed to disconnect that thing, not rely on Gan tear to it loose with his teeth.
JENNA: All right, all right, now calm down. Are you sure this is it? [picks up the device] It doesn't look like much.

[Flight deck, empty except for Blake.]
BLAKE: Zen, retaliation status report.
ZEN: Detectors confirm massive launch of long range interceptor rockets. They have locked on to Liberator's course and are in pursuit.
BLAKE: How long before we outrun them?
ZEN: Battle computers estimate seven hours to outrange interceptor tracking systems.
BLAKE: Maintain optimum evasive strategy.
[He exits the flight deck, the next line coming as he walks away down the corridor.]
ZEN: Battle computers confirm, optimum evasion strategy committed.

[Teleport room]
AVON: So that all communication between Federation units is sent by hyperspace sub-beam, that originates here and here. [indicates areas on device] All messages are converted into zeta three particles and then scrambled. [Blake enters in background.] They in their turn become an unbreakable code.
BLAKE: Unbreakable unless you have one of those.
AVON: As soon as I get this linked into our communications setup, we should be able to read every message that the Federation puts out.
JENNA: Any sign of the interceptors?
BLAKE: We picked up a whole flock of 'em. But we should outrun them in seven hours.
JENNA: It's almost too easy, isn't it?
BLAKE: A lot can happen in seven hours so I suggest we get back to business. Avon, I want you to make a start with that. Cally can help you. Where is Cally? [Everyone looks about.] Anybody see where she went? [Pause, no one speaks.] Has anybody seen her since she came back on board?
GAN: I haven't seen her.
VILA: Neither have I.
BLAKE: Then she's still down there. We've got to get back.
JENNA: We can't. The interceptors.
BLAKE: We can't just leave her there!
AVON: Blake, listen. If she didn't come back up, then she must have been in the building when the charges blew. She's dead.
VILA: And anyway, the place will be crawling with security forces by now. They'll be on full alert.
AVON: We'd never even get through their interceptors. [Grabs Blake's arm.] Listen! [Blake yanks free.] If you turn this ship round, you will kill all of us.

[Federation Space Headquarters. Servalan's office.]
RONTANE: Which is why the President has asked me to come here personally; to express his own very grave concern over this matter. The destruction of the communications center has far-reaching political consequences. Controllers from some of the Outer Planets, whose loyalty to the Federation is, uh, delicately balanced, have been openly critical of the Administration's defense system. There are even one or two radical voices that speak of withdrawal from the Federation.
BERCOL: My department has done all in its power to suppress information about Blake and his actions -- there is a total blackout on all reports concerning him -- but still the stories get out. They spread by word of mouth, by whispers, by rumour; each time the story is told it is elaborated upon. Any damage to the Federation is attributed to Blake. The smallest incident is exaggerated out of all proportion until it becomes a major event. Blake is becoming a legend. His name is a rallying call for malcontents of all persuasions. He must be stopped.
SERVALAN: Gentlemen: I share the President's grave concern. And I am aware of the danger should Blake become a legend. But let us keep this matter in its correct perspective. It is true that Blake has command of a superb space vehicle, but he is just a man, backed by a handful of criminals, and that is all. He is not invulnerable, nor is he superhuman. He is just a man, who has been extremely lucky to evade capture --- so far.
RONTANE: With respect, Supreme Commander, we are aware of the facts. They are simply that with all the resources that the Federation can call upon, this one vulnerable, lucky man is still free to cause havoc.
SERVALAN: You have some criticism of my handling of this matter, Secretary Rontane?
RONTANE: Not at all, I hoped merely to convey the concern shown by the President when he briefed me for this visit.
BERCOL: It would be very helpful to all of us if we knew --- if you could indicate what action you will NOW be taking against Blake.
SERVALAN: Very well, Councillor Bercol. You may tell the President that I am appointing a Space Commander to take absolute control of this matter. He will be exclusively concerned to seek, locate, and destroy Blake.
BERCOL: Oh, excellent, excellent.
RONTANE: May we know the officer's name?
SERVALAN: Yes, you may. Space Commander Travis.
RONTANE: I understood that Travis had been suspended from duty pending an inquiry into the massacre of the civilians on the planet Auros.
SERVALAN: And I have satisfied myself that Travis acted correctly in this matter. The civilian deaths on Auros were unavoidable.
BERCOL: Uh, there are other incidents on his record, um, unfortunate incidents.
RONTANE: He has caused the Administration some political embarrassment in the past. In dealing with even minor insurrections, he has been, ah ... overzealous?
SERVALAN: Oh, don't be afraid of the word, Secretary. Ruthless. Committed. He does his duty as he sees it, and he sees it clearly. He has no time for the dirty gray areas of your politics.
RONTANE: [chuckle] I'm sure you're right, and of course the appointment is made on your judgement and your responsibility.
SERVALAN: Responsibility is something I have never evaded, Secretary.
RONTANE: Ah. May I then tell the President that you are confident that the Blake problem will be solved, soon?
SERVALAN: You may tell him to prepare a statement announcing that Blake has been eliminated.
BERCOL: Thank you for your reassurances, Supreme Commander.
RONTANE: Goodbye.
SERVALAN: A safe journey back to Earth.
[The two men exit.]
SERVALAN: [into comm] Where is space commander Travis? He was due here one hour ago.
VOICE: [v.o.] His ship is locked into the station's flight grid. He will dock at precisely eighteen-twenty-three.
SERVALAN: Good. [She opens a window and looks out at space. View shifts to the Liberator in space as her voice speaks] Your time is running out, Blake. Your time and your luck.

[Flight deck. Jenna, Avon and Gan are working to install the cipher device. Blake is moving about restlessly, Jenna goes over to him.]
JENNA: [rests hand on his shoulder] There's nothing you could have done. It wasn't your fault.
BLAKE: And whose fault was it? I should have checked.
JENNA: Cally wasn't a child.
BLAKE: Wasn't she?
JENNA: She knew the risks. She accepted them. She even welcomed them.
BLAKE: She was ashamed to go back to her own people because she had survived when the rest of the freedom fighters were massacred.
JENNA: Well, that wasn't her fault.
BLAKE: Shame like hers is an emotion, Jenna. It isn't rational.
JENNA: Exactly, and so is guilt like yours. That's not rational, either.
BLAKE: It's ironic, isn't it? She was the only one of us who wasn't a convicted criminal.
JENNA: She convicted herself. You can't live like that. You've got to make peace with yourself, Blake, if you want to survive.
[Blake moves over to Avon.}
BLAKE: How are you coming with that?
AVON: The primaries are hooked into the main instrumentation, I just have to link up to a read out.
ZEN: Attention. Liberator is now out of range of the interceptor's scanning systems. Detectors indicate the rockets have begun to self destruct.
BLAKE: Have the navigation computers put in a course for the planet listing K-Fourteen.
ZEN: Course laid in.
JENNA: That's a Federation repair and supply base, isn't it?
AVON: Yes, for their deep space cruisers.
JENNA: Are we going to attack it?
BLAKE: One for Cally. [pause] Because I want to survive.

[Servalan's office.]
SERVALAN: [into comm] Yes?
VOICE: Space commander Travis's ship has just docked.
SERVALAN: Have him report to me immediately. [pause] No, have him wait outside until I send for him.
SERVALAN: [Knock on door] Come in.
RAI: Central Intelligence transmitted the records you asked for, ma'am. I have the microtapes.
SERVALAN: Thank you, Rai. Leave them there.
RAI: I am told that Travis is docked.
SERVALAN: So I understand.
RAI: [takes formal stance] May I speak, Supreme Commander?
SERVALAN: Yes, of course. But why so formal, Rai? What can be so important that we can't discuss it in a more relaxed way? Oh, Rai, come here.
[She beckons him to join her on a couch.]
SERVALAN: [stroking his shoulder] Rai, I thought we were old friends.
RAI: I value our friendship a great deal.
SERVALAN: [smiles] Yes. Well?
RAI: Senior echelon officers all know that Travis is coming.
SERVALAN: But I've made no secret of it.
RAI: Is it wise? They know that he has been stripped of his rank and authority. That he has no status now and that he stands a good chance of being dismissed the service.
SERVALAN: Rai, [touches his hair] Space Commander Travis is the subject of a military inquiry. He was ordered to suppress an attack on Auros.
RAI: The man is a butcher. He continued with his attack after the total surrender. The death toll was horrifying.
SERVALAN: [stands up and returns to stand behind her desk, Rai follows her and stands in front of it] Travis is an advocate of total war. He carries out his orders with meticulous thoroughness. An enemy does not cease to be an enemy simply because it has surrendered.
RAI: That's the philosophy of an assassin, not a Federation officer. [pause] I must tell you that there are those among your officers who will not serve with Travis or take orders from him.
SERVALAN: And you may tell them --- whoever they are --- that Space Commander Travis's rank and authority have been fully restored by my order. I have also appointed him Senior Executive Officer of this station. Is that clear?
RAI: Yes, Supreme Commander.
SERVALAN: Let them know, too, that any lack of cooperation, any hesitation in responding to an order, will be treated as mutiny. Let them know I have said this. Dismissed. [Rai clicks his heels and exits. There is a bleep from the comm. Servalan ignores it, looking pensive. The comm bleeps again and Servalan reacts this time.]
SERVALAN: Yes?
VOICE: It's Commander Travis. I told him he was to wait but he just pushed past me. He's on his way up. I tried to stop him--
SERVALAN: Very well. [Door opens and Travis enters. He moves to just in front of her desk and stands with his hands on his hips.] Space Commander, it is good to see you.
TRAVIS: Your aide said I was to wait. He was obviously mistaken. He doesn't realize the urgency of the matter. [Servalan lays a folded sheet of paper on the desk before him. Travis picks it up and reads it.] These are your orders?
SERVALAN: Destroy Blake.
TRAVIS: Depend on it.

[Flight deck]
AVON: It's working.
JENNA: Well done.
AVON: Now let's see how well. Jenna, see if you can isolate the Federation's signal beam.
JENNA: [Jenna uses a tool on the device as the pitch of the signal shifts.] That's it.
AVON: Now, feed that into the cipher control . . . and there it is. [Zen's display screen shows shifted lines of cryptic characters.]
BLAKE: Well done, Avon.
AVON: Under the circumstances, it would have been a great pity if it hadn't worked. Gan, basic unscrambler? [Gan hands him a set of headphones. Avon and Jenna listen to the earpieces.]
BLAKE: What are you getting?
AVON: Just routine movement orders, statistical information. I'll rig a selective data link into their battle computers, it'll be useful background information.
JENNA: We should monitor what we're getting, we'll need a rota of some sort.
BLAKE: Yeah, good idea. [laughs] We should know more about the Federation than the president.
[Jenna laughs.]
BLAKE: I presume there's a recall record?
AVON: It's all going on to microtape.
BLAKE: You've done a good job, Avon. Thank you.
AVON: At least I'll know what the _Federation_ is planning. [Gan grins] Just a minute.
BLAKE: Something?
AVON: A message beamed into Centero.
JENNA: But we've just destroyed their communications base.
AVON: They're using emergency frequencies.
BLAKE: What's the message?
AVON: Some flight clearance. Priority spaceway for a ship going in from Space Headquarters. The Supreme Commander requests that all personnel give maximum cooperation to the incoming officer.
JENNA: Does it give his name?
AVON: Space Commander Travis.
BLAKE: Travis!
JENNA: Do you know him?
BLAKE: I thought he was dead. I was sure I'd killed him.

[Cipher room. A group of technicians are rifling through the debris when Travis enters.]
TRAVIS: Stop! [to Prell] What are these men doing here?
PRELL: Well, I didn't think it would matter if we made a start on clearing up the worst of the damage.
TRAVIS: My orders were that nothing was to be touched in this room, nothing. [to the technicians] Get out! [Most start to leave, one is slower about it. Travis grabs him by the arm and shoves him towards the door.] Out! [to Prell] Go through the sequence of events.
PRELL: From the beginning, sir?
TRAVIS: Well, naturally.
PRELL: Well, two armed men came through the door. From the description you've given me, one of them was certainly Blake.
TRAVIS: Go on.
PRELL: Well, we were made to stand against the wall. Then a minute later, three more of them just appeared.
TRAVIS: Appeared?
PRELL: Well, materialized, sir. My men and I were taken out by a man and a girl. It was the girl who kept us prisoner in the equipment store. We overpowered her, the demolition charges went off, sir. Well, we were lucky to get out alive.
TRAVIS: How long were Blake and his men in here?
PRELL: Five, ten minutes, not more.
TRAVIS: Five or ten minutes? They could have set demolition charges in thirty seconds. What were they doing in that extra time?
PRELL: Perhaps they had trouble getting them to work, sir.
TRAVIS: And why did they take you and your men out of here?
PRELL: I suppose they thought it was safer with us out of the way.
TRAVIS: No. No. There's something missing. I'm missing something. [pause] Do you still have the original construction plans for this room?
PRELL: They'll be on record, sir.
TRAVIS: And detailed diagrams of all the circuits?
PRELL: Yes.
TRAVIS: Good. I'm sending in a forensic team. I want a full catalog of every item in this room.
PRELL: But, sir--
TRAVIS: Everything must be accounted for.
PRELL: But, sir-- [breaks off as Travis turns to stare at him coldly.] Well, that could take months, sir, if it's possible at all.
TRAVIS: Prell, if I were you I'd make it possible. I want that catalog in twenty hours.
PRELL: Sir. [There is a ringing. Prell uses a handheld communicator, holding it alternately to his ear and throat] Yes? Right!
TRAVIS: What is it?
PRELL: They found something, under the rubble. I think you'd better come along.

[Storage room. Eldon is examining the body of the dead guard.]
PRELL: Where is it?
ELDON: It's over there, sir.
[Prell goes behind the fallen rack and touches Cally.]
PRELL: It's the girl who was holding us prisoner, sir.
TRAVIS: Is she dead?
PRELL: I'll check, sir.
ELDON: [Hands Cally's gun to Travis] We found this, sir.
TRAVIS: Hmm?
PRELL: Sir.
TRAVIS: Hmm.
PRELL: She's alive.
TRAVIS: You, get a medical squad. Move!
ELDON: Yes, sir. [exits]
PRELL: She'll pull through all right, sir, she's lucky.
TRAVIS: No, we are. Her luck ran out when she didn't die. The medics are to give her emergency treatment and put her into a life support capsule. I take off for the space station in one hour.
PRELL: Right, sir. [exits]

[Servalan's office. Travis is scanning through pictures of Blake on a wall screen.]
SERVALAN: Shouldn't you rest now?
TRAVIS: Is this all the information we have on Blake?
SERVALAN: I checked with Intelligence personally. It's all there.
TRAVIS: Have you approved my requisitions for personnel and equipment?
SERVALAN: The ships you want, the Starburst class, I'm not sure I can get them.
TRAVIS: What?!
SERVALAN: There've only been three of them built so far, and they've already been assigned to the Galactic Eighth Fleet.
TRAVIS: Well, get them reassigned to you. Look, from what we already know about Blake's ship, it's vastly superior to anything we've got. If I'm to stand even a reasonable chance of taking him, I need those three high-range pursuit ships.
SERVALAN: You'll have them.
TRAVIS: What about my crew?
SERVALAN: Already assigned. Why mutoids particularly?
TRAVIS: Why mutoids? I've always thought that individuals with a high bionic rebuild were more reliable, less likely to let emotion interfere with judgement or duty. I give a mutoid priority over a man every time. [Points to his left hand] Or perhaps it's this that gives me a fellow feeling.
SERVALAN: Does it still trouble you?
TRAVIS: Well, not in the way you mean. The surgical mechanics did a perfect refit. I had the Weaponry Division make a few ... adaptations. They built in a laseron destroyer, more powerful than any sidearm. No, the hand is fine, better than the original. It only troubles me because it's a constant reminder that the man who caused it, is still alive.
SERVALAN: Blake. That's why I choose you.
TRAVIS: Oh?
SERVALAN: I've read all the reports, of course. But none of them said what happened. None of them explained about your face.
TRAVIS: What about my face?
SERVALAN: It was patched up by a field medic.
TRAVIS: Man saved my life.
SERVALAN: But why did you never let the surgeons finish the job?
TRAVIS: [Chuckles] What are you suggesting, cosmetic surgery? I'm a field officer, not one of your decorative staff men.
SERVALAN: You're certainly not decorative.
TRAVIS: You find it repulsive?
SERVALAN: I find it ... unpleasing.
TRAVIS: But memorable. You wouldn't mistake me for anyone else.
SERVALAN: Hardly.
TRAVIS: Mm. Neither will Blake. Even after all this time, he'll know me, and remember what happened at our first meeting.
SERVALAN: Tell me.
TRAVIS: It was quite early on. Blake had only been involved with the dissidents for a short while, but he already had a following. He organized some attacks against some of our political rehabilitation centers. Released some of the prisoners who were having indoctrination treatment. I was assigned to deal with the matter. We got information that Blake was planning another raid. We knew the location of the meeting point. I made my plans well in advance.

[Flight deck. The crew are all sitting on couches in the pit. Vila and Jenna are holding cups, more are on the table. Jenna sips from her cup at one point during Blake's story.]
BLAKE: The group had arranged to meet in a sub-basement. There were about thirty of us. I was very particular about security. I had our people watch the entrances and exits for a full twenty-four hours before we were supposed to meet. No Federation forces came anywhere near the place. I was absolutely sure that we were safe. That night we were assembled and about to begin, and Travis and his men suddenly appeared from nowhere.
AVON: Didn't you post any guards?
BLAKE: Of course I did. Travis was already there. He'd been hiding in that basement for more than two days. We made no attempt to resist arrest. There was no point, we had no chance. I said to Travis, "We will offer no resistance." And he just stared at me. And then he ordered his men to open fire. Everybody was diving for cover that wasn't there. I, I ran, I found myself grappling with a guard, and I managed to get his gun away from him, and then I was hit in the leg. But as I went down, I saw Travis. And I fired. I saw him fall. I was sure I'd killed him.
JENNA: What happened then?
BLAKE: Oh, they did a memory erase on me, set up a show trial, had me confess, made me explain that I had been misled, that my political ideas were mistaken. Enough people believed me. The whole resistance movement collapsed. After that the Federation kept me around as a, a reformed character, a sort of ideal model citizen exhibit. Of course, I didn't know that at the time. No, it's only since almost exactly the same thing has happened again that the memory erase has begun to fade and I can remember.
AVON: Do you remember enough to recognize Travis again?
BLAKE: The man who killed twenty of my friends? Oh, yes. I'll recognize him.

[Note from transcriber: the person I have labeled "DOCTOR" in the following scene is not listed in the credits and only his hand and part of his leg is ever seen.]

[Medical lab. Cally is lying on a bed/medical capsule, with a mask over her eyes, attended by a doctor. Travis's image is displayed on a wall screen.]
TRAVIS: What is her condition?
DOCTOR: [removes her mask] There's some superficial bruising, a slight respiratory problem, other than that she's virtually unharmed. There's really no need for her to remain in the life support capsule.
TRAVIS: No, she'll stay where she is for the moment. It'll make her more responsive to interrogation later.
DOCTOR: She's not yet well enough to submit to intensive questioning. She must have rest--
TRAVIS: Yes, thank you very much indeed, Doctor, you are relieved of your responsibility for the prisoner. She is now the property ... the concern of the interrogation division. [The doctor exits. To Cally] We'll want to know about Blake, the ship, his crew, his plans.
CALLY: Your words are meaningless to me. Who is Blake?
TRAVIS: I think you'll remember, quite soon. Oh, there may be a little pain, a little discomfort, but you will remember.
CALLY: I will tell you nothing.
TRAVIS: I'll come back later. By that time you may have answered my questions. [to someone offscreen] You may begin. [Scenes of a liquid being poured, Cally grimacing in pain, flashing lights.]

[Cipher room]
ELDON: [shows piece of debris to Prell] What do you make of this, sir?
PRELL: Where did you find it?
ELDON: It was embedded in the wall.
PRELL: [takes it and looks it over] Strange, it looks like part of the inner workings and yet the surface scoring would suggest that it was exposed at the time of the explosion.
ELDON: Hmm.
PRELL: Check its code number.
ELDON: [puts on a visor with an attached single lens] Fourteen twenty- nine.
PRELL: [checks against paper listing] Fourteen twenty-nine, relay boost, prime link is to component fourteen thirty. What have we salvaged for that classification?
ELDON: [goes to check against something] Nothing.
PRELL: Nothing?
ELDON: Not a fragment.
PRELL: Of course, it's obvious, obvious. [gestures for comm]
ELDON: [Passes him the handheld communicator] What is it?
PRELL: [Into communicator] Priority message to Space Commander Travis.
Delivery by Category One courier. Message begins ...

[Servalan's office. She and Travis are listening to a recording of Prell's
voice.]
PRELL: [recording] ... thorough check of salvaged material reveals no trace of parts used in manufacture of component fourteen thirty. It is virtually certain therefore that the instrument was removed before the explosion. Component-- [Travis turns the recording off]
TRAVIS: Blake got the cipher machine.
SERVALAN: He's able to read everything we transmit. Forward planning movements, security, everything.
TRAVIS: That's right.
SERVALAN: I must advise Central Security. [Crosses to comm] We have to introduce a new code system immediately.
TRAVIS: No, no. If the code system is changed Blake will know we are on to him.
SERVALAN: That's not important. What matters is that our security is wide open. [Reaches to comm but Travis blocks her hand.]
TRAVIS: Listen to me. We know that Blake is reading us. If we transmit a message in the normal routine way he'll intercept it, hm? Now what if that message was something he wanted to hear? Something that we know would bring him to a particular place.
SERVALAN: A place where we would be waiting for him.
TRAVIS: Exactly.

[Flight deck. Jenna is alone, monitoring the Federation transmission with the headphones when something makes her react.]
JENNA: [into comm] Blake, can you get down here fast? [starts making notes on a pad]
[Blake hurries in, followed by Avon and Vila.]
BLAKE: What is it?
JENNA: This just came through on the cipher.
BLAKE: Read it.
JENNA: Space headquarters priority. Injured female prisoner taken after attack on communications base planet Centero to be held for treatment and interrogation.
BLAKE: She's alive.
VILA: I knew she wasn't dead.
AVON: No, you didn't.
VILA: No, I didn't. I'm going to tell Gan. [exits]
AVON: Treatment and interrogation, that doesn't sound too promising.
BLAKE: She's alive. That's all that matters. Zen, immediate course change. Direct route to Centero speed standard by six.
ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: I want a repeat readout of everything in the databanks concerning Centero. The whole lot again.
ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: I want it now.
AVON: Blake, what are you planning? What exactly have you got in mind?
BLAKE: I'm not sure yet.
JENNA: We could make a really fast strike. They wouldn't be expecting anything.
AVON: Oh, I admire your confidence.
JENNA: Well, surprise is the only thing we've got on our side.
BLAKE: Yes, well, however we do it, one way or another we are gonna to get Cally out of there. [exits]

[View of Liberator in space, turning.]
ZEN: [v.o.] The banks have collated the required information. Liberator is turning onto new course heading, now.

[Multiple scenes of guards taking up stations around Centero base. Shot of Cally's unconscious body being dragged along the floor by her feet.]

[Room at Centero base. Travis is sitting at a table.]
ESCON: Base Commander Escon reporting, sir.
TRAVIS: Yes, Base Commander?
ESCON: I've escorted the prisoner to the interrogation room and my men have been briefed to keep out of sight until you give the signal.
TRAVIS: Good. Blake is to get right inside the building before anybody makes a move.
ESCON: Understood, sir.
TRAVIS: Sit down, Base Commander.
ESCON: Thank you, sir. [sits]
TRAVIS: How are your units deployed?
ESCON: We have the whole area circled. Squads on every roof, destructors with wide firing spread around every wall. Once they're inside there's no way they're going to get out again.
TRAVIS: Good. Space watch reports?
ESCON: An unidentified ship entered our upper atmosphere about an hour before you arrived.
TRAVIS: Blake's?
ESCON: We assume so.
TRAVIS: Why?
ESCON: Because it came in close and then raced back out again. Our guess is that it was doing a fast ground survey.
TRAVIS: Seems reasonable. Where is it now?
ESCON: In fixed orbit, about a quarter of a million out.
TRAVIS: Quarter of a million? They won't be able to use their teleport at that range. They'll have to come in closer. And they can't do that without our knowing it. Which leaves just one chance factor: exactly where they'll teleport down. The odds are against them being able to zero in on the interrogation room.
ESCON: I think we have that beaten, too, sir.
[Next couple of lines are delivered v.o. over shots of technicians monitoring some screens in another location.]
TRAVIS: Oh?
ESCON: My research people have rigged up the entire complex with an
MSD.
TRAVIS: What?
ESCON: A molecular shift detector, sir. Apparently there's an enormous kinetic potential set up by teleport communications. A rough analogy would be the, the static buildup during an electrical storm.
TRAVIS: Yes, well, I'm always grateful for a rough analogy. What does it do?
ESCON: It tells us exactly where and when they land.
TRAVIS: It's perfect.
ESCON: He still may not come.
TRAVIS: Oh, he'll come. He wouldn't abandon the girl. Not Blake. Right, it starts now. Get under cover.
ESCON: Sir.
TRAVIS: Oh, and Base Commander, remember: Blake is to get right inside the building. Let him find me and the girl before anybody makes a move. Is that clearly understood? ESCON: Understood, sir. [exits]
[Travis leaves through a door in a different direction.]

[Interrogation room. Cally is held in a chair by metal bands over her forearms. Travis enters.]
TRAVIS: I hope you're not too uncomfortable. It won't be long now.
CALLY: You're wasting your time. Blake will not risk his ship and his crew just for me.
TRAVIS: I've studied that man till I know him better than I know myself. He has one reliable flaw: loyalty. He'll come for you. I'll stake my life on it. [Beep. Into comm] Yes?
VOICE: No movement yet from Blake's ship. Still holding fixed orbit.
TRAVIS: Let me know the minute it starts in.
VOICE: Yes, sir.
TRAVIS: I'm sorry about this, but I don't want you doing anything foolish like shouting out for help. Now this won't hurt. [Travis throws a switch on the wall and Cally stiffens with a little moan.]

[Scenes of Travis walking down a corridor, looking over guards outside, shots of apparently deserted exterior of base, Travis walking back down the corridor.]

[Interrogation room. Travis enters, goes over to the chair which has its back to the door and swings it around to reveal it is empty. Blake grabs him from behind, holding an arm about Travis' neck in a choke hold while holding his gun to his head.]
BLAKE: A trick I learned from you, Travis. I got here first. Take his gun, Cally.
[Cally takes a small gun from Travis and points it at him.]
CALLY: Know this, your interrogators caused me much suffering. I should like a reason to kill you, one small movement will be enough.
BLAKE: [into bracelet] I got her, Jenna. Bring the ship to teleport range.
JENNA: [v.o.] On our way.
CALLY: Now, Travis, your turn. [gestures] You get in the chair.
[Travis sits down, carefully resting his real hand on the artificial one.]
BLAKE: Don't feel too badly, Travis. After all, it was an ambush technique you devised.
TRAVIS: You're not out of this yet.
[Cally closes the restraint bands over Travis' arms.]
VOICE: [v.o.] Blake's ship is moving, coming in very fast.
BLAKE: We'll be leaving you in about three minutes. I should use the time to think of an excuse for your failure.
TRAVIS: You'd better kill me, Blake. Until one of us is dead, there'll never be a time when I won't be right behind you.
BLAKE: If not you then somebody else. Killing you'll change nothing. You don't matter enough to kill, Travis.
[Blake turns away to look out the door. Travis uses his thumb to twiddle with the ring on his artificial hand. Cally notices this and where his hand is pointed.]
CALLY: Blake, get down! [Blake ducks, Travis fires, missing Blake, Cally swings his chair around, Blake smashes Travis' hand, sparks fly from the hand and Travis cries out.]
BLAKE: The door, Cally! They'll be coming. [into bracelet] How long, Jenna?
JENNA: [v.o.] Ninety seconds.
BLAKE: [into bracelet] Make it faster.
CALLY: Coming.
BLAKE: Get down.
[The guards fire, blasting down the door.]
TRAVIS: [to guards] Take them.
JENNA: [v.o.] In teleport range now.
TRAVIS: [to guards] It doesn't matter about me.
JENNA: We're bringing you up.
TRAVIS: [to guards] I order you to take them! [Cally and Blake dematerialize. Some guards enter] Don't stand there, you idiots! Launch the interceptors.

[Teleport room. Blake and Cally materialize.]
VILA: Welcome back. We thought you'd decided to stay.
BLAKE: Bit close that time, Jenna.
VILA: Anyway, we're glad you are safe, aren't we? [Looks over at Avon who is standing silently.] Aren't we?
AVON: Yes, I'm glad you're all right.
BLAKE: Those interceptors will be lifting off any minute now. Let's get on with it. [into comm] Gan, get the ship moving. Full interceptor evasion.

[Flight deck. Gan is at the controls.]
GAN: Check. Zen, battle computers to interceptor evasion. [Vila, Avon, and Jenna enter and move to their stations.] Then take us out. Speed standard by six.
ZEN: Your instructions are confirmed. Speed is now standard by six.

[Teleport room. Blake takes off his gun, lays it on the control panel and has started to leave when Cally's voice stops him.]
CALLY: Blake, thank you.
BLAKE: Too many of my friends are already dead, Cally. I can't afford to lose another one. [He looks down at her hands, which are cradling Travis's gun.] Travis's gun. I'll take that.
[Both exit.]

[Interrogation room. A technician is fiddling with Travis's mechanical hand. Travis grimaces and strikes him away.]
TRAVIS: [soliloquy] Run, Blake. [shot of the Liberator is show over the next two lines.]Run. As far and as fast as you like. I'll find you. You can't hide from me. I am your death, Blake. [smiles]

** the end **

"Mission to Destiny" by Terry Nation

Transcribed by Dan Stephenson with appreaciated help from Frances Teagle.

Characters:
Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas
Jenna Stannis - Sally Knyvette
Kerr Avon - Paul Darrow
Cally - Jan Chappell
Vila Restal - Michael Keating
Olag Gan - David Jackson
Zen - Peter Tuddenham
Dr. Kendall - Barry Jackson
Sara - Beth Morris
Mandrian - Stephen Tate
Sonheim - Nigel Humphreys
Levett - Kate Coleridge
Grovane - Carl Forgione
Pasco - John Leeson
Rafford - Brian Capron
Dortmunn - Stuart Fell

===============================================================================

Shot of a freighter, the ORTEGA, in transit. Cut to Flight Deck - Rafford is alone at the controls, and yawns. Bleeper/red light activates. Rafford pushes some panel buttons.

RAFFORD: [Into microphone] Log entry one forty three. Flight time zero one zero, elapsed nine zero. We have reached course delta red two. New heading locked in, all systems functioning. Log entry closes.

[He picks up map viewer and inserts a new map transparency. Cut to corridor, someone is approaching the door. Back to Rafford, he is marking on map. Unknown person enters]

RAFFORD: Ah, come on in, I could do with some company. I feel sleepy all of a sudden. Just finished marking up this.

[He turns, smiling, and is met with a heavy blow on the head. He cries out, another blow and he collapses across the instrument panel, head bleeding. View of a gloved hand wielding a hammer smashing several instruments. The attacker leaves to Yellow corridor, still unseen on camera.]

LIBERATOR in space, then cut to flight deck. Jenna and Blake are watching the scanner of a circling ship's trace.

JENNA: There it is, look. Circling every two minutes.
BLAKE: When d'you pick it up?
JENNA: Just before I called you.
BLAKE: It's circling all the time?
JENNA: Yes. Zen says it's a Mark Three Galaxy Class cruiser.
BLAKE: Galaxy Class? That's outer planets manufacture, isn't it?
JENNA: Right, but Mark Three went out of production at least fifty years ago.
BLAKE: Getting any signals from them?
JENNA: No, she's as quiet as a grave. [Shot of scanner on screen]
BLAKE: Probably guidance control systems.
JENNA: That ship's in trouble. It's the only thing that makes any sense.
BLAKE: You think so?
JENNA: Mmm.
BLAKE: All right, we'd better take a look at her. [to Zen] Zen, abort course programs, Take us in to 200 spacials and match vectors.
ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: I want everything in the data banks concerning Galaxy Class cruisers.
ZEN: Complete data is extensive.
BLAKE: Good. How long before we're in teleport range?
ZEN: That will depend on speed as yet unspecified.
BLAKE: [smiling at Jenna] Standard By Four?
ZEN: Sixteen point one four zero nine zero one minutes.
JENNA: [grinning] Approximately speaking, of course.
ZEN: It is estimated that you will require one hunDR.ed and twenty eight hours to assimilate all available data on Galaxy Class cruisers.
BLAKE: [perturbed] Mark Three? [Shot of Liberator turning]

LIBERATOR approaching the circling ORTEGA

AVON: No sign of external damage.
BLAKE: According to the data banks, Galaxy Class cruisers are fitted with communicators. See if you can raise a voice contact, will you Cally?
VILA: I don't like this.
JENNA: [mocking] That's unusual.
VILA: Mock if you like, but I can always sense danger.
GAN: Yes, even when there isn't any.
AVON: Scan doesn't show any modifications. I think it's just what it seems to be.

Cally heard at the communicator, mentioning 'Liberator' and 'Galaxy Class Cruiser'.

BLAKE: An obsolete civilian cruiser. [to Cally] Any luck Cally?
CALLY: No response on any channel.
BLAKE: All right, I'm going across. Will you come with me, Avon? Cally? Vila...
VILA: You don't need me to come over! [worried]
BLAKE: No, I need you to work the teleport.
VILA: Right. [relieved] [Jenna smiles]
BLAKE: Zen, take us in to one hundred spacials and hold.
ZEN: Confirmed.

ORTEGA - Crew Room. Blake, Avon and Cally teleport in.

AVON: There you are, deserted. [They examine the room]
BLAKE: [Examines chess board in play] If they did abandon, they certainly did it in a hurry.
AVON: If the last of this mark is built half a century ago, this ship could have been here a very long time.
CALLY: No, these space condition reports are recent.
BLAKE: There is an odd smell, sort of sickly-sweet.
CALLY: Yes, there is something.
AVON: Could be the change of atmosphere, a different recycle system to that of the Liberator.
BLAKE: No, it's more than that. I.. I can't place it... Alright, shall we get on with it? You go on down towards the stern, Cally and I'll work up towards the flight deck.
AVON: Right, I'll just contact Vila. [to Vila, Blake and Cally leave] Are you awake?
VILA: [through bracelet] No.
AVON: [smiles] That's what I thought. It's very quiet here. If it should get noisy, I'll be in touch.

Yellow corridor - Blake and Cally are opening doors.

BLAKE: It's that same smell again.

The second cabin contains two unconscious people, Sara and Mandrian. Blake and Cally enter, Blake yawns. Sara and Mandrian are examined.

BLAKE: The girl's alive.
CALLY: So's this one. The pulse is strong.
BLAKE: No visible sign of injury.
CALLY: D'you think they're drugged?
BLAKE: What?
CALLY: They could be drugged.
BLAKE: Possibly. I don't know - possibly. They're certainly in a coma of some sort. [Cally starts to keel over and Blake is affected by something] No, it's no good. We'll, we need the... Cally, that's it. Cally, wake up!
CALLY: [telepathically] Alone...
BLAKE: Yes, Cally! [shakes her]
CALLY: [groggy] What?
BLAKE: It's Sonovapour. Tranquilizing gas.
CALLY: Gas?
BLAKE: Yeah, that's why we're so sleepy... [Closes cabin ventilator] Must be bypassing the filters. I must find the filter system... That'll cut off the flow, it was coming through the ventilators.. Filters! See what you can do for those two. [Leaves, Cally composes herself]

Green corridor - Avon comes out of a door as Blake approaches cautiously]

BLAKE: Avon. Have you found anything?
AVON: Take a look. [Motions to Dr. Kendall is seen unconscious in a chair] He's the fourth one I've found, all of them unconscious. It's... Sonovapour.
BLAKE: Yes I know. We found a couple. It must be coming from the filters.
AVON: Yes, well that should be... this way.

Back to Cally - she leaves the cabin and goes along Yellow Corridor to flight deck door. She turns away, it opens slightly, she looks back, draws her gun, goes back and jerks it open. Rafford falls out, she grimaces and kneels beside him.

Filter room - Blake and Avon enter and look around. Blake finds the filter system.

BLAKE: It's over here.
AVON: Here it is. [Spots and extracts a gas cylinder] Not a very expert job. Just stuck the tubing into the primary feed.
BLAKE: It's effective, though. [Avon disconnects the cylinder]
AVON: Look at the gauge. The cylinder is almost empty.
BLAKE: Hmm, once it was empty, the filter system would have cycled the gas out of the atmosphere.
AVON: At which point everybody would just wake up. On the face of it, a seemingly pointless exercise.
BLAKE: So wake them up and ask them what it's all about. Increase the oxygen supply, it will speed recovery. [Avon does so. They leave]

Flight deck - Cally enters and look around. She picks up a gas cylinder, puts it down and turns to the door, hearing Blake and Avon outside in the corridor. Blake and Avon have found Rafford's body]

CALLY: He's dead.
BLAKE: Very. [They enter the flight deck]
CALLY: Someone was very thorough. All this damage has jammed the main controls on a circular flight pattern.
BLAKE: Can it be repaired?
AVON: That would depend on what their replacement stores are like.
CALLY: [Picks up map viewer] Look at this - it's blood. He tried to write something. [Hands it to Avon]
AVON: Five four one two four. Whatever that might mean.
BLAKE: Could be anything. Call sign, transmission frequency, navigation index, anything.
CALLY: But it is important. He must have been dying when he wrote it. [Loud screams - Cut to corridor, Sara is standing over Rafford's body. Exterior of Liberator and Ortega circling]

ORTEGA Crew Room - Everyone is present

DR. KENDALL: I'm sorry, I just don't know. I haven't any answers to your questions. All I remember was I went my quarters and fell asleep in a chair. At least that's where I was when I woke up a few minutes ago and found all this going on.
BLAKE: Yes, I know exactly how you feel, well, just relax and try to remember. [to crew] Where were the rest of you when all this going on?
SONHEIM: What gives you the right to ask?
BLAKE: You need our help.
SONHEIM: Do we?
DR. KENDALL: We do.
SONHEIM: I was off duty. I share quarters with Pasco.
PASCO: We were both there. Routine rest period.
BLAKE: And your name?
SONHEIM: Sonheim. We must have slept through it all, as Dr. Kendall did.
BLAKE: [to Grovane] And you?
GROVANE: I was in the communications center trying to make repairs. I remember feeling very drowsy, that's about all. And my name's Grovane. [shrugs] That's all.
SARA: Mandrian and I were together. The first thing I knew was when I came out into the corridor and saw Rafford.
BLAKE: [to Levett] And you?
LEVETT: I am called Levett.
BLAKE: Did you see or hear anything?
LEVETT: I was asleep in my quarters.
BLAKE: Would anybody else have seen you there?
SONHEIM: Why should anyone else bother.
PASCO: All right, there's no need for that.
LEVETT: There are worse things than being alone, Sonheim. Being with you is one of them.
DR. KENDALL: We're getting away from the point a little, aren't we?
BLAKE: You were all knocked out by Sonovapour, but at sometime in the last twelve hours, your pilot was murdered. And since you're the only people here on board, then I presume...
GROVANE: No we're not. Dortmunn isn't here.
BLAKE: Who is Dortmunn?
GROVANE: Flight engineer.
BLAKE: Well, where is he?
DR. KENDALL: I want him found, Mandrian. Search the whole ship. He's got to be here somewhere.
MANDRIAN: Sonheim, Levett. [All the crew leave except Dr. Kendall]
BLAKE: Whilst your people look for him I'll go and see how my people are getting on. They're on the flight deck assessing the damage. Will you come with me?
DR. KENDALL: Right.

Flight Deck - Avon and Cally are removing damaged circuit boards.

AVON: Well, there's nothing I can do with that, it'll have to be replaced.
BLAKE: [Entering with Dr. Kendall] What's the situation?
AVON: Well, we can fit some of it back together, but there are a lot of components that will have to be replaced.
DR. KENDALL: Can it be made operational?
AVON: The interesting thing is as far as I can see that all this damage was done but for one purpose: to prevent the orbiting flight pattern which you are now in from being altered.
DR. KENDALL: I don't understand any of this. First the trouble with the communicators, and now sabotage.
CALLY: What happened to the communicators?
DR. KENDALL: Just after we started back on the return trip there was a burnout in the main circuits. Grovane, the communications officer, thought the damage couldn't be accidental. Apparently, all the safety circuits were still intact - they'd been bypassed somehow. It's still not working. [Avon pulls a crystal out of the console]
BLAKE: This man Dortmunn they're looking for, could he have any reason to sabotage you?
DR. KENDALL: None that I can think of. He's a fine man and a first class engineer. [his communicator buzzes] Kendall.
MANDRIAN: [through communicator] Mandrian. We're in section nine, Doctor, you'd better come down. There's something you should see.
BLAKE: Lead the way. [Kendall and Blake leave]
AVON: This is a pity. [shows the crystal to Cally]
CALLY: What is it?
AVON: The Ison crystal. Even if we should get the ship operational, it will be blind. With this fractured, there isn't a chance of outside vision.

A corridor - Sara eyes Mandrian as Blake and Kendall enter.

DR. KENDALL: What have you found?
SARA: [She indicates control panel] Life Rocket Two has been launched.
BLAKE: That explains where Dortmunn got to.
MANDRIAN: He's taking a tremendous chance. Those life rockets have a limited range. It certainly couldn't carry him to the nearest habitable planet.
DR. KENDALL: But why? Why would he do that?
BLAKE: If he killed Rafford, he's got nothing to lose. A ship this size, you can't hide forever.
DR. KENDALL: It still doesn't explain why. Not just the murder - the malicious damage, the- [Pauses, as an explanation strikes him] It's not possible. I'd better check just to be sure. [Leaves]

Kendall's Quarters - He enters, Blake following, and goes to a wall safe, inserts a bar-shaped key and punches a number. As the door opens he removes a metal box and opens it.

DR. KENDALL: [sighs] For a moment, I thought Dortmunn might have taken it. If he had, everything that has happened would have made sense. But it's here. It had to be, of course. It's impossible to open the safe without a molecular key and combination, and I'm the only one on the ship that has those.
BLAKE: Well, what is it?
DR. KENDALL: It's an energy refractor, a neutrotope.
BLAKE: What does it do?
DR. KENDALL: I'll explain. I and my crew come from Destiny, way out here on the edge of the Galaxy. [Points to star chart]
BLAKE: Yes, I've heard of that. It was colonized what, about a hundred years ago?
DR. KENDALL: That's right.
BLAKE: But you're still not members of the Federation?
DR. KENDALL: They've approached us, threatened, but we've resisted so far. Ours is an agricultural economy. We've a small fleet of mercantile ships to trade with our nearest neighbors. Our people live well, but simply. At least they did.
BLAKE: What happened?
DR. KENDALL: Towards the end of the last growing season, just as the main crop was coming into maturity, reports came in that the plants were dying, wilting and dying. It spread across both our continents with incredible speed. We estimated that in under a year there would be no living vegetation left on the planet.
BLAKE: But did you isolate the cause?
DR. KENDALL: It was a fungal disease. Identifying it was one thing, but destroying it - it was resistant to everything. In under three months, half the planet was buried in a covering of slimy white fungus. The stench was vile and it was still spreading.
BLAKE: You think this uhh, neutrotope will provide the answer? [Picks up neutrotope and examines it]
DR. KENDALL: My experiments show that radiation from our sun was deficient in certain specific wavelengths. The neutrotope will provide the necessary frequencies to kill the fungus.
BLAKE: And you'll mount this on a satellite to be activated by your sun?
DR. KENDALL: That's right.
BLAKE: Hmm.
DR. KENDALL: We've calculated the orbital pattern required to maintain a balance and save our planet. [quickly takes neutrotope from Blake holding it up high]
BLAKE: Impressive.
DR. KENDALL: Yes, this has cost us... well, let's say it's bankrupted our economy and mortgaged our future.
BLAKE: Why so much?
DR. KENDALL: The yield from the ore containing the element is minute. This neutrotope and the few others that exist are the most valuable objects in our Galaxy.
BLAKE: Yes, well I can see why you were concerned that Dortmunn might have taken it.
DR. KENDALL: [Putting it in the box] Yes, it's enough to tempt anyone. There are men who would betray their companions for a lot less.
AVON: [Appearing in doorway] What a very cynical thought, Doctor.
DR. KENDALL: But realistic, I'm afraid.
AVON: Cally and I have finished checking the damage. I can give you a fairly accurate assessment of the situation now. We can fit things together and we can make repairs.
BLAKE: And?
AVON: [With a slight smile] There is, however, a problem.

Crew Room - all crew present

AVON: When we've finished, you should have a ship that will navigate and get you back to destiny. The problem, is that without THIS, [holds up Ison crystal] you will have to travel at sub-light speeds. I estimate that the journey will take you approximately five months to complete.

{SONHEIM: But that'll be too late! together { We'll miss the planting season! { Five months!
{GROVANE: It'll set us back a full year!

DR. KENDALL: When I heard the news I was concerned as you are, delay that long would be disastrous, but there is an alternative.
BLAKE: Liberator can make the journey in four days. What I've suggested is that Avon and Cally stay here and help you with your repairs. I take the neutrotope to Destiny, and then come back to collect them.
MANDRIAN: No. We can't do that. We can't just hand over the neutrotope to some passing stranger.
SONHEIM: I agree. We've been trusted with this mission, we can't simply forget our responsibility.
MANDRIAN: There are plenty of ready markets for the neutrotope. If it was stolen and sold, a man could be wealthy beyond - beyond imagining. That thing is a temptation even for those of us with our homes, families, and lives at stake. You have nothing at stake, nothing to lose.
AVON: It is frequently easier to be honest when you have nothing to lose.
BLAKE: The responsibility for the neutrotope belongs to all of you. There is a risk that if you entrust it to me, I may fly off never to be seen again. You have to weigh that chance against the effects a year's delay would have on the possibility of your planet's recovery. We made the offer, the choice is up to you.
CALLY: Remember that Avon and I will be staying. We will regard ourselves as hostages against Blake's return.
AVON: Well thank you Cally, what a clever idea.
CALLY: [telepathically] Blake will return.
AVON: You can bet your life on it, in fact you've just bet both our lives on it. [Blake smiles at their banter]
DR. KENDALL: Personally, I have no hesitation about accepting the offer. Well, delivery of the neutrotope is vital. And anyway, after what's happened here, it may well be safer with Blake. However, we'll vote on it. Those in favor? [Raises his own hand. Levett raises her hand followed by Pasco and Grovane. Sonheim crosses his arms. As Mandrian turns away, Sara raises hers] That's about four to three, in favor. We accept gratefully.
BLAKE: Right, I'd like to get started right away.
DR. KENDALL: Of course. Sara, would you get the neutrotope, please? [Sara leaves, then Mandrian storms out]
DR. KENDALL: Sorry.
BLAKE: All right, it's a natural reaction. Right, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. You're quite sure about volunteering to stay?
CALLY: We must help these people. [She and Avon hand their teleport bracelets to Blake]
AVON: Must we? Personally, I don't care if their whole planet turns into a mushroom. I shall stay because I don't like an unsolved mystery.
BLAKE: You don't think Dortmunn and his life rocket are the answer?
AVON: No.
BLAKE: Why not.
AVON: There is something else that has to happen before it all begins to come together. [Sara returns with the neutrotope box and gives it to Blake]
BLAKE: [To Sara] Thank you. [To Cally and Avon] Better give me your guns. [They hand them over]
DR. KENDALL: Don't fail us.
BLAKE: I won't. [into bracelet] Vila, bring me up. [he teleports away]
CALLY: My people have a saying, a man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.
AVON: Life expectancy must be fairly short among your people.

LIBERATOR - Jenna and Gan doing routine checks.

JENNA: Three two point one oh.
GAN: Check.
JENNA: Three two one oh oh.
VILA: [Entering with Blake] Where are Cally and Avon?
BLAKE: It's a long story.
VILA: Well what's in the box?
BLAKE: It's an even longer story.
VILA: I like stories!
BLAKE: Zen, get a locator fix on the other ship. I want to be able to pinpoint its position at all times.
ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: Set a course for Destiny, speed standard by six.
VILA: Where's that?
ZEN: Confirmed.
GAN: What have you got there? [Blake places neutrotope box on table]
JENNA: Why are we leaving them behind, what's going on?
VILA: Where is Destiny?!
BLAKE: According to Avon, it is a story that doesn't have an end yet.
VILA: All right then we'll start with the beginning. [External shot of Liberator and circling Ortega. Liberator moves off]

ORTEGA Flight Deck - Levett and Grovane are assisting Avon

AVON: Probe. [Levett hands it to him]
CALLY: [Puzzling over Rafford's message on the map viewer] ... two four. Does this mean anything to you? Five four one two four?
GROVANE: No, I don't think so.
LEVETT: Should it? Is it important?
CALLY: Yes it is important.
AVON: [To Grovane] Monitor response. [Grovane attends to a panel on the wall]
CALLY: The air is stale in here.
LEVETT: The ventilator's closed. [Cally opens ventilator]
AVON: [to Grovane] Well?
GROVANE: Zero response.
AVON: Well there is nothing I can do. It will have to be replaced. I shall need laser transfer linkage. Have you got any?
LEVETT: I think so, in the storage hold. I'll go and check.
CALLY: Stay here, I'll get it. [Starts to leave]
LEVETT: You'll need a torch.

[Cally leaves and walks down yellow corridor. As she passes a door she hears a tapping sound and pauses. Inside the cabin, Mandrian is trying to prise open a small electrical device. As Cally watches he gives up, puts it into a shoulder bag and hides it under the mattress, then leaves. When he has gone, Cally slips in and retrieves the device, puts it in her pocket, replaces the bag and goes out.]

Crew Room - Pasco and Sonheim are doing maintenance work. Sonheim holds a tablet, Pasco wearing an eyepiece and holding a probe.

PASCO: Fourteen?
SONHEIM: Right.
CALLY: [Entering] Where is the storage hold?
SONHEIM: [gruffly] What do you want down there?
CALLY: We need some laser transfer linkage.
SONHEIM: I don't know that we have any.
CALLY: Well, that is what I'm going to find out. [To Pasco] Can you tell me, please?
PASCO: Don't mind him, he lacks affection. Blue corridor. Go down past the filtration plant and it's the next door on the left.
CALLY: Thank you. [Leaves]
SONHEIM: Be back in a moment. [Gets up and goes out]

Blue corridor - Cally hears Sara and Mandrian argue in the filtration plant.

SARA: ...You are always snooping.
MANDRIAN: I am not snooping.
SARA: Yes you are.
MANDRIAN: I am not! Now I want to know what it is.

[Sara rushes out, colliding with Cally and runs off. Cally pushes the door open and sees Mandrian sitting in an attitude of distress. She walks on to the storage hold and goes in, just as Sonheim rounds the corner after her.]

Storage Hold - The light doesn't work, Cally produces a torch and looks round. She opens a cupboard, there is a noise, an arm flops into view and a body rolls off the top of the cupboard. As Cally backs away in silent horror, Sonheim creeps up behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders. She jumps violently but makes no sound. Sonheim sees the body, moves past her, kneels beside it and turns it over.

SONHEIM: [to Cally] It's Dortmunn.

Crew Room - Everyone present.

DR. KENDALL: Someone among us determined that this mission should fail, and frankly, I can't even guess at a motive.
AVON: Try greed. It's usually reliable. When you set out on your return journey, you were carrying something extremely valuable. As he said earlier [pointing to Mandrian], if the neutrotope could be sold, it would make a man wealthy beyond imagining. Well, it obviously wasn't beyond the imagination of someone here.
MANDRIAN: I just meant that we were taking an enormous risk by entrusting it to a stranger. It never crossed my mind that any of us...
AVON: But it did cross your mind, didn't it? A temptation, you said,even for those of us with our lives at stake. The value of the neutrotope is all the motive you need to look for. Now I don't pretend to know the whole plan, but parts of it seem fairly clear. The damage to the communications center - that isolated the ship. You couldn't receive any messages, nor could you put out a distress call. I'm not sure when Dortmunn was killed, but Cally thinks that the death of the pilot Rafford was an accident.

together {SONHEIM: What d'you mean? {Grovane: An accident?

SARA: An accident?!
CALLY: A misfortune.
AVON: It certainly was for him.
CALLY: I think that it was not part of the plan. Whoever put the Sonovapour into the ventilation system intended to put the whole crew to sleep, while the controls were being sabotaged. Rafford was supposed to be sleeping, too.
AVON: But the ventilator ducts on the flight deck were closed, consequently Rafford was unaffected by the gas.
CALLY: The murderer was using an oxygen mask to stay awake. Reaching the flight deck and finding Rafford conscious must have been a shock.
AVON: And that shock killed Rafford.
PASCO: The ventilators shouldn't have been closed. It's against flight operating procedure.
AVON: The next shock was when we arrived. Now that that really was misfortune. Pure bad luck.
PASCO: Rafford should have known better.
SARA: Shut up, Pasco!
MANDRIAN: Go on.
AVON: Even the most meticulous of plans could not have anticipated our arrival.
LEVETT: [rather amused] Meticulous?
AVON: The murderer had to cover up, and quickly. Dortmunn was killed. I think the plan was to put his body into the life rocket and launch it into space. That way, it would appear obvious that Dortmunn was guilty.
SONHEIM: So why didn't it happen?
AVON: I think it was too difficult. Dragging the body across the spaceship, to the launch area without being seen - that proved to be impossible, so the murderer settled for the next best thing - he launched an empty life rocket. And that worked. We all believed that Dortmunn had escaped.
MANDRIAN: But whoever did it must have known the body would discovered sooner or later.
AVON: Of course. He was playing for time. The plan had gone to pieces. The best the killer could hope for was to delay a full inquiry for as long as possible. As a matter of fact, I think
that was a waste of effort. I know - we all know, that one of you is the murderer. But proving which one... Unless, of course, as seems quite likely, someone other than the murderer already knows... [smiles] Already knows.
DR. KENDALL: Naturally, the whole matter will be put into the hands of the authorities when we reach Destiny. Despite what you say Avon, the murderer will be found. In the meantime, you will all resume your normal duties, and anything that you see or hear that seems unusual, report to me at once. Thank you.
AVON: We'll get back to the repairs now, a couple of hours, you should be able to set off for home.
DR. KENDALL: [Grovane approaches as Cally watches the others leave] Something you wanted, Grovane?
GROVANE: Yes. It just occurred to me - you said one of us is the murderer.
AVON: That's right.
GROVANE: There is another possibility.
AVON: Yes?
GROVANE: There could be somebody else on the ship, somebody we don't know about, a stowaway!

Exterior - LIBERATOR in flight. Cut to Flight Deck. Vila is dozing in his seat, Gan wakes him and hands him a drink, then takes cups to Blake and Jenna.

ZEN: Detectors indicate a meteorite storm directly in Liberator's flight path.
BLAKE: Scale and intensity?
ZEN: Scale nine, intensity twenty-seven.
VILA: Twenty seven?
GAN: I think eight's about the strongest we've had so far.
JENNA: My teeth are still rattling from that.
VILA: An intensity of twenty-seven is a lot of very fast rocks.
BLAKE: Scale nine puts the storm over a vast area too. How much would it add to our flight time if we went around it?
ZEN: Estimated flight time of eighty-four hours would increase to three hundred and thirty-six hours.
VILA:
JENNA: Four times as long.
ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: Would the force wall hold if we went straight through the storm?
ZEN: It is within the maximum design tolerance, however there would be no safety margin.
BLAKE: Is there enough reserve power to maintain the wall?
ZEN: Insufficient data for accurate projection.
JENNA: In other words, he doesn't know.
ZEN: Confirmed.
VILA: [raises hand to Blake] Let's go round.

Blue corridor - Cally meets Sara and Sonheim.

CALLY: Are the others still searching?
SARA: Yes, nothing so far. Do you want any help on the flight deck?
CALLY: No, we've almost finished. Sonheim, there was something I wanted to you.
SONHEIM: [To Sara] Go ahead, I'll catch you up. [To Cally, as Sara leaves] What is it?
CALLY: Finding Dortmunn's body put it out of my mind. Why did you follow me to the storage hold?
SONHEIM: Why do you think? You're an attractive girl. You asked where the hold was, I snapped at you. I came after you to... apologize?
CALLY: To apologize?
SONHEIM: Of course. What other reason could I have?
CALLY: Perhaps you were afraid I would find Dortmunn.
SONHEIM: That's ridiculous! I didn't know his body was there! I told you! I followed you to apologize!
CALLY: I believe you.
SONHEIM: It's true!
CALLY: Of course.

ORTEGA Flight Deck

CALLY: [Entering] The transfer linkage you asked for.
AVON: About time. Any news from the search parties?
CALLY: No.
AVON: No, there won't be. It was an unlikely idea, keeping out of sight for the length of time this ship has been in flight. Not really possible. [attends to the instrument panel]
CALLY: I agree. So who do you think it is?
AVON: Mandrian.
CALLY: Why?
AVON: Instinct. I discount Dr. Kendall.
CALLY: I thought you mistrusted instinct.
AVON: I do, so I am probably wrong.
CALLY: It could be him. I told you I heard him quarreling with Sara, didn't I? Sonheim makes me uneasy, too.
AVON: He would be next on my list.
CALLY: The answer is here. If only we could see it.

Blue corridor - Mandrian opens filter room door and enters. He sees someone.

MANDRIAN: I knew you'd be here.

LIBERATOR Flight Deck - Screen shows meteorite storm.

BLAKE: How far are we in now?
VILA: Halfway. I can't be sure. The detectors are swamped.
GAN: The force wall's eating into our power reserves.
JENNA: There's a field drag effect too. We're having to use a lot of power to maintain our speed and heading.

ORTEGA Flight Deck - Cally and Avon at work.

CALLY: Avon, I saw Mandrian with this. [Shows him electrical device] Then he put it back in the bottom of Sara's flight bag.
AVON: What is it?
CALLY: Well, that's what I want you to tell me.
[Main light goes out and alarm sounds]
CALLY: Look! [She points to flashing lights on the console]
AVON: Filtration malfunction. We'd better get down there.

The corridor - they meet Levett

LEVETT: Dr. Kendall wants you.
AVON: Filter plant?
LEVETT: There's been another killing. [She leads the way]

Filter Plant - Sara is sobbing on Dr. Kendall's shoulder, Mandrian is lying on the floor and Pasco and Grovane are holding Sonheim. A severed cable is smoking and spluttering. Levett, Avon and Cally enter]

AVON: [Kneeling by body] Tell me what happened.
PASCO: I was coming past, and I heard a noise. So I looked inside. Mandrian was just as you see him. Sonheim was standing over him, with this dagger in his hand.
SONHEIM: I didn't kill him. I didn't kill him. I didn't kill him! [desperately, to Avon] I didn't kill him!!

LIBERATOR - Flight Deck

GAN: Power reserves are almost gone.
ZEN: In one point zero three minutes, it will no longer be possible to operate force wall and main drive simultaneously. Please decide which to close down.
JENNA: Without main drive we'll never get out of this.
VILA: Without the force wall we'll be smashed to pieces.
BLAKE: Have the locators detected the outer edge of the storm yet?
VILA: No. Yes! No. Maybe...
BLAKE: Which is it, Vila?
VILA: It's `Maybe'.
ZEN: Directive is now required.
BLAKE: Jenna, stand by to feed all power through to the main drive when the force wall is down. Gan, deactivate the force wall.
GAN: Deactivating...
[Gan presses key, Jenna increases power, producing strong acceleration. Gan tries to stop the neutrotope box sliding off the table, but it falls]

ORTEGA Crew Room - Kendall, Cally and Sara

DR. KENDALL: Why? For what reason?
CALLY: Perhaps Sonheim was still trying to cover up. Mandrian knew about him and threatened to expose him. Or perhaps he went into the filter plant while Sonheim was sabotaging the equipment?
DR. KENDALL: But why damage the filter? What possible reason could he have for delaying the flight still further?
[Avon, Pasco and Grovane enter]
CALLY: How bad it is?
AVON: The damage was minor. I've got Levett working on it.
PASCO: We've locked him in the storage hold. He seems quiet enough.
CALLY: Has he said anything more?
GROVANE: Well, nothing new. He claims he went in and found Mandrian dead, picked up the knife, that's where I came in. He still says he didn't kill him.
AVON: I believe him.
GROVANE: But I saw him with a dagger in his hand!
AVON: But you didn't see him use it.
GROVANE: Well, I didn't see Mandrian die either, but I know he's dead.
AVON: I've just spent the last ten minutes in the filter plant looking for something that should be there but isn't. The cable that was damaged carries a high energy charge. In order to cut it, he would need a laser knife or an insulated saw. Neither of which were there.
DR. KENDALL: Then, somebody else was the saboteur?
AVON: Yes. Mandrian came in, discovered whoever it was, and had to be silenced. The murderer then went out, taking the saw with him. Sonheim's story is true, he just happened to be the one to discover the body.
SARA: Then who did kill Mandrian?
AVON: The same person who killed Rafford and Dortmunn. And I know who that is now.
GROVANE: You know?
AVON: Yes. I should have seen it right from the start, but my mind had conditioned itself to see the wrong thing. As Cally has been saying all along. [he produces the glass top of the map reader and lays it on the table]
CALLY: You found the meaning!
AVON: Yes, just before he died Rafford managed to scrawl this out.
DR. KENDALL: Five four one two four?
AVON: Precisely.
PASCO: What's it mean?
AVON: Absolutely nothing. As a number it has no significance at all, but when I was in the filter plant just now, I noticed one of the instruments. Liquid crystals show a number, and then the confirmation circuit translates those numbers into the written word. Right from the start, we thought that those were numbers. They are not, they are letters.
CALLY: Letters?
AVON: Rafford was dying. It's difficult to be neat under those circumstances. [he takes a marker pen and paper and draws] Let's start with the one and the two. [The letters A R A appear] And the first letter... [He puts an S in front, everyone looks at SARA]
SARA: [Covering them with a gun] So now you know. It doesn't matter, you'd have known soon enough anyway.
DR. KENDALL: Sara, why?
SARA: I wanted the neutrotope. Or at least the money it would give me. It's that simple.
AVON: Was Mandrian in it with you?
SARA: No, but he found out. I asked him to share it with me, but he wouldn't. He wanted me to come to you and admit the whole thing. If I didn't, he was going to tell you himself. So... But none of that's important now, I only need a little more time.
AVON: You're not going anywhere, Sara. You just don't get off a spaceship and run.
SARA: I'll kill the first one that puts his head outside this door. [She backs out and runs down the Green corridor. Avon looks out]
AVON: Well, she's one of your crew, you'd better get after her. [Pasco and Grovane run after her.]

Corridor - Sara enters the flight deck. Pasco and Grovane arrive and try the door.

PASCO: Locked!

Crew Room

DR. KENDALL: It's clear enough why she acted as she did, but why go with it? Once Blake left with the neutrotope, there was no need for more killing.
AVON: I don't understand that myself. What worries me is that she's still so confident. She hasn't a hope of escaping yet she's still holding out.
DR. KENDALL: How did she hope to dispose of the neutrotope when we reached Destiny?
AVON: She probably made contact with a prospective buyer when you were collecting it. It wouldn't be too difficult. [Cally stands up] What is it?
CALLY: I know what she's planning. Why she sabotaged the ship.
AVON: Well, don't keep us in suspense.
CALLY: [Getting device out of her pocket] Ever since the controls were damaged we have in the same space position. [Hands it to Avon]
AVON: A homing beam transmitter and it's operating.
CALLY: Anyone tuned into its frequency can locate us exactly. That's why she's not worried. Another ship is coming to get her and it's on its way now.
DR. KENDALL: Destroy it!
AVON: Too late. They will have had a fix on us for some time now.
DR. KENDALL: And when they get here and find the neutrotope not on board?
AVON: It wouldn't matter if it was. They will have to destroy the evidence. And that, I'm afraid, includes us.

LIBERATOR

VILA: I don't think I feel very well.
GAN: I hope nothing's been broken. [Retrieves box]
BLAKE: So do I. [Opens box - empty] It's still on the Ortega. We've got to get back to them.
VILA: Now I know I don't feel very well.

ORTEGA - Grovane and Pasco on guard by flight deck door, they are armed. Cut to Sara sitting at console with the neutrotope in her hands. She puts it down and picks up her gun.

Red Corridor - Cally, Avon and Kendall

CALLY: If we could get back onto the flight deck, how long would it take to finish repairs?
AVON: No time at all. It's virtually all done.
CALLY: In flight we'd stand some sort of chance, like this we're a sitting target.
DR. KENDALL: We would have to burn through the flight deck door. And if we did, she's armed, remember. She could still hold us off.
AVON: Then we have to get her to come out.
CALLY: Well she's hardly likely to do that.
AVON: [Smiles] Oh yes she is.

LIBERATOR

BLAKE: Visual.
ZEN: Confirmed. [Ortega trace shown on screen]
VILA: There, there she is.
BLAKE: How long before we're in teleport range?
ZEN: Twenty-three point one six minutes. [extra beeping sounds]
GAN: We're getting another reading!
BLAKE: What?
GAN: Look! [Another trace, closing with Ortega]
JENNA: Another ship.
BLAKE: It must be coming to collect the neutrotope. Zen, can we get there first?
ZEN: Liberator will be in teleport range three minutes before the unidentified ship makes contact with the Ortega.

ORTEGA Flight Deck - Sounds of gunfire and screams, Sara gets up and stands by door listening - shot of Cally's hand firing gun - Sara smiles. When silence falls, she opens the door and sees Grovane and Pasco lying there. She comes out, Avon creeps up behind her and jerks the gun out of her hand. She drives her elbow into his gut, turns round and grabs him by the throat. Pasco and Grovane get up. Avon pulls clear and socks Sara on the jaw, she reels into the arms of Pasco and Grovane.

AVON: You'd better get her out of here, I really rather enjoyed that. [They drag her away. Avon goes into flight deck and picks up neutrotope]

LIBERATOR

ZEN: Teleport range will be achieved in one minute.
BLAKE: Come on, Vila. [They leave]
JENNA: [Anxiously watching screen] They're getting very close.

ORTEGA Crew Room - Avon, Cally and Kendall, Sara is slumped across the table, holding her head. Blake teleports in, carrying a toolbox and a collection of bracelets.

AVON: Blake!
CALLY: How did you get back so soon?
BLAKE: Get ready to leave. There's a ship coming up on you fast. You've got about three minutes.
DR. KENDALL: We have the neutrotope now, nothing else matters.
CALLY: I'll get the others.
BLAKE: I'll be back in a minute. [Leaves room]

LIBERATOR - Gan and Jenna view the scanner.

GAN: He's cutting it too fine.
JENNA: Come on Blake, get out of there.

ORTEGA - All the crew are present.

SARA: No, no I won't! [Resisting Avon who is clamping a teleport bracelet on her arm]
DR. KENDALL: She must be taken back for trial.
AVON: [Hanging on to Sara's wrist] Agreed.
SARA: I won't go! I won't go.
BLAKE: [Re-entering] Everything set?
CALLY: Yes, ready. [As Avon lets go, Sara wrenches off the bracelet and throws it away]
BLAKE: Bring us across Vila.
[They all teleport, except Sara, who relaxes with a smile]

LIBERATOR - The Ortega crew are sitting on the couches with Cally, watching the screen.

BLAKE: They're locked on. [Traces merge, then a blinding flash on screen]
DR. KENDALL: What was that?
BLAKE: I rigged a charge on the entry hatch. Right, I think I can get you all home now. Zen, set a course for Destiny, speed standard by six.
ZEN: Confirmed.
VILA: Take us round the easy way this time.

** the end **

"DUEL"
by Terry Nation

(c) 1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1993 by Micky DuPree and Frances Teagle.

Dramatis Personae
Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas
Kerr Avon - Paul Darrow
Jenna Stannis - Sally Knyvette
Vila Restal - Michael Keating
Olag Gan - David Jackson
Cally - Jan Chappell
Travis - Stephen Greif
Zen - Peter Tuddenham

Sinofar - Isla Blair
Giroc - Patsy Smart
Mutoid - Carol Royle

Walk-ons: Christopher Holmes
Cliff Diggins

THE OPENING SHOT is of an Earth-type planet, with oceans and clouds. The scene changes to a barren region with narrow defiles and rock pinnacles. Frequent thunder and lightning illuminate a glimpse of a vast field of memorials beyond the rocks. Then the scene moves to The Monument - a carved humanoid figure apparently growing out of the rock, its face and outstretched arms are raised to the heavens as if crying out in despair. In either hand is half of a broken weapon. The other memorials are smaller versions of The Monument.

A blinding flash of lightning - Sinofar materialises at the foot of The Monument. She is a beautiful woman, apparently in her thirties. She stands in the eerie blue light with here eyes closed, concentrating.

SINOFAR: Giroc, Giroc, I need you. You must come here to me now.
GIROC: All right, all right, I'm coming. [Giroc comes in. She is an elderly woman who clutches a six-foot staff of office, carved on it is a humanoid figure climbing toward the ball-shaped tip.] Have a little patience. We of all people should have learnt patience. I'm tired, I deserve some peace.
SINOFAR: No, we must earn our peace.
GIROC: I have Sinofar, I have earned it.
SINOFAR: You still came when I summoned you.
GIROC: I had no choice, you used my power against me.
SINOFAR: It is not your power, Giroc.
GIROC: I know, I know, it's the power of the race, but it's in me. I never wanted to be The Keeper, you know that Sinofar.
SINOFAR: Nor I, The Guardian.
GIROC: You could set us both free. If I controlled the power, that's what I'd do.
SINOFAR: You know that isn't possible. We must dissipate the power by restoring the balance, then you and I can be at peace. But first we must atone.
GIROC: Why us?
SINOFAR: We were chosen.
GIROC: I didn't ask to be chosen.
SINOFAR: One doesn't ask to be chosen. [They look up - shot of the starlit sky. A formation of three spaceships is seen.]
GIROC: [V.O.] Are you sure about them, Sinofar?
SINOFAR: [V.O.] Not yet, this may not be their killing ground. [Close-up of three Federation pursuit ships]

PURSUIT SHIP ONE - Two mutoids are sat at the controls, Travis is standing behind them.

TRAVIS: There! [Points at screen] Estimate approach speed.
MUTOID: Time Distort Six.
TRAVIS: Minimum scan, their sensors mustn't register the beam.
MUTOID: Scan complete, identification confirmed.
TRAVIS: Blake. The other patrols have pushed him into this galaxy. I knew it, I knew it! This time I've got him.
MUTOID: Target vehicle maintaining course and sped.
TRAVIS: Set for orbital compensation, we'll use the planet to mask us from his scanners.
MUTOID: Orbital shift computed.
TRAVIS: Execute. Make it random pulse emission, I'm not going to lose him now.

LIBERATOR - First and external shot, then the flight deck. Avon and Blake are looking at the planet displayed on the main screen.

AVON: I wonder what the surface conditions are like.
BLAKE: Jenna?
JENNA: Star is G Two, planet is Earth-type right across the range, Earth-level gravity, breathable atmosphere. There's a lot of static too, the place is alive with electrical storms.
BLAKE: Cally, anything on the star charts or planet listings?
CALLY: Nothing in the data banks at all.
BLAKE: Hmm, what do you think?
JENNA: It seems safe enough.
AVON: What Jenna thinks, is largely academic Blake, we've been running on full power for far too long. Slipping those Federation patrols has used up all our energy reserves.
JENNA: Four of our power banks are exhausted. If we had to make a run for it now, we couldn't do better than Standard by Two, and we couldn't hold that for long.
BLAKE: Recharge time?
AVON: Forty-eight hours.
BLAKE: All right, we'll hide here for a while. The planet should give us some protection from the detectors. Zen, take us into orbit as close as possible to the planet's surface. As close as possible Zen, the orbit could decay in forty-eight hours.
ZEN: Confirmed. The parameters were anticipated.
BLAKE: [Laughs] I get the distinct feeling I offended Zen's professional pride then.
AVON: It's just a machine, Blake.
VILA: And he should know.
GAN: Well Avon is the expert.
VILA: That's not what I meant.
AVON: No, he was calling me a machine, but since he undoubtedly defines himself as a human being, I shall choose to accept that as more of a compliment than anything else.
BLAKE: Yes, well since we've got some time on our hands, we might as well take a look at this planet. Anybody feel like some exercise.
JENNA: I'd be happy to get clear of this lot for a while. [Exits]
BLAKE: Gan?
GAN: I could do with a change of air. I'll get kitted up. [Exits]
BLAKE: Vila?
VILA: I'll stay here, thanks.
BLAKE: Then you can work the teleport. [As Vila leaves his console he comes face to face with Avon, who stares him down intimidatingly, then takes his place.]

PURSUIT SHIP

MUTOID: Readings show target has assumed a stationary orbit.
TRAVIS: Excellent. [He sits in the commander's chair]
MUTOID: Orbit confirmed at one thousand spacials from the planet's surface. [She unfastens a panel in her tunic and places a small liquid container in a recess.]
TRAVIS: This is hardly the time for that.
MUTOID: Normally I wouldn't do it in the presence of an unmodified.
TRAVIS: Forget your coyness, I'm aware of your need for blood serum.
MUTOID: Most are, but few accept it for what it is - a functional convenience. Opponents of mutoid modification call us vampires.
TRAVIS: Rather appropriate, isn't it?
MUTOID: It is immaterial. I await your orders, Commander.
TRAVIS: Attack formation, fifteen hundred spacials trajectory. Pursuit Ships Two and Three move to flank, fire on my command. [Shot of pursuits separating]

LIBERATOR - Teleport room

BLAKE: Vila, try and stay alert.
VILA: Of course I will, how can you doubt me?
BLAKE: It isn't easy, but somehow I manage it. Come on. Put us down. [Blake, Jenna and Gan teleport to the planet's surface and look around]
BLAKE: [Into bracelet] We're down safely. It looks very barren, there's nothing else to report. We'll check with you when we've had a look round. [pauses, but no reply from Vila] All right?
VILA: [Over intercom] Yes, all right. [Blake and Jenna examine the rocks.]
BLAKE: What do you think?
JENNA: The surface seems to be melted. It's almost like the effects of a fusion bomb.
GAN: Blake! Jenna! [They walk over to The Monument]
BLAKE: Well, at least we know the planet's inhabited.
GAN: WAS inhabited.
BLAKE: Hmm?
GAN: Look here [Points them to the memorials] as far as the eye can see.
BLAKE: Grave markers?
JENNA: So many.
GAN: [Turns and sees Sinofar and Giroc] Blake, we've got company. [When the others look, they have gone] They were here! Two women, watching us. There's nowhere they could have gone.
JENNA: So where are they now?
GAN: I hope my limiter hasn't malfunctioned.
BLAKE: Maybe we've all been on the ship too long.
JENNA: [Goes over to The Monument] Blake.
BLAKE: What is it?
JENNA: This broken weapon, could it be a symbol of peace?
BLAKE: Or defeat. This whole place is a memorial to the dead. Maybe they were ghosts you saw.
GAN: [Looking up] Those aren't ghosts! [The pursuit ships can be seen closing on Liberator]
BLAKE: Pursuit ships. They've got to be.
JENNA: Where did they come from?
GAN: They must have been waiting for us.
BLAKE: Travis's strategy again. [Into bracelet] Vila! Pursuit ships closing on you. [In the teleport room Vila has his feet up] Vila!! Full alert and get us up fast. Move it!! They're right on top of you. [Vila hits the alarm button and teleports them up.]
VILA: Sorry. [They all run for the flight deck.]

PLANET - Sinofar and Giroc are watching the sky.

SINOFAR: So Giroc, the star ships are closing for battle. The choice is made.

LIBERATOR - Flight deck, alarm blaring.

AVON: What's going on?
VILA: Pursuit ships.
BLAKE: Zen, can we get past them?
ZEN: All possible flight trajectories would require Liberator to cross enemy strike range.
BLAKE: Avon, what's our power reserve?
AVON: Banks five, six, and seven, full power; zero on the rest.
BLAKE: Maximum speed and range?
JENNA: Standard by four, about eight million spacials.
BLAKE: We can't even outrun them this time.
VILA: We've got the neutron blasters.
CALLY: But there isn't enough power.
BLAKE: Zen, state battle computer tactics.
ZEN: Preemptive action was inhibited by manual overrides. Strategy options are now reduced to one. Battle computers suggest surrender.
AVON: Logic says we're dead!
BLAKE: Logic has never explained what dead means.
ZEN: Sensors report plasma bolt launched.
BLAKE: Direct vision.
GAN: On. [Screen shows approaching plasma bolt]
JENNA: Avon, put up the force wall.
BLAKE: No, wait.
JENNA: Why?
BLAKE: It's too much of an energy drain.
VILA: Blake!
AVON: They're closing fast, Blake. [Beat] Come on!
BLAKE: I said wait!
JENNA: Blake!
BLAKE: Activate!
ZEN: Second bolt launched. [Boom!]
BLAKE: Deactivate. Track second bolt.
GAN: Tracking.
BLAKE: Power status?
AVON: Seventy percent on bank five.
ZEN: Third bolt launched.
GAN: Second bolt closing.
BLAKE: [Waits] Activate! [Boom!]
GAN: Third bolt closing. [Boom!]
BLAKE: Deactivate.
AVON: Bank five has forty per cent remaining.
CALLY: They'll move in closer now and strike again.
BLAKE: Sensors on full alert.
VILA: Are we just going to sit here and let them shoot at us?
BLAKE: Yes! While they do they're using power faster than we are. Might even things up a bit - shorten the odds, anyway.
VILA: The odds on what?
BLAKE: Us being able to blast a way through them and run.
ZEN: Three plasma bolts launched and running.
GAN: Bearing directly.
BLAKE: Right. Hang on everyone, this is going to be rough.
VILA: I don't mind rough. It's fatal I'm not too keen on. [Cut to Travis' ship]
TRAVIS: He's low on power! He'd have made a run for it otherwise. [Into communicator] Leader to Pursuit Three: continue barrage. Leader to Two: hold your fire. [to Mutoid] We'll make him keep that defence shield in operation, bleed his energy banks.
MUTOID: If Pursuit Three keeps firing, it won't have enough reserve to put up its own defence shield.
TRAVIS: Pursuit Three is expendable. So is Two. Let Blake destroy them both. Between them, they can run his reserves down to zero. This ship will still have full power, and we can move in, and finish him.

LIBERATOR - Laser bolt impact, everyone is thrown about.

BLAKE: Deactivate.
AVON: Bank five is finished. Drawing on six.
BLAKE: Zen: power reserves?
ZEN: At the present level of discharge, reserves will be exhausted in two point three hours.
JENNA: Which is when they'll move in for the kill.
GAN: Yes, and we'll be helpless.
ZEN: Plasma bolt launched.
GAN: Bearing directly.
BLAKE: Avon, Cally. Jenna, take command. Gan, Vila, you help her. [Avon and Cally join him, he draws diagrams on an electronic pad which are projected onto the screen] Now watch the screen. This is the Liberator, surrounded by one, two, three pursuit ships. They're trying siege tactics. Our only chance is to break out and run before we're too weak, do you agree?
JENNA: Activating.
AVON: We know we can't outrun them. [Violent impact.]
BLAKE: I wasn't planning to try.
JENNA: Deactivating.
BLAKE: Now, this is the pursuit ship that's done all the firing. That'll be low on power now, so it won't be a problem.
CALLY: So we can ignore it.
BLAKE: Right. This one hasn't fired at all yet, so this must be Travis. We're going straight for it. Not over, under, or around, but right through it.
ZEN: Plasma bolt launched.
GAN: Bearing directly.
AVON: Ram it?
BLAKE: The Liberator should be able to take the impact.
AVON: I admire your confidence.
CALLY: So that would leave only one more to deal with.
BLAKE: That's right, a straight fight, one against one.
CALLY: I agree.
AVON: If any of our control systems are damaged by the impact, we will be helpless.
BLAKE: We're not exactly in a commanding position now.
JENNA: Activating!
BLAKE: Have you got any better ideas?
[Violent impact. As Blake and Avon reel back, Avon clutches Blake protectively, perhaps to steady him]
AVON: As a matter of fact, no I haven't.
BLAKE: Does that mean you agree?
AVON: Do I have a choice?
BLAKE: Yes.
AVON: Then I agree. [Lets go of Blake]
JENNA: Deactivating.
BLAKE: Vila, Gan, Jenna: we're going for a ram, take out the command ship.
GAN: A ram?!?
BLAKE: I don't see that there's any other hope for us.
JENNA: Neither can I, so let's get on with it.
BLAKE: Jenna, you'll have to fly us on manual.
JENNA: Yes, we'll need to take the impact on the lower hull.
ZEN: Plasma bolt launched.
GAN: Bearing directly.
BLAKE: Right, as soon as this one hits, we move. Stand by. [Pause] Activate! [Violent impact]
AVON: Force wall deactivated.
BLAKE: Right, now, Jenna.

PURSUIT SHIP

MUTOID: Pursuit Three reports total power shutdown. They're incapable of further action.
TRAVIS: [Into communicator] Pursuit Two, commence firing.
MUTOID: Target ship is underway. It's turning.
TRAVIS: He's running. There's nowhere to run, Blake! Compute course, speed, and lock on.
MUTOID: Time Distort Three and rising. Course zero-zero-zero -- they're coming straight at us.
TRAVIS: Stand by plasma bolts.
MUTOID: Holding course. Computers propose evasive action.
TRAVIS: No! Hold your position.
[Cut to Liberator]
BLAKE: Zen, count down to impact.
[Zen begins with thirty-six and proceeds to count down in the background.]
BLAKE: When Travis realizes we're going for a ram, he'll fire a full salvo.
GAN: Will the force wall hold at this rate?
BLAKE: We're about to find out.
GAN: Salvo fired, four of them!
BLAKE: Stand by the force wall.
JENNA: We're losing power, we're slowing.
BLAKE: Full thrust.
JENNA: It's not responding. Blake, we're stopping!

PURSUIT SHIP

TRAVIS: Impossible. They're holding course. They're going to ram us. Evasive trajectory, full thrust.
MUTOID: Controls are not responding. All systems are locked.
TRAVIS: [Leaps to his feet] Operate boosters.
MUTOID: Still no response.
[Weirdness commences, everything goes haywire, affecting all ships. The lights dim, there are garbled sounds and time slows down, distorting speech]

LIBERATOR

BLAKE: Activate the force wall.
ZEN: [In background] Ten, nine, eight, seven ...
AVON: Force wall activated.
ZEN: Six, five...
[Liberator and the pursuit ship slowly close almost into an embrace and halt as Sinofar and Giroc assert control. Travis and Blake are seen clutching their heads in pain while the other crew members look around in surprise]

GIROC: [Distorted voice] Travis... Blake... [She calls them repeatedly. Travis and Blake dematerialise and Sinofar brings them down to The Monument]
GIROC: Listen to me, listen to me all of you.
[Both crews are seen listening to her voice in bewilderment] We are Giroc The Keeper, we are Sinofar The Guardian. Your ship is tethered, held in a stasis beam, it cannot break free. Only your life support systems will function normally, the rest will remain in our control, until we have completed our task. You yourselves have been released, so that you may watch, listen and understand. [Cut to Blake and Travis standing immobilized] We are ready, the warriors can be released. [Sinofar rouses them, they become aware of each other, but cannot move their feet]
TRAVIS: BLAKE?! [He tries to fire his hand blaster, but nothing happens]
SINOFAR: No.
GIROC: [Laughs] The weapon built into that hand will not work here, primitive.
SINOFAR: Nor will brute force, until *I* allow it.
GIROC: His impulse to kill is primitive.
SINOFAR: As ours was not?
TRAVIS: Who are you?
SINOFAR: I am Sinofar, the Guardian. This is Giroc, the Keeper.
TRAVIS: I am Space Commander Travis, an officer and representative of the Earth Federation. As an agent of my government, I demand an explanation.
GIROC: Not only is he primitive, he's pompous as well. [To Blake] And you, do you also make demands?
BLAKE: I am not an officer of the Federation, but I would like some answers.
TRAVIS: This man is an enemy of the state and a fugitive. He is my prisoner. [Grabs at Blake, but cannot move his feet.]
GIROC: [Laughing] Primitive, pompous, and stupid.
SINOFAR: Giroc!
GIROC: All right, all right. It's just that there is such violence in him, it's exciting. [Shamefacedly] Old instincts die hard, Sinofar.
SINOFAR: I know.
TRAVIS: You will lift this force field.
SINOFAR: There are things you must understand first.
TRAVIS: You do realize that any hostile act against me will be regarded as a hostile act against the Federation. [Giroc laughs.] Have you any idea of the risk you're running? [Giroc laughs harder.]
BLAKE: They don't seem very impressed, Travis. [Laughs] Why don't you try stamping your foot?
TRAVIS: Oh, that's very amusing, Blake. For a dead man.
BLAKE: Do you intend to keep us prisoners?
GIROC: Only for the moment.
BLAKE: You were responsible for what happened to my ship.
SINOFAR: It will be restored when this matter has been settled, [to Travis] as will yours. No harm will come to your crews or your ships.
GIROC: You have seen what we can do. We are capable of protecting our planet, your threats of reprisal are meaningless.
SINOFAR: Our powers grew out of a thousand years of war, out of hate, and fear and the will to survive.
GIROC: [On Liberator's screen] We built destruction, weapons that your peoples have not yet dreamed of. Every passing year brought new ways to kill, and throughout the centuries the war raged across our planet.
SINOFAR: With each generation there were fewer of us. The dead vastly outnumbered the living. There was not victory for either side.
BLAKE: How did it end?
GIROC: How? Another development of another weapon. We demanded their surrender, they refused, the weapon was used. Those that we call our enemy were annihilated.
TRAVIS: You won, that's all that matters.
SINOFAR: It wasn't a victory, only the end of the war. We were left with a planet made barren by radiation. Our children were monsters, or died, or were never born. This, we won.
BLAKE: How many of you are there now?
GIROC: None. We are a dead race.
SINOFAR: We tell you this so that you will understand our reasons for intervening in your dispute.
GIROC: Tell us, what is your dispute?
TRAVIS: I *have* told you. This man is an enemy of the Federation, tried and convicted. I must bring him back to justice or kill him.
GIROC: [To Blake] You?
BLAKE: I am an enemy of the Federation. But it is corrupt and oppressive. I will destroy it. If I can.
SINOFAR: Irreconcilable viewpoints. Your differences can only be resolved by the destruction of the other's belief. The classic pattern for war.
TRAVIS: I was about to resolve them when you interfered.
SINOFAR: [To Blake] How many are there in your group?
BLAKE: There are six of us.
SINOFAR: And in your ships, Travis?
TRAVIS: Nine.
SINOFAR: Fifteen people could die because of your beliefs.
BLAKE: My crew are with me by their own choice.
AVON: [Watching Liberator's screen] Really?
TRAVIS: [On pursuit ship screen] Mine swore allegiance to the Federation.
GIROC: I'm sure that you will both find supporters for your cause and each of you could be backed by a massive army eventually.
SINOFAR: But would numbers change the nature of the dispute?
BLAKE: Probably not.
SINOFAR: [to Travis] What do you say?
TRAVIS: Numbers? Immaterial.
SINOFAR: We understand that men will kill for their beliefs.
GIROC: Since each of you wishes to destroy the other, we are going to give you the chance.
TRAVIS: A duel? Is that what you are suggesting?
GIROC: A fight to the death.
SINOFAR: But this way, there will be a limit to the deaths, and we will ensure that the loser's ship will have an opportunity to get away. Don't you find that rational?
TRAVIS: No. When I've killed Blake, I'll simply hunt down the others.
SINOFAR: There will be no destruction within our influence, but we cannot control your actions beyond this planet.
BLAKE: I don't think I want to kill for your entertainment.
GIROC: You have no choice.
BLAKE: [To Travis] We could agree not to fight.
TRAVIS: [Chuckles slightly] Could we?
GIROC: If you trusted one another.
SINOFAR: There is another matter: a lesson you must learn about death.
BLAKE: I think we both know enough about that already.
SINOFAR: You both know how to kill. But here you must take a life. There will be no machines to make the act unreal. You must touch the life you take.
TRAVIS: Shall we get on with it!
GIROC: How anxious he is to reach the forest. Once there, you can only return when it is over.
TRAVIS: Weapons?
SINOFAR: Tools for survival. [Machetes materialise in their hands]
BLAKE: How long have we got?
SINOFAR: There is no limit - only your physical endurance.
TRAVIS: So this is your lesson. Pathetic.
GIROC: Half the lesson the death of an enemy; the other half is the death of a friend.
VILA: [Watching on Liberator] What does she mean?
BLAKE: I've seen friends die.
SINOFAR: Travis?
TRAVIS: Nothing concerns me but my duty. I don't give a damn about their lessons, I shall enjoy taking your life, Blake.
BLAKE: You talk a good fight, Travis.
SINOFAR: But now the talking is done. Learn.

[She closes her eyes in concentration. Jenna and the Mutoid are teleported from their seats. Blake materialises in woodland. He looks around and starts to walk cautiously. Giroc's form is projected in front of him. She grins mischievously and he is afflicted by strange noises which affect his hearing and eyesight, and make him giddy. While he is stumbling about clutching his head, Travis
materialises, sees him, draws his machete and sneaks up behind him.]

TRAVIS: Blake. [As Blake turns round he punches him in the midriff] Come on Blake, you don't want to die on your back. [Blake rises, but is thrown down again. Travis seizes his hair and prepares to cut his throat] Goodbye Blake. [but the action is frozen]
SINOFAR: [V.O.] Giroc! [Back at the Monument - Giroc hobbles in]
GIROC: I just wanted to see how vicious he was. I wouldn't have let him kill yet.
SINOFAR: You misuse the power.
GIROC: Separate them, wipe it from their minds. Nothing's lost.
SINOFAR: How long must I suffer you, Giroc?
GIROC: Restart the contest Sinofar, these two show promise.

[Sinofar closes her eyes in concentration. In the wood, Blake gets up, picks up his machete and walks on.]

LIBERATOR - The crew are watching the action on the screen.

AVON: I don't understand it. How can we be seeing this?
CALLY: We see and hear through the mind of the being called Sinofar.
GAN: It doesn't matter. Blake's in trouble.
AVON: It could be just an illusion.
CALLY: No, it is happening. It is the truth beyond question.

THE WOODS - Jenna is walking through the bushes.

BLAKE: [From hiding] Jenna! [comes out] how did you get here?
JENNA: I don't know. It seems your weird ladies have picked on me to demonstrate the death of a friend.
BLAKE: You heard all that?
JENNA: They beamed it into the ship's main screen. Everything else is on some sort of stasis beam. What are we going to do?
BLAKE: Seen any sign of Travis?
JENNA: Have you?
BLAKE: No. We'd better make ourselves some weapons.

[LATER - Blake is sharpening two stakes into spears with his machete]

BLAKE: Finding Travis shouldn't be too difficult. If he runs true to form, he'll set a trap and then try and draw us into it.
JENNA: Who do you suppose he's got with him?
BLAKE: I don't know, his pilot maybe. Must present our hosts with something of a problem. How do you demonstrate the death of a friend to a man who hasn't got any?

ANOTHER CLEARING

TRAVIS: Anything?
MUTOID: No, Commander.
TRAVIS: You've searched thoroughly?
MUTOID: Your opponent is not yet within this vicinity.
TRAVIS: Good, then I have a little plan we can put into operation. Come.

WOODLAND - Blake finishes sharpening the stakes. He hands one to Jenna.

BLAKE: Not exactly a neutron blaster, but it's better than nothing.
JENNA: Not much better, though.

LATER - Travis is pulling fibres out of a shrub, watched by Sinofar (in projection). The scene is also being shown on Liberator's screen

GAN: He seems to be working to a plan.
VILA: I wish we were.
AVON: [Entering] Well? Did any of the controls respond?
GAN: Nothing here.
VILA: Nothing on mine.
CALLY: Nothing on these.
AVON: That's it, then, I've done everything I can. Every machine except life support is frozen.
CALLY: Even Zen.
AVON: Zen is a machine.
VILA: Unless he just doesn't want to get involved.
AVON: What's Travis going?
CALLY: As Blake said, he's probably preparing a trap. It could be a mistake. That sort of war is best fought on the move.

WOODS - Night; an enormous moon, loud animal cries, roars and snarls.

BLAKE: We'd better try and find somewhere safe.
JENNA: The quicker, the better.

ELSEWHERE - Travis and the Mutoid are constructing something with poles and hand-made ropes - more loud roars.

MUTOID: The night hunters are at work.
TRAVIS: Come on, let's take shelter. Bring my knife.

UP A TREE - more animal noises

BLAKE: Let's hope those things can't climb trees.
JENNA: Or fly. I don't know these star charts well enough to be sure, but I's say we're still on the same planet.
BLAKE: They must have teleported us to a different part of it.
JENNA: Do you believe what they told us? About themselves, I mean.
BLAKE: With that much power why bother to lie?
JENNA: That's one way to become a hunted man: trust the powerful.
BLAKE: True. What's your excuse?
JENNA: Oh, I wasn't clever enough, we none of us were. The Federation has beaten us all at least once.
BLAKE: At least.

[Quick switching between locations]

JENNA: If we get out of this, it still won't be any better. [snatches of conversation are heard over the sound system] BLAKE: ...the Federation... ...escaped... half way across the galaxy.... ...propped up in the middle of the night with a pointed stake for a weapon. [they laugh] ...the Federation hasn't got a chance.

LIBERATOR - Vila and Gan, watching [Main action] VILA: She's right. Jenna's right, you know, why should it be any different? We'll have the Federation after us till the day we die. GAN: Who says? We've been lucky up till now, we'll be lucky again. VILA: Have you thought what might happen if those two don't get back? I mean, could you operate this ship properly? GAN: Let's just listen. VILA: Well, could you?

[Main action - back at the tree]

BLAKE: Right, are you going to go to sleep first, or shall I?
JENNA: You can.
BLAKE: Right, wake me when you're tired.

[TRAVIS' TREE]

TRAVIS: Tell me something, do you remember who you were?
MUTOID: I don't understand the question, Commander.
TRAVIS: Yes you do - in your previous life before you were modified. Do you know who you were?
MUTOID: Of course not.
TRAVIS: Aren't you curious about it?
MUTOID: No.
TRAVIS: I find that hard to believe.
MUTOID: Memory is an encumbrance. All trace of it is removed and with it all trace of identity.
TRAVIS: And it doesn't concern you?
MUTOID: Why should it? That identity doesn't exist, even in the central computers.
TRAVIS: Yes it does. I know who you were. Your name was Keyeira, Keyeira.
MUTOID: Keyeira.
TRAVIS: You were very beautiful, very much admired. Shall I go on?
MUTOID: As you wish.
TRAVIS: [Obviously disappointed] This doesn't interest you at all, does it?
MUTOID: How could it?
TRAVIS: Keep watch.
MUTOID: Yes Commander.

BLAKE'S TREE - Jenna rouses and sees a small vampire bat sucking at Blake's left hand

JENNA: Blake!
BLAKE: Huh? [He shakes it off]
JENNA: Are you all right?
BLAKE: It's just a small cut, that's all.
JENNA: I'm sorry. I went to sleep.
BLAKE: No, it's all right, it was my fault. We should have both stayed awake.

LIBERATOR - The tired crew are watching the screen. Avon gets up.

VILA: Have you thought of another plan?
AVON: Yes. I'm going to get some sleep.
VILA: How can you sleep with all this happening?
AVON: With all what happening? Blake is sitting up in a tree, Travis is sitting up in another tree. Unless they're planning to throw nuts at one another, I don't see much of a fight developing before it gets light.
GAN: You're never involved, are you Avon? You ever cared for anyone?
VILA: Except yourself?
AVON: I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care, or, indeed, why it should be necessary to prove it at all. [Exits]
VILA: Was that an insult or did I miss something?
CALLY: You missed something.

WOODS - Daylight; Blake and Jenna climb out of the tree. Jenna takes a look at Blake's hand.

JENNA: It's a very big bite, looks inflamed.
BLAKE: Yes, it makes my arm a bit sore. It's nothing that I can't cope with.

ELSEWHERE - The Mutoid is working on an apparatus of sharpened stakes fastened to a frame. Travis inspects the corpse of a vampire bat and throws it away.

TRAVIS: What were these things doing at the foot of the tree, hmm?
MUTOID: They came in the night. I trapped them.
TRAVIS: You did more than that.
MUTOID: My serum supply is running low, there was a little blood in each of them.
TRAVIS: There's a lot of blood in me.
MUTOID: There still is, Commander. You are a Federation officer, as I am.
TRAVIS: Just so long as you remember that.
MUTOID: Do you now believe we mutoids are vampires?
TRAVIS: I believe you're useful. Get on with it.
MUTOID: My function will be impaired if I don't get further serum soon.
TRAVIS: Maybe that could be arranged.

LIBERATOR - Crew are watching Travis on the screen.

VILA: Is that what I think it is?
AVON: I don't imagine that it is a recreational aid.
VILA: I can't see Blake throwing himself on it, though. Can you?
AVON: I can't ever see Blake finding the right place.
GAN: How is he supposed to find it. I mean, he hasn't got anything to go on, has he?
CALLY: I've been watching Blake. He's quartering the area. That is the correct search pattern.
AVON: IF it is the correct area.

THE WOODS

TRAVIS: Any sign?
MUTOID: None, Commander.
TRAVIS: I've lit a fire, it'll draw Blake to us. Since I was given you, he must have been given a companion as well. Whoever it is, I want you to find them, bring them back here. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter, just bring them.
MUTOID: And Blake?
TRAVIS: No. Don't touch Blake. He belongs to me. [The Mutoid looks slightly ill] Well, go on - what's the matter with you?
MUTOID: The blood of those creatures, it was not suitable.
TRAVIS: When you've found Blake's companion, there'll be plenty of blood.

ELSEWHERE -

BLAKE: We can't even be sure they're in this area.
JENNA: We have to assume they are.
BLAKE: Well, maybe I can see something from up there. [Climbs tree. Jenna hears rustling in the bushes and goes to investigate. The Mutoid surprises her and knocks her out]
BLAKE: Jenna, Jenna! There's some smoke over there. Jenna? [Climbs down and looks around] Jenna, Jenna!

UNDER A LARGE TREE - Travis has suspended the deadfall from a high branch of a large tree. Jenna is being staked out beneath it by the Mutoid - she is gagged. The Mutoid extrudes a long needle from the cuff of her gauntlet and prepares to draw blood from Jenna's neck.

TRAVIS: No! Not yet - get to your position. NOW! [Throws down his machete. The Mutoid picks it up] Blake! Blake, can you hear me? I know you're there Blake, I know you're close by. Here me Blake, I have your friend. Your friend will die Blake, unless you give yourself up.

[Blake breaks cover and runs to release Jenna]

JENNA: [muffled by the gag] Blake, look out! Up there...
TRAVIS: NOW!!

[The Mutoid hacks at the rope while Blake frees Jenna's feet, but she takes three tries to sever it, giving them time to roll clear as the harpoon grid crashes down, missing them. Blake thrusts his machete into the ground for Jenna to cut her ropes with, then grabs his stake and races across to engage with Travis, also armed with a sharpened stake. Jenna frees her feet and kicks the mutoid away as she tries to bleed her again. Blake and Travis are using their stakes as quarter staves - Jenna throws the Mutoid head first against a tree, where she falls unconscious. Blake disarms Travis and stands over him, poised to skewer him - he hesitates]

VILA: [Watching] You've got him.
GAN: Go on!
CALLY: Kill him.
AVON: [Smiles faintly and shakes his head slightly]

[Blake lowers his weapon and Sinofar teleports him away]

THE MONUMENT - Blake and Jenna materialise.

GIROC: You fought well, Blake.
BLAKE: I'm glad you enjoyed it.
GIROC: Why didn't you kill him?
BLAKE: Too weak? Or maybe I didn't entirely trust your motives. Besides, as long as he's alive, he'll be the one chasing me. And I know I can beat him.
GIROC: [Laughs] At least you're not stupid.
BLAKE: [To Sinofar] I need time enough to get my ship away and to recharge the energy banks.
SINOFAR: They have been recharged. I will see that your ship gets away.
BLAKE: Another reason why I didn't kill Travis: I would have enjoyed it.
SINOFAR: Perhaps there was nothing for you to learn.

LIBERATOR - Backs out of embrace with pursuit ship.

BLAKE: Jenna, what speed?
JENNA: Standard by Six.
ZEN: Confirmed. [Liberator moves away]
GAN: [Massaging Blake's hand with ultrasound vibrator] What was she like?
BLAKE: Who?
GAN: Sinofar.
BLAKE: Of course. You never saw her.
GAN: No. [Finishes treatment]
BLAKE: Thank you. She was, uh, she was very beautiful, wasn't she, Jenna?
JENNA: [Unenthusiastically] Yes. Very.
VILA: All we saw was the ugly one. How is it you get all the fun?
BLAKE: Oh, I don't know, some of us are born lucky and some ... [grins rather smugly]

THE MONUMENT - The Mutoid is propped against a rock, apparently lifeless.

TRAVIS: Where is Blake?
SINOFAR: He won the right to go. It was agreed.
TRAVIS: It changes nothing.
GIROC: And what about your friend?
TRAVIS: A mutoid? It's little better than a machine. In any case, she's dead.
SINOFAR: Travis. Your companion is not dead. I will heal her.
TRAVIS: She is of no further value to me. I have a fugitive to hunt. Return me to my ship.
GIROC: It is good to see a man like Travis again after so long.
SINOFAR: You remind her of our people.
GIROC: He is just like our people, and like them he learns nothing.
SINOFAR: That's why we're prisoners. You keep us prisoners, Giroc. Never return to this planet, Travis. [She teleports him away and dematerialises herself. Giroc turns and walks slowly toward the memorials]

PURSUIT SHIP - The Mutoid has just topped up her serum level.

TRAVIS: The condemned ate a hearty meal. [Grabbing her by the chin] Your failure cost me Blake.
MUTOID: I warned you that my function would be impaired, Commander.
TRAVIS: [Pushing her away] Well, perhaps the court martial will take that into account, but I doubt it. [Sits] Tell me, what happens to a mutoid that's dismissed the service?
MUTOID: We exist only to serve.
TRAVIS: Oh? Then you'll probably cease to exist.
MUTOID: Ready, Commander.
TRAVIS: Follow Blake's course.
MUTOID: We can't match his speed.
TRAVIS: We don't have to, just match his course. You see, he made one fatal error. He should have killed me.

-- END --

Project Avalon

Episode: Project Avalon
Written by: Terry Nation
Directed by: Michael Briant

Format (c) 1993 by Micky DuPree. Transcription: Malcolm Mladenovic. Proofreading: Dave Owen and Sue Clerc.

(c) 1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances

Dramatis Personae:
Blake - Gareth Thomas
Jenna - Sally Knyvette
Avon - Paul Darrow
Cally - Jan Chappell
Vila - Michael Keating
Gan - David Jackson
Zen - Peter Tuddenham
Travis - Stephen Greif
Servalan - Jacqueline Pearce
Avalon - Julia Vidler
Chevner - David Bailie
Mutoid - Glynis Barber
Scientist - John Baker
Terloc - John Rolfe
Guards - David Sterne, Mark Holmes

Walk ons:
Chris Homes, Michael de Wilde
Christina Halstead, Roberta Kingsley
Kelly Varney, Kavid Ianson
Bruce Guest, John Cannon
John Jensen, Doug Roe
Peter Dukes, Bunty Garland
Gaye Hopkin, David Charles
Monique Briant, Jay Dyer

[Scene: Near blizzard conditions on a planet. Travis and a mutoid enter a cave mouth.]
TRAVIS: The temperature's dropping quickly.
MUTOID: It'll be dark soon. Then it'll freeze.
TRAVIS: The Long Cold. I find this planet...unnerving. Come.
[They go in and down. A man is crouching hidden in rocks above the passage.]
TERLOC: [softly] Travis.
TRAVIS: Where are you?
TERLOC: Shhh! Softer. The sound travels in the caves.
TRAVIS: You're late.
TERLOC: They would've missed me had I come sooner.
TRAVIS: What have you got for me?
TERLOC: Avalon is moving to Winter quarters, in the ice caves. I've drawn a map. [He throws a paper down to Travis]
TRAVIS: But contact -- has Blake made contact with Avalon?
TERLOC: Yes. She's asked for transportation to a safer planet.
TRAVIS: And Blake has agreed?
TERLOC: His ship has already entered out star system. The rendezvous is expected within fifty hours.
TRAVIS: Good. Go back and join Avalon. Now. You understand what you have to do?
TERLOC: I understand. [He crawls away.]
TRAVIS: [To Mutoid] It's working; just as I predicted. [To himself] This time we'll be ready for you, Blake.

[Scene: Liberator flight deck. A planet appears on the viewscreen.]
BLAKE: Zen, can you get an estimated surface temperature from this range? [The viewscreen shows wintry scenes on the surface.]
ZEN: Sensors indicate a temperature of minus one hundred and twenty degrees and still falling.
VILA: That's on the cool side, you'll need thermal suits. [Exits]
BLAKE: Cally, are you still getting Avalon's signal?
CALLY: It changed position by about eight miles but it's stationary now and switched to automatic.
BLAKE: Well, lock onto it and get a precise fix. Jenna, when Cally's got a fix, let her take us into orbit. You're the only one who's ever seen Avalon, I need you down there with me. Go and get kitted up.
JENNA: Right.
BLAKE: Cally, we want an orbit just inside teleport range. [Avon enters the flight deck, standing just inside.]
GAN: Blake, there are four...five interceptors orbiting the atmosphere now. They're all below the horizon at the moment.
BLAKE: Track them.
GAN: Right.
AVON: [Simultaneously] And don't imagine they will maintain the same orbit. [Moves onto deck and hands data to Blake.] I've summarized the relevant data.
BLAKE: And?
AVON: We've come at the worst time, of course. The northern hemisphere is just entering its winter cycle. They call it the Long Cold. Something of an understatement, it lasts the equivalent of eight-and-a-half Earth years.
BLAKE: Does it support any intelligent life?
AVON: Does the Liberator? [Blake and Jenna exchange looks.] There are humanoid creatures called subterrons. They live in caves. Quite what that says for their intelligence, I really wouldn't know.
BLAKE: Why are the Federation there?
AVON: Minerals. About thirty years ago it was discovered that deposits were seeping down into the ice and forming gem stones of outstanding purity and hardness. They are called 'Ice Crystals'. The Federation uses them in heavy duty lasers. They are mined by the subterrons as a slave labour force.
BLAKE: Ahh, that is why Avalon is here.
AVON: Perhaps, but the ice crystals are unique and as such quite valuable.
BLAKE: No, Avalon has started resistance movements on a dozen Federation planets.
AVON: Another idealist, poor but honest. I shall look forward to our meeting with eager anticipation.
BLAKE: Is your anticipation eager enough to come down there with me?
AVON: [Avon looks at the screen] Not quite. I think I shall contain my enthusiasm here in the warm.

[Scene: A mutoid watches a guard below her position, then jumps him and after a brief struggle strangles him. Then she signals to various groups of mutoids with a morse-code like sender. The groups move through caves. A number of mutoids surround a group of people in a cavern. Travis is in the background.]
MUTOID: Stay where you are.
[Travis moves forwards]
TRAVIS: Which of you is Avalon? [He holds a nearby man and places his gun to the man's head.] I want Avalon -- now. [A figure moves forward. Another puts out a hand to stop her, but she continues forwards. Travis hits the man he was threatening, knocking him over.]
AVALON: Who betrayed us?
TRAVIS: [To mutoids] Take her.
MUTOID: [Indicating homing beacon] Shall I smash it?
TRAVIS: No. Give Blake his homing beacon -- make it easier for him. Finish it.
TERLOC: No, no, please wait. It's me, Terloc, I helped you. I gave you Avalon. I gave you Avalon. [The mutoid pushes him over with her foot] Ughh. Uh, ah. They're going to kill us. [Mutoids systematically shoot everyone amid lots of screams and shouts, then leave.]

[Scene: Blake and Jenna enter the flight deck.]
CALLY: ...and holding. Orbital drift compensators?
GAN: Activated.
JENNA: Confirm position and status.
ZEN: All systems confirm instrument readings. Orbit is established, status is firm.
JENNA: [To Cally] Very impressive. I think I might have taught you too well.
ZEN: Navigation computers register positional error -- point zero zero zero one zero one. Automatics are compensating.
JENNA: Thank you, Zen, for that small compensation.
BLAKE: Hm. Are you ready, Jenna?
JENNA: Yes.
BLAKE: [to Avon] Have you got the teleport co-ordinates?
AVON: All computed.
BLAKE: All right, let's go.
JENNA: Keep sensors on full alert. Those pursuit ships are still around.
GAN: Don't worry -- we're watching.
JENNA: Good luck.
CALLY: You, too.

[Scene: Teleport section, Vila is at the controls when Blake, Jenna and Avon enter.]
VILA: Surface temperatures are down to minus one eighty, better wrap up warmly.
BLAKE: [To Jenna] Set your suit to seventy-five percent. [They adjust their suit controls] Right, stay at the controls. If all goes well we'll be back in fifteen minutes.
AVON: We'll be ready. [They put on bracelets and Blake takes a number of spares.]
BLAKE: Right. [to Jenna] Is your suit fully heated?
JENNA: About ready to burst into flames.
BLAKE: Put us down.

[Scene: Blake and Jenna materialize in a tunnel and find the guard's body.]

[Scene: In the cavern where the massacre occurred, Chevner reaches for a rifle and hides. Jenna and Blake enter and see the bodies and the homing beacon.]
BLAKE: Federation security must have found them -- looks like their handiwork.
JENNA: None of them are armed.
BLAKE: That's what I mean.
JENNA: Weapons are still in the racks.
BLAKE: They probably tried to surrender.
JENNA: Let's get out of here, Blake.
BLAKE: No, we must find out if Avalon's one of them. No, we must know for certain. This homing beacon's still transmitting. Once Federation security found that they wouldn't have any trouble
getting onto this place.
[Chevner collapses and drops the rifle.]
JENNA: Blake!
[They move over to him.]
BLAKE: He's still alive. [He and Jenna help Chevner sit up.]
JENNA: Careful, he's been hit in the shoulder.
BLAKE: It's all right, it's all right, we're friends.
CHEVNER: The others, what about the others?
BLAKE: I'm afraid they're dead.
JENNA: What about Avalon? Was she with you? Can you remember whether she was with you when you were attacked?
CHEVNER: Terloc betrayed us -- it was Terloc.
BLAKE: Where is Avalon?
CHEVNER: She was with us, she... They took her out, before the firing started.

[Scene: A large laboratory inside the Centre.]
COMPUTER: Project A-six security green now in operation. Stand by yellow release to project A-eight. Doctor Ellisdee to area blue-six basement main control area. [Travis is working on a
hand computer -- a mutoid enters.]
MUTOID: The Supreme Commander's ship has landed, they've already disembarked.
TRAVIS: Good. I think we're about ready. Oh, I'll need a human to assist in a test. Check with the detention block, see if they can give you someone.
MUTOID: Any special characteristics?
TRAVIS: No -- an ordinary unskilled labour grade will do -- an expendable.
MUTOID: If there isn't one in detention?
TRAVIS: Then detain one!
MUTOID: Yes, Commander.
[Travis goes to an adjoining area -- Avalon is restrained in an interrogation machine.]
TRAVIS: [To scientist] Any problems?
SCIENTIST: Not that I can see. A good healthy specimen. No deformities or unusual features. The standard triple omega should provide a perfect basis.
TRAVIS: Good. Can you complete quickly?
SCIENTIST: I think so. We have an experienced team standing by, everything's ready.
TRAVIS: Good, good. Remember if you need any further equipment you have an absolute priority rating. Demand whatever you want -- on my authority.
SCIENTIST: Thank you, Commander.
TRAVIS: [To Avalon] You should be flattered by all this special attention.
AVALON: Anyone who opposes the Federation knows what to expect if they get captured. It's a risk we're all prepared to take.
TRAVIS: Obviously; but whatever the risks, no one really ever expects to get caught, do they, hmm? Still, I wish I could find the same urge to sacrifice among my subordinates.
AVALON: They have no cause.
TRAVIS: True.
AVALON: Every year more people defy the Federation, thirty planets in this sector alone, and others will follow -- many others.
TRAVIS: Yes. Well, you'll tell us about those, won't you? Their leaders, locations, their plans. I'm sure we'll be able to convince them that loyalty to the Federation is after all in their best interests.
AVALON: I know enough about these machines to realize that I will tell you everything. You will murder hundreds of people, maybe thousands. But you won't end the opposition, you'll
never end it.
TRAVIS: Perhaps not. However, we shall persevere. You're right, of course, you will tell us everything. But first we need you for a far more important venture. We've codenamed it
Project Avalon.
AVALON: I won't help you. You can't force me to help you.
TRAVIS: Don't be naive. I can force you to do anything. It isn't necessary, though. You're already helping me. Just by being here you've set in motion a chain of events that's been absolutely predetermined.
AVALON: I don't understand.
TRAVIS: No? Do you think your capture at this particular point was a matter of chance? It was a carefully calculated strategy. You're worth a great deal to me. You're going to give me Blake, his crew, and his undamaged ship. The Federation wants the Liberator -- you and I are going to give it to them.

[Scene: The cavern. Blake and Jenna are tending to Chevner's wound.]
BLAKE: There, how does that feel?
CHEVNER: Not too bad, thanks.
JENNA: Are you sure that they took her to the Centre?
CHEVNER: They abandon the outer complex when the Long Cold sets in. Anyway, the main interrogation units are in the Centre.
BLAKE: That's where she'll be all right. Have you ever been inside the Centre?
CHEVNER: No. I helped build the outer complex, but the labour gangs were restricted in their movements. I don't exactly know my way around.
JENNA: Could you get us in there?
CHEVNER: To the Centre?
JENNA: Mmm hmm.
CHEVNER: No. Can't be done.
BLAKE: Listen, Avalon knows all the resistance movements in this star sector. Places, names, everything.
CHEVNER: She'd die before she told anybody anything.
BLAKE: Not a choice she'll be given. In a couple of days they'll know everything she knows. It'll be disaster for the resistance.
JENNA: And a lot of people will die.
BLAKE: So we have to get her before that happens.
CHEVNER: Well, you'd never make it through any of the normal entrances. They're computer-linked and manned by mutoid guards.
BLAKE: What about ventilation shafts?
CHEVNER: No, they're closed off during the Long Cold. The atmosphere is recycled. The regeneration plant. It's outside the Centre and linked by inlet and outlet channels. We might just make it through there.
BLAKE: All right, we'll have to give it a try.
CHEVNER: There's no guarantee it'll succeed. They're bound to have all sorts of security devices linked into it.
BLAKE: We have our own specialist in that area. [Into communicator]
Blake, do you read?
[The scene cuts between the cavern and flight deck.]
CALLY: Cally, we hear you.
BLAKE: [in the cavern] Vila, get on a thermal suit and come down here fast.
VILA: Me? Oh, now wait a minute, it's cold out there, and I'm very susceptible to low temperatures. I've got a weak chest.
AVON: The rest of you's not very impressive.
BLAKE: You're wasting time. Come down here and bring your bag of tricks.
VILA: I don't know why it always has to be me. I'm tired of being indispensable.
BLAKE: Gan. [V.O.] Any space activity?
GAN: Yes, a ship came in and docked about half an hour ago.
BLAKE: [V.O.] Can you identify it?
GAN: Well, the detectors read it as a military command cruiser and the trajectory suggested it could have come from Federation space headquarters.
BLAKE: It could be something to do with Avalon's capture. Maybe they're going to try and ship her out of here.
JENNA: We'd better get moving quickly.

[Scene: Teleport section. Avon enters and then Cally.]
CALLY: [Hands over data.] The teleport co-ordinates based on the voice fix.
[Vila enters wearing a thermal suit and puts on a teleport bracelet.]
AVON: Ready?
VILA: Just a minute, I want to set this to maximum. [Turns up temperature on his suit -- it is obviously too high.] Ah, ah!
CALLY: Turn it down, Vila!
VILA: Not a hope, I'd rather fry than freeze.
[Cally and Avon watch Vila putting on extra clothing and exchange smiles after Avon teleports him.]

[Scene: The cavern.]
BLAKE: Vila! This is Chevner. [To Chevner] Come on, you lead, we'll follow.
VILA: [To Jenna] What's the, er, problem?
JENNA: Avalon's been taken prisoner, we've got to get her out.
VILA: Oh no.

[Scene: The Centre laboratory. Travis is watching Avalon and the scientist on a monitor screen, the latter comes over to the camera.]
SCIENTIST: We're finished -- we've everything we need.
TRAVIS: Good. Prepare to take her down to transfer. They're standing by.
SCIENTIST: Right.
[mutoid enters with man]
MUTOID: Will he do?
TRAVIS: [Examines the man and hits him in the stomach.] Yeah, he seems healthy enough -- he'll do. [Servalan enters with mutoid guards.]
TRAVIS: Supreme Commander, it's good to see you. A safe journey I trust.
SERVALAN: Nothing is safe any more. You've heard, of course, that there have been two attempts on my life.
TRAVIS: I have. I was very concerned.
SERVALAN: I consider Blake to be responsible. [Slides fur coat off and drops it on the floor.] Oh, not personally, of course; but stories of his exploits are still circulating. They excite people. The fact that he is still free gives them hope. And that is dangerous, Travis. Hope is very dangerous.
TRAVIS: The loss of it can be fatal, and the source of it all is about to be wiped out.
SERVALAN: I think you should know that there's been considerable criticism of your handling of the Blake affair.
TRAVIS: What?
SERVALAN: Well, so far your operation has been very costly and there have been no worthwhile results.
TRAVIS: That's not entirely just. There have been two occasions where I could have destroyed Blake. It was only the Administration's insistence that the Liberator be captured undamaged that stopped me.
SERVALAN: I have made that point in your defence but I can't go on making excuses. I've been under considerable pressure to replace you.
TRAVIS: Ohh?
SERVALAN: Oh, so far I have resisted that pressure. But now, I need your reassurance that my confidence has not been misplaced.
TRAVIS: I think Project Avalon will silence the critics.
SERVALAN: It does seem an excellent plan. It should have every chance of success.
TRAVIS: I'm glad you approve.
SERVALAN: Oh, Travis, you know better than that. In my position one never approves anything until it is an undisputed success.
TRAVIS: Yeh.
SERVALAN: However you have my full support, unofficially, of course.
TRAVIS: Of course.
SERVALAN: Officially, you have my presence and my attention. [They move over to the viewscreen which shows Avalon.]
SERVALAN: So, this is the famous Avalon is it? I'd expected something more impressive.
TRAVIS: All the checks have been made. They're ready to take her down to transfer.
SERVALAN: Well, don't let me delay you.
TRAVIS: Take her down.
SCIENTIST{?}: [Off screen -- very faint] Right.
SERVALAN: Travis, I think the labs have come up with what you wanted. It's totally new -- and very costly.
[Travis takes a spherical phial out of a box held by a mutoid.]
TRAVIS: This is the only element that was missing.
SERVALAN: When will you test it?
TRAVIS: Now. Everything's prepared.
SERVALAN: Excellent -- I'm curious to see it work myself.
[They move over to a screen showing an inner chamber in which the 'expendable' is restrained in a seat. Travis introduces
the phial into the chamber.]
TRAVIS: Check door seals.
MUTOID: Door solid -- seals are firm.
TRAVIS: We're ready.
SERVALAN: Proceed.
TRAVIS: Activate.
[The phial is smashed by remote control. A fungus appears to grow over the man's head and body. Another screen indicates the passage of time.]
TRAVIS: Twenty-three seconds. It's fascinating. How long before it neutralizes?
[The screen indicates that it has neutralized.]
SERVALAN: It'll be clear now.
[They move from the screen to a window. The man's body is now a skeleton.] Satisfied?
TRAVIS: Completely.

[Scene: A security robot enters a tunnel.]

[Scene: A tunnel: Blake, Jenna, Chevner and Vila approach a door at the end of a short side tunnel.]
BLAKE: Vila.
[Vila starts working on the lock.]
CHEVNER: If he sets that alarm off...
BLAKE: He knows his job.
[The security robot approaches.]
JENNA: Security robot.
[They crouch down against the side of the tunnel as the robot crosses the entrance from the main tunnel.]
BLAKE: Vila!

[Scene: Flight deck.]
ZEN: Sensors report spacecraft approaching.
AVON: Identify.
ZEN: Analysis indicates they are Mark Four Federation interceptors.
CALLY: Compute course, speed and range.
ZEN: Interceptors are bearing directly on this position. Speed standard by two. Range two million spacials.
CALLY: Have they seen us?
ZEN: Hull sensors register scanning beams.
AVON: So they know we're here. [He checks a console.] We'll be within their attack range in minutes.
CALLY: We must tell Blake.

[Scene: The tunnel. The robot moves past and away.]
BLAKE: All right, Vila. [Vila sets to work again. Blake spots the robot again.] He's coming back.
[They flatten themselves against the wall again. Blake's communicator beeps and he muffles the sound.]

[Scene: Flight deck. Cally is pushing buttons on the force wall console communicator.]
CALLY: He's not answering.
GAN: They're coming in very fast. What do we do now?
AVON: Run for it -- we daren't risk a fight now.
CALLY: But that'll leave them trapped down there if they need to get out quickly.
AVON: If we stay here there might not be anything to get out to. Our only hope is to make a fast orbit, lose those interceptors, then come back onto station. Well, have you got any better ideas? [Gan and Cally don't reply.] All right, then let's get the hell out of here! Cally, take her on manual.

[Scene: The tunnel. The robot moves away again.]
BLAKE: OK, Vila. [Into communicator] Avon. Cally.
JENNA: Problem?
BLAKE: There's no response.
JENNA: [Into communicator] Avon. Cally. [To Blake] Jammed.
BLAKE: No. Well, let's hope they're back on station by the time we need them. Come on, Vila.
CHEVNER: Here we go.
BLAKE: Right. [They clamber through as Vila packs up his tools.] Vila, move it!

[Scene: The Centre laboratory. Servalan and Travis are seated in a sort of waiting area.]
MUTOID: [Into communicator] Yes. Understood. [She moves over in front of Travis and Servalan.]
TRAVIS: Well?
MUTOID: Space security report. Our interceptors have detected an alien ship.
TRAVIS: Has it been identified?
MUTOID: Available data suggests it could be the Liberator.
TRAVIS: Suggests? Suggests? Of course it's the Liberator. What action's been taken?
MUTOID: Our ships are in pursuit.
SERVALAN: Shouldn't you call them off?
TRAVIS: Not really. I know they can't match the Liberator's speed but it would look suspicious if they took no action.
SERVALAN: True.
TRAVIS: Hmm. If I read my man correctly we can expect him to penetrate the Centre within the next twelve hours.

[Scene: Another tunnel. They reach another door.]
BLAKE: [To Chevner] Try this one or move on to another?
CHEVNER: Well, I think we should be well inside the main Centre now. Let's give it a go.
BLAKE: Vila, you're in business again.
VILA: That has Klyber fastenings on the other side. You need a lot of explosives or a genius to open that.
BLAKE: Can you do it?
VILA: Of course.
BLAKE: All right, we'll applaud you later. For now just get on with it.

[Scene: The Centre detention block, the scientist is putting Avalon in cell F2.]
TRAVIS: Ah, are you finished with her?
SCIENTIST: Yes, we've just put her in her cell.
SERVALAN: Was everything satisfactory?
SCIENTIST: Perfectly.
COMPUTER: Interrogation team one report to duty control. Repeat. Interrogation team one report to duty control.
[Travis manipulates a control panel to show cell F2.]
COMPUTER: F-two. Avalon.
TRAVIS: [To guard] You've drawn your new weapon from the armoury, I see.
GUARD: Sir.
TRAVIS: Good. Stay alert.
COMPUTER: Stand by medic unit and report to area control. [Pause] [Chevner looks into the centre through a doorway] Doctor Ellisdee to area blue six basement main [(fades out).]

[Scene: Chevner backs through the door into the tunnel where the others wait.]
CHEVNER: [To Blake] It's clear.
BLAKE: Recognize the area?
CHEVNER: No -- it must be one of the sublevels, but I don't know which one.
BLAKE: All right, let's find out.
[The group moves into the Centre.]
COMPUTER: Yellow release now on project A-eight. Stand by blue control... Interrogation team one report to duty control. Repeat. Interrogation team one report to duty control.
[Blake, Jenna, Vila and Chevner advance.]
COMPUTER: Attention block seven, report to duty control. Project A-six security green now in operation.
BLAKE: [Very quietly] There's a guard coming. [He stands in the hallway and claps his hands.]
VILA: [Whispering] What are you doing?
BLAKE: Getting us a guided tour! [Loudly] You, there! What are you doing in this section?
GUARD: I was posted here by the security commander.
BLAKE: My orders were that no one should enter this area. What is your security commander's name?
GUARD: Sergeant-Major Garven, may I have your name and authority, sir?
VILA: [Prodding him with gun.] His name is Blake, and this is his authority.
BLAKE: You have a woman prisoner here called Avalon. Where is she being kept?
GUARD: All prisoners are being held in the main detention block.
[Chevner scouts ahead to the nearest corridor junction.]
BLAKE: Right, take us there, now.
VILA: He said "now".

[Scene: Flight deck.]
ZEN: Sensors indicate that Liberator is no longer being scanned.
CALLY: I'll make a fast turn so that they do not pick us up again, then we must return to position.
GAN: How long will that take?
ZEN: Minimum possible transit time is thirty-seven point zero one minutes.
GAN: That's a long time to hold on if you're in trouble.
AVON: Then let's get on with it. Speculation and fast turns aren't going to make it any shorter.

[Scene: Detention block. Blake, Jenna, and Vila are around the guard.]
BLAKE: [To the guard] Right, remember to do exactly as I told you. And remember there are two guns right behind you. [To the others] All right, let's go. [Jenna holds both men's' guns on the guard as he marches Blake and Vila down the hall as if they were prisoners. They approach the guard at the entrance to the cells.]
COMMANDER: Halt.
GUARD: I have two prisoners to be confined in detention unit four.
COMMANDER: This area is under maximum security and totally off limits.
GUARD: Down, it's Blake! [He shoves Blake and Vila into the other guard and takes off down the hall.]
BLAKE: Chevner! [A fight ensues.] Jenna!
COMPUTER: Detention block seven -- condition red. [Alarm starts.]
BLAKE: Get after him, Jenna.
[Blake manipulates the control panel -- various detainees appear on the monitors as he does so.]
COMPUTER: A-twelve Istar. S-eight Hend. N-fifteen Raiker. T-five Kalor. G-one Pelar. F-two Avalon.
BLAKE: I hope she's all right.
JENNA: [Returning from chasing the runaway guard.] I lost him, he must have got down a transit shaft.
BLAKE: Right, cover this end.
[Giving him a teleport bracelet] Chevner, put this on. Get down and cover the other corridor.
BLAKE: Come on, Vila. [He and Vila go into an inner corridor.] F-two -- there, open that. [Into communicator] Liberator, come in Liberator, stand by to teleport. Liberator, do you read me? [Jenna, Chevner, and the guards engage in a gun battle as Vila opens the door and during the ensuing conversation and escape.]
BLAKE: Avalon -- I'm Blake. We had hoped to get you out sooner, we've had a bit of trouble.
VILA: [Noting the brief tunic Avalon wears] She'll freeze to death dressed like that.
BLAKE: [To Vila, giving him his utility belt and gun] Take this, and this.
VILA: Right.
BLAKE: [To Avalon, giving her his outer top] Put this on. Right. Let's move it...Right Vila, fall back...Go...Jenna. [To Avalon] Right, go!
[They make their way out of the Centre, exchanging fire with the guards.]
CHEVNER: [To Vila] Come on.
[Blake is hit in the shoulder.]
JENNA: Ahh!
BLAKE: I'm all right -- go on.
[The chase continues until they exit the original outer door. Avalon is shot in the leg and must be helped out by the others.]
BLAKE: Chevner, the security robot. [Into communicator] Avon! Cally! Bring us up!

[Scene: Cuts between the Liberator and the tunnel.]
ZEN: Liberator has resumed original position and status.
AVON: You'd better switch on the communication channel.
[Cally crosses and switches it on.]
BLAKE: [V.O.] Liberator, we need teleport now. Come in, Liberator, Liberator, do you read me? We need teleport now! [End V.O.] Do you hear me? Bring us up! Avon! Cally!
[Avon rushes into the teleport section. The teleport activates just in time to save them.]
AVON: Welcome back.
BLAKE: Vila, Jenna, get the ship moving. Gan, take care of Avalon -- put her down in a cabin. If the Federation find out where we are, they'll send up everything they've got after us.
AVON: What went wrong?
BLAKE: I was about to ask you that.

[Scene: The Centre. Travis and Servalan are standing at a communication screen.]
GUARD: [On screen] We have a firm location reading and an accurate track.
TRAVIS: Have the pursuit ships been launched?
GUARD: Yes, sir.
TRAVIS: Good. Keep me informed. Couple of hours and it should be all over.

[Scene: A room on the Liberator. Chevner, Cally, and Avalon -- now changed out of her tunic -- are sitting round. Jenna enters.]
JENNA: [To Avalon] How are you feeling?
AVALON: I'm fine. I'm perfectly all right. But my tunic -- it is very important, my tunic.
JENNA: It's all right, relax, I'll go and get it for you.
CALLY: You just rest for a while. Perhaps we could talk later. I've admired your work for the resistance for a long time.
[Chevner looks strangely at Avalon.]

[Scene: Flight deck. Blake is examining a Federation gun. Avon and Gan are looking at a control console. Jenna enters.]
JENNA: Avalon seems to have recovered.
BLAKE: Jenna, there's something wrong. There's something about our escape that bothers me.
JENNA: Well, like what for instance?
BLAKE: Like the fact that we did escape. Federation troops are very efficient, they're highly trained and they totally outnumbered us and yet we still managed to escape.
JENNA: Well, we were lucky.
BLAKE: Yes, we were. One of those guards got a clear shot at me. The impact knocked me over, that's all.
JENNA: That should have ripped your shoulder off.
BLAKE: Yes, and Avalon was hit in the leg. [Shoots at a tumbler on a table. It falls over. He picks it up and inspects it] A nasty kick, that's all. Avon, what do you make of
this? [Tosses the weapon to Avon.]
AVON: It's not standard issue. Low energy bolt discharge. This could bruise or stun, but it couldn't cause any serious injury.
GAN: A dud gun doesn't make sense.
BLAKE: Exactly. I think they wanted us to escape.
AVON: That's an interesting idea but I don't see the logic.
BLAKE: Neither do I.
AVON: The Federation chases you all over the galaxy with the highly understandable desire to destroy you, then when they've got you pinned down they let you go. Why?
JENNA: They could have got all of us, but there were still three of you left on the Liberator.
BLAKE: The Liberator! That's it! They must want the Liberator. The only way they could do that is to put somebody here on board. The whole thing has been set up and we have fallen for it beautifully.
GAN: Not Avalon. I mean, we are sure that woman is Avalon, aren't we?
JENNA: Well, yes, I've only met her once, but, yes, that's her.
AVON: Then it must be Chevner.
GAN: Chevner. How do you think he'll do it?
BLAKE: I don't know. We've got to find out. Gan, you stay here. [To Avon and Jenna] You two come with me.

[Scene: They hurry to the room and discover Cally unconscious. Avon goes in to check on her.]
AVON: She's alive.
BLAKE: [To Jenna] Warn the others. Start searching. He's got to be found. [to Avon] You stay and look after her.

[Scene: Blake and Vila meet in a corridor.]
BLAKE: Jenna tell you?
VILA: Yes, but there's no sign of him in any of the cabins.
BLAKE: Right, let's try the hold.

[Scene: Avalon enters the flight deck and finds Gan alone there.]
GAN: Avalon.
AVALON: Hello.
GAN: Come and sit down. Here, let me help you. Are you feeling better now?
AVALON: I'm fine, thank you.
GAN: Ah, good. There. [He helps her to the couch.]
AVALON: Where's Blake?
GAN: He's gone to look for Chevner. Wait a minute, wasn't... wasn't Chevner with you?
AVALON: Yes, but he attacked Cally and then he dragged me out. I thought he was going to use me as a hostage, but then he just went off somewhere.
GAN: So Blake was right. Well, they'll find him -- don't you worry. Is there anything you want?
AVALON: Oh, yes, my tunic. There is something I need.
GAN: Ah well, I...I'll go and find it for you.

[Scene: Jenna returns to the room and finds Cally alone, slumped in a chair. As she is tending to her, a very badly injured Chevner staggers towards them.]
JENNA: Ahhhh!
[Chevner collapses, Jenna goes over to him, he mouths something that is indistinct over the background noise.]

[Scene: Teleport section. Gan and Avalon enter.]
GAN: Jenna had your tunic in here. She must have left it around somewhere. Ah yes, here it is. [He retrieves it from behind the console and gives it to her.]
AVALON: Thank you.
GAN: There.
[Avalon takes the phial out of the tunic and holds it up, dropping the tunic]
JENNA: [Entering from the corridor] Gan, that's not Avalon. [Avalon drops the phial and it lands on her tunic. She struggles with Jenna and Gan, but is obviously stronger than they are. Blake and Vila arrive and the four of them overpower her.]
BLAKE: [To Jenna] Get something to tie her up with!

[Scene: Flight deck. The phial is under the dome in front of Zen.]]
ZEN: Preliminary analysis suggests the phial contains a virus artificially mutated from the delta seven-zero-six classification subset two-zero-five originally known incorrectly as the Phobon plague. This mutation appears to have a short life cycle and be self-eliminating.
GAN: If she'd managed to crush that we'd have been wiped out and the Liberator left totally unharmed.
AVON: [Examining Avalon's head, from which he has removed a portion of plastic and hair.] It very nearly worked, too. They've made a perfect replica. This is the best robotic engineering I've ever seen.
JENNA: I never had a moments' doubt that it was Avalon.
CALLY: I talked with her, about her work. Not details, but her reasons and beliefs. I still find it hard to believe.
AVON: Brilliant programming. They transferred complete key areas of Avalon's personality. It's really quite impressive.
BLAKE: And the only one it didn't completely fool was Chevner.
JENNA: Ah, but he'd known the real Avalon for quite some time. He must have been suspicious of this one.
AVON: That's why it killed him.
VILA: He shouldn't have tried to tackle it alone.
AVON: He probably didn't. Just being suspicious would have been enough. A machine of this type would have recognised that easily, more easily than we would.
BLAKE: Can you make it safe?
AVON: I can deprogram it, scramble its brain.
BLAKE: Can you reprogram it?
AVON: No. A few minor functions, perhaps, not much else.
BLAKE: That's enough. Jenna, take us back into the precise orbit we were in. Cally, I want an exact locator fix on that laboratory. We still have to get Avalon out of there.

[Scene: The Centre. Servalan and Travis come through a door into a corridor, followed by a group of mutoids and guards.]
SERVALAN: I think I'll stay on during Avalon's interrogation. I have the feeling she's going to tell us a great deal.
TRAVIS: There's no doubt of that.
SERVALAN: When will you begin?
TRAVIS: I want to finish with the Liberator first. As soon as it's confirmed they've put a boarding party on her we'll get started. [An intercom beeps and Travis answers it.] Travis. What!? Are you sure of that? Keep checking, I'm coming up. I don't understand. Space track control say the Liberator's moved back into orbit.
SERVALAN: It must be another ship.
TRAVIS: No, no, no, they seem very certain.
[Alarms start to sound and a Mutoid enters]
COMPUTER: Detention block one zero...
MUTOID: Blake is here, sir, in the main laboratory.
TRAVIS: Blake?
MUTOID: He is demanding to see you.
SERVALAN: He is demanding?
MUTOID: I report only what I have been told, Commander. He also says you are to bring Avalon with you.
TRAVIS: How many of them are there?
MUTOID: Just Blake, sir.
TRAVIS: Right, I'll deal with this. Bring the prisoner.

[Scene: The Centre laboratory. Blake, with the Avalon robot beside him, holds several scientists and guards at gunpoint. Travis and Servalan enter.]
BLAKE: Ahh, Travis. Didn't work. It was very clever but it didn't work.
TRAVIS: How did you stop it?
BLAKE: Does it matter? All I want to do is finish what I started. I'm going to take Avalon out of here.
TRAVIS: [Raising his artificial arm] I don't think so.
BLAKE: [Taking out the phial] That would not be very clever.
TRAVIS: You wouldn't do it.
BLAKE: What have I got to lose?
TRAVIS: It's not a pleasant death, Blake.
BLAKE: So I gather, but it would have its compensations: I'd share it with you -- and the Supreme Commander. Are you quite sure I wouldn't do it?
SERVALAN: Bring the prisoner in. [Travis grabs Avalon as she walks past him.] Let her go. [He doesn't.] I said, let her go.
TRAVIS: You still have to get her out of here, Blake. Are you sure your teleport's fast enough to stop me killing you both?
BLAKE: [Takes bracelet from the robot and gives it to Avalon.] Put this bracelet on your wrist. [To Travis] I'm afraid we've had to reprogram your machine slightly. It's nowhere near as sophisticated as it was but it will perform a few basic functions. [To the robot] Raise your arm. Enough. Open your thumb and forefinger. [He holds the phial between her finger and thumb.] Close the thumb and forefinger. Enough. [To Travis and Servalan] The robot will crush the phial in response to one of three triggers. A particular word, a specific sound or a certain movement. You had all better be very, very careful about what you say and do. [Into communicator] Bring us up. [Blake and Avalon teleport out.] [Travis edges forwards and manages to catch the phial when the robot drops it.]
SERVALAN: [To Travis] Project Avalon has failed totally. There will be a full inquiry. Until that time you are relieved of your command.
TRAVIS: [To himself] If it takes all my life, I will destroy you, Blake. I will destroy you. I will destroy you.
SERVALAN: Launch the pursuit ships.

[end credits]

"Breakdown"
by Terry Nation

(c) 197? by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1992 by Micky DuPree and Nicole Vifian.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake
Kerr Avon
Jenna Stannis
Vila Restal
Olag Gan
Cally
Zen
Kayn
Farron
Renor

Uncredited:

Pursuit Leader
Male voice

ZEN: Attention. Liberator is entering meteorite storm zone. (Gan exclaims in pain and groans.) Navigation computers propose immediate evasion course. Directive on manual override is now required. Repeat, directive on manual override is now required.
JENNA: Gan, what are you doing! Manual out, commit full automatics. Navigation computer take emergency evasive action and get us out of it.
ZEN: Full automatics, confirm.
JENNA: If you couldn't have handled it, why didn't you call one of us? You're not expected to cope yet. (Gan groans in pain.) Gan, what is it? What's the matter?
GAN: I'm sorry. (groans)
JENNA: Blake, I think you'd better get down to the flight deck. It's Gan.
BLAKE: What's wrong with him, Jenna?
JENNA: I don't know, he seems to be in some sort of pain. He's obviously got - (Gan attacks Jenna)
BLAKE: Jenna? (Gan throws Jenna to the floor) Jenna. Jenna! (Gan drags Jenna to front of flight deck)
BLAKE: Gan! Gan, it's me, Blake. Gan, listen to me. (Gan attacks Blake. Avon, Cally, and Vila run in. Avon and Vila pull Gan off Blake)
BLAKE: Cally, get the medical kit quickly! (Gan fights Avon. Blake hits him on the head, and knocks him out) Tranquilizers, full strength.
CALLY: (medkit in hand, pauses by Jenna) Are you all right?
JENNA: Yes, I think so.
CALLY: I'll be back in a minute.
BLAKE: Pull his sleeve up. (he applies the tranquilizer) Put another one on. (Avon does so) Let it get right through his system. Well, the tranquilizer pad should keep him quiet for a while.
CALLY: Two of them would flatten any one of us for about a hundred hours.
AVON: If he comes round, he'll flatten all of us for a good deal longer than that. He ought to be put under restraint.
VILA: Oh, my head. What fell on me?
AVON: He did.
JENNA: It all happened so quickly. One minute he was crying with pain, then he went beserk.
VILA: I'm glad he's a friend. Could get very painful if he really didn't like you.
AVON: It must have something to do with the limiter implant in his brain.
BLAKE: It's been bothering him for some time. He tried to keep it secret, but I'm sure he was in a lot of pain. Let's get him to the surgical unit. Avon, stay and check for damage, will you? You three, give me a hand.
AVON: All flight deck systems, full status checks. Standard priority listings.
ZEN: Confirm standard priority listing.
AVON: Begin.
ZEN: Priority alpha one. Primary computer links are clear and functioning.

(in med unit)
BLAKE: Anything?
JENNA: There's some inflamation around the implant scar. Look.
BLAKE: Yeah. No other external sign.
CALLY: Blake! Look at his hand.
BLAKE: Jenna, get the diagnostic analyzer.
JENNA: Right.
BLAKE: We'll run the usual checks. What's the matter?
JENNA: I don't think it's going to show us much, though, except that there's a malfunction in the limiter.
BLAKE: I hope for his sake you're wrong.
CALLY: What are you doing?
BLAKE: I want him secure.
CALLY: Surely that is unnecessary. He's a sick man, those are not going to help him.
BLAKE: The limiter is supposed to cut in when stress drives him to the point where he might kill.
CALLY: So?
BLAKE: So on the flight deck he tried to kill ME. The limiter
didn't even slow him down.
CALLY: Well, among my people such things are considered barbarous.
BLAKE: All right, just make him comfortable, but I want him secure.

(flight deck)
BLAKE: Well?
AVON: All systems clear and functioning.
BLAKE: That's something, anyway.
AVON: What about Gan?
BLAKE: He's still out. We've run the diagnostic checks, it might show up something.
AVON: Yes. And that something will tell you what you already know. Why don't you face it?
BLAKE: Because I don't know what to do about it! And if it is the limiter, I don't know how we can help him. Unless neurosurgery is one of your particular talents.
AVON: Unfortunately, no.
BLAKE: Suppose Zen gave us the necessary information and detailed instructions.
AVON: Oh, come on, Blake! This is not something you do by numbers, not even highly sophisticated ones. This is an area that has remained the exclusive province of specialists.
BLAKE: Yes, I know, I know.
AVON: There are quicker ways that you could kill him, but there are none more certain.
VILA: (V.O.) Blake, Avon. Do you want to come down? Jenna's running the tests now.
AVON: We're on our way. Well, are you coming?
BLAKE: I'll be with you in a minute. Zen, reverse thrust and stop.
ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: I want a hard print on the following information.

(med unit)
VILA: Funny, we're all standing here hoping there's something wrong with him. Something ordinary, a nice straight forward disease.
BLAKE: Well?
AVON: Nothing, so far.
JENNA: Here it is.
BLAKE: Readout.
VOICE: Severe neurological disturbance centered in the zero three zone sub four section of the cerebrum. Condition must be relieved if permanent brain damage is to be avoided.
BLAKE: Prognostication?
VOICE: Rapid deterioration to terminal condition.
BLAKE: Recommendation.
VOICE: Immediate investagative surgery.
VILA: So. If we don't get him treatment, he'll be a vegetable.
JENNA: Or die.
AVON: Switch on the voray scan.
BLAKE: You two watch the screen. I'll do the probe.
AVON: Right. Bring it directly over the skull. No, that won't do. You'll have to use the radio sensor. Good, that's much better. Yes, there it is. There's the limiter implant, you can see it quite clearly. Give me the side view. Good. Yes, it's in the sub four section all right. Now let's take a look at the limiter itself. Close focus, slowly.
JENNA: Well, there's nothing wrong with the connectors.
AVON: All right, deepen the focus. More. That's it. Look at the micro linkages, the fine lines.
BLAKE: Is there a fault?
AVON: I'm not sure. That section seems to be burned out. That could cause a conductivity loss.
JENNA: Would that account for what's happening to him?
AVON: It's not my field, but if I am right, then the limiter is feeding scrambled impulses into his brain.
CALLY: Can it be corrected?
AVON: You've got to get into this first.
BLAKE: We need a neurosurgeon.
VILA: Which we haven't got.
JENNA: Blake, we can't just let him die. If he needs a neurosurgeon, that's what we've got to get.
BLAKE: Yes, and quickly. Look.(Gan's hands clench spasmodically)

(flight deck)
BLAKE: And that's all the navigation computers could come up with?
ZEN: Confirmed. Your print is the full list within the parameters specified.
JENNA: Blake, what about Kainnessos? An independent Earth colony. Population in excess of seven million. They should have some medical expertise.
BLAKE: What's the journey time?
JENNA: Six hundred hours.
AVON: Too long. You haven't anything like that much time.
BLAKE: What about Overon?
JENNA: Three hundred and fifty hours. Only third-level technology, though.
AVON: Which means that they won't have the necessary medical expertise.
BLAKE: Cassiona?
AVON: That's a Federation stronghold.
BLAKE: We know they can do the surgery.
AVON: There's a price on our heads. We are all under sentence of death.
JENNA: The difference is that Gan's sentence is being carried out right now.
BLAKE: Any others with the necessary level of technology?
JENNA: Only Epinal. But the problem there is that they're considered potentially hostile.
BLAKE: To the Federation?
JENNA: To the species. They don't like humanoids in general, and in particular homo sapiens.
AVON: That puts their intelligence beyond doubt.
BLAKE: How long would it take?
JENNA: Two hundred hours.
BLAKE: Two hundred hours? That's our best alternative.
AVON: There is another one even closer.
BLAKE: Not on the listings we've been given.
AVON: Zen, why is XK seventy two not listed?
ZEN: XK seventy two is outside listed parameters.
BLAKE: Specify.
ZEN: Flight time from this position is in excess of six hundred hours.
AVON: Conclusion is incorrect. Recompute distance and flight time.
BLAKE: What is XK seventy two?
AVON: It's a space laboratory. A permanent research facility financed by a consortium of neutral planets. Two specialist fields: weaponry and space medicine. An interesting combination, don't you think?
JENNA: How do you know all this?
AVON: I looked it up in the data banks. It was information that I thought might prove useful to me.
VILA: A bolt hole. Somewhere to run if things get too hot here.
AVON: The thought had crossed my mind.
JENNA: Why haven't you told us about this station before?
BLAKE: Presumably if he goes there with us he'll be identified.
(Smiles at Avon)
VILA: You can say goodbye to one bolt hole.
BLAKE: How far is it?
AVON: One hundred and fifty hours. (To Zen) Confirm.
ZEN: Flight time is six hundred forty three hours.
AVON: Direct flight.
ZEN: Direct flight would necessitate crossing a prohibited space zone.
VILA: Prohibited?
BLAKE: Specify.
ZEN: The zone has been designated as containing unacceptable danger.
BLAKE: What sort of danger?
ZEN: Data is not available.
BLAKE: To you or just to us?
ZEN: There is no data of any kind.
AVON: Just the unacceptable risk designation.
ZEN: Confirmed.
BLAKE: If the direct route to XK seventy two is fifty hours shorter than our nearest alternative then that can be the difference between life and death for Gan.
VILA: And for us.
JENNA: Realistically, it's his only chance.
AVON: I agree with Jenna.
VILA: You do?
AVON: I have never taken things on trust. I see no reason to make an exception in the case of a mysterious warning of danger.
JENNA: Neither do I.
BLAKE: Right, let's get to it.
VILA: Don't I get asked?
BLAKE: Zen. Set navigation computers for direct route to space laboratory XK seventy two. Speed Standard by Six.
ZEN: Rejected.
AVON: You CANNOT reject a direct command.
BLAKE: Justify that rejection, please.
ZEN: Your command reduces to an order to self-destruct. This runs counter to Prime Directive.
VILA: Zen obviously believes there's something nasty in that zone.
AVON: It has no data. It is acting upon an instruction, an order not to enter the zone.
BLAKE: Then we'll go on manual. Jenna?
JENNA: Ready. Compute course and let's get started.
BLAKE: (Pulling Avon's attention back from Zen) Avon?
VILA: Now, wait a minute. If it's too difficult for Zen to tackle, what chance have we got?
JENNA: Gan is dying.
VILA: All right. Well, let's get on with it.

JENNA: We're approaching it now.
ZEN: Attention. Liberator is entering prohibited zone. All primaries and auxiliary computer functions are now aborted.
BLAKE: Zen!
JENNA: Blake, the screen's gone dead.
BLAKE: Well, check it.
JENNA: Definitely dead.
BLAKE: Switch to the secondary.
JENNA: Oh, thank heaven that works.
BLAKE: Now we really are on our own.
AVON: Let's hope so.
VILA: What do you suppose it is that's lurking out there?
JENNA: Maybe Zen's got it wrong.
AVON: Zen hasn't got it at all.
JENNA: All right then, whoever programmed him.
AVON: One of these days I intend to find out who that is.
VILA: If you live that long.
BLAKE: Anything on the detectors?
VILA: Not a thing. What you see on the screen is exactly what's there. Absolutely nothing. Why should I find nothing terrifying?
BLAKE: (into communicator) How's Gan?
CALLY: (V.O.) No change. Blake, what is the flight time across the
zone?
BLAKE: Avon?
AVON: Thirty hours.
BLAKE: Thirty hours.
VILA: That gives it plenty of time to leap out on us then.
JENNA: Must you keep on about it, Vila?
VILA: Sorry. Just nervous.
BLAKE: We're all nervous.
VILA: I thought it was only me.
BLAKE: What are your readings, Vila?
VILA: Uh, full range detector, nothing to report.
BLAKE: Jenna?
JENNA: All flight systems normal.
BLAKE: Avon?
AVON: Navigation coordinates set and firm.
BLAKE: Hmm. Well, presumably Zen will come back to us when we're out of danger.
VILA: Sounds like a good idea. Any chance of joining him?
JENNA: Zero one surge on primary two. Confirm?
VILA: Confirmed.
JENNA: Compensating.
VILA: Stable.
AVON: Blake, there's something we haven't thought of.
BLAKE: What?
AVON: Systems instability. We have never operated without the auxiliary computers before.
BLAKE: You mean they've been compensating for things like that power surge?
AVON: They've made every minor adjustment that the systems require. And the chances are that they are now going to require a lot.
BLAKE: Because computer control is --
BLAKE: (Together) -- part of the basic design --
& AVON:
AVON: -- concept.
BLAKE: Damn.
AVON: We're going to have to turn back. Jenna, stand by to reverse the course.
JENNA: Look, we've set out to save Gan and that's what we're going to do.
AVON: But you don't understand.
JENNA: Neither do you. We're committed. I intend to go on flying this ship even if all systems go into a flat spin.
AVON: (Grabs her by both arms and pulls her around) But that's exactly what will happen!
BLAKE: All right, Avon, that's enough!
BLAKE: The signal to abort the auxiliary computers came from Zen. Can you override it, bypass Zen, and get them working again?
AVON: Possibly.
BLAKE: Well, try.
AVON: All right. But I'm telling you, you should turn back.
JENNA: Not a chance.
VILA: What was all that about? Everything is running smoothly.
BLAKE: That was because everything was balanced before the computers went off line. Try and adjust something, and you unbalance something else. Try and adjust that, you unbalance two more and before you know what's happened, the ship is out of control.
JENNA: Blake, we're drifting off course.
BLAKE: Lateral drift on coordinate four.
JENNA: Got it. Compensating.
BLAKE: Stable.
VILA: I've just had a comforting thought. We may all be dead before we find out why this is a danger zone.

(computer room)
BLAKE: (V.O.)Have you done it, Avon?
AVON: Soon.
BLAKE: (V.O.)How soon?
AVON: I can talk or I can work, but I can't do both.
BLAKE: (V.O.)We're running out of time, Avon.

(flight deck)
VILA: Blake, we're picking something up on the detectors.
BLAKE: What is it?
VILA: I dunno. The signal's very weak.
BLAKE: No telling what it is from here.
JENNA: Our speed's increasing slightly.
BLAKE: Reduce to standard by three, Jenna.
JENNA: Standard by three.
BLAKE: Can we squeeze any more range on the visuals?
VILA: It's at the limit now.
BLAKE: We may have to reverse thrust and run.
JENNA: That would really throw our systems into chaos now.
VILA: Hurry up, Avon.
JENNA: We're moving off course again.
BLAKE: Lateral drift, coordinate three.
JENNA: Got it. Blake!
BLAKE: What is it?
JENNA: Our speed's increasing again. (in surgical unit, Gan is waking and groaning, and looking around slyly)

AVON: Blake, I can't do it. You must turn back, before it's too late.
BLAKE: We're already too late. We're in an unstable magnetic field. We can't turn back. Avon, we NEED those computers.
VILA: Can you stop us, Jenna?
JENNA: Without computers, not a chance.
BLAKE: Detectors?
VILA: Same signal, getting closer. There's still no telling what it is.
JENNA: We're speeding up again.
BLAKE: Try and compensate.

(in med unit, Cally listens to earphone)
BLAKE: (V.O.)If we get up past Standard by Twenty we'll be out of control.
JENNA: (V.O.)I think she's holding. We're leveling off.
BLAKE: (V.O.)Keep it steady.
CALLY: How are you feeling?
GAN: Tired. Very tired. What's been happening?
CALLY: You were ill. We're trying to get to a place where you can receive medical treatment.
GAN: I'm all right. Just that I, I can't remember. Why am I being held down like this?
CALLY: When the pain was too much for you, you became violent, and we were frightened you might harm yourself.
GAN: I'm sorry, I just can't remember. I'd like to sit up. Help me, will you, Cally?
CALLY: I think you should stay where you are until we can get help.
GAN: I'm all right. A bit uncomfortable. I'd like to sit up.
CALLY: There is some turbulance. You're safer where you are.
GAN: Please. (Cally releases him.)
CALLY: Is that better? (Gan coughs. Cally goes to get water. Gan attacks her, then leaves the surgical unit)

AVON: Blake, I have managed to bypass Zen. I am now going to see if I can override the command. (Steps away from the intercom, thinks twice, comes back) Blake? Blake!

BLAKE: There must be some way we can avoid it.
JENNA: We can't. We're already too close to pull away. With computer backup, we might have flown through it.
VILA: So, without computers?
JENNA: We're dead. It'll tear us to pieces.

BLAKE: Are you two ready?
JENNA: Ready.
BLAKE: Vila?
VILA: Wha--, yes, ready.
BLAKE: Concentrate, Vila. When I give the order to reverse thrust you two have gotta stop us from spinning.
VILA: I know.
BLAKE: Well, if you don't get it right, it'll be the last thing you do know.
CALLY: Blake.
BLAKE: Cally! What happened?
CALLY: Gan has just tried to kill me.
BLAKE: What?
CALLY: I thought he was normal again.
BLAKE: You mean you RELEASED him?
CALLY: He's escaped.
BLAKE: Jenna, you take my place. Brief Cally.

(computer room, Gan tries to pull piping from wall)
AVON: Gan, no! You'll break the computer links, we'll never get them started.
(Avon tries to stop Gan, who thows him off)

JENNA: Cally, reverse thrust in five seconds. On my mark, five four three two one. Thrust.

(Blake hits Gan on head. He collapses)
BLAKE: Are you all right?
AVON: More or less.
BLAKE: He got away from Cally. (Blake gets tranquilizer pads)
AVON: Yes, well, I can see that!
BLAKE: What about the computers? (ship shudders)
AVON: What is going on?
BLAKE: It's a gravitational vortex, biggest spiral you've ever seen. We're right on the edge of it.
AVON: Auxiliary computers on-line and functioning.
BLAKE: Right. Give me a hand with him, will you?

JENNA: We've slowed the rate of approach, but we'll be drawn into it sooner or later.
BLAKE: The way we're using power, it'll be sooner.
CALLY: What will happen to the ship?
AVON: The forces inside that will not merely destroy us, they will annihilate us.
BLAKE: Now Avon's repaired the computers, what would be the difference if we went straight for the center of the vortex on maximum power?
JENNA: Well, it'd be quick, whatever happens.
BLAKE: Well, let's take the quick way. Take over, Jenna.
JENNA: Right, everybody, we're going through the center of the vortex.
AVON: Blake, in the unlikely event that we survive this --
BLAKE: Yes?
AVON: I'm finished. Staying with you requires a degree of stupidity of which I no longer feel capable.
BLAKE: No, you're just being modest.
JENNA: On my mark, five four three two one. (they go through the vortex)
JENNA: Standard by Twelve, still rising.
BLAKE: The structural distort.
JENNA: We'll never hold her, Blake.
BLAKE: The automatics. Hit the automatics.
JENNA: Blake, I can't. I must keep a straight heading.
BLAKE: Jenna, look. Look at the screen. There's nothing there but the stars. We've made it. We are through!

BLAKE: Yes, Avon.
AVON: (V.O.)We're coming in range of XK seventy two. Just had a message from the station administrator. Very polite, but it boils down to who are we and what do we want.
BLAKE: Tell him we're an experimental ship out of Earth on a proving flight. Then tell him what we'll need.
AVON: (V.O.)You think he'll believe that?
BLAKE: Convince him. Use your charm.
CALLY: Why are you angry with Avon?
BLAKE: I'm not.
CALLY: You sound as if you are.
BLAKE: He has a decision to make. If he wants to stay with us, it's got to be for his reasons.
CALLY: You'll do nothing to persuade him?
BLAKE: Nothing at all.

JENNA: Reverse thrust, and stop. (to Vila) Give me closer vision. I only hope we're not too late.
ZEN: Information.
VILA: You're back, are you?
ZEN: Status is firm. All systems are functioning normally.
BLAKE: Where were you when we needed you? (to Avon) What did they say?
AVON: They've invited the commander to go across. I've got a voice fix ... "Commander."
JENNA: Why are we lying to them?
VILA: Why not? No sense in looking for trouble.
JENNA: They're neutral.
BLAKE: That's a term that covers a whole range of attitudes, and some of them not very friendly. What did they say about a doctor?
AVON: There's a neurosurgeon, a Professor Kayn. He'll be waiting for you.
CALLY: (V.O.)Blake, it's urgent.
BLAKE: What is it, Cally?
CALLY: Gan's life signs are getting very irregular. His time is running out. I think he is beginning to die.
BLAKE: (V.O.) I'll be as quick as I can.
BLAKE: Teleport, Avon.
JENNA: I can't see them believing that Liberator is a Federation ship, can you?
VILA: Let's hope they don't even think about it.

(Farron's office)
FARRON: I've never seen a ship remotely like it before. What do you think, Professor Kayn?
KAYN: I'm a surgeon. I'm not terribly interested in spaceship design.
FARRON: You're one of our senior men. You share the responsibility for the safety of this station.
KAYN: FARRON, I realize there is a place for administrators, but I'd be obliged if you'd remember where it is. Please don't presume to lecture me on my responsibilites.
FARRON: So sorry, Professor. (into com unit) Have a team of engineers standing by to examine the shuttle craft these people send across, will you?.
VOICE: (V.O.)Right.
FARRON: Send the commander straight up. Make sure he's not armed.
VOICE: (V.O.) Understood. (Blake teleports in)
BLAKE: Don't worry, I'm not armed.
FARRON: How did you do that?
BLAKE: I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but could I see Professor Kayn now, please.
KAYN: I'm Kayn.
BLAKE: Ah. One of my crewmen is dying. Could you come with me straight away.
FARRON: I'm afraid there are a few formalities we must sort out first. You can't just, uh, appear -
KAYN: I'll come with you.
FARRON: Professor Kayn, I cannot allow this.
KAYN: Send me a memorandum, Farron. Through the usual channels, of course.
BLAKE: Would you put this on please?
KAYN: What is it?
BLAKE: It's a teleport bracelet.
FARRON: I warn you, this is most inadvisable.
KAYN: I shall need a few things.
BLAKE: Our surgical units are very well equipped, but I'll send back somebody for anything else you might need.
KAYN: Farron, have Dr. Renor standing by to assist me, he'll know what I need.
BLAKE: I'll send someone back for him. Are you ready?
KAYN: I am ready.
FARRON: Kayn, I cannot allow this, it is completely against station policy.
BLAKE: Bring us across.
FARRON: This behavior will have to be noted down in the station log.

KAYN: That is remarkable.
BLAKE: Avon, send someone across to collect Professor Kayn's assistant, will you? (To Kayn) Your bracelet, please.
KAYN: I thought the matter transmission project had been abandoned.
BLAKE: A temporary setback.
KAYN: But with Federation resources it was just a matter of time, I suppose.
BLAKE: This way, Professor.
KAYN: Truly remarkable.
BLAKE: Professor?
KAYN: Oh, yes, sorry. One thing I will say for the Federation, when they decide to do a thing, they do it. (Blake and Kayn exit.)
VILA: I didn't like the sound of that much.
AVON: One of the many faces of neutrality.
VILA: Who's going across to get the assistant? Shall I call Jenna?
AVON: No. I'll go.
VILA: Oh, good. Good idea, I mean.
AVON: Why do you stay with Blake?
VILA: I like him.
AVON: That isn't a good enough reason.
VILA: It is for me. That and the fact I've got nowhere else to go.
AVON: (smiles) All right. Put me across.

KAYN: Just a minute. This is interesting. What rank do you hold?
BLAKE: I'm a civilian.
KAYN: Unusual.
BLAKE: We tend to be in the majority, even in the Federation.
KAYN: I meant this is unusual. What are you up to? Proving flight on a military craft? It is a military craft?
BLAKE: Excuse me, it's still experimental. It's classified. Uh, this way.

CALLY: Why were you such a long time?
BLAKE: Cally -
KAYN: My fault, I'm afraid. Needed time to adjust. Can't afford to be disconcerted with this kind of work. Oh, yes, you are right, his condition is critical. Find out where my assistant is, will you please?
BLAKE: Of course.
KAYN: What's your name?
CALLY: Cally.
KAYN: All right, Cally, now you tell me why this man has a limiter implant.

BLAKE: Where's Kayn's assistant?
VILA: He'll be arriving any moment.
BLAKE: For the time being, keep him here.
VILA: Right.
AVON: (V.O.) Vila, this is Avon. Dr. Renor is ready to come across. I won't be coming back with him, though.
VILA: What do you mean, you won't be coming back with him?
AVON: I'm staying for a look around. I'll call you when I'm ready.
VILA: Oh, fine. I'll just hang around here and wait for you.
AVON: You do that.
VILA: Stand by. (operates teleport) Dr. Renor?

BLAKE: So anything you can get from him about this Professor Kayn would be useful.
JENNA: I'll try. I might not be his type, though.
BLAKE: We'll just have to take the chance.
JENNA: Thanks.
BLAKE: Go on. Zen, I want a series of projections from the battle computers. Nearest Federation bases, likely flight patterns, flight times, and possiblity of interception.
ZEN: Confirmed.

JENNA: Hello.
RENOR: Hello, hello, hello!
VILA: Ah. Jenna, this is Professor Kayn's assistant, his name is -
RENOR: Renor. And I had a feeling this was going to be a good day.
JENNA: Yes, well, don't let your feelings run away with you.
RENOR: Oh, a sense of humor, too. I love girls with a sense of humor.
JENNA: Yes, I can see where that would be an advantage. This way, please.
RENOR: Do you believe in love at first sight, Jenna?
JENNA: Not yet.

FARRON: I don't think you realize what you're suggesting.
AVON: I am offering you my services, and, among other things, the secret of matter transmission.
FARRON: You are offering me classified Federation material. This is an independent, neutral scientific foundation.
AVON: Suppose I tell you that the material does not belong to the Federation, that we are not Federation personnel, and that THAT is not a Federation ship.
FARRON: Then who does it belong to?
AVON: Us.
FARRON: Who are you?
AVON: Before I tell you that, I should like your guarantee that the others will be allowed to leave unmolested.
FARRON: Well, why should I give you that?
AVON: You and your foundation stand to make a fortune. I'm merely asking for your guarantee that you will maintain your neutrality ... and protect your investment.
FARRON: All right. You have my personal guarantee. Now who are you?

KAYN: At last.
RENOR: Sorry, professor. (to Cally) Hello! This place is full of pretty girls.
KAYN: Prepare for immediate surgery, please.
RENOR: Right.
JENNA: I'll get out of your way.
KAYN: Won't need you either, Cally.
RENOR: Would have been helpful to have had one of them here.
KAYN: Do you know who these people are?
RENOR: Federation research team?
KAYN: It's Blake and his crew.
RENOR: THE Blake? How do you know?
KAYN: They lie badly.
RENOR: Stannis! That's who she is! Jenna Stannis. I've never met a celebrity before.
KAYN: Celebrity! These people are maniacs, killers.
RENOR: Oh, come on.
KAYN: Mindless destroyers.
RENOR: You don't know that.
KAYN: They are destroying the greatest force for order in the known universe.
RENOR: Order? Well, you've had a change of heart, haven't you? I'm sure poor old Farron would be delighted with your new concern for the rules.
KAYN: Farron is a bureaucratic fool. I'm talking about stability, Renor, stability. With no stability there is no progress.
RENOR: Progress to what? Brain implantation?
KAYN: A dangerous psychopath? Certainly. Or would you prefer he'd been executed?
RENOR: That's what you intend to do, isn't it? You're going to delay the operation so that Blake and his crew can be captured.
KAYN: I haven't decided yet.
RENOR: Well, delay much longer, and there won't be any decision to make. What are you doing? (Kayn has communicator in his hand)
KAYN: Not that it's any business of yours, I'm going to contact the nearest Federation base.
RENOR: I'll warn Blake.
KAYN: And lose the chance of working with the greatest surgeon you'll ever see? You're too ambitious for that. Besides, I'm the only one who can save him, if I choose to. (into mic) XK seven two.

(three pursuit ships against starfield)
LEADER: Pursuit leader to pursuit two and three. Executive order states that damage to Research Station XK seventy two must be avoided if possible. Priority concern is capture of Blake and his crew.

(Farron's office)
FARRON: He did what?
VOICE: Professor Kayn said you knew about it.
FARRON: The communications section is well aware that no one is allowed to send official messages without clearing them first through channels.
VOICE: Professor Kayn said it was a matter of life and death.
FARRON: Hmm...Ask our visitor to come and see me, will you? I think he's looking around the computer section. His name is Avon.
VOICE: Right.
FARRON: Do we know what the Federation's doing?
VOICE: The pursuit ships will be here in three hours.
FARRON: Then find Avon quickly.

RENOR: We must start the operation.
KAYN: Not yet. The Federation ships need time.
RENOR: But we're losing him. I mean look at the life signs. He's practically dead now.
KAYN: Not yet.

CALLY: It's taking a very long time.
JENNA: Well, at least while they're still working, we know that Gan's got a chance. Kayn is supposed to be a genius.
VILA: The trouble with a genius, is you're never too sure what he's up to. Perhaps Zen can tell how long the operation should normally take.
JENNA: Zen?
ZEN: There is insufficient data for an accurate projection. Within the parameters you have described, the surgeon's skill and operating procedures are unknow variables. (Vila gets gun)
VILA: There you are. Thought not.

FARRON: I can only apologize. I'm afraid there's absolutely nothing I can do for your friends now.
AVON: It was naive of me to expect you to keep your word.
FARRON: That is a little unfair. It's just that it's out of my hands. Look, Avon, it is against all the rules, and it's a risk I really shouldn't take, but I am prepared to let you stay here.
AVON: What about the pursuit ships?
FARRON: When your friends detect them they will presumably run or fight.
AVON: They will have no other choice.
FARRON: In which case, they may escape or more probably they will be destroyed. Either way, the Federation need never know that you're here on the station. You can work here in peace and safety. (Waits) Well? What do you say?
AVON: I shall need to go back to the Liberator to collect a few things.
FARRON: Good. You've made the right decision.

LEADER: Pursuit leader to all crews. Full standby. Check all battle systems. Enemy contact estimated in one hour.

(Renor fastens Kayn's collar)
KAYN: Thank you.

AVON: (V.O.) This is Avon, from XK seventy two. All right, Vila. Bring me across. Vila! Wake up, Vila. Vila! (Cally operates teleport)

RENOR: I'm going to operate myself.
KAYN: You'll kill him.
RENOR: Well, at least I'll have tried! You call yourself a doctor? (Vila enters, handgun pointed at the doctors)
VILA: No, he calls himself a genius.
KAYN: Ah.
VILA: Alright, genius, time's up.
KAYN: I wondered how long it would take you.
VILA: Well, you can stop wondering and start operating.
KAYN: Why didn't Blake come himself?
VILA: Blake doesn't know anything about it. I thought it was better that way. He's got a conscience. He might not be prepared to kill you.
KAYN: And you are?
VILA: Yes.
AVON: If he isn't, I am.
VILA: How did you get here?
AVON: He sold us out to the Federation. Pursuit ships are only forty- five minutes away.
VILA: You going to operate or not?
KAYN: Alright.
VILA: I have a feeling that was too easy.
KAYN: Any attempt to move this ship while I'm operating will certainly result in this man's death.
RENOR: He's right. Vibration, accelleration, any movement at all, and it's all over.
AVON: (into com unit) Hold it, Blake. We can't leave yet.

LEADER: Pursuit leader to all crews. Thirty minutes to contact.

BLAKE: How soon can you complete?
KAYN: Thirty-five minutes.
BLAKE: Do it in twenty.
KAYN: Or you'll kill me.
BLAKE: Oh, no, no, no. In twenty-five minutes I'm returning you to your station. If you haven't completed your work --
KAYN: Your threats don't bother me in the least, you know.
BLAKE: -- I shall destroy your hands. Twenty minutes. (He exits. Avon follows close upon.)
KAYN: Animals! Stupid destructive animals!
RENOR: Twenty minutes is more than enough time to complete.
KAYN: Are you defending their behavior?
RENOR: I can't defend ours!

(In teleport bay,Kayn shows Blake some pictures of the limiter)
KAYN: That's where the fault was, in the limiter, there. And there it is repaired. If you survive, so should he.
BLAKE: Is there any way we can thank you?
KAYN: You could try getting caught.
AVON: Ready? (He puts them across.) All right, Jenna, get us out of here.

JENNA: Zen, reverse thrust, Standard point zero-one.
ZEN: Confirmed.
JENNA: Lateral one-eighty.
ZEN: Lateral one eighty.
BLAKE: I'll handle this Jenna. You can help Gan.

FERRON: (into com unit) They'll take no further action without orders from me!
KAYN: You pathetic feeble-minded little beaurocrat. You going to let them get away?
FERRON: You exceeded your authority, Professor Kayn. It was not your place to inform the Federation of their presence here. You violated the neutrality --
KAYN: Damn your neutrality! (into com unit) Get me weaponry!
FERRON: How dare you! I'm in command of this base.
KAYN: You have forfeited that command, Ferron, you gutless nothing.
VOICE: Weaponry.
FERRON: Stop that, I tell you! Take no orders--
KAYN: You struck my hand! (throttles Ferron, then strikes him with an object)
VOICE: Weaponry.

ZEN: Battle computers project pursuit ships directly in Liberator's flight path.
BLAKE: Down zero one. Maintain heading and speed. Standard by eight.
ZEN: Plasma bolt launched.
BLAKE: Activate the force wall.
AVON: Activated. (first bolt shakes them up)
ZEN: Second bolt launched and running.
BLAKE: Bearing directly.
VILA: Missed!
AVON: It missed us, but it's still running.

VOICE: Ferron! Plasma bolt bearing directly on XK seventy two. It's going to hit us. Instructions, please. Ferron! Ferron! Ferron! (XK seventy two is hit, and explodes)

AVON: Say goodbye to one bolt hole.
BLAKE: That's not funny, Avon.
AVON: It wasn't meant to be.
ZEN: Pursuit ships are turning.
BLAKE: You know what to do.
AVON: Zen, increase speed to Standard by Eight.

BLAKE: How do you feel?
GAN: I feel as if someone has been poking around inside my head-- with a foot.
VILA: We had to kick your brain a couple of times to get it started.
GAN: Only twice? They didn't remove the limiter.
CALLY: It was not possible.
VILA: They've modified it, though. Your ears glow in the dark, now.
BLAKE: Hey, let me know when you're ready for work.
GAN: Thanks.
BLAKE: Oh, by the way, welcome back. (general laughter)

** The End **

"Bounty"

Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Pennant Roberts

(c) 1977 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1992 by Susan Schnitger and Micky DuPree.

Regular Cast:

Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas
Jenna Stannis - Sally Knyvette
Kerr Avon - Paul Darrow
Cally - Jan Chappell
Vila Restal - Michael Keating
Olag Gan - David Jackson
Zen - Peter Tuddenham

Guest cast:

Sarkoff - T. P. McKenna
Tyce - Carinthia West
Tarvin - Marc Zuber
Cheney - Mark York
Amagon Guard - Derrick Branche

Uncredited:

Two male voices

Walk-ons:

Doug Charlton, Rex Browne
Bob Sutherland, Ronald Nunnery
John Aston, Paul Berry
Bernie Lawrence, Keith Norrish
Derek San-Sellus, Andy Dempsey
Geronimo Sehmi, Neville Rofaila
Roberta Gibbs

[Cally looks around cautiously in a wooded area. She hides as two Federation guards walk by. Blake is approaching her and carrying a box.]
CALLY: [V.O., telepathing] Guards! Don't speak or make a sound.
[Blake quietly crouches beside her, and they watch as the guards confer and then depart.]
CALLY: My reflexes are dull. They almost fell over me before I heard them.
BLAKE: I've forgotten how useful telepathy is.
CALLY: Oh, I must practice that, too.
BLAKE: No sign of him.
CALLY: Just patrols, lots of them.
BLAKE: I think I've found where he's being kept.
CALLY: Is it as we were told?
BLAKE: It's certainly very strange, the weirdest prison I've ever seen.
CALLY: Listen.
BLAKE: Keep down.
[They watch as Sarkoff, Tyce and a guard pass in an old-style open automobile.]
CALLY: What was it?
BLAKE: I don't know. But in the back position, that was Sarkoff, wasn't it?
CALLY: That was President Sarkoff, yes.
BLAKE: Come on, let's go.
[They enter the compound and unknowingly pass a sensor.]

[A field. Cheney and some other Federation guards.]
CHENEY: [Into communicator] Yes?
VOICE: [V.O.] I think we've got some intruders.
CHENEY: Are you sure?
VOICE: [V.O.] Electronic surveillance is usually reliable.
VOICE: Our electronic surveillance is usually reliable.
CHENEY: Very reliable, yes. Last time it turned out to be a local rodent digging a hole under one of your listening devices. We spent two hours chasing our tails on that occasion.
VOICE: [V.O,] That wasn't our fault.
CHENEY: All right, give me the coordinates.
VOICE: [V.O.] Five one ....

[Blake and Cally continue walking through the woods.]

CHENEY: If they are there then they've already penetrated two of our security perimeters.
VOICE: [V.O.] Have you got them all?
CHENEY: Yes. Subcommander Cheney to all units. This is a red alert. I repeat, this is a red alert. Electronic security reports intruders in Sector Three. All units are now on Red Standby. Out. [To surrounding guards] At the double, move it.

[The car reaches a building that resembles a small castle with the Eiffel tower grafted onto it.]
SARKOFF: Thank you, Tyce. You may put the automobile under cover now.
TYCE: Don't forget the base commander's gift.
SARKOFF: Ah, yes, it was very courteous of the base commander, don't you think, to spend part of his leave getting this and then to bring it all the way from Earth.
TYCE: He values your friendship.
SARKOFF: Yes, I think he does.
TYCE: And he's a social climber. Probably works your name into every conversation. "My friend, ex President Sarkoff."
SARKOFF: Tyce, that is a most ill-mannered remark.
TYCE: It's the truth.
SARKOFF: Civilization has always depended on courtesy rather than truth. And I need civilization. Now, more than ever. [Sarkoff enters the building. Blake and Cally have been watching from the nearby trees.]
CALLY: He looks older.
BLAKE: He is older. It's seven years since he came into exile. [Into bracelet] Liberator, come in, Liberator.

[Flight deck of the Liberator]
GAN: [Repeats three times in the background] Liberator to space craft. Liberator to space craft. Can you hear us?
JENNA: Looks like some sort of cruiser.
AVON: Not making much headway.
BLAKE: [V.O., over communicator] Blake to Liberator, do you read me?
JENNA: We read you.
VILA: Do you think he's ready to come up?
BLAKE: [V.O.] We've run into more security than we expected. It's going to take longer.
JENNA: Listen, Blake, we've got a problem. There's an unidentified ship moving in on our position.
BLAKE: [V.O.] Federation?
JENNA: Zen says not, but Gan can't make a voice contact. Seems to be closing in all the time.
BLAKE: Well, what do you want to do?
JENNA: [V.O.] Investigate.
BLAKE: Well, be careful.
AVON: We can handle things. If it turns out to be hostile, we'll do a part orbit and lose it.
JENNA: We can't just wait for it to close in.
BLAKE: Well, if you've got to move off-station, you've got to, but be as quick as you can, and don't take any stupid risks. We're taking enough of those down here.
JENNA: Don't worry.
BLAKE: [V.O.] Well, I will if you're not back in time to get us out.
JENNA: We'll be here.
BLAKE: [V.O] Good luck!
JENNA: You, too.
VILA: I don't like the look of that.
GAN: Not again, Vila.
VILA: I'm entitled to my opinion.
AVON: It is your assumption that we are entitled to it as well that is irritating.
JENNA: What do you think?
AVON: As a matter of fact, I don't like the look of it either.
VILA: [To himself] He agrees with me.
AVON: The flight path is too erratic.
VILA: [Still to himself] Makes it all seem worthwhile somehow.
AVON: It looks deliberate to me.
JENNA: It could be an injured pilot.
AVON: It could be a trap.
GAN: It's not a very good one, then. We're suspicious of it already.
AVON: The test is not whether you are suspicious but whether you are caught.
JENNA: Then we'll make sure we're not. Vila, clear the neutron blasters for firing. Zen, put up the radiation flare shields.
ZEN: Confirmed.
JENNA: [To Gan] Keep trying to establish a voice contact. I'll fly her on manual. [To Avon] If you'll read the detectors and scanners.
AVON: First sign of trouble, we get out, right?
JENNA: Goes without saying.
AVON: I only wish it did.

[In woods near the castle. Blake rejoins Cally after scouting the area.]
CALLY: We attack the guards or climb.
BLAKE: There's a door on the ground floor, it's the only entrance. There is an open window round the back but it's high up. We've got to get onto that roof.
CALLY: We climb.
BLAKE: We don't want to risk raising an alarm. Come on.

[In woods. Cheney and the guards are examining some footprints.]
CHENEY: It's not a burrowing rodent this time. Looks to be two intruders, two at least. [Into communicator] Cheney to all units. Red Standby Alert is now Red Mobilization, repeat, Red Mobilization. All units to move in on the residence.

[Flight deck]
GAN: Liberator to spacecraft, Liberator to spacecraft.
AVON: You're closing too fast for me to get an accurate scan.
JENNA: All right, I'll reduce speed.
AVON: Thank you.
GAN: Liberator to spacecraft. Can you hear us?
VILA: Blasters are ranged and ready to fire.
AVON: No sign of any external damage. Carries no heavy armament.
GAN: I'm getting a voice, very faint, lot of static.
JENNA: Boost it to the main channel.
AMAGON: [Static] ...Star Queen. General distress call, general distress call. This is the civilian cruiser Star Queen. If anyone can hear me, we need help. Please help us. General distress call, general distress call [Fades]
GAN: Zen, are we in teleport range?
ZEN: Liberator will be within teleport range of the civilian cruiser Star Queen in seven minutes.
GAN: Good.
AVON: No.
GAN: They need help!
AVON: Do they?
GAN: Well, you heard him.
AVON: It's not quite the same thing.
JENNA: Avon's right. We need more information.
GAN: Let me go across and get it. If it is a trap I'll warn you. Then Vila can open fire.
VILA: With you on board?
GAN: If necessary.
VILA: You feeling all right?
GAN: Fine.
AVON: You would give the instruction for your own death -- you expect us to believe that?
GAN: Yes. I expect you to believe that.

[Base of the castle wall. Blake gets some climbing rope and a grapnel hook out of the box.]
BLAKE: Cover me whilst I climb, then hide the box.
[Blake scales the wall. Cally spots a guard heading their way]
CALLY: [V.O., telepathing] Blake! A guard is coming!
[The guard reaches the part of the wall where they were. No one is there, but then he looks up and spots Cally. She drops down on him and knocks him out.]
CALLY: [V.O.] You must get to Sarkoff. I will hide this one and then follow you.

[Vila is alone on the flight deck.]
VILA: [To himself] Come on, Gan. What's taking so long?
AVON: [V.O., over communicator] His time's nearly up. Stand by to fire on that ship, Vila.
VILA: I still don't think this is such a good idea.
AVON: [V.O.] I didn't ask for your opinion. Are you standing by to fire?
VILA: We don't want to do anything hasty.
AVON: [V.O.] Vila!
VILA: Yes, I'm standing by. [Avon and Jenna are in the teleport room.]
GAN: [V.O., over communicator] This is Gan. It's all right. You can bring me back across now. There's no danger to us, but they need our help all right. 'I've got all the details. Bring me back.
[Vila starts to exit the flight deck.]
ZEN: Information. Analysis of voice print confirms that was not Olag Gan speaking.
VILA: [Into communicator] Avon! Avon!
JENNA: All right, bring him up.
[Avon initiates teleport.]
VILA: [V.O.l] Avon! Avon! Avon! Answer me! [Normal] Avon! It's not Gan! ... Avon? Jenna? Now don't let's be silly. Answer me, one of you. [To himself] I shall come out in a rash. Zen, has something happened to them?
ZEN: Data is not available.
VILA: I don't want data, I want to know what's happening.
ZEN: It will be necessary for you to make a personal investigation.
VILA: Oh, you're a big help. "Personal investigation." [Straps on a weapon] "Personal investigation." The next time Avon wants to make a personal investigation on how you work I shall make a personal point of handing him the instruments, personally.
[Leaves the flight deck, reluctantly]

[A room in the castle. Blake enters and surveys the relics from "old Earth" that fill it. He is touching a display box of butterflies when Sarkoff enters.]
SARKOFF: Beautiful, aren't they. Earth insects of the order Lepidoptera.
BLAKE: Butterflies.
SARKOFF: Ah, so you're an historian, are you?
BLAKE: No, but I did study some natural history.
SARKOFF: It's interesting, isn't it, that when that term "natural history" was originated, it referred to the study of living things. It was much later that it came to mean the study of things long since past and dead. History in its more conventional sense.
BLAKE: You don't seem surprised to see me.
SARKOFF: I've been expecting you. Oh, not you, specifically, but someone. Do you know, uh, what this is? [Picks up a phonograph record and places it on a victrola.]
BLAKE: Why are you expecting someone?
SARKOFF: Assassination has always been a legitimate tool of statecraft. Its respectability and public acceptance has varied from civilization to civilization, but its practical application has remained remarkably consistent. [Starts the record playing.]
BLAKE: I --
SARKOFF: Echoes of a more civilized age.
BLAKE: I didn't come here to murder you.
SARKOFF: [Shushing him] You know [Stops and removes the record] this is the finest private collection of Twentieth Century Earth objects anywhere in the galaxy. Even on Earth itself you would find no collection like it. This building is a replica of a typical residence of that period, set in an authentic Earth garden.
BLAKE: I said, I'm not a murderer.
SARKOFF: I'm grateful for your semantic precision. Political assassination I can ... live with. To be murdered would the final, sordid indignity. [Picks up a gun.] Now my educated friend, do you know what this is?
BLAKE: Uh, it's a projectile weapon.
SARKOFF: It's called a revolver. Explosive charge here, projectile emerges with great force and considerable accuracy, over short distances anyway. Primitive, but [Cocks the hammer] efficient enough for my purposes. [Points it at Blake.]
BLAKE: President Sarkoff, I must speak with you. Will you listen to what I have to--
SARKOFF: [Pulls the trigger, producing nothing more than a click.] EX-president. [Lowers gun]
BLAKE: I haven't got time for the niceties of this game that you're playing.
SARKOFF: Just time for a hasty rationalization.
BLAKE: I just want you to listen.
SARKOFF: I've wasted my life listening, listening to people who are arrogant, or vacuous, or just plain vicious. I smiled and acquiesced in the face of prejudice and stupidity. I've tolerated mediocrity and accepted the tyranny of second-class minds. But now all that is over. I am ready to die, here among the things I value. I am ready to let you kill me but I am not ready to listen to you justify the act.
[Tyce has entered quietly, and holds a gun to Blake's head.]
TYCE: Quite still. [Removes Blake's weapon, picks up and holds a second gun on him as well.]
BLAKE: [To Sarkoff] Very good.
SARKOFF: I meant what I said. Put those down, Tyce. [Blake turns to confront Tyce.] I'm afraid they do work. [To Tyce] I said, put them down.
TYCE: I heard what you said, I heard every feeble, self-pitying word. Why should they send assassins for you, you're already dead, Sarkoff. [To Blake] Before I kill you, who are you and what do you want?
BLAKE: I came here to take President Sarkoff back to his people. My name is Blake.

[Outside the castle, Cheney and three guards are in front, Cally at the back.]
CHENEY: Idiot, why didn't you report this to me immediately? You two, around the rear.
[Cally climbs the rope and pulls it up just before a guard would have seen it.]

[In the castle.]
SARKOFF: I won't do it. No, Blake, what you ask is impossible. It would be a mistake for me and the people of my planet. I am NOT the same man.
BLAKE: To them you are.
SARKOFF: I am no longer a politician. But if I were, I would tell you that your timing is wrong, anyway.
BLAKE: And if I were, I would tell you that if you wait any longer it will be too late.
SARKOFF: You don't understand.
TYCE: [Brings Cally into the room at gunpoint.] Blake?
BLAKE: She's with me.
CALLY: I did tell you that.
TYCE: Are there any more?
BLAKE: No, just Cally.
CALLY: Something has alerted the guards. Are we safe in here?
TYCE: Yes. But I'll go and check. [Exits]
BLAKE: Did you hide the box?
CALLY: Of course. Is he ready?
SARKOFF: Well, Cally. Must I listen to you, too?
CALLY: No.
SARKOFF: Have you no opinions?
CALLY: None. You are needed to unite your people.
SARKOFF: I see. Facts, not opinions.
CALLY: Would we have risked our lives for an opinion?
SARKOFF: What do you think of my collection?
CALLY: Ah, it is most ... ah, impressive.
SARKOFF: "Impressive", only? Ah, but then your people don't originate from Earth, do they?
CALLY: My people are the Auronar.
SARKOFF: Yes, I remember in my last years of office, we received an ambassador from Auron. His name was --
CALLY: -- Lehan.
SARKOFF: Yes, Lehan. I remember how alone he seemed.
CALLY: He did not return to us.
BLAKE: Because he failed.
SARKOFF: Because I failed him? I wanted that alliance.
CALLY: So did we. To resist the Federation.
BLAKE: You seem to have shifted your ground somewhat since then.
SARKOFF: I was leader of the planetary government on Lindor for five years. During that period I resisted political pressure to join the Federation, even from factions within my own party. Eventually I decided to settle the issue by trying to get a vote of confidence. So I called elections.
TYCE: And he was beaten.
BLAKE: Of course he was beaten.
SARKOFF: My friend, I was totally annihilated, complete rejection. And no precise decisions followed my political disgrace. Lindor did not join the Federation. You see, it wasn't a rejection of my policies, the vote was merely a rejection of me.
TYCE: So he ran away and hid, here on this empty, nameless planet which the Federation so generously provided.
CALLY: Together with a security force.
TYCE: And you're right, something has stirred them up. Since there's nothing else that's any threat to them, they must know you're around here somewhere.
SARKOFF: I'm afraid that Tyce has never been able to accept that I am no longer important.
BLAKE: It's a very impressive bodyguard for someone who is no longer important.
SARKOFF: Courtesy. Besides it would be politically embarrassing for them if I were to be killed while I was their guest.
BLAKE: Not unimportant, then. Not naive, either. I mean, surely you must realize you're a prisoner here.
TYCE: Of course he does. Don't you see it, Blake, he relies on them keeping him here.
SARKOFF: No, no that's not true.
CALLY: [V.O., telepathing] Blake, we're running out of time.
BLAKE: President Sarkoff, your planet is in total chaos. There are dozens of factions fighting for power. They're on the brink of civil war.
SARKOFF: That cannot be true. I get regular reports.
BLAKE: When the fighting starts, the Federation will move in a peacekeeping force. They'll take over the administration and the government and your planet will have lost its freedom. Just swallowed up into the Federation. All quite legitimate and not a single voice raised in protest.
SARKOFF: That cannot happen. I know the situation on Lindor. I get regular reports--
BLAKE: From the FEDERATION communications, yes?
SARKOFF: Yes. But I have proof of their authenticity--
BLAKE: The Lindor Strategy. That's what they called it. It began with the rigged elections which removed you from power and will only end when you return to your planet as the puppet leader of a subjugated people.
TYCE: I knew!
SARKOFF: Nonsense.
BLAKE: No. We captured a Federation cipher machine. Now before they changed the code, we picked up a lot of information. Our computers have been unravelling it ever since. One of the things they came up with was the Lindor Strategy. We have checked. It is happening.
SARKOFF: Why should I believe you?
BLAKE: Well, what have I got to gain by lying?
CALLY: You are the only man who can reunite your planet. If you act now, you can save it from war and from the Federation.
BLAKE: Well?
[Sarkoff walks away.]
TYCE: He won't go with you.
BLAKE: He must.
TYCE: He was broken, can't you see that? If you'd known him before, you'd understand. He was a very special man, brilliant and proud. Failure never occurred to him.
CALLY: But the elections were rigged.
TYCE: It was still failure.
BLAKE: [To Cally] That's something you should understand.
TYCE: I thought I could help him.
BLAKE: He must come with us, by force if necessary.
TYCE: I know. You will take us both?
BLAKE: Put this on. [Fastens a bracelet on her wrist] And put one on him. [Hands another bracelet to her.]
CALLY: I'll go and check where the guards are. [Leaves]
BLAKE: [Into bracelet] Liberator, are you back on station yet? Respond, please. [V.O.] Liberator, do you read me? Respond, please. [Normal] Liberator, do you read me?
SARKOFF: [Holding a bracelet] What is this?
BLAKE: It's a teleport device. L--
SARKOFF: Something to do with getting me to your ship?
BLAKE: Yes, when I can contact them.
SARKOFF: Well, I shan't need it. I'm not coming with you. [Puts the bracelet down.]
BLAKE: I'm sorry.
SARKOFF: So am I. It's too late, Blake, it's been too long. Defeat has become a habit.
TYCE: [Handing Blake a cylinder] Blake, if you ignite this it explodes. I thought it might be useful.
CALLY: [Enters] The whole of the front is cordoned off and there are two men searching the woods at the back.
BLAKE: Looking for the missing guard. Do you think they'll find him?
CALLY: Well, I should think so.
SARKOFF: Very soon they'll check in here, too. You two must go now while you still have a chance.
BLAKE: Liberator's still not back on station.
CALLY: Well, perhaps we'd be safer on the move.
BLAKE: It depends how long they take to get back.
TYCE: There is a place you could hide, safer than this. Deserted mine workings.
BLAKE: How far?
TYCE: About twenty miles.
CALLY: Well, that's too far.
BLAKE: That vehicle you use--
TYCE: The automobile?
BLAKE: Yes. Can you get to it without being seen?
TYCE: I think so.
BLAKE: All right, come with me. Cally. [Blake, Cally and Tyce leave the room. Sarkoff puts another record on the victrola ("Blow The Winds Southerly") and listens to it. After a minute, Blake returns. He checks outside and then checks his watch.]
SARKOFF: What are you planning to do?
BLAKE: Escape.
SARKOFF: I wish you hadn't involved Tyce in whatever it is--
BLAKE: She is coming with us.

[At base of castle wall. Cally and Tyce climb down the rope.]

[Room in the castle. Blake commences looking at his watch.]
SARKOFF: I should have realized.
BLAKE: Realized what?
SARKOFF: That Tyce wouldn't stay with me, not now.
BLAKE: Does it make any difference?
SARKOFF: To my decision? Of course not.
BLAKE: No, of course not. [Checks watch a final time then looks up] Right. Stay here, please. [Exits]
SARKOFF: Where else would I go? This is all I have left.

[On the castle roof. Blake throws and then shoots the cylinder that Tyce gave him. It explodes.]

[In front of castle. Cheney and three other guards.]
CHENEY: [Alerted] The rear, quickly!

[At the car. Cally and Tyce climb in and drive off.]

[Room in the castle.]
BLAKE: [Enters] Right. Come on. [Sarkoff doesn't react.] You must come with us.
SARKOFF: No.
BLAKE: [Removes the record from the victrola and smashes it, then picks up the butterfly collection] All of it. Piece by piece. [Makes as if to drop it]
SARKOFF: No! No, please! All right. All right. All right, I'll come.
BLAKE: [Holding a bracelet out to him] Put that back on.

[Outside the castle. Blake and Sarkoff exit the front door as Cally and Tyce drive up in the car. The engine dies as Sarkoff gets in.]
SARKOFF: The starting handle.
[Tyce gets out and tries to crank over the engine.]

[Behind the castle, Cheney and other guards.]
CHENEY: It's a trick, the front, they're at the front!

[Front of the castle]
BLAKE: [To Tyce] You get back inside. Let me try. [Starts the car just as Cheney arrives. Blake crouches behind the car.]
CHENEY: Hey! Get out. Everybody get out. [Blake slips up behind him and knocks him down, and they all drive away.]
CHENEY: Cheney to all units, this is Blue Mobilization, I repeat, this is Blue Mobilization.

[Driving along in the car.]
BLAKE: [V.O.] Liberator, this is Blake. Do you read me? Respond. Liberator, respond please. Liberator! Do you read me? Come in! [Into bracelet] Liberator, we need teleport, now! [They vanish just seconds before the now-empty car crashes into a roadblock.]

[In the teleport room, empty except for the party that just teleported up.]
CALLY: Where are they?
BLAKE: I don't know.
TYCE: What is it?
BLAKE: Stay here with them, Cally. [To Tyce and Sarkoff] Wait here, please.
SARKOFF: [Surveying his surroundings] Yes. Well, it's faster than the automobile but, uh, not as amusing. Ah. [He hands the box to Cally.]

[The flight deck]
BLAKE: [Enters] Where are they, Zen?
ZEN: Please specify question more precisely.
BLAKE: The others. My crew. Where are they?
ZEN: Their absence from the flight deck is the only data available.
BLAKE: Thank you, Zen. [Exits]

[The teleport section.]
BLAKE: Jenna! Where are the others?
JENNA: They're all dead.
BLAKE: Dead?
JENNA: I still don't know what happened -- there was a distress call and.... [Covers her mouth and nose with her hands]
BLAKE: Yeah, but I mean ... how did all the ... what, are you all right -- [Whirls and an Amagon sprays him with a gas. He falls and loses consciousness.]

[In a room aboard the Liberator, being used as a cell. All the crew except for Jenna are there, wearing neckbands. Blake comes to with his hands cuffed behind him.]
BLAKE: That was stupid.
AVON: None of us showed conspicuous intelligence on this occasion.
VILA: [Working on Blake's cuffs. Blake wriggles.] Keep still.
BLAKE: Who are they?
CALLY: They're Amagons.
BLAKE: Amagons? I thought smuggling was the Amagon speciality.
AVON: It is, but they also manage a little robbery, piracy, murder...
VILA: Anything to turn an honest profit. [Frees Blake's hands] There.
BLAKE: Thank you.
GAN: This lot are headhunters.
VILA: [Fingering his neckband] I wish you wouldn't call them that.
GAN: Bounty hunters. They're going to sell us to the Federation.
BLAKE: But how did they get on board?
AVON: Gan?
VILA: It wasn't Gan's fault.
GAN: They used me and a voice synthesizer. It was very well planned.
BLAKE: Was Jenna behind it?
AVON: No. But when it was clear that we had lost, THAT is when she changed sides.

[On the flight deck]
TARVIN: [Removes Jenna's neckband and tosses it aside] Good to have you back with us, Jenna. [Touches her]
JENNA: [Walks away] This is purely a business arrangement, Tarvin.
TARVIN: You weren't always so cold.
JENNA: You weren't always a bounty hunter.
TARVIN: Have you forgotten Zolaf Four?
JENNA: Is it worth remembering?
TARVIN: Just the two of us in the mountains.
JENNA: And three hundred customs guards.
TARVIN: You saved my life.
JENNA: We all make mistakes.
TARVIN: I thought you liked me.
JENNA: Oh, I did. Then.
TARVIN: Have I changed so much?
JENNA: One of us has.
TARVIN: [Detonates Jenna's discarded neckband] I just saved your pretty neck.
JENNA: I didn't like the price.
TYCE: You paid it.
TARVIN: [To Jenna] What's Blake to you? We'd have got him anyway.
JENNA: I don't think you would.
TYCE: You just made it easy for them. As betrayals go, it was really rather ordinary, wouldn't you say? [Jenna starts to leave.]
TARVIN: Jenna! Stay here.
JENNA: Don't you trust me?
TARVIN: I trust you. HERE.
JENNA: Then shut her up.
TARVIN: [To Sarkoff] Keep your woman quiet, or I'll do it.
SARKOFF: Don't presume on my gratitude too much, Tarvin.
TARVIN: [Laughs] I wonder if there's a price on your head anywhere?
SARKOFF: No. But I imagine there is on yours, though.
TARVIN: [Laughs] I'd be ashamed if there weren't. Computer, how long before we rendezvous with the Federation ships?
ZEN: Two hours and seventeen minutes.

[In the cell]
VILA: [Fiddles with Blake's neckband] I can't do it, Blake.
BLAKE: Keep trying.
VILA: Look, there are two ways to set this thing off. One is that control box they all carry--
AVON: Microwave transmitter. Just point it in the direction of the neckband and press the button.
VILA: The other way is to force the lock --
BLAKE: You're not going to force it, are you?!
VILA: -- and if I get it wrong, bang, no head.
BLAKE: I trust you.
VILA: And if it blows up and I'm right behind you -- !
BLAKE: That's why I trust you. [Avon exposes the insides of the door lock, removes his right shoe, takes a device out of the heel, and goes to work on the lock.]

[On the flight deck.]
TARVIN: Computer, give me a visual. We ought to be in range by now. [Zen shows a scanner image, no ships in sight.] I suppose I can wait a bit longer.
JENNA: Tarvin, how much are the Federation paying you for this?
TARVIN: Thirteen million credits for the crew and ship intact. Or, twelve million if I don't give them you.
JENNA: Supposing I made you a better offer?
TARVIN: You're a pretty woman, Jenna, but not THAT pretty.
JENNA: If you hand over this ship, you'll lose a fortune.
TARVIN: Me? How can I lose?
JENNA: Oh, I'd expect a share.
TARVIN: Of what?
JENNA: Three hundred million credits. Give or take the odd ten million.
TARVIN: You always did underestimate me, Jenna. It seems that now you take me for a fool.
JENNA: Oh, no. I think you show great public spirit, giving up all that wealth just to bring Blake to justice.
TARVIN: You can prove what you say, of course?
JENNA: Of course.
TARVIN: You mean it's actually on the ship, this fortune of yours?
JENNA: Naturally. Why else do you think that I'd remain with Blake and his friends?
TARVIN: [To Amagon Guard] Go with her.
JENNA: No one is going with me.
TARVIN: Do you think I should let you run around loose?
JENNA: Now you take me for a fool. Do you think that I'd show him where the money is?
TARVIN: Then stay here. I'll be satisfied with thirteen million credits. Or twelve million, if the fancy takes me and I decide to keep you.
JENNA: Very well. Come on.
[Jenna and the Amagon Guard leave the flight deck.]
ZEN: Information: Federation ships are now within scanner range.
TARVIN: Where? [Zen displays a scan showing three Federation ships.] Yes. Look! It's almost done.

[In the teleport room. Jenna overpowers the Amagon Guard and takes his gun.]
JENNA: [To herself] Tarvin underestimates me. [Places the gun behind the teleport console and exits]

[In the cell. Gan hurls some manacles to the floor in frustration. The others jump. He mouths, "Sorry."]
VILA: I told you I couldn't do it.
AVON: I believed you all along.
VILA: Nobody could open it.
AVON: I thought you could open anything, that's always been one of your more modest claims.
VILA: I could open that door in two minutes.
AVON: This door is not quite the problem at the moment, is it?
VILA: It seems to be a problem to you!
BLAKE: Keep your head, Vila! That way I might have a chance at keeping mine.
VILA: Yes. Avon?
AVON: What?
VILA: Shut up. Please.

[On the flight deck.]
SARKOFF: Blake is finished, I'm afraid.
TYCE: You really want to believe that, don't you?
SARKOFF: I want you to recognize a fact.
TYCE: Why?
SARKOFF: Because I'm afraid for you.
TYCE: Don't be.
SARKOFF: Accept it, Tyce, or it will destroy you.
TYCE: You gave up. You were wrong. You are still wrong.
SARKOFF: Tell me, Tarvin. You Amagons recognize facts.
TARVIN: You talk too much.
SARKOFF: Yes, it's an occupational hazard, I'm afraid. What then is your reality?
TARVIN: Wealth.
TYCE: Is that all?
TARVIN: What else?
SARKOFF: Well, as the rallying cry for a crusade, it lacks a certain... inspiration.
TARVIN: [Indicating scanner display] There's my inspiration. The Federation are coming to me. I summoned them. I'm going to sell them a crusader.
SARKOFF: You'd sell your grandmother, wouldn't you?
TARVIN: I did. She was going to sell me, I got in first.

[In corridor. Another Amagon Guard spots Jenna.]
AMAGON: You! Stop! What are you doing here?
JENNA: Tarvin sent me to check on the others.
AMAGON: Why?
JENNA: Why don't you go and ask him yourself. Well?
AMAGON: I'll come with you. [They reach the cell door.]
JENNA: Open it.
[He does. She enters the cell. He covers her from the doorway.]
GAN: Hello, Jenna.
[The prisoners are sitting around the walls, with their hands behind their backs as if still bound. Jenna walks about the cell, "inspecting" them. She comes across the discarded manacles, pauses, and moves on.]
JENNA: I'm glad to see that you are all behaving yourselves. Tarvin doesn't want you damaged, unless necessary.
BLAKE: We're touched by his concern.
JENNA: It'll be more impressive if he can hand you over alive.
GAN: A man who takes pride in his work.
CALLY: What do you take pride in, Jenna?
JENNA: Survival.
AVON: At the expense of your friends?
JENNA: I didn't know that you cared, Avon.
VILA: He didn't. And he was right.
[Jenna exits.]
AMAGON: Wait. [He relocks the cell.]
JENNA: Tarvin gets impatient. Shall I tell him that you delayed me?
AMAGON: I'll come with you and tell him myself.
JENNA: Why?
AMAGON: Move.
JENNA: You'll regret this.

[Inside the cell.]
CALLY: [Listening at the door] They've gone. [Avon goes back to work on the door lock.]
VILA: [Works on Blake's neckband] I wouldn't have thought it of Jenna.
BLAKE: I'm still not sure that I believe it.
AVON: What does she have to do to convince you, Blake -- personally blow your head off?
VILA: If this goes wrong she won't get the chance.

[In the teleport room. Jenna and the Amagon Guard reach the body of the first guard.]
JENNA: Something's happened.
[He moves to examine the body. Jenna overpowers him and rearms herself.]
JENNA: [To the unconscious guard] I told you you'd regret it.

[In the cell.]
GAN: I wonder how long before they make contact with the Federation?
CALLY: Soon.
GAN: If I could just get close to some of them--
CALLY: The one called Tarvin, for example?
GAN: Right. What's that expression of yours?
CALLY: Companions for our death?
VILA: That's a bit morbid, isn't it-- I've done it! I've done it!
BLAKE: Gently, gently!
VILA: Now that is genius. [Unfastens Blake's neckband]
BLAKE: You could well be right. [Takes the neckband off]
VILA: You want more proof? [He crosses to the door and gestures Avon aside.] Excuse me.
AVON: It's done.
VILA: [Skeptically] Oh, yes? [The door opens] Oh. Yes.
[A guard outside aims his detonator at Blake.]
BLAKE: Get down! [Throws his neckband at the guard, who is caught in its explosion. He leaves the cell. Cally and Gan follow.] No, you stay back. Keep out of sight. Get him in there.
[Gan carries the body into the cell.]
AVON: Vila.
VILA: What?
AVON: Take this off.
VILA: Well, that's all very well, but who's going to take mine off?
AVON: Get on with it.
VILA: [Plaintively] Who's going to take mine off?
CALLY: And, Vila, do be quick. I'll be next.

[In a corridor. Blake meets with yet another guard. Jenna rushes in and grabs his gun. Blake knocks him out. She hands Blake the extra gun.]
BLAKE: Thank you.
JENNA: Come on, we haven't got much time.

[On the flight deck.]
TARVIN: They're almost here now.
SARKOFF: I must congratulate you, Tarvin. It looks as though you have accomplished what no one else has been able to do: you have taken Blake and his crew alive and his ship intact.
TARVIN: I will be a prince among my people.
SARKOFF: Oh, at the very least.
TARVIN: Do not mock me, old man!
SARKOFF: Nothing was further from my mind. I welcome Blake's capture.
TARVIN: Why? What's he done to you?
TYCE: He didn't give up. He fought. Blake shamed him.
SARKOFF: And in the end lost, it was inevitable.
TARVIN: Inevitable. I am the better man.
TYCE: You? Selfish, greedy, vicious--
TARVIN: I WON.
SARKOFF: Yes, my dear, you see, it's a, it's a paradox. He won because he is not the better man.
TARVIN: What?!
SARKOFF: And yet by winning, it seems, he becomes a prince among people.
TARVIN: Among MY people.
SARKOFF: Does it matter which people, Tarvin? Do you care?

[Blake and Jenna make their way through the corridors.]

TARVIN: [Into communicator] Tarvin calling Federation patrol. Tarvin calling Federation patrol. Do you read me? Tarvin calling Federation patrol.
VOICE: [V.O., over communicator] Report.
TARVIN: Tarvin calling. We will be at the rendezvous point in seven minutes. Request you have a boarding party standing by.
VOICE: [V.O.] Confirmed. Out.
[Tyce pulls a gun from her boot.]
TARVIN: Jenna was obviously lying. THIRTEEN million credits, I think.
TYCE: [Points the gun at him] Turn the ship round, Tarvin.
TARVIN: [Amused] Is that a weapon?
TYCE: Guess. Turn the ship round.
TARVIN: We'll die together.
SARKOFF: Be careful, Tyce!
[Tarvin moves his hand slowly towards his belt.]
TYCE: Leave it!
TARVIN: You think I'm afraid?
TYCE: No, but a dead prince, where's the fun in that?
TARVIN: [Laughs and looks at Sarkoff] Sarkoff! [Knocks the gun out of her hand, knocks her down, and points his detonator at her. Sarkoff grabs the gun.]
TYCE: Shoot him.
TARVIN: We don't have a quarrel.
TYCE: Shoot him, now.
TARVIN: Throw it away. You couldn't kill me in time to save her. A reflex, a dying spasm, and she's gone.
TYCE: Shoot him, father. You owe it to me. You owe it to our people.
TARVIN: Put it down, Sarkoff, you can't win. You haven't got the will for it.
TYCE: Do it!
BLAKE: [Enters with Jenna] Tarvin.
[Tarvin whirls and vainly tries to detonate Blake's neckband. Blake laughs. Tarvin whirls back and Sarkoff shoots him. Jenna kneels beside his body.]
SARKOFF: So it really means that much to you?
TYCE: Aren't I President Sarkoff's daughter? Perhaps I just sounded as though I meant it.
SARKOFF: Then perhaps I'd better sound as though I mean to be President Sarkoff.
JENNA: The Amagon's dead.
BLAKE: Take us out of here, Jenna.

[In the teleport room.]
SARKOFF: I should thank you, but I'm not sure I have anything to be grateful for.
TYCE: I have, and I do thank you.
SARKOFF: But as I'm supposed to be a politician, I will thank you anyway.
BLAKE: Well, if ever you have need of our help again--
SARKOFF: I think you've helped enough. Goodbye, Blake.
CALLY: If you see Lehan ...
SARKOFF: I have work for Lehan. He and I have an alliance to put together.
CALLY: Then tell him he can go home to Auron.
SARKOFF: Goodbye, Jenna.
JENNA: Goodbye.
TYCE: Goodbye, Blake. You'll always be welcome on Lindor.
SARKOFF: Yes, we may have need of thirteen million credits--
TYCE: Over my dead body.
SARKOFF: I hope you're not going to make a habit of that particular threat. Ready!
JENNA: Would you move back, please.
BLAKE: Good luck. [Sets the controls and pauses]
TYCE: Goodbye, Blake.
JENNA: [Keys the teleport] I had the feeling she didn't mean all of us.
CALLY: Yes, I had that feeling.
BLAKE: Well, don't just stand there.

** The End **

"Deliverance"
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Michael E. Briant

(c) 1978 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1993 by Micky DuPree and Kay Teel.

Dramatis Personae

Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas
Jenna Stannis - Sally Knyvette
Kerr Avon - Paul Darrow
Cally - Jan Chappell
Vila Restal - Michael Keating
Olag Gan - David Jackson
Zen - Peter Tuddenham
Travis - Stephen Greif
Servalan - Jacqueline Pearce

Guest cast:

Ensor [i.e., Ensor's son] - Tony Caunter
Meegat - Suzan Farmer
Maryatt - James Lister

Uncredited:

Male voice
Computer voice
Male voices

*? = unintelligible

[A star system in an unidentified sector. A small while spacecraft is making slow progress. Through the front view port two men can be seen seated at the flight console.]

[Exterior of Federation Space Headquarters. Interior of Servalan's office. Servalan is seated behind her desk studying a scanner readout. The intercom beeps.]
VOICE: [V.O., over comm] The Space Administrators are assembled in the conference hall, Supreme Commander. You are eight minutes behind schedule.
SERVALAN: I left orders that I was not to be disturbed. I will not see or speak to anyone.
VOICE: [V.O.] But the conference --
SERVALAN: Cancel it. It will be reconvened when I am ready.
VOICE: [V.O.] Yes, Supreme Commander.
[Servalan disconnects.]
COMPUTER: [V.O.] Surveillance tracer transmitting. Computer visualization of Spacemaster ship is on-line.

[Exterior of the small white spacecraft. Switch to interior. The two men are flight positions.]
ENSOR: Take a look up there, Maryatt.
[An orange planet is visible through the view port.]
MARYATT: What is it?
ENSOR: That's the planet Cephlon, which means that we're on course and speed. Six more days and we'll be at our destination.
MARYATT: You keep saying "our destination." Just where is it? What's its name?
ENSOR: You'll find out. All in good time.
MARYATT: But why the secrecy now? We're on our way. There's nothing to lose by telling me where we're going.
ENSOR: Security's become a habit with us. It comes second nature. Because of it we've enjoyed thirty-odd years of complete independence. That's something we value.
MARYATT: [referring to Cephlon] Is there anything down there?
ENSOR: There was, once. Yes, once it was the trading and cultural center for this entire star system. Very important, once.
MARYATT: Well, what happened?
ENSOR: War. Reversion to primitive. Nobody's certain if there's any people left down there. At one time it -- [He is interrupted by a loud, continuous beeping noise.]
MARYATT: What's wrong? What's the matter?
ENSOR: We're...we're getting trajectory shift. [The ship begins to vibrate.] Compensators aren't holding us up. Going over to manual. [To ship] Come on, come on, pull us back. [Ship keeps shifting.] Come on! Come on!
MARYATT: We're picking up speed.
ENSOR: Yes, it's gravity drag from Cephlon. I must have misjudged and got too close.
MARYATT: Can you get us out?
ENSOR: I'm on three-quarter boost as it is. She's not responding! I'm going to maximum. It's all right. It's all right. She's slowing. Compensators beginning to hold. [Ship starts to steady.] Come on, come on, that's my beauty. That's...come on. Pull us back, pull us back. All right, she's coming back. We're all right.
MARYATT: Don't do that too often, will you? I'm a very nervous passenger.
ENSOR: I'm a very nervous pilot.

[Exterior of the craft. There is an explosion. Interior. Flames shoot up from the control panel. The men shield themselves.]

[Liberator flight deck. Gan, Jenna, Avon, Cally and Vila stand watching the scanner display of the other craft. Blake joins the group.]
BLAKE: What's happened?
AVON: There was an explosion. Could have been a power unit burnout.
JENNA: Zen located her about five minutes ago. We put her on the scanner to run a security check. Suddenly she just went off course.
CALLY: Shouldn't we try and help them?
BLAKE: If they're still alive. [To Zen] Identification?
ZEN: The ship is a Spacemaster, Series Five. Four neutron power units with a maximum thrust of four by six.
BLAKE: Does she carry life capsules?
ZEN: Standard equipment specification lists two high-impact, unpowered survival modules.
AVON: She's entering the atmosphere. Beginning to burn up.

[Interior of the burning spacecraft. There is much smoke. Ensor struggles to pick up Maryatt, who has collapsed.]
ENSOR: Maryatt! Maryatt! Get yourself out, lad! (*?) the life capsule. [Ensor grabs a box, stuffs it in his pocket, and follows a straggling Maryatt to the life capsules.] Come on, Maryatt, you've got to get out!
[Exterior shot of the ship swerving out of control.]

[Liberator flight deck.]
ZEN: Navigation computers estimate six minutes to impact. [Visual display shows computer representation of the out-of- control vessel. Two smaller objects emerge from it.]
BLAKE: They've ejected. Zen, lock tracers on to those capsules. I want to know exactly where they land.
ZEN: Trace locked on.

[Life capsules are falling toward the planet. The spaceship crashes on Cephlon and explodes.]

[Servalan's office. Servalan watches her scanner, then presses a button on a console.]
COMPUTER: [V.O.] Surveillance tracer has ceased transmission. The ship has exploded.
[Servalan smiles.]

[The planet Cephlon. A band of primitive men sees smoke from the wreckage beyond a ridge, and goes to investigate.]

[Liberator flight deck. Cephlon is on the visual display. Blake switches it off.]
BLAKE: [To Zen] Surface conditions?
ZEN: The planet Cephlon has a breathable atmosphere with a high oxygen content. The radiation level is in excess of normal tolerance levels, and prolonged exposure could result in tissue damage. Massive variations in temperature levels. Gravity is one point two five G.
[Avon enters the flight deck dressed in surface clothes and checks his weapon.]
BLAKE: Life forms?
ZEN: There is no current information. Logic units suggest that remaining life may have mutated through exposure to high radiation.
BLAKE: None of which sounds very promising. [To Avon] You're sure you want to go down?
AVON: Are you afraid that I'll be able to cope with it better than you?
BLAKE: [Chuckles] No.
AVON: Well, perhaps you ought to be.
BLAKE: Down and back as fast as you can, right?
AVON: Naturally.

[Liberator teleport area. Jenna is waiting as Avon, Gan and Vila enter. Cally is at the controls.]
AVON: We're going to have to make this fast. The chances are that any survivors won't have come through the landing impact anyway.
JENNA: I disagree. They may well be alive.
AVON: That's why we're going down. If we run into any kind of trouble we teleport back up immediately. All right, Cally?
GAN: Do you know exactly what we're looking for? Because I don't think I've ever seen an impact life capsule.
JENNA: They're bullet-shaped, built to be energy absorbing. Theoretically they could free fall from the edge of the atmosphere onto solid rock without even bruising the people inside.
CALLY: Is there a life-support system?
JENNA: Basic respirator, that's about all.
[Blake enters.]
BLAKE: The coordinates place both capsules within one square mile. [Hands Cally the coordinates.] We're going to put you down in the center of the search area.
CALLY: Coordinates set.
BLAKE: One of us will stay by the teleport. Be careful.
AVON: All right. [To Cally] Put us down.
[Cally works the controls, and the four teleport.]

[Avon, Jenna, Gan and Vila materialize on the rough, drab surface of Cephlon.]
AVON: [indicating smoke over the ridge] That must be the wreck of the ship. No point in checking it. We'll split up into pairs to search. Jenna, you take Gan and cover that area. Vila, you come with me.
[They split up and begin search. A primitive man watches Jenna and Gan pass, and follows them. Farther on, Gan and Jenna see a closed door set in the side of a mountain. They go to explore. Gan tries to open the door, but can't. He looks at the ground around the entrance.]
GAN: No tacks. Can't be in regular use, anyway. I wonder what's behind it?
JENNA: Half the hill, probably. Come on, let's go and look for those capsules.
[As they leave, a circular panel in the door moves aside, revealing a peep-hole.]

[Farther along the route Jenna and Gan are taking, a sealed capsule has landed. Gan and Jenna come upon it.]
GAN: Let's get it open. [They open the hatch. Maryatt is inside.
Gan removes Maryatt's oxygen mask.] He's dead.
[Jenna operates her communicator.]

[Another area on the planet's surface. Vila and Avon are searching. Avon raises his communicator.]
AVON: Avon.
JENNA: [V.O.] We've found one of the capsules -- [Switch to Jenna and Gan] -- but the man inside is dead.
AVON: [V.O.] See if you can find any identification on the body. [Switch to Avon and Vila] Then seal up the capsule.
JENNA: [V.O.] Right.
AVON: One down, one to go.

[Jenna and Gan at Maryatt's capsule.]
GAN: [Hands Jenna a wallet-sized ID folder] That's all there is.
[Jenna looks through it and hands it back to Gan, who puts it in his pocket. They close up the capsule.]

[Another area of Cephlon. Avon and Vila are walking. They spot the second capsule lying open and Ensor sprawled out beside it.]
VILA: There! [They reach the capsule and crouch over Ensor's body.] He looks pretty far gone.
AVON: There's nothing we can do for him here. We must get him up to the Liberator.
VILA: Will he live through the teleport stress?
AVON: We'll have to take that chance. Give me a bracelet.

[A primitive is watching Gan and Jenna walking. Gan hears something and stops. Motioning for Jenna to wait, he goes off to explore. His communicator signals.]
GAN: Gan.
AVON: [V.O.] We found the second capsule, and the man's alive. We're going to get him up to the Liberator. Stand by for teleport.
GAN: Ready.

[Liberator teleport area. Cally sits on the stairs, listening to music on a headset. Blake sits next to her.]
AVON: [V.O.] Bring us up, Cally.
[Cally rushes to the controls and operates the teleport switch. Avon, Vila and Ensor are teleported. She operates another switch. Gan is teleported.]
BLAKE: Is he still alive?
AVON: Just about.
BLAKE: Get him to the surgical unit.
[Avon, Gan and Vila lift the moaning Ensor up and carry him off. Cally operates another teleport switch.]

[Another corridor on the Liberator. Avon, Gan and Vila carry Ensor to the surgical unit.]
GAN: Easy.
ENSOR: [mumbling] Compensators...
GAN: Okay.
ENSOR: Not...holding...
GAN: All right. Okay. Here we are now. [They lay him down in the surgical couch.] Here we go.
AVON: [To Gan] Out of the way.
GAN: [To Ensor] Okay.
AVON: Respirator.
[Vila hands Avon the respirator.]
GAN: [To Blake] Oh, I...I found this on the other man down there. [He hands Blake Maryatt's ID folder.]
BLAKE: [Takes folder and examines it briefly.] Uh huh.
[Cally rushes into the surgical unit.]
CALLY: Jenna's not back yet.
VILA: Where is she?
AVON: Gan. You were with her.
GAN: Well, she was right behind me when we teleported.
BLAKE: Cally, look after him. You three come with me.
[Cally goes to Ensor and takes the respirator from Avon. The others rush back to the teleport area. Blake tries the teleport controls but Jenna does not appear. He switches the controls off and operates the communicator.]
BLAKE: [into teleport communicator] Jenna. This is Liberator. Do
you read me?

[Cephlon's surface. Jenna's teleport bracelet and weapon are on the ground. Jenna is unconscious. Two primitive men are searching through her things.]

[Liberator teleport area. Blake tries the controls again, but nothing appears. Avon operates the teleport, still with no success.]
AVON: We'll go back down.
BLAKE: I think you'd better.
[Blake teleports Avon, Gan and Vila to Cephlon.]

[Cephlon. Avon, Gan and Vila materialize.]
GAN: This way. [Avon and Vila follow him.] I left her here.
VILA: The ground's scuffed about. And there's a footprint. A large footprint.
[Avon picks up Jenna's necklace.]
GAN: That's Jenna's.
AVON: Obviously somebody, or something, attacked her.
VILA: And obviously it won.
GAN: She might have made a run for it.
AVON: She would never have taken off her teleport bracelet. Therefore somebody else must have.
GAN: Do you think they've killed her?
AVON: Probably not. If they've robbed and killed her, why drag off the body? Why not just leave it?
VILA: So, she's a prisoner.
GAN: So let's find her.
AVON: We'll do it a lot faster if we work separately.
GAN: Agreed.
AVON: [To Vila] Well?
VILA: Bit of a risk, though.
AVON: With the radiation level on this planet, just being here is a risk.
GAN: Let's get started.
AVON: Unless one of us finds something, we'll meet back here in an hour.
[They split up to search.]

[Liberator surgical unit. Cally is cleaning Ensor's wounds. Ensor is groaning. Blake paces to and fro.]
BLAKE: They should have found her by now.
CALLY: They will. It's just a matter of time. They'll find her.
[Blake picks up Maryatt's ID and looks through it.]
BLAKE: What about him?
CALLY: I don't know. He's in a great deal of pain. [She notices the ID.] What's that?
BLAKE: Gan found it on the man in the other capsule.
CALLY: Who was he?
BLAKE: His name was Maryatt. According to his ID he was a Space Surgeon in the Federation Medical Corps. [Surprised.] He's got a double-A security clearance! He's got a pass for any area in Space Command!
CALLY: He must have been very important. Anything else?
BLAKE: No. [Hands ID to Cally.] Some pictures, a woman and two children. [Goes over to Ensor.] Let's see if he's got any identification. [He searches Ensor and finds a box of small round disks that emit a faint hum.]
CALLY: What are those?
BLAKE: I don't know. They look like micro power cells.
CALLY: I've never seen that type before.
ENSOR: [strangled whisper] Help...help...help me. Help me.
BLAKE: You're quite safe. We've given you something to ease the pain. You're going to be all right.
ENSOR: Maryatt? What happened...Maryatt?
BLAKE: We found his body. He was probably dead before you left your ship.
ENSOR: Energy cells...
BLAKE: They're here. They're quite safe. [He replaces them in Ensor's pocket.]
ENSOR: M-Must...get to my father. Without them, has only a few days to live.
CALLY: Gently, gently. Shhh.
ENSOR: He'll die. Don't you understand? He'll die without them.
CALLY: Now stay calm.
ENSOR: You...you...get to him. Promise. Promise!
BLAKE: We'll do everything we can. Now what was your destination?
ENSOR: Planet Aristo.
BLAKE: Where?
ENSOR: Nav...Navigation log...give all flight details you need.
BLAKE: All right. We'll run it through our computers. [He takes the flight log.]
ENSOR: When you reach him...tell him...Federation have agreed...all terms. Will pay...one...hundred million credits for Orac...
BLAKE: What is Orac?
ENSOR: Or--- [Starts to moan in pain.]
CALLY: Hand me the (*?spasm). Quickly!
BLAKE: He won't take the shocks. It'll kill him.
[Cally holds the respirator to Ensor's face.]
CALLY: Without it he'll die anyway. Come on. [She gives Ensor three shots. Ensor's breathing becomes more regular.] He's coming through.
BLAKE: That was close.
ENSOR: Must...get...started.
BLAKE: Yes, we'll do everything we can. Now you must relax.
ENSOR: Must go. Now. So little time.
BLAKE: We will leave as soon as the others get back on board.
ENSOR: No. Can't wait. Go! Now!
CALLY: You must rest. Shhh.

[Cephlon. Vila meets Gan at the rendezvous point.]
VILA: Anything?
GAN: Not a single trace. You?
[Vila shakes his head. Avon joins them.]
VILA: So what do we do now?
AVON: Start again. [Lifts bracelet.] Liberator.

[Liberator flight deck. Blake and Cally are just entering. Blake is carrying Ensor's navigation log.]
AVON: [V.O.] This is Avon. Do you hear me, Liberator?
BLAKE: Avon. Have you found her yet?
AVON: [V.O.] No. We're going to start searching again.
BLAKE: Is there anything we can do?
AVON: [V.O.] I'm open to suggestions.
BLAKE: Well, if you haven't found her in four hours, you come back. Cally and I will take over.
AVON: [V.O.] Whatever you say.
BLAKE: Just don't give up on her.
[Surface of Cephlon where Avon, Gan and Vila are standing.]
AVON: No. We won't do that. Not yet. We'll be in touch. [Lowers his communicator.] Let's get started.

[Liberator flight deck. Ensor staggers in.]
ENSOR: Must go. Now. If we delay any longer, we'll be too late.
BLAKE: One of my crew is lost on that planet. Right now finding her is all I care about.
ENSOR: But...but he'll die, if I don't get to him. Don't you understand? My father will die!
CALLY: Liberator is ten times faster than the ship you were traveling in. We will get there in time!
ENSOR: But I can't risk that! We must go! Now!
BLAKE: No! We're staying here for as long as it takes.
[Ensor grabs Cally around her neck, drags her to the floor, draws a gun and aims it at Blake.]
ENSOR: Keep back! [Points gun at Cally's head.] I'll kill her. I mean it. Now you get this ship started. Coordinates eleven, two, intersect five, nine.
BLAKE: Not a chance! Do you think I'll abandon my crew, leave them on the surface?
ENSOR: That's their problem. Now you do as I tell you. Look! I don't want to harm either of you, but I will. I'll kill her, and you. Her first, and then you. Now, don't force me to do it. Now get it started. Now! [Blake goes to the flight controls, but hesitates.] Do it!

[Exterior of the Liberator. It changes course.]

[Liberator flight deck. Ensor is holding Cally to the floor, his gun at her head.]
BLAKE: In flight and on your course.
ENSOR: Check it, on your computer.
BLAKE: Don't you trust me?
ENSOR: Computers can't lie. Put it on line.
BLAKE: Zen, confirm course.
ZEN: Liberator is on flight course coordinates eleven, two, intersect five, nine.
ENSOR: Good.
CALLY: Are we to stay like this for the whole flight?
ENSOR: I've got no choice. I'm sorry about that.
CALLY: The drugs I gave you keep back the pain. How long will you last once they wear off?
ENSOR: I'll manage.
BLAKE: You'll get tired. The pain will start eating into you. Sooner or later you'll lose concentration. It will need one second and then we'll take you.
ENSOR: Perhaps. But pick that second very carefully. Misjudge it, you'll both be dead.

[Cephlon. Avon checks his communicator.]
AVON: There's no signal. No response at all. [To Vila] Try yours.
VILA: [into communicator] Liberator. Blake. Cally. Do you read our signal? Respond! [Static.] Nothing.
AVON: There can't be a fault on both communicators. They must have moved out of range.
GAN: Without warning us? Why?
AVON: I wish we could ask them. There could be Federation ships in the area, I suppose.
VILA: Meanwhile we're stuck down here.
AVON: That's largely academic at the moment. Let's hope they're back on station when we find Jenna. We'll cover the ground again, in that direction.

[Servalan's office. Servalan is seated at her desk. The intercom beeps.]
SERVALAN: Yes?
VOICE: [V.O.] Space Commander Travis is here.
SERVALAN: Send him in.
[Travis enters and stands before Servalan's desk. She ignores him for a moment, concentrating on something else.]
TRAVIS: You sent for me?
SERVALAN: You've lost some of your fire, Travis. Whatever happened to your pride?
TRAVIS: My pride, Supreme Commander?
SERVALAN: I ignored you. A calculated insult. You obviously recognized it as such.
TRAVIS: I did.
SERVALAN: And yet you remained silent. There was a time when you wouldn't have taken an insult like that from anyone. Not even me.
TRAVIS: True. I want my command back. To get it I'll do whatever's necessary. If you think my silence is weakness, you mistake me.
SERVALAN: Better. I was afraid that the suspension and the court of inquiry into your mishandling of the Blake affair might have broken your spirit.
TRAVIS: I don't break that easily.
SERVALAN: You were expected to resign the service. Why didn't you?
TRAVIS: I've told you, I want my command back. It's the only way I can catch --
SERVALAN: You really are obsessed with Blake, aren't you?
TRAVIS: It's my right.
SERVALAN: It's my intention that you should get another chance to exercise that right, and at the same time redeem your somewhat blemished record. However, there are more important things than Blake.
TRAVIS: Not for me.
SERVALAN: More immediate, then. Orac, for example.
TRAVIS: Orac?
SERVALAN: There've been rumors about it for years. A scientist called Ensor has been working on it. Despite considerable investigation, we've never been able to locate him.
TRAVIS: And you want me to find him for you.
SERVALAN: Mm-mm. It's no longer necessary. A little while ago, Ensor's son came to see me. His father was ill. He needed medical help and equipment. While he was here, he showed me plans of his father's creation -- Orac. It is a brilliant achievement. There is nothing else like it in the universe. And he wanted to sell it. [Travis begins to say something.] Expensive, Travis. He wants one hundred million.
TRAVIS: One hundred million? Are you sure whatever it is, is worth that much?
SERVALAN: It's worth ten times that much.
TRAVIS: Oh.
SERVALAN: So I agreed to buy it.
TRAVIS: Do you have the authority?
SERVALAN: No. Now listen, Travis, I've told no one of this. Ensor and his father live alone on the planet Aristo. He made it clear that if there was any attempt to take Orac by force, he would destroy it.
TRAVIS: Would he do that?
SERVALAN: Oh, yes. He thought it through very carefully. He
wouldn't even reveal the location of the laboratory untilI'd agreed to all his terms.
TRAVIS: Which were?
SERVALAN: A Space Surgeon was to go with him. I sent Maryatt.
TRAVIS: How much did you tell him?
SERVALAN: Only what his orders were.
TRAVIS: He's a good man.
SERVALAN: Maryatt was to remain with Ensor as a hostage untilthe transaction was complete. I was to get the hundred million, take it in an unarmed ship, and in return I'd get Maryatt and Orac.
TRAVIS: So now all you have to do is to persuade the Federation to let you spend one hundred million.
SERVALAN: That could take years.
TRAVIS: You have an alternative?
SERVALAN: Yes. It occurred to me that if Ensor didn't get back in time, then in a very little while his father would die. So I took the precaution of placing a small explosive device in his ship.
TRAVIS: You said Maryatt was on board.
SERVALAN: Yes, that was unfortunate, but unavoidable, I'm afraid. Oh, don't you see? Orac is ours for the taking.
TRAVIS: When do we leave?
SERVALAN: Start making arrangements, maximum security. No flight plan is to be filed. When we do leave it must be in total secrecy. However long it takes, Travis, you must cover our tracks completely. No one must know anything about it.
TRAVIS: Right. [Starts to leave, then pauses.] You're almost as ruthless as I am.
SERVALAN: You underestimate me, Travis.
TRAVIS: It begins to look that way. [Pauses]
SERVALAN: What's the matter?
TRAVIS: Maryatt.
SERVALAN: What about him?
TRAVIS: His disappearance -- there may be questions.
SERVALAN: In twelve hours I shall have him posted as a deserter.
TRAVIS: And his family go into slavery on one of the frontier worlds.
SERVALAN: It is the normal procedure in a case of desertion.
TRAVIS: Of course. Do you remember the medic that saved my life?
[Touches his eye patch.]
SERVALAN: You're wasting time.
TRAVIS: It was Maryatt.
SERVALAN: Does it matter?
TRAVIS: No... No. Only Blake matters now.
SERVALAN: And Orac.
TRAVIS: Right.

[Cephlon. Avon, Gan, and Vila are searching. The sound of rocks falling attracts their attention and they look up. Two primitives are throwing rocks at them. Avon draws his gun, fires, and shoots
one of the men. The man tumbles down the hill.]
AVON: Let's get out of here!
[They run, pursued by the primitives. Beyond a pass they encounter another group, carrying sticks and other crude weapons. They change course and come to the door in the side of the mountain. The primitives are following.]
VILA: There's hordes of them! And they don't seem to like us much!
GAN: How can you tell?
AVON: Get down! [The primitives heave stones at them. The three crouch by the door.] [To Vila] See if you can open the door. [Avon draws his gun, as more men appear from over the surrounding hills. Vila tries the door.]
VILA: I can't do it!
[They remain there as the men come towards them. Suddenly the door opens behind them. Avon and Vila enter.]
VILA: Gan!
[Gan follows them inside.]

[Interior of a small candlelit chamber. The door closes just as the primitives reach it. As the three catch their breath, a young woman enters from a side tunnel. Avon turns, then stops, surprised, as he sees her.]
AVON: [pointing gun at her] Who are you?
MEEGAT: And you shall answer. [She approaches and prostrates herself before him.] My name is Meegat, Lord.
VILA: "Lord?"
AVON: You opened the door?
MEEGAT: I opened the door.
AVON: We're grateful. We seem to have made a few enemies outside.
MEEGAT: That my Lord might find safety from his enemies.
GAN: Well, she seems to be on our side.
VILA: Yes, but the poor woman's insane.
AVON: Not necessarily.

[A primitive camp in another area of the planet. Tents made of skins are clustered around a fire. In one of the tents, Jenna is tied to a pole. She is trying to cut the bindings around her wrists. A primitive guards her, but his attention is on another task. She saws through the bindings, lifts a stone and hits the guard with it. He collapses. She looks out the front opening and sees the other primitives. She breaks the bindings around her ankles, peers out the back of tent, sees that it is clear, then crawls out under the skin walls. She stops abruptly as a primitive suddenly steps in front of her.]

[Liberator exterior]

[Liberator flight deck. Ensor is still holding his gun to Cally's head. Blake stands by the controls. Ensor is obviously tired. Blake moves toward them. Ensor stirs, and raises his gun to point at Blake. Blake stops and holds up his hands.]
ENSOR: Get back in your place.

[Cephlon. The candlelit chamber.]
MEEGAT: [still kneeling before Avon] I will describe the way to the scavengers' camp so that you may rescue your follower.
AVON: My follower? I never really thought of her in those terms. Are you alone here?
MEEGAT: Yes, Lord. Everything is as it was written. One waits.
AVON: For what?
MEEGAT: For you.
VILA: [aside, to Gan] I told you she was mad.
GAN: [to Meegat] How long have you been waiting?
MEEGAT: All of my life, as those before me waited. But it is I who welcome you. Welcome, Lord, welcome! [She embraces Avon's ankles.]
AVON: [extricating himself] Yes, well, let's not start all that again.
GAN: You've hurt her feelings now.
MEEGAT: I have offended you.
AVON: No, you haven't offended me.
MEEGAT: Forgive me!
AVON: I forgive you. [Stoops and brings her to her feet.]
VILA: You're enjoying this, aren't you?
AVON: Probably. How many of your people are there?
MEEGAT: Less than a hundred now. Our numbers grow smaller. More die. [They begin to walk through the chamber.]
AVON: And the scavengers?
MEEGAT: Perhaps twice as many, but they too are dying. We expected you to come long ago. [They stop. Meegat goes forward and opens a set of double doors. They enter a large, dusty room with four banks of consoles topped by candles. There are buttons, scanner screens, wires, etc. on the consoles. At the front of the room is a wall of dirt-covered windows.]
VILA: Most of this stuff looks operational. There's no sign of any damage. You have a technology like this and still get your light from those? [Indicates candles.]
MEEGAT: Technology?
VILA: All this.
MEEGAT: But it does not provide light.
GAN: Well, it could, Meegat, if it was working.
AVON: Of course. That's why they were waiting for us.
MEEGAT: All things are known to you. You are truly Lord. [Kneels before Avon, holding his hand.]
VILA: Counting yourself, that makes two people who think you're wonderful.
[Avon lifts his hand and Meegat rises.]
AVON: Tell me about the prophecy.
MEEGAT: The ancients promise that strangers not of this world would be the means of our deliverance.
GAN: Look, Meegat, we're not really gods from the skies, you know. We're just men from a spacecraft.
VILA: With problems of our own.
MEEGAT: You have come. The waiting is over. As it was promised, the Lord Avon will save our race. [At the front of the chamber, Gan wipes away dirt from a window panel. Behind the window is a rocket.]
GAN: Look at this.
AVON: [looking through window] A chemical rocket in launch position.
MEEGAT: [as if reciting] He shall recognize deliverance and speak its name. He shall speak its name as a thing known and understood. As to him all things are known and understood.
[Kneels before Avon.]
VILA: [aside, to Gan] Been alone too long, definitely.
[Meegat rises.]
AVON: Is there a legend of deliverance?
MEEGAT: Yes, Lord.
AVON: Tell me about it.
MEEGAT: But you know it.
AVON: Ah. Well, tell me about it anyway.
MEEGAT: Our fathers fought a great war, and Kashell the Wise dreamed that all life would end in this place.
GAN: Seems he was right.
MEEGAT: So Kashell sought a way to preserve our race. A way for it to survive in a new place among the stars. And the way was found.
VILA: That ship couldn't carry enough people to establish a new community.
AVON: It could carry dormant cells.
GAN: Genetic banks and brood units. Like those in the projectile we took on board the Liberator?
AVON: The same principle, yes. These seem to be a little more advanced, though.
VILA: But did they do it?
AVON: "And the way was found." Does it go on?
MEEGAT: Deliverance was prepared. And Kashell the Wise was satisfied that it was good.
GAN: If there are cells on that ship, would they still be viable? I mean, could they be incubated into a new race of men after all these years?
AVON: Theoretically the fertility span would be unlimited. The brood units would be programmed to activate on landing. If they set it up right, there's no reason why it shouldn't still work. [To Meegat] Go on.
MEEGAT: All that was needed to complete deliverance was the word of Kashell. But our fathers killed him, and the word was forgotten. And so we wait for a new word from beyond the stars. We wait for deliverance. We wait for the nameless Lord whose name shall be spoken by the one who waits. Meegat speaks his name. His name is Avon.
VILA: [looking down at console] Avon!
[Avon looks at a glowing button Vila indicates.]
AVON: It's an active power source register.
VILA: That's what I thought. The automatics have closed it down.
AVON: Well, if we could find the manual override we should be able to reactivate it.
VILA: [tries another button] Output control is locked.
AVON: There's a circuit breaker here. [Flips the circuit breaker.] Try the output control now.
VILA: It's free.
GAN: This alpha scale is registering.
AVON: Take it to level one, see what we get.
VILA: No, nothing's showing.
GAN: Nope.
AVON: Then there must be a secondary fail-safe. [Tries another button.] Try it again, Gan.
[There is a buzzing sound.]
GAN: It's coming in!
AVON: Take it to level two.
VILA: Level two, and we have power.
[There is a croaking sound.]
AVON: Let me see now. [Turns some knobs on console until the croaking sound becomes a voice.]
VOICE: [V.O. (in background)] Telemetry and guidance are holding...systems rebalance...fuel and ignition, capability is green...inboard computers are green and functioning. Programs are stable... [The monitors on the consoles begin to show various readings and displays.]
GAN: It's coming in.
[Avon tries another switch and the lights come on in the room.]
VOICE: [V.O. (in background)] ...environment is...solid and stable. Countdown minus sixty and holding...telemetry and guidance are balanced...
MEEGAT: Behold, deliverance! [She looks through the window at the rocket. The launch area around it is illuminated.]
VOICE: [V.O. (in background)] ...secondary stage is clear for count...meteorology checks confirmed. Clear for count...control checks confirmed...are cleared, green, and stable...telemetry systems... [The countdown check continues in the background.]
GAN: Do you really think we could launch that ship?
AVON: If the people who built it did their job properly, I don't see any reason why not. And it does seem we have a reputation to live up to.
VILA: Oh, you certainly do, Lord Avon. I wonder why she picked on you?
[Meegat turns to look devotedly at Avon.]
AVON: Well, now, you are hardly the stuff that gods are made of.
VILA: And you are, I suppose?
AVON: Apparently.
GAN: [gestures] Look, before we try to fulfill any more prophecies, could we uh ...
AVON: Yes. We must find Jenna.

[Liberator flight deck. Ensor is rigging his gun.]
ENSOR: I've put the energizer onto automatic. If I let it go, it will spring back and the gun will fire. If I pass out, the gun will fire by itself. Now you make certain that I don't go to sleep.

[Cephlon. The launch room.]
MEEGAT: If she is alive, you will find her.
AVON: If she is alive. [Takes Meegat by the hand. They start toward the exit.] Well, are we ready?
GAN: We're ready.
[The four leave the launch room. Gan closes the double doors.]
MEEGAT: I will await your return.
VILA: You'll wait up there by the door?
GAN: If we make it, we'll be back.
MEEGAT: The Lord Avon will protect you.
[Vila gives Gan a skeptical look and the two of them go on ahead.]
AVON: Meegat.
MEEGAT: Lord?
AVON: Make sure that it is us before you open the door. The scavengers know about it now. [He touches her cheek and leaves.]

[Cephlon. The primitives' camp. Gan, Vila, and Avon are watching the camp from a hill. The primitives are gathered around the fire.]
AVON: Vila and I will go round and take a closer look. You stay here.
GAN: If it comes to killing remember my limiter implant.
VILA: I'll stay up here if you like.
[Avon glances at him, then the two of them go down the hill toward the camp. Avon makes his way to the back of the tents, and is shortly joined by Vila.]
AVON: You keep a watch. I'll try and find her.
[They draw their guns. Avon checks one of the tents. A scavenger comes from another of the tents as Avon and Gan duck out of sight. Avon pulls back the skin from a second tent, then moves to a third. He raises the flap and sees Jenna tied up inside. Facing Jenna with his back to the rear of the tent, a scavenger is eating. Avon lets the skin drop and puts his gun away. He picks up a heavy stick and swings it against the tent. The man inside falls forward. Avon enters the tent and releases Jenna. Outside, one of the primitives sneaks up on Vila and grabs him. Vila cries out. The scavengers are alerted by the scuffle. As Jenna and Avon emerge from the tent the man throws Vila to the ground and comes after Avon. Avon kicks the man hard, then the three run off, joined by Gan. They are pursued by the scavengers, who carry sticks and bones as weapons.]
GAN: (*?) this way. We'll be safe there.
[Jenna runs to the door in the mountain. A scavenger comes upon her and grabs her. Gan arrives and more scavengers come after them. There is a scuffle. Vila and Avon reach the door and help pull the scavengers from Jenna.]
JENNA: Help!
[Inside Meegat is waiting. She opens the door. Jenna, Vila and Avon enter. Gan is fighting off the scavengers.]
AVON: Gan!
[Gan rushes inside and closes the door just as the scavengers reach it.]

[Inside the small chamber.]
AVON: [to Meegat] That was close.
VILA: No respect. They obviously didn't realize who you were.
JENNA: [to Meegat] Thank you.
[Meegat does not acknowledge her. Avon and Meegat move on. Jenna follows.]
VILA: [to Gan] You all right?
GAN: You know, Vila, for a minute out there, I was actually quite beginning to enjoy myself.
VILA: You're as mad as Meegat. [Gan laughs.]

[Liberator flight deck. Ensor is losing his grip on his gun as he loses consciousness.]
BLAKE: Cally!
[Cally rolls away. Ensor collapses and rolls on the floor. The gun goes off, the shot hitting the side of a flight console. Ensor lies on the floor, groaning.]
BLAKE: You all right?
CALLY: Yes. Yes, I think so.
BLAKE: [bending over Ensor] He's almost gone.
ENSOR: [hoarsely] The microcells ... get to father ... Orac ...
[He goes limp.]
BLAKE: He's dead. [He takes the package of microcells from Ensor's pocket.]
CALLY: What is Orac?
BLAKE: I don't know. If we deliver these, perhaps we'll find out. Got to get the others first. Zen, direct route for the planet Cephlon. Maximum speed.
ZEN: Confirmed.

[Exterior. The Liberator changes course.]

[Cephlon. The launch room. Avon, Vila, Gan, and Jenna are working at the consoles. Meegat watches Avon. The automated countdown voices continue in the background.]
JENNA: Avon, look at this. It's a sub-beam communications system.
AVON: It's an interesting antique.
JENNA: Look at the range scales.
AVON: Yes. Liberator can receive and transmit sub-beam. Try it.
[He goes to another console.] Right. I think everything is functional. We are ready for countdown.

[Liberator flight deck. Blake and Cally are at the flight consoles.]
JENNA: [V.O.] Liberator, this is Jenna. Do you read me, Liberator?
BLAKE: We read you, Jenna. Are you all right?
JENNA: [V.O.] I'm safe and well. What happened to you?
BLAKE: A slight detour. We'll tell you when we see you. We'll be in teleport range in about four hours.
JENNA: We'll be waiting. In the meantime, Avon's about to become a legend.
BLAKE: What?
JENNA: [V.O.] Out.

[Cephlon. The launch room.]
JENNA: They're on their way.
AVON: So are they. [Presses a switch and the final countdown begins on the monitors.]
VOICE: [V.O.] Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. We have lift-off.
[The rocket lifts off.]
AVON: Meegat, I'm sorry you've waited so long.
MEEGAT: Our waiting brought you.
AVON: That seems like a poor reward, somehow.

[The rocket is climbing through space.]

[Liberator flight deck. The whole crew is present.]
ZEN: The rocket is now beyond sensor range.
AVON: Have the navigation computers made a projection?
ZEN: It is calculated that the rocket will make planet-fall in the system Magdalen Alpha.
AVON: How many suitable planets are there in that system?
ZEN: There are four with compatible biospheres.
AVON: Flight time?
ZEN: Five hundred earth years.
VILA: You won't be a legend in your own lifetime, then.
GAN: Fertility cells wouldn't know about us, anyway.
CALLY: Meegat does. [To Avon] Did she really think you were a god?
AVON: For a while.
BLAKE: How did it feel?
AVON: Don't you know?
BLAKE: Yes. I don't like the responsibility, either. [Avon rises, looks at Blake, then leaves the flight deck.] Now we have another. Ensor's father. Zen, have you laid in a course for Aristo?
ZEN: Course for the planet Aristo is computed and laid in.
BLAKE: Speed standard by six, Jenna.
JENNA: Standard by six.

Orac

By: Terry Nation

Transcription: Malcolm Mladenovic Proofreading: Sue Clerc, Dave Owen

Dramatis Personae:

Blake - Gareth Thomas
Jenna - Sally Knyvette
Avon - Paul Darrow
Cally - Jan Chappel
Vila - Michael Keating
Gan - David Jackson
Zen - Peter Tuddenham
Ensor - Derek Farr
Servalan - Jacqueline Pierce
Travis - Stephen Greif
Phibians - James Muir/Paul Kidd

[Scene: Gan enters a room on the Liberator. He is obviously unwell. He takes what appears to be some kind of medication.]

[Scene: Liberator flight deck: Avon, Jenna, Vila are at the controls, Blake enters.]
BLAKE: How are you feeling, Jenna?
JENNA: I'm managing.
BLAKE: Zen, give me full recall of my supplementary to the flight log data. Vision suite, line one.
ZEN: Line one is linked and ready to accept.
BLAKE: Avon, I want you to listen to this.
[Blake and Avon move to a small table and chairs in an alcove.]
AVON: What is it?
BLAKE: Just watch and listen. [On a recording play-back] Flight log entry four-three-one. Time co-ordinate six-six-two. Liberator was in range of the planet Cephlon. Scanner systems located a space vehicle which was clearly out of control. It was put on routine security surveillance and was identified as a Spacemaster series five. Retrieval pictures confirm. There was an explosion on board and the ship went out of control. Cephlon's gravity pulled her down into the atmosphere and she started to burn up. Two life support capsules ejected from the ship and our tracers followed them to impact. Vila, Jenna, Gan and Avon teleported down to the planet in an attempt to find the survivors. Both capsules were found. In the first the crewman was already dead. In the second a man called Ensor was badly injured. We teleported him to Liberator. Before he died he gave me a box containing micro power cells. He insisted that we should take these to the planet Aristo, since without them his father would die. He also spoke of something called 'Orac' and claimed the Federation was willing to pay one hundred million credits to obtain it. Verbal supplementary closes.
AVON: Well?
BLAKE: Well, if the Federation is prepared to pay one hundred million credits then Orac must be fairly important.
AVON: Unless, of course it's a magnificent swindle, but I suppose that's too much to hope for. [He winces as if in pain.]
BLAKE: You all right?
AVON: Ah, yes. I, I just felt a little dizzy, that's all.
BLAKE: My point is there's something we're missing in all this.
AVON: Well, I can't think what, it all seems straightforward enough. We know from the ship's log that it was returning to Aristo from Federation Space Headquarters, that the other passenger was a doctor and that they were carrying medical supplies. It all tallies with what Ensor said.
BLAKE: I don't know. I think it's the importance the Federation is placing on Orac that bothers me
JENNA: [To Blake] I've switched to automatics -- there's something I want from my cabin.
BLAKE: All right, Jenna. [To Avon] Let's take another look at the pictures of that ship on the main screen.
AVON: They're not likely to show us anything that we don't already know.
BLAKE: Maybe not, but let's check anyway. Zen, run the scanner file from the moment we picked up visual contact with the Spacemaster ship.
ZEN: Confirmed. Retrieval systems operating.
AVON: What exactly are you looking for?
BLAKE: I'm not sure yet. [Avon bends forwards] You quite sure you're all right?
AVON: Yes, of course I'm all right.

[Scene: A corridor. Jenna walks slowly along and stops just as Cally comes round the corner.]
CALLY: Jenna, what is it? what's the matter?
JENNA: I don't know. I, I feel terrible. One minute I'm all right, and then, then it comes over me again.
CALLY: Oh, you've obviously got a fever. Come on, I'll get you to your cabin.

[Scene: Return to Avon and Blake on the flight deck, watching the playback of the explosion of the Spacemaster ship. Vila is also watching.]
BLAKE: Zen, hold it there. Now then, play it back, slowly. There! That's it, that's what's been bothering me.
VILA: I don't see anything special.
AVON: It's in the wrong place.
BLAKE: Exactly. The explosion's in the forward section. Now, you thought it was a neutron burn out but that's nowhere near the engine housing.
AVON: All right, but it doesn't make any difference, does it?
BLAKE: Zen, I want a sensor reading for that moment. Full spectrum analysis.
ZEN: Confirmed.
VILA: What are you trying to prove?
BLAKE: Ensor went to Federation Space Headquarters. He wanted medical assistance. He also wanted to sell something of enormous value.
VILA: Orac.
BLAKE: Right.
AVON: Whatever that is.
BLAKE: We can presume the sale was made because he told us they're prepared to pay a fantastic price for it. Now, they start on the return journey....
ZEN: The data you requested is now available.
BLAKE: All right, let's have it.
ZEN: Sensor readings for selected moment are as follows. The explosion registered one point three. Disturbance peaked at one one five. Spectral analysis of residual vapour confirms presence of geritan explosive.
BLAKE: Conclusion?
ZEN: Probability is that a small explosive device was detonated in the gravity compensator controls.
AVON: Sabotage.
BLAKE: Yes.
VILA: But why?
AVON: Presumably so that the Federation could get their hands on Orac without paying a hundred million.
BLAKE: That's the only thing that would make sense.
VILA: So they'll be on their way to pick up Orac as fast as they can go, and that's fairly fast actually.
BLAKE: Yeah, not as fast as us.
AVON: Ever the optimist.
[Cally enters.]
CALLY: Blake.
BLAKE: What is it?
CALLY: Jenna is very sick. Gan is, too. They've both got the same symptoms.
BLAKE: What's wrong with them?
CALLY: I want to make a test. [She walks over to Avon and Vila] Avon, give me your hand. [She runs an instrument that sounds like a Geiger counter over the back of Avon's hand. It clicks noisily.] [To Vila] Now yours. [She does the same with Vila, with the same result.] The same as the others. They've all absorbed heavy doses of radiation.
VILA: Radiation! All of me?
CALLY: The four of you went down to the surface of Cephlon, but you stayed down too long -- far beyond the tolerance limits. You need treatment and you need it quickly.
VILA: Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to the surgical unit.
AVON: Relax. We'll all go onto a massive dose of decontaminant drugs. In a week or two we should all recover.
CALLY: Not possible.
BLAKE: Why not, Cally?
CALLY: There are no decontaminant drugs on the ship. I've checked. There is nothing that will counter radiation sickness.
BLAKE: Are you sure?
CALLY: I'm sure.

[Scene: Gan is in a cabin. We see him listen to the following conversation over the intercom.]
BLAKE: Our only hope is if they have a supply on Aristo.
VILA: But if they don't?
BLAKE: They will have.
VILA: But if they don't?
BLAKE: They will have.
AVON: There's no point in hiding it, our condition will deteriorate rapidly. If we don't get drug treatment very soon, we shall die.

[Scene: Switch back to the flight deck.]
VILA: Die? I can't do that.
AVON: I'm afraid you can. It's the one talent we all share, even you.
VILA: I think I'm going to ... [He rushes off.]

[Scene: a laboratory/living quarters. An old man, Ensor, is looking at some fish in a tank. There is a loud sound of bird song.]
ENSOR: [chuckles] Hello, my little ones. Hmm, ah, you hungry then, are you? Let's give you something to eat, then, mmm? [He chuckles again and turns his attention to the plant next to the tank.] Oh dear, you're a bit dry, aren't you, mmm? [He turns on a water spray for a few seconds.] That's better. That's better, that's better. [He winces in pain.] Ooh! Ugh! [He reclines in a chair. Almost immediately a buzzer on his watch goes off and he gets back up again. He crosses to a hanging bird cage that contains a metal bird. He turns off the bird song and then fits some kind of connector on the end of a cable to a plate on his chest. A meter registers about halfway -- just into the green.] Oh. Not good, not good at all. Very little time left. Ohh. [He picks up a glass of blue liquid. There is a sound of something electronic starting up.] Oh, yes, what is it? Have you something to report?
ORAC: A space vehicle has made a surface landing about seven miles inland.
ENSOR: My son's ship?
ORAC: No.
ENSOR: Ah, stupid question, I apologize. Had it been his he would have contacted us by now. Have you identified the ship?
ORAC: Federation. Two passengers now disembarked and proceeding on foot towards this section.
ENSOR: Is the defense zone operating?
ORAC: Yes.
ENSOR: Then they won't get far. Anyway, ensure that security regulations are fully maintained. Ah! Can't be too careful in my state of health. [He switches the bird song back on.] Ohh. Uggh. Sleeping seems to reduce the energy drain fractionally. Might as well prolong me life to the very limit. [chuckles] One clings to it, clings to it. Keep your eye on the two from the Federation ship.
ORAC: They might attempt entry through the tunnels under the old city.
ENSOR: Oh, they can't us reach that way you know that, those tunnels are crawling with phibians.
ORAC: I was suggesting it might be more humane to warn them of the danger.
ENSOR: Had they been friendly they would have tried to make contact before landing. They didn't. Therefore they are not friends. Therefore they are enemies. What could they want here, hmmm? Ha. Only one thing. You, Orac, my friend, you. Oh no, let the phibians have them.

[Scene: The planet's surface, on the sea shore. Travis passes an obelisk and examines a plant.]
SERVALAN: Travis -- here!
[He comes over and opens a trap-door amongst the rocks.]
TRAVIS: There must be an easier way to get into the laboratory than this.
SERVALAN: The surface force barrier is impenetrable. We must go under it.
TRAVIS: Let's see the old man's map again.
SERVALAN: We go straight along this passage, turn right at the junction, and then straight on.
TRAVIS: Yeah, they begin to run below sea level there. Let's hope they're not flooded.
SERVALAN: Well, let's get started.
TRAVIS: Right.
[They go down some steps into a tunnel. Travis looks around.]
SERVALAN: Travis!
TRAVIS: Huh?
SERVALAN: It's this way.
[They walk through wet tunnels, there are loud breathing sounds in the background.]

[Scene: Liberator: Avon is watching a planet go past. He reclines in a chair. Gan is also resting in the room. Blake enters.]
BLAKE: I've had Zen run through the reference banks. A remarkable man this professor Ensor -- very impressive list of achievements.
AVON: Yes, I know. When he was eighteen years old he developed something called a Tarriel cell. It led to a whole new generation of computers. Every computer in the known worlds now contains Tarriel cells. He also engineered and developed a lot of radical new concepts in computer technology, so that even the most advanced computers are based on his work. It's a surprise to me that the Federation ever let him go.
BLAKE: They didn't -- well, not exactly. [Cally enters.] [To Cally.] How are they?
CALLY: Well, much the same. Until they get treatment the only change can be for the worse.
BLAKE: Who's at the controls?
CALLY: Jenna is.
BLAKE: Well, we're nearly there, another hour.
AVON: It's ironic isn't it -- we are racing to deliver medical supplies that will save a man's life in the hope that he will have medical supplies that will save ours.
BLAKE: Zen gave me something else that would explain why he needs those micro power cells. Zen, report -- medic information 'Ensor'.
ZEN: It appears that Ensor took a vacation on a frontier planet. While there he suffered a massive heart attack. Medical facilities were primitive. The only available transplant was a mechanical heart powered by microcells. They have a life of about forty Earth years.
BLAKE: All of which happened about forty years ago.
CALLY: But didn't they substitute an organic unit once he got back?
BLAKE: That's just the point, he never did get back. He disappeared. He and his four year old son simply vanished. They've never been heard of since.
AVON: Until now.
CALLY: And all the time they've been on Aristo.
BLAKE: Cally, we'd better get ready to teleport down.

[Scene: Liberator flight deck. Jenna is at the controls, Blake enters.]
BLAKE: D'you think you'll be up to handling things in here?
JENNA: Ohh, assuming you don't take too long.
BLAKE: Zen, surface conditions?
ZEN: Tolerable. The land masses are arid and support only primitive plant life. Nine tenths of the planet is covered by water which is highly acidic. The level of the oceans is constantly rising and they now virtually cover all traces of the cities built by early civilizations.
BLAKE: Life forms?
ZEN: Life is evolving in the oceans. An amphibian species have begun to develop.
JENNA: Anything else?
ZEN: This constitutes all available data.
JENNA: Well, at least there won't be too many natural hazards for you to deal with.
BLAKE: I'll go and get kitted up.
ZEN: Data amendment. Retrieval systems have located further information. There has been one exploratory expedition put down on Aristo. Neither of the two members ever returned. Their disappearance remains unexplained. Amendment ends.
BLAKE: I wonder what happened to them?

[Scene: The laboratory. Ensor is reclining with his eyes closed.]
ORAC: An unidentified space vehicle is maneuvering to take a fixed orbit which threatens our security zone. What action do you wish taken? [pause -- There is no response from Ensor.] In the absence of further instructions I shall institute full security procedure.

[Scene: Liberator flight deck. Jenna is at the controls.]
ZEN: Transit complete. Liberator is in stationary orbit within teleport range of the planet Aristo. All circuits are. All circuits are. All circuits are. All circuits are.
JENNA: Zen!
ZEN: [Zen's voice slows and trails off.] All circuits are. All circuits are. All circuits are.
JENNA: [Into intercom.] Blake, quickly!
[Blake and Cally enter. Blake fiddles with some controls.]
JENNA: I've done all that.
[The background lighting turns red.]
ORAC: [Through Zen.] You will identify yourselves and state clearly the purpose of your intrusion.
BLAKE: Specify recognition code.
ORAC: I repeat, identify yourselves and state the purpose of your mission.
BLAKE: This is the spacecraft Liberator. We have medical supplies for someone on this planet.
ORAC: You will explain the circumstances governing your previous statement.
BLAKE: We went to the aid of a crashed spaceship. Before he died the pilot asked me to deliver some micro power cells. He said they were vital to save his father's life.
ORAC: Your explanation is satisfactory. I am aware that you have teleport facilities. I will set co-ordinates for a surface landing. On arrival you will await further instructions. That is all.
BLAKE: That is all! Jenna, institute a thorough check of the circuits.
ZEN: All circuits are now free of interference and full function is restored.
CALLY: What happened?
ZEN: Preliminary research indicates that all computer functions were temporarily under external control.
JENNA: But that's impossible!
ZEN: Logic units concur that it is impossible.
BLAKE: But it happened anyway.
ZEN: Logic units concur that it happened. Investigation of this paradox is continuing.
JENNA: I don't like it. A force that can take over the computers could easily take over the ship.
BLAKE: We're not going to find out about it standing here. Are you ready, Cally?
CALLY: Yes, I'm ready.
BLAKE: [Into intercom.] Avon, can you handle the teleport?
AVON: [On intercom.] What's going on?
BLAKE: Just get down there. Jenna, switch to automatics, then go and rest in your cabin. Come on, Cally.

[Scene: Liberator teleport section. Cally and Blake enter, followed by Avon.]
AVON: Blake!
BLAKE: What is it?
AVON: Look at the locator.
BLAKE: It's setting the co-ordinates.
AVON: By itself. It looks as if our computers are being over-ridden again, being programmed from another source.
CALLY: Perhaps we should move out while we've still got a chance.
AVON: While some of us have still got a chance.
CALLY: Oh, I forgot. I'm sorry, Avon.
BLAKE: Frankly, I doubt whether we could even if we wanted to. From what we've seen already it's obvious that machine could totally immobilize us.
AVON: Then let's get on with it.
BLAKE: [To Avon.] If you feel well enough, could you try and stay by the teleport?
AVON: I have no plans to go anywhere else.
BLAKE: All right, put us down.

[Scene: The planet's surface. Blake and Cally land near the obelisk.]
BLAKE: Some sort of obelisk, I suppose.
CALLY: Well, what should we do now?
BLAKE: Wait for further instructions -- there's not much else we can do. Let's take a look around.
CALLY: Blake!
BLAKE: What is it?
CALLY: Look. [She puts her hand up to show some sort of barrier. Blake does the same.]
BLAKE: It's a force barrier. The question is are we on the outside unable to get in or....
CALLY: On the inside unable to get out.
BLAKE: Yeah.

[Scene: The tunnels. Travis and Servalan are moving through them.]
SERVALAN: Travis.
TRAVIS: Uh?
SERVALAN: Listen. What is it?
TRAVIS: I dunno, but it's been behind us since we started.
SERVALAN: Let's keep going.
TRAVIS: Look, the tunnel's blocked.
SERVALAN: Well, can we get through?
TRAVIS: I'll go and check.
[He goes forward to inspect the blockage, then returns.]
TRAVIS: The roof looks as though it may cave in at any moment.
SERVALAN: Well, we knew there would be risks.
TRAVIS: Well, let's hope they're justified.
SERVALAN: They are. When we deliver Orac to the Federation they will be very grateful, and very generous, and it will be our success, ours alone.
TRAVIS: Keep watch, I'm going through.
SERVALAN: Right. [Travis moves off -- Servalan looks uneasy as she hears various 'roars' from the tunnels.] Travis! Travis!! [Suddenly a clawed hand is placed on her leg.] Agh!! Travis! Travis, help me! [Travis shoots the creature. Servalan is shaking]
TRAVIS: Are you hurt?
SERVALAN: [Still shaken.] No. What is it?
TRAVIS: I dunno -- some kind of lizard. We can get through. You have to crawl, but it widens out again later. The rewards and credit, remember? I'll go first, shall I?
SERVALAN: No, Travis. You will follow me. [They continue on. Cut to the surface and then back to the tunnels. Servalan is looking round, then stops and stares suddenly. We see a pair of skeletons.]

[Scene: The surface. A bright object approaches the camera over the sea. It is a ball-shaped object previously seen in Ensor's lab. It approaches Blake and Cally who are sitting next to the obelisk.]
ORAC: You will stand up. You will stand up! [They do so.] You are carrying weapons, you will remove them.
BLAKE: We'd prefer to keep them with us.
ORAC: You will remove them.
BLAKE: No!
[There is a small explosion on the ground in front of them.]
BLAKE: We will remove them.
ORAC: You will make greater speed. Hurry. Hurry.
CALLY: How do we get through the barrier?
ORAC: You will follow me.
CALLY: Versatile, isn't it?
BLAKE: Let's hope it's still around when we want to get out of here.
[Blake raises his communicator.]
ORAC: It is too late to contact your ship. You are now inside the barrier. Signal transmission through the energy screen is not possible. You will follow me.

[Scene: Liberator. Jenna enters the teleport area where Avon is seated at the controls.]
AVON: You were told to stay in your cabin.
JENNA: Any word?
AVON: Nothing since they called in to say that they were down safely and waiting.
JENNA: How long ago was that?
AVON: A little over two hours.
JENNA: We should have heard by now.
[There is a groan from nearby. Avon moves the teleport bracelet holder to discover Gan behind it.]
AVON: Not you as well. What are you doing down there?
GAN: I don't like being on my own. Especially if I'm about to die.
JENNA: That's cheerful.
GAN: Sorry.
AVON: Is Vila on his way as well?
GAN: No, he's doing his best to convince himself that he feels fine. Says we'll just remind him that he doesn't.
AVON: Sometimes he shows distinct signs of intelligence. Why don't you return to your quarters. I'll let you know the moment I hear anything.
JENNA: I'll stay. I think it's better if there are two of us standing by.
GAN: Better still if there are three of us.
AVON: Better still if you... [He stops abruptly. They look at each other and then all settle down to continue waiting.]

[Scene: The surface of the planet. Blake and Cally are walking along. A black cylinder rises from the ground.]
ORAC: Make haste and approach the transporter.
BLAKE: Transporter!?
ORAC: Move forward. [They approach it.] You will now enter the transporter. [Blake walks around it.]
BLAKE: There's no door.
ORAC: You will enter the transporter.
BLAKE: Look, I'm getting fed up with taking orders... How are we supposed to get inside this thing?
ORAC: The girl will go first. Move to the other side of the transporter.
[Cally moves to the other side of the cylinder, but when
Blake follows her she has vanished. Then it opens with her inside.]
BLAKE: I thought you started without me. [He steps in.]
CALLY: So did I. [The door closes.] I said that thing was versatile.
BLAKE: Maybe we should try and capture it. Perhaps Avon would like it as a pet. [The transporter sinks down some distance and then stops.] We seem to have arrived. [The door opens and closes after they exit. They move along a corridor to a junction.]
CALLY: Shall we split up and search?
BLAKE: No, we'd end up looking for each other as well as Orac and Ensor. Come on.

[Scene: Travis and Servalan still in the tunnels.]
TRAVIS: Let's check the map.
SERVALAN: We're almost there.

[Scene: Blake and Cally reach a closed door]
CALLY: It looks similar to the transporter. [It opens.]
BLAKE: And just as disconcerting. [They enter the laboratory and look around.]
CALLY: Blake, look. [The ball-shaped mobile is on a table.]
ENSOR: [Entering.] Ah, at last. The energy cells, have you brought the energy cells?
BLAKE: Yes, yes, yes, we've got them. Now, are you all right?
ENSOR: Well, of course I'm not all right. If I was all right I wouldn't need you. It's certainly taken you long enough to get here. Ah, it's typical of you morons in physical medicine.
CALLY: Oh, look, you don't understand.
ENSOR: Always has to be a mercy dash, doesn't it? Not enough to simply arrive, do your work, and then get out, ooh no, no, it has to be a drama.
BLAKE: We got here as quickly as we could.
ENSOR: I don't want to hear your feeble excuses. Now let's get on with it. I've developed a system of electronic anaesthesia that I shall administer myself. Shan't need your filthy drugs. Now, you can start carving me up as soon as you like.
CALLY: Look, you must listen to us, we...[drowned out by Ensor]
ENSOR: Press the red switch, will you. [Blake presses the red
button.] The RED one! [Blake presses the green one.] Now you'll have to work quickly. An implant operation can't be done in ten minutes you know. The last time I checked it showed there was very little in reserve.
BLAKE: Professor, what are you doing?
ENSOR: The instrument isn't entirely accurate, but it does give a, an indication. Well, I suppose you enjoy this sort of thing. Hmm? Boosts your egos to have the power of life and death, adds to the mystique with which you medics like to surround yourself. All right, now, which of you is the surgeon? Oh, come on, speak up, which of you is the butcher?
BLAKE: We are not medics, I'm afraid.
ENSOR: What?
CALLY: We went to the aid of a spacecraft that had crashed, one of the crew was already dead and the other man was dying, but before he died he asked us to get these to you.
ENSOR: Both men dead, you say?
CALLY: Yes.
ENSOR: One of them was my son.
CALLY: I'm sorry. He tried desperately to reach you. He did everything he possibly could.
ENSOR: Oh, such a waste. He had a good mind. Death is such a waste. You were with my son when he died?
CALLY: Yes.
ENSOR: It's always too late, isn't it? I wonder if he knew how much I loved him?
BLAKE: I think he did.
ENSOR: Oh I, I'm sorry if I snapped at you. It's, it's just my way. Thank you, for doing all you could to help.
CALLY: We were hoping you might be able to help us.
ENSOR: Mmm, what is it you want?
BLAKE: The four of my crew who went down to help your son suffered from high doses of radiation. Now, unless they get decontaminant drugs they also will die.
ENSOR: Ah, couldn't be easier. Whole cabinet of drugs over there round the corner -- you'll see it. Take all you want, help yourself. [Cally goes off in the indicated direction.] Can't stand them, myself. Filthy things, drugs. Ohh.
BLAKE: Listen, how long have you got before these power cells run out?
ENSOR: Thirty minutes, at the very outside a couple of hours.
BLAKE: Well, then there is still a chance. If we can get you back to our ship then we may be able to perform the implant ourselves. I mean, it's a relatively simple operation -- our computer can instruct us.
ENSOR: You have the facilities to perform an operation?
BLAKE: Liberator has one of the finest surgical units you've ever seen.
ENSOR: Might be possible, I suppose.
BLAKE: Well, come with us, you've got a chance, stay here you'll die certainly.
ENSOR: I'll do it. I'll do it. Ahah, it will be strange to leave this place, you know. I, I haven't been away for over forty years.
BLAKE: [Handing him a teleport bracelet.] Put this on.
ENSOR: What is it?
BLAKE: Well, if you can, er, get rid of that force barrier then we can teleport you directly from here.
ENSOR: Ah, it's not practical.
BLAKE: Why not?
ENSOR: Oh, if I were to disconnect it now it would be, ooh, five hours before its dissipates and I haven't got five hours. No, no, we've got to get to the surface.
CALLY: [Returning.] Blake, I think I've found enough for everybody.
BLAKE: Oh good, at least the others will be all right.
ENSOR: Well, I'm ready, shall we get started?
BLAKE: Well, wait a minute. There is something else.
ENSOR: What?
BLAKE: What about Orac?
ENSOR: Orac. Of course, yes, I can't leave Orac here.
CALLY: That was the message we were to give you. Your son says 'The Federation is willing to pay a hundred million for Orac'.
ENSOR: [chuckles] They're willing to pay are you? Well, he's worth
ten times that much. Now, come on you, help me, help me, help me. I'm gonna get him out of here. Quick. Quick. Come on. That's it. Careful. Careful. Careful. Put him over here, yes. Now, you should be able to carry him between you.
CALLY: This is Orac?
BLAKE: A hundred million for that?
CALLY: Is it a computer?
ENSOR: It most certainly is not. It is a brain, a genius. It has a mind that can draw information from every computer containing one of my cells. Orac has access to the sum total of all the knowledge of all the known worlds.
BLAKE: You mean it can draw information from any other computer without a direct link?
ENSOR: Precisely that, yes. Now are you going to stand there and listen to a lecture or might you consider it more important to try and sustain my life? Now, will you put him in there?
BLAKE: Oh, yes, I'm sorry.
ENSOR: Careful, careful, careful. That's right. You better take that. Right. Ahh, just a minute. You'd better take that.
BLAKE: What is it?
ENSOR: It's a simple on/off device that activates Orac. Use it and Orac will advise you of every detail of the operation you intend to perform. Now, shall we go? [They leave the room, but Ensor turns back to his plants] Ahh. Just a minute, just a minute. Ah. [He waters plants.] Yes, goodbye my plants, goodbye. I shall miss you. The only real vegetation on this whole benighted planet.
BLAKE: Ensor.
ENSOR: Huh? Oh, yes. [He heads for the door, then turns back yet again to feed the fish.] Ah. [chuckles] I nearly forgot you, my little ones, there you are, oh ho ho that will have to do. That will ha...
BLAKE: [Interrupting] Ensor!
ENSOR: I shall be back soon -- goodbye, goodbye.

[Scene: Travis and Servalan next to a hatch]
TRAVIS: It's not good, it won't shift. It's solid.
SERVALAN: What are you going to do?
TRAVIS: I'm gonna use a charge. Right, let's take cover.

[Scene: Ensor, Blake and Cally in a corridor]
ENSOR: No. This way, this way.

[Scene: Switches back to the charge on the hatch, which goes off]
ENSOR: What was that?
BLAKE: Get back to the lab. [He goes off.]
CALLY: Can you help me carry this?
ENSOR: Yes, yes all right..
CALLY: Come on.

TRAVIS: Come on. [He steps through as Blake turns the corner into the corridor] Blake! [He fires and misses. He and Servalan follow Blake] Which corridor did they take?

[Scene: Blake, Cally and Ensor back in the lab]
BLAKE: Weapons?
ENSOR: I disapprove of weapons.
BLAKE: So do I, but I disapprove of dying even more.
CALLY: Is there another way out of here?
ENSOR: No, oh, yes, there is, we could go by the tunnels under the old city.
BLAKE: Well, let's go then.
ENSOR: But it isn't safe.
CALLY: But it might be safer than here. Show us.
BLAKE: All right, this way. Oh, it's locked.
BLAKE: Well, get it open.
ENSOR: Key, now where did I put the key?

[Scene: Servalan and Travis reach the laboratory door]
SERVALAN: Blast it open.
TRAVIS: Right, stand back. Keep clear. [The door is blown and they enter.] There, they've gone through another door. He's getting away! He's getting away!
SERVALAN: Travis, forget Blake -- find Orac, although they've probably taken it with them. [They search the room.] Travis. Look.
TRAVIS: What is it?
SERVALAN: [Pointing to a map she has found.] Now, this is where we are. In order to get to a surface exit they have to go back along this passage, along here up there and there's your surface exit. Now, if we go back the way we came, along here, we'll get there first and we can be waiting for them. Let's go.

[Scene: Blake, Cally and Ensor in the tunnels]
BLAKE: How much further?
ENSOR: Oh, some way yet. I, I shall have to rest soon.
CALLY: We should keep on moving, they could be right behind us.
BLAKE: Yes, without weapons we don't stand a chance. Look, you keep going. I'm going to stay here and try and bring the roof down -- block them off.
CALLY: Perhaps it would be better if we all stayed together?
BLAKE: Let me do it my way, Cally.
ENSOR: Come on.

[Scene: Teleport area. Avon raises his head and checks his watch. He activates the intercom.]
AVON: Vila.

[Scene: The scene switches to Vila in a cabin, reclining in a chair.]
VILA: What is it?
AVON: [On communicator] How do you feel.
VILA: You woke me up to ask me how I feel?
AVON: [On communicator] Can you walk?
VILA: Why should I want to?
AVON: [On communicator] Meet me in the teleport area in your surface clothes, and hurry.
VILA: [Opens the cabin door and bangs his head] Ohhh!

[Scene: Teleport area. Gan is asleep on the steps. Avon, in surface gear, enters and drops a gun on the console. Jenna wakes up.]
JENNA: What is it, what's the matter?
AVON: Cally and Blake -- they've been down on the surface for far too long. They must have run into some kind of trouble, see if you can wake Gan up.
JENNA: Gan, Gan, come on, wake up.
GAN: What, uh, what's wrong, Jenna?
JENNA: Blake and Cally, something's happened to them.
VILA: [Entering, in surface gear.] Where is he?
JENNA: We don't know.
VILA: He woke me up.
GAN: Blake woke you up?
VILA: Avon.
AVON: Vila.
VILA: What are you up to now?
AVON: You and I are going down to the surface. [He thrusts a gun at him.] Put that on.
VILA: Are you out of your mind -- I'm finding it hard enough just to stay on my feet.
AVON: Then crawl, but put that on! Gan, you stay here with Jenna. Make sure that one of you stays conscious long enough to beam us back up again.
GAN: Right.
JENNA: Listen, Avon, there's nothing you can achieve by going down there.
AVON: I don't intend to sit around and wait to die. Get ready to put us down. [To Vila, handing him some pills.] Take these.
VILA: What are they?
AVON: [He throws the remaining pills to Jenna.] They will help, for a while anyway.
JENNA: Ready?
AVON: Get on with it.
[Vila is still not completely dressed, he is holding one boot.]

[Avon and Vila materialize on the planet's surface. Vila's bootless foot is in a puddle.]
VILA: Ohughhh. I've got a wet foot now.
AVON: Come on.

[Scene: The tunnels. Cally and Ensor are carrying Orac.]
ENSOR: Wait, wait. Wait a minute. I have to rest.
[There is a roar from the tunnels.]
CALLY: What is that?
ENSOR: Uh, there are some creatures that live down here.
CALLY: Are they dangerous?
ENSOR: Oh, I don't think they'll harm us.

[Scene: Cuts to Blake still trying to bring down the roof of the tunnel, then switches back to Cally and Ensor.]
CALLY: Will you be all right for a minute? I'll be back.

[Scene: Cally leaves Ensor alone and goes back. She is attacked by a phibian.]
CALLY: Arghhh, ...
[Blake hits the phibian over the head with a rock and it collapses, he and Cally then return to Ensor.]
BLAKE: Cally, check the way ahead's clear.
CALLY: Blake, look! [She points to some stairs at the top of which light is visible.]
BLAKE: Ensor! Ensor! [Ensor is dead].
CALLY: I am sorry. Just a little longer and we might have saved you.

[Scene: Blake and Cally are on the beach. Blake closes the trap-door and puts a rock on top of it, then rejoins Cally.]
BLAKE: Call Liberator. [There is a small explosion nearby.]
TRAVIS: [with his gun-arm raised] Goodbye, Blake.
SERVALAN: Wait.
TRAVIS: I have waited. Too long.
SERVALAN: He's the bonus, Travis. Orac is the prize. [To Blake] Where is Ensor?
BLAKE: Ensor, like his son, is dead.
SERVALAN: It was to be expected. He survived longer than we thought was possible. That box -- Orac -- that's what we came for. If it does only half of what was promised it will give the Federation greater power than it's ever known.
CALLY: What are you going to do?
TRAVIS: What do you think I'm going to do?
BLAKE: I think you're going to kill me, Travis, with or without orders from the Supreme Commander.
SERVALAN: With orders, Blake. All right, Travis, go ahead. [Avon shoots Travis' gun-arm]
TRAVIS: Ah! Ah!
AVON: Don't move.
BLAKE: Good shot, Avon.
AVON: I was aiming for his head.
VILA: You took your time, what have you been up to?
CALLY: We had a few minor problems.
VILA: Did you bring the decontaminants?
CALLY: Yes, we've got them.
BLAKE: Tell them to bring us up.
VILA: Jenna, stand by.
TRAVIS: Well what are you waiting for? Come on, man. Why don't you kill us?
BLAKE: No, I've got a better idea: we'll get a message through to the Federation, tell them that you let us take Orac. I'm sure they'll be quite fascinated by your explanation. [Blake, Cally, Avon and Vila teleport.]
SERVALAN: You're in a lot of trouble, Travis.

[Scene: Flight deck.]
BLAKE: The other end's connected.
AVON: You want to give it a try?
BLAKE: Why not? Vila, switch to automatics. [Blake, Avon and Vila head for the couches where the rest of the crew are seated around Orac.] Oh, Activator. [He hands it to Avon who inserts it into Orac. The computer hums.]
JENNA: Well, for a hundred million credits you'd expect something a little more spectacular than that.
VILA: Try kicking it.
GAN: Are you sure it's fully switched on?
ORAC: Of course I'm properly switched on. Having depressed the activator button what else would you expect?
CALLY: It's his voice.
BLAKE: It's exactly as though Ensor were speaking.
ORAC: Surely it is obvious even to the meanest intelligence that during my development I would naturally become endowed with aspects of my creator's personality.
AVON: The more endearing aspects by the sound of it.
ORAC: Possibly. However similarities between myself and Ensor are entirely superficial. My mental capacity is infinitely greater.
JENNA: Modest, isn't he?
ORAC: Modesty would be dishonesty.
VILA: What's wrong with being dishonest?
ORAC: Is that a question?
VILA: Yes.
ORAC: The question is futile. Were I to say that I am incapable of dishonesty how would you know if I was being dishonest or not?
BLAKE: A question for a question. Well, you're capable of evasion, anyway.
VILA: I think I've heard enough. I don't like him. Orac, be a good junk heap -- shut up.
CALLY: I agree with Vila.
ORAC: Define the words 'Shut up.'
BLAKE: Stop talking. Do not speak. Be silent.
ORAC: That is better. Our relationship will be best served if your statements are free of ambiguity.
GAN: Let's switch him off and go back to work.
BLAKE: No, wait a minute, let's find out what he is capable of. Orac, what are your limits?
ORAC: They have not yet been defined. My knowledge is virtually infinite. My secondary ability is to logically process that knowledge and make accurate predictions.
CALLY: Are you saying you can see into the future?
ORAC: The words future, present, past are meaningless.
AVON: Define 'meaningless'.
ORAC: I have the capacity to predict events that have not yet taken place.
AVON: That is not what I asked.
ORAC: In the circumstances the question is meaningless.
[Avon laughs.]
BLAKE: Now, that's ridiculous. Give us a demonstration.
ORAC: Demonstrate as a command is insufficient.
GAN: What does he mean?
AVON: He means, like Zen, that he requires specific instructions.
ORAC: Instructions are not needed if commands are succinct.
VILA: I'm getting tired of this. Go on, predict something.
ORAC: I will project an image on your scanner screen.
JENNA: Go on then, show us.
GAN: Hey that's us.
VILA: It's Liberator.
BLAKE: It's not much of a prediction, just travelling through space.
ORAC: It is not a prediction; it is an immutable certainty. Space vehicle will be destroyed.
JENNA: What!
VILA: You're not given to practical jokes are you, because that's not funny.
BLAKE: When's this supposed to happen?
ORAC: The event is not far distant.
BLAKE: How far distant?
GAN: There must be some way of making him tell us when.
AVON: Be more precise.
ORAC: The event is now even less distant.
VILA: I don't believe it.
JENNA: Zen, system status.
ZEN: All systems are functioning normally.
VILA: Yes, but Zen's only a machine.
AVON: So is Orac. [He removes the activator and throws it across the flight deck.]
VILA: That's all right, that's fixed Orac.
BLAKE: No, it hasn't.
JENNA: What do you mean?
BLAKE: We've forgotten something. The prediction has still been made.
JENNA: Blake!
[the on-screen ship explodes]

[end titles]