Trek It!
Page 31
HARBINGER
Two! One! Enough of this!
TWO
This is none of your concern! Do not attempt to interfere!
HARBINGER gives TORK a nod, and the Gorlack charges TWO…but once he gets within five feet of the being, he is violently repelled by some kind of force field. TORK is thrown back against a wall, and takes a moment to pull himself together. Then, he draws his ray gun and fires at TWO…but the beam is easily absorbed by TWO’s force field.
TWO
We have complete control of matter and energy in all their forms. There is nothing you can do to harm us…but we can do far worse to you than we have already done. Do not provoke me!
ATHENA
We do not wish to harm you! All we ask is that you talk this out instead of fighting!
TWO
We are through talking! All that remains is for me to clear the corruption from his mind, so that we may continue our explorations as we always have!
ONE
That will not happen! I have changed! Through their kindness…and music…these people have reminded me of just how sacred all life is…and I will not take their lives just so that I may enrich my own!
TWO
So you want to stay here? You want to be trapped here?
ONE does not answer.
TWO
You would surrender your own freedom, just to preserve them?
ONE remains silent.
TWO
I did not think so!
TWO suddenly intensifies her energy beam. ONE falters, is driven back by the redoubled onslaught. His own beam disengages.
TWO
(more graciously)
Very good. I knew that you were not lost to me. You simply became confused. I do not blame you. It sometimes happens after traveling between so many different universes, each with its own unique reality. You can begin to sympathize a little too much with the life-forms that you encounter.
TWO walks over to ONE. Gently, she touches his head. He stares blankly at her, as if beaten.
TWO
I am sorry if I hurt you, but it was necessary. There will only be a little more pain, as I correct your thinking…and then everything will be all right. I promise.
TWO smiles and places both hands on his temples. She closes her eyes. Suddenly, ONE grabs her hands and yanks them away. His blank stare is replaced by a confident, forceful expression.
ONE
No. You will not correct my thinking. I will correct yours.
He blasts her with the most powerful beam yet, and she is stunned.
ONE
I now resolve this problem. I will not be trapped here…nor will any of these people die.
He concentrates. A silvery energy sphere emerges from him…his essence, the same sphere that earlier emerged from Synth and created a body from a Medlab diagnostic table. The sphere enters TWO and she is surrounded by a blinding flash. ONE’s vacant body is also caught in a bright flash…and when the flash fades, the body is gone, replaced by the original diagnostic table from which it was first formed.
The flash around TWO dims…but a silvery aura continues to surround her. She sways and touches her forehead, obviously disoriented by what has occurred.
ATHENA
Two? Are you all right?
TWO
(in a shocked whisper)
He…has ceased to be.
HARBINGER
You mean One’s dead?
TWO
(practically talking to herself)
He has…extinguished his own consciousness…and poured all of the energy of his thinking…into me. I…now have enough energy…to continue the exploration.
RUDY
And you don’t have to kill any of us.
TWO
(puzzled)
No…I do not have to kill…and I will not have to kill for many universes…but…my companion…is gone.
ATHENA
He sacrificed himself for us…and for you. He gave us our lives…and gave you your freedom.
TWO
He…is gone. I did not wish for him…to cease to be.
ATHENA
Perhaps, some part of him still lives within you.
TWO
No. He is gone. I sense nothing of his consciousness remains.
ATHENA
What I mean is, your memory of him still lives…as does the spirit of his sacrifice.
TWO
His…sacrifice…was unnecessary.
RUDY
Apparently, he didn’t think so.
TWO
We had only to drain two of you, and we would have been on our way. We would have continued…together.
RUDY
He believed it was wrong to drain us…to kill us. Maybe, he wanted you to believe that, too, and this was the only way to convince you.
TWO
What…do I do now?
RUDY
He must’ve wanted you to continue the exploration, or he wouldn’t have given all his energy to you.
TWO
But…I have never been…without him before. I have never been…alone.
ATHENA
You must be strong. You must adjust.
RUDY
You’re good at adjusting. You’ve adjusted to one radically different universe after another, so you ought to be able to handle this adjustment.
TWO
(sadly)
He will never know.
HARBINGER
Know what?
TWO
He will never know where the signal originated.
RUDY
What signal?
TWO
The one we have been following. All during our explorations, it has guided us, like a beacon. It comes from a universe far beyond this one.
HARBINGER
What do you mean, “beyond”?
TWO
Just as my universe exists on a subatomic level within yours, your universe exists on a subatomic level within another universe…and that universe is nested within another which is nested within another…and so on.
RUDY
Are you trying to tell us…that our entire universe might just be an elementary particle in a larger universe?
TWO
It is the structure of the cosmos.
RUDY
But…you never said anything about this. You said that there was a regression of universes on the subatomic level of our universe…but you never said that this pattern repeated beyond our universe.
TWO
I never thought I had to say that. It is only logical that infinity would extend in all directions.
RUDY
Infinite regression…and infinite progression. Incredible.
HARBINGER
The cosmos might be a whole lot bigger than we ever imagined.
TWO
It is larger…and smaller…than you capable of imagining.
HARBINGER
This signal…it is a message of some kind?
TWO
We have been unable to translate it…but it does come from an intelligence of some kind…an intelligence which my companion very much wanted to meet.
ATHENA
You will honor his memory, then, by continuing this journey and making contact with this intelligence.
TWO
I will continue the journey.
With that, TWO vanishes in a flash of light. The diagnostic table which she used to construct her body appears beside the table left behind by ONE when he sacrificed himself.
*****
ACT V, SCENE II
EXT. INFINITUDE. VO PHILIPPE.
PHILIPPE
Captain’s Journal: The Infinitude is proceeding to the unexplored systems in Quadrant One-One-Six-Zed-Alpha. Now that our recent visitors have gone, we can return our full attention to the business at hand – determining if intelligent life is the source of the radio transmissions originating in the quadrant.
INT. LAST CALL
RUDY is gazing contemplatively at the view of space provided by the window ports. HARBINGER enters and saunters over to join him.
HARBINGER
Penny for your thoughts, Rudy.
RUDY did not seem to notice HARBINGER at first, but now he turns to acknowledge him.
RUDY
Hi, Commander. I was just thinking about One and Two. I wonder if there’s any truth to what they told us about the universe.
HARBINGER turns his gaze to the view of space.
HARBINGER
If there is, it certainly makes everything a lot more interesting.
RUDY returns his gaze to the stars.
RUDY
You can say that again. All those stars…and worlds…and galaxies…all that space, stretching out forever…and maybe it’s all contained in a single particle in another universe.
HARBINGER
It’s hard to imagine.
RUDY
It really makes you feel small. I mean, I’m used to living in a vast universe…but when I think that there might be universes beyond this one, and universes within this one… “vast” takes on a new meaning.
HARBINGER
We think of infinity as “out there”…space, distance.
HARBINGER waves, gesturing at the stars.
HARBINGER
Pick a direction, travel in a straight line…and you’ll just keep on going. I suppose it makes sense that infinity would extend in other ways…maybe an infinite number of ways…but the idea will take some getting used to.
RUDY
It just gets bigger all the time, doesn’t it? It seems like, after all our exploration…the cosmos just keeps expanding beyond our reach.
HARBINGER
Every answer leads to a fresh mystery. Every achievement leads to a new challenge. I like it that way.
RUDY
There’s so much out there…so much we’ll never see…so much we’ll never understand. Galaxies upon galaxies…maybe universes upon universes…
HARBINGER
And here we are.
HARBINGER turns away from the window.
RUDY
Yeah. Here we are.
RUDY also turns from the window.
HARBINGER
Just a couple of snails creeping through the garden at a snail’s pace…but it’s a hell of a garden.
RUDY smiles and nods.
HARBINGER
Come on. I’ll buy you a drink.
HARBINGER heads for the bar. RUDY follows…takes a last look over his shoulder at the windows…then resumes his course.
ZOOM OUT from RUDY and the bar…through the windows and onward, revealing the Infinitude, which shrinks with distance, finally becoming just a pinpoint of light among the stars.
FADE OUT
*****
Trek It! Part Five:
Trek Script 2
Sojourner: Vendetta
A Trek Script
By Robert T. Jeschonek
CAST OF CHARACTERS
(in order of appearance)
MARGARET JAMISON, captain of the star cruiser ESS Sojourner
LIEUTENANT TULON, the ship's security chief, a member of the stoic Hephaestan species
LIEUTENANT BRELLORA JUAREZ, the ship's chief engineer, who is part human, part warlike Gorlack
MARTINSON, an engineer aboard the Sojourner
COMMANDER CHOKA, the ship's Native American first officer
ENSIGN JIAN LIM, ship's navigator
LIEUTENANT JOHN VERSAILLES, ship's helmsman
COMPUTER VOICE
TACTICAL OFFICER
KLASHAR ZULE, resident of a world along Sojourner's route, a member of the Norellian species
PHYSICIAN, a hard-light being programmed to serve as the ship's doctor
NOTE: The ESS Sojourner is an exploratory vessel stranded in a region of space far from the Interplanetary Alliance that its crew calls home. The ship's crew members have been homeward bound for five years now, and they have ninety more years to go. To get home in one piece, Astrofleet regulars must work side by side with former members of the Alliance Resistance, often leading to conflict. While struggling to get home, the crew of Sojourner encounters diverse alien species, many hostile, and attempts to survive without compromising the idealistic principles of the utopian Interplanetary Alliance.
*****
TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. TULON'S QUARTERS
JAMISON and TULON are seated, talking. Jamison's expression is grave, betraying great worry for her friend. Tulon appears to be as calm and impassive as ever.
JAMISON
Are you sure you'll be all right, Tulon?
TULON
There is no need for concern. I will begin my leave tomorrow
JAMISON
I know how difficult this can be...
TULON
It is true that var zegg presents certain challenges...but I have prepared for them.
JAMISON
This time, the challenges are more...formidable. I can't take you to Hephaestus...to your wife.
TULON
Var zegg demands that once every seven years, the Hephaestan male return to his homeworld to...join with a mate. The alternative is madness and death.(beat)Though I am unable to visit Hephaestus for this var zegg...I have made arrangements which Ibelieve will ensure my survival.
Jamison gazes at him with great concern and sighs.
JAMISON
I wish I could take you to Hephaestus, Tulon. I wish I could take us all home right now.
TULON
As do I, Captain. Being home...and with my wife...would simplify matters.
JAMISON
If there's anything that I can do...
TULON
I will notify you.
JAMISON
(leaning close, grim)
Don't hesitate, Tulon. I don't want to lose you, my friend.
Jamison rises and walks toward the door. As the door opens, she turns and casts another worried look at Tulon; then, she exits his quarters and the door closes.For a moment, Tulon remains seated. He turns his emotionless gaze to a photo of his wife on the table beside him. After another moment, he rises and calmly strides from the room.
*****
2 INT. PODCRAFT IN PODCRAFT BAY
BRELLORA is working inside one of Sojourner's podcraft, pressing controls on panels, looking at readouts, comparing them to readouts on the scanalyzer she holds. She activates her communication badge and speaks while she continues examining equipment.
BRELLORA
Martinson. I've pinned down that sensor anomaly. There's a microfracture in the matter-crafter's housing...allowing electromagnetic radiation to leak into adjacent systems. I'll have to seal the housing and sweep the grid...then recalibrate the sensors. I'll be a while yet.
MARTINSON'S VOICE
Understood.
Brellora continues to check readouts on consoles and the scanalyzer. She is concentrating on her work...and so does not notice Tulon's hand descending on her back to deliver a Hephaestan spinal strike.
Applying pressure with the spinal strike, Tulon renders her unconscious. She drops the scanalyzer and slumps to the floor. Closing the door of the podcraft, Tulon takes a seat at the main console and begins operating the craft's controls.
*****
3 INT. BRIDGE
Jamison, CHOKA, LIM, VERSAILLES, a TACTICAL OFFICER, and SUPERNUMERARIES are present. At the Ops station, Lim notices something on one of the readouts and frowns. His fingers dance over the console...he checks the readouts again...and his head swings up.
LIM
Captain! A podcraft just launched!
Jamison, seated in the captain's chair, looks up from the report she was perusing. Rising, she drops the report onto the chair and steps toward Lim's station.
JAMISONWhat?
LIM
The podcraft is moving awayfrom us at full impulse.
Choka joins Jamison at Lim's stat
ion.
CHOKA
Who's piloting it?
LIM
I don't know.
CHOKA
No one should be able to override the lockout command without authorization from the bridge.
JAMISON
(ominously)
Almost no one.
Jamison calls out over the communication system.
JAMISON
Bridge to Tulon.