3: Cygnus Alpha

[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: