| abstract
| - Script for DAWN OF THE GODS James Follett (c) 1979 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 Kerr Avon Vila Restal Cally Del Tarrant Dayna Mellanby Orac Zen The Caliph Groff The Thaarn
* ? = indistinct (on Liberator's flight deck) VILA Now that's not fair. I'm twenty thousand credits down. CALLY Come on, Vila, pay up. VILA Why don't I ever win? AVON Being a born loser may have something to do with it. DAYNA And a bad one at that. ORAC Rule 10. A player may miss two turns while on a penal colony planet. On his third turn, he must pay a ten thousand credit fine, and leave the colony. DAYNA Now's your chance to come out fighting, Vila. VILA Oh, sure, on miserable little space shuttle while he's got an entire battle fleet waiting for me. AVON One cruiser, if you check. I didn't consider you worth a battle fleet. VILA And if I got past it, where could I go? (alarm sounds) DAYNA Come and stay at my hotel in Space City, Vila. Only five thousand credits per night, with all your favorite extras thrown in. VILA I might as well give up. AVON Don't you always? (alarm sounds) What's the matter, Tarrant? TARRANT I'm getting a zero zero five course deflection. ORAC What about the game? AVON What was the deviation the first time? TARRANT Very little. Zero zero two. AVON Even a course deflection of zero zero one is significant if it hasn't been programmed by the navigation computers, which it hasn't. Auron is still the reference point, according to this. ORAC What about the game? TARRANT Zen. Why have we had three course deflections that we have had to correct manually? ZEN Analysis of navigation and main drive control computers is proceeding. TARRANT Not very helpful. AVON But significant. Usually Zen can check all systems in milliseconds. The fact that he is taking longer suggests that tests are being carried out right down to component level. TARRANT Vila, Cally, Dayna. A full manual check on all systems, weapons, force wall, everything. ZEN Information. Analysis at all function levels indicates that all systems are functioning normally. VILA Wonderful. There's nothing wrong with the Liberator, therefore we must have imagined those alarms going off. TARRANT Orac, a small problem for you. What is the possiblity of a directional control fault arising on the Liberator without Zen knowing about it? ORAC The chances are that had the game continued as it should have done, I would have won control of the galaxy on a probability of ten thousand four hundred and fifty to one. TARRANT Orac, it was only a game. DAYNA Orac with delusions of grandeur, Zen unable to control the ship. I'd say we've a lot of little problems on our hands. AVON Course deflection is zero zero five. Speed Standard by five and increasing. I'd say we have one large problem on our hands. CALLY According to this, Zen is correct. There's nothing wrong with the ship. I just don't understand it. TARRANT Orac, I'm waiting for an answer. ORAC The ship is behaving normally, and I can offer a high-status prediction that it will continue to behave normally. AVON Course deflection is zero one five, speed standard by seven. Zen, put the asymmetric thrust computer on-line and set to automatic course correction. ZEN Confirmed. Course now established. DAYNA So, who do we beleive? Zen or Orac? CALLY We felt the ship vere off course, therefore we must beleive Zen. DAYNA Yet the Orac computer is infallible. AVON Orac has a weakness: a thirst for knowledge. Infallibility depends upon your point of view. TARRANT How about testing his infallibility in the recycling machine? ORAC I have already made perfectly clear that the ship is behaving normally. It is obeying Newton's First Law of Motion and will continue to obey it. Further discussion of the subject is now closed. AVON Newton's first law states that a moving body will continue to move in a straight line and at a constant speed. TARRANT There's more. A moving body will continue to move in a straight line and at a constant speed unless it is acted upon by an outside force. Someone or something has got a traction beam on us. Cally, I want a telemetric bandsweep. If you pick up any signals from any ships within ten million spacials, jam them. CALLY Right. TARRANT Zen, report any ship or unaccountable object within ten million spacials. ZEN Detector analysis indicates no ship or unidentified object within specified distance. TARRANT Double the distance. AVON There is no known power in the universe that can operate a traction beam over that distance. ZEN Detector analysis result: negative. TARRANT Just because you don't know how to build a high-energy traction beam doesn't mean that no one else knows how to build one. ZEN Information: speed now Standard by Eight. Course deviation zero two zero. Sustained asymmetric thrust draining energy banks at depletion rate nine. DAYNA We'll be in trouble if we have to activate the force wall. CALLY I'm picking up absolutely nothing. TARRANT How close were we going to Auron, Cally? CALLY Well, you know how close. TARRANT It's just that if the Aurons are responsible for this, I wonder what it is you did to upset them before you left. CALLY I'll tell you sometime. Anyway, Tarrant, this is not the doing of my people. For one thing they're not hostile and for another they haven't developed the traction beam. DAYNA Do they all have your telepathic powers, Cally? CALLY Some, to a degree, but our powers are limited. I've never made any secret about -- DAYNA What about telekinetic powers, the ability to exert a force at a distance? Maybe that's a secret you've kept. AVON There seems little point in blaming the Aurons for our troubles when we are nowhere near Auron. TARRANT That's the spiral arm in sector twelve. That means were on the edge of the galaxy and into spiral space. AVON Hardly a healthy place. VILA Why? TARRANT Sector twelve is uncharted. When I was at the Federation Space Academy, survey ships sent to chart Sector Twelve had a distressing habit of not returning. VILA Let's hope it's a habit we don't pick up. ZEN Information. Speed increase to Standard by Nine. TARRANT It looks as if we already have. ZEN Information: speed Standard by Ten. Asymmetric thrust no longer able to correct course deviation. CALLY Why not turn the ship round and use the main drive to slow down our acceleration? AVON Use brute force in an attempt to counter a force we do not understand? TARRANT Then what do you propose? AVON Doing nothing. VILA Oh, fine. I may not be the bravest man in the galaxy -- AVON Are you sure? VILA -- but I'd rather go down fighting than doing nothing. AVON We will do nothing to counter the force acting upon the Liberator. We then plot the Liberator's course on the main battle computer flight predictor to see exactly how she is behaving. Once we understand how the force is operating we may be some way toward defeating it. TARRANT Strange. The Liberator's following a curve. Traction beams produce straight-line motion. Zen, I want a prediction of the Liberator's course based on existing data. Slingshot orbit. AVON Which means that the force acting upon the Liberator is nothing more than gravity. We are falling. Towards what, I wonder? TARRANT Zen, put forward coordinate eight nine zero on visual. ZEN Confirmed. Requested coordinate on forward detector visual in precise center of screen. DAYNA But there's nothing there. AVON Zen, use long range intensifier. Three guesses, if you need them. VILA A black hole. My god. We're falling into a black hole. So what will happen when we skim round that thing? AVON If it is a collapsed white dwarf star, gravitational distortion will tear the Liberator apart. Our remains will spread out over the entire surface adding a thickness of a few atoms to its diameter. DAYNA No one could accuse you of trying to hide things from us. TARRANT Why did Orac lie when he said the Liberator was behaving normally? ORAC I did not lie. Considering the proximity of that fascinating black hole, the ship was and is behaving normally. AVON Orac, what is so facinating about this particular black hole? ORAC ALL black holes are facinating. Their gravitaitonal pull is so massive that not even light can escape from them. A cubic inch of black hole matter can weigh a million tones. AVON We know all that. And so do you. So why this particular black hole? ORAC The absence of x-ray emissions. Normally colliding particles in the vicinity of a black hole emit xrays. AVON So you decided you would like a closer look. ORAC The absence of xrays highlighted a gap in my knowledge of the universe which cannot be tolerated. TARRANT So without telling us, you reprogramed the navigation computers. ORAC I have noticed that the occupants of this spacecraft have a lamentable lack of interest in the more fascinating aspects of the universe. You must excuse me, I have many observations to make. VILA Why don't we switch him off and put ourselves out of our misery. AVON I would advise against it. Orac may be gathering information that could prove useful to us. VILA Useful! He's got us into this mess. ZEN Information. Forward scan detectors indicate dust cloud density six in flight path. Range: one million two hundred thousand spacials. AVON Activate the force wall. ZEN Confirmed. TARRANT We can't afford a drain on the energy banks. AVON At this excelleration rate, every dust particle could stike the Liberator with the force of a meteoroid. ZEN Confirmed.(oppressive noise. They all sink to their knees, hands over ears.) ZEN Information. Ship's velocity now in excess of design limitations. Force wall collapse imminent. (distortion effect. Dayna, Vila, Cally unconcious. Avon struggles towards the seating. Tarrant rouses and crawls towards Avon. Avon removes spacesuit from storage compartment, starts to pull it on. TARRANT No, Avon! We all go together. You hear? Together! (reaches Avon, grabs at suit) ORAC Fascinating. Fascinating. TARRANT We all go together.(Tarrant grabs at Avon's throat. Avon tries to push him away) AVON There is a faint chance for one of us. (they are overcome and collapse. Sudden silence, deck is dark. Tarrant recovers first) TARRANT Avon. Avon! (Avon starts to attack, then pulls back) AVON What happened? TARRNAT It looks as if we survived the slingshot orbit. AVON I would have said impossible. Would have said. (Vila groans) AVON Our hero lives. TARRANT At least he didn't try to get into a spacesuit. AVON I look upon self-interest as my great strength. Vila. TARRANT One day, Avon, I may have to kill you. AVON (smiles) It has been tried. Vila, wake up. VILA (sees six Avons) I'm in hell -- and it's full of Avons. What's the good news? AVON We survived the orbit. ORAC Fascinating. Fascinating! A thousand years here would be too short. AVON Zen, increase the lighting. Zen! Increase the light! ZEN Delay regretted. All commands now require prior verification. AVON By what? ORAC By me. It has been necessary for me to assume control of the ship. Excuse me. I have many observations to make. TARRANT We'll deal with Orac later. Now we have to get Cally in to a resusitation chamber.(Tarrant and Dayna lift Cally, Vila drinks from a small bottle) DAYNA Respiration, Heartbeat, and blood pressure now normal. There's a lot a brain rhythm activity I just don't understand. THAARN (V.O.) You came, Cally. I have waited for the time that light takes to cross a thousand galaxies. I knew that someone would come. CALLY Who are you? TARRANT It's alright, Cally. You'll be fine. THAARN (V.O.)I am the Thaarn, Cally. CALLY The Tharn? TARRANT Cally, it's me, Tarrant. Can you hear me? THAARN (V.O.) Do you remember stories they told you about me? When you were a little girl on Auron? Do you remember the children's rhymes? The songs you sang about the Thaarn? (Tarrant and Dayna talk behind this) CALLY I remember. TARRANT Cally, it's me, Tarrant. Can you hear me? CALLY I hear the Thaarn. So near. THAARN (V.O.) So alone, Cally. So...alone. Soon we should be together. We shall rule the universe. But now, you must sleep, sleep, sleep. DAYNE Brain activity now normal. What was it she said? TARRANT I dunno, something about 'tharn'? DAYNA She'll be all right now, we should leave her sleep. TARRANT I've got some unfinished business with Orac to attend to. (on flight deck. Tarrant removes Orac's key) AVON We will need that. TARRANT We'll manager without it. AVON We did not complete the slingshot orbit around the black hole as we supposed. TARRANT Then where the hell are we now? AVON Wherever it is, we are not in space. TARRANT Zen, run through all the detectors on the main screen. I want an identification of every constellation. ZEN Confirmed. AVON There are no stars out there, Tarrant. There is nothing. ZEN All scanners now sequencing. No stars or astral bodies present. Therefore unable to comply with identification request. AVON An unlikely possiblity is that we have fallen through the black hole into the so-called negative universe of antimatter, where time and energy no longer exist. VILA That sounds like a way of saying we're nowhere. TARRANT (inserts key) Orac, where the hell are we? ORAC A fascinating place. Fascinating. Space outside the ship has ceased to exist. It is essential that we do nothing to contaminate this place until it has been thouroughly investigated. TARRANT If space has ceased to exist, let's see how it responds to our neutron blasters. Dayna, two blasts at ten percent power. DAYNA Zen, put up the radiation flare shields. ZEN Confirmed. Radiation flare shields in position. Neutron blasters cleared for firing. (Cally appears) DAYNA Two blasts, at ten percent power, now.(two blasts, and crew is rocked twice) VILA Someone is shooting back! DAYNA They fired back at the same energy level. ORAC You're shooting at yourselves, which is making my observations extremely difficult. VILA How can we be shooting at ourselves? CALLY Why not, if space is curved back on itself? Here- DAYNA Cally! We were worried about you. CALLY I feel perfectly alright now. What's happened? TARRANT You were delirious. CALLY I can hardly believe that. TARRANT You were raving about the 'tharn' or something. CALLY Why would I talk about a mythical creature in children's stories? DAYNA You tell us. CALLY Well, it seems absurd. The Thaarn is as mythical to me as dragons and unicorns are to the people of Earth. AVON More important than worrying about creatures that do not exist, is worrying about our present situation, which most certainly does. TARRANT And what do you suggest we do? AVON Examine the outside. TARRANT If you want to teleport into oblivion, you just go right ahead. AVON The outer teleport transducers were damaged when the force wall collapsed. Someone is going to have go out through the inspection hatch in a spacesuit and replace them. VILA The time we've been in space without a refit that -- that hatch will be space-welded shut. Anyway, who would risk it? AVON Someone who has a talent for opening locked doors. TARRANT And has demonstrated a grasp of the problems involved. VILA Oh no. Not me. Not a space suit. Well, it wasn't my idea. One of you can go outside. I never did trust those things. Nothing, absolutely nothing in the whole galaxy can or will persuade me to wear one. Not a chance. (in suit) VILA I'm now in the inspection compartment. (V.O.) I am now depressurizing. I am now trying to open the hatch. TARRANT (V.O.suit comm) Use your delicate skillful touch. VILA (Stomps on hatch, which gives) I used my delicate skillful boot. (lowers himself through hatch) Can't see anything. Nothing but darkness. CALLY Vila, be careful. VILA Oh..agh! TARRANT Vila, what happened. VILA (Hanging by his fingers) Hey! There's gravity here. AVON (V.O.) Gravity? Are you sure? VILA Well, of course I'm sure! So would you be if you were in the mess I'm in. If I let go, God knows how far I'll fall. TARRANT (V.O.) Drop something. See how far it falls. (Vila drops a flashlight, then himself a few inches) VILA We must be on the surface of a planet. It's hard, and even, like it's artificial. Gravity feels about normal. Doesn't make sense. Unless... Yes, that's it. We're in a huge, underground cavern of some sort. No wonder Orac's thinking we're shooting ourselves. The walls must have reflected our blasts. What do you want me to do now? AVON Circle out from the ship. TARRANT But don't go too far. VILA I wasn't planning to. I'll call in two minutes. Out. TARRANT Does anyone have even a faint idea of where we are and what sort of mess we're in? THAARN (V.O.) Cally. Come to me. Come to me, Cally. I need you. Need you. CALLY No. THAARN Need you. CALLY No. THAARN Need! DAYNA What's the matter, Cally? CALLY There's something out there, a force, something all powerful and evil. (Vila walks, picks up debris) VILA Avon! AVON Go ahead. VILA Someone's been here before us. There's bits of what look like part of a spacecraft scattered all over the place. There are also lumps of rock, like meteorites or something. AVON All right, Vila, pick up some samples and get back to the ship. VILA Avon. Tarrant. The ground's vibrating. (sees lights approach) There's something coming. TARRANT Vila, get back to the ship. VILA It's a beautiful light. So beautiful. TARRANT Vila, run. You must get back to the ship. VILA So beautiful. TARRANT Cally, make him run. CALLY (V.O.) Vila, listen to me. Run, Vila. It will kill you. Run. Run. Run! (Vila runs, trips, hose disconnects) VILA Tarrant! I've holed my spacesuit! I'm losing pressure! TARRANT Activate the scanner and put it on the main screen. Put up the radiation flare shields and clear the neutron blasters for firing. ZEN Neutron blasters are cleared for firing. TARRANT Dayna, stand by for a fifty percent blast from forward projector. Zen, lock on to approaching target. ZEN Confirmed. (The claw reaches up and breaks the scanner. The screen goes dark) DAYNA What the hell was that? TARRANT Whatever it was, it knocked out our scanner. ZEN Backup scanners activated. (The screen comes on again. The lights retreat) AVON It didn't like its taste of our neutron blaster. DAYNA It had a sort of claw. AVON Designed to tear things apart. Space craft, for example. ZEN Bio-scanners indicate presence of humanoid life form in the vicinity of the ship. (Vila's body on screen) TARRANT I'll go and fetch him. We can deep freeze his body until we're back into space, where we can give him a decent star orbit burial. AVON Assuming we ever get back into space. (Tarrant is outside in suit, kneels beside Vila, who sits up, removes helmet) VILA Orac was absolutely right when he said that space had ceased to exist outside the ship. This place has a breathable atmosphere. (on flight deck) ZEN This item was once part of a main drive stabilizer on a type six survey ship. Atomic resonance analysis shows that all the hurculanium alloy in the component has been drained away. This accounts for the components low tensile strength. The piece of rock is a fragment from a beta-class asteroid. All the natually occuring minerals are present with the exception of hurculanium, which appears to have been removed by a process which is not understood. AVON Herculanium is the strongest known metal in the universe. ORAC Correct. The Liberator's outer skin is fabricated from it. It is a contributing factor to this ship's invincibility. VILA So whoever or whatever runs this place hauled the Liberator in to melt it down for scrap. TARRANT It looks as if you're right about that thing wanting to tear the ship apart. ORAC We are dealing with a highly advanced technology, far more advanced than previously encountered. They must require the herculanium for a very special purpose. VILA Which means that thing will be back with its friends. TARRANT Which means that we'd better be ready for them. (Cally, Avon, Tarrant, Dayna outside. Large object on wheels approaches, rotating lights and huge teeth painted on it) VILA It's not the thing they sent before. TARRANT (into bracelet) Stand by, Dayna. Something nasty this way comes. DAYNA (V.O.)Tarrant, all the energy's draining from the banks. The blasters are useless. AVON It would seem that this crude device is intended to frighten primitive people from underdeveloped worlds. VILA It's doing a pretty good job on me. TARRANT Let's see if it thinks our neutron blaster primitive. VILA (tries to shoot large blaster) It's been nutralized. (they run around object, it suddenly stops) CALIPH Welcome to Krandor, my friends. An artificial planet, which is the palace of the Lord Thaarn, Master of the Universe. I am the Caliph of Krandor. Among other things, it is my duty as the Lord Thaarn's chief executive, to negotiate a purchase price for your ship. We, uh, usually use this for rounding up runaway slaves. Oh, quite inappropriate in this instance, but it was nearest at the time. I do hope you understand. TARRANT We don't understand anything. CALIPH Of course, of course. My friends. You will come with me, and all will be made clear. TARRANT No one moves. Any explaining will be done here. (Caliph point his cane at Tarrant, who goes to his knees in agony) CALIPH A neuronic whip. It can turn an agressive man into a gibbering idiot, an uncooperative man into the most willing slave, temporally, or permanently. But then, you've already had an effective demonstration of the Lord Thaarn's powers while aboard your spacecraft, which to us a thousand cubic cobars of much needed herculanium alloy. We must see that you get a fair price. Double the normal slave rations until the debt is discharged. Yes? You may keep your handguns and bangles if it makes you feel happier. Only the technology of the Lord Thaarn prevails on Krandor. DAYNA Tarrant. Avon, answer please. Where are you? Answer me! Tarrant! CALIPH They won't hear you, child. DAYNA Who are you? How did you get aboard? CALIPH Are you the one that they call Cally? (uses n-whip) DAYNA (cries out in pain) CALIPH In the presence of this you can neither lie nor resist. Are you the one that they call Cally? The Lord Thaarn is most anxious to meet you. DAYNA My name is Dayna. Cally is with the others. CALIPH Very well, Dayna. Come with me. Come. The Lord Thaarn sensed the presence of another aboard this ship, one called Orac. Where is he...or she? DAYNA There is no person of that name aboard this ship, and never has been. (in a cell) AVON The technology of the Lord Thaarn. CALLY The Thaarn is a myth. He never existed outside children's stories and legends. TARRANT You think this cell is a myth? VILA Tell us about the Thaarn, Cally. CALLY It's the oldest story in the Book of Auron. VILA Well, let's hear it. I like a good story, meself. CALLY The story goes back to the mists of Time, to the Dawn of the Gods. There were seven gods who discovered the planet Auron, and on it left the first man and woman. A million years went by. The gods returned. They were no older even though a million years had past. AVON Not impossible if they had a spaceship capable of traveling at near the speed of light. CALLY I did say it was just a legend. The gods returned and were pleased with what they saw, and they bestowed on the people of Auron great gifts: new types of crops, which ended hunger, constant peace -- TARRANT And telepathy? CALLY -- and telepathy was promised. But one of the gods was very jealous. He didn't believe that the people of Auron deserved all this. He was frightened they would one day become so powerful they would challenge the supremacy of the gods themselves. And in his rage, he killed another god. The five remaining gods were so angry, they built a chariot for him and sent him beyond the threshold of space and time. The mad god swore a terrible vengeance. He said that he would return again. He said that he alone would discover the eternal secrets and become the one great master of the universe. You see? A legend. VILA He sounds the sort of character you should keep an eye on, not go around banishing. CALLY On Auron, the name of the Thaarn is a symbol of darkness and evil. (Caliph enters cell with Dayna) CALIPH So. You're Cally. CALLY What of it? CALIPH You are honored, child. The Lord Thaarn wishes to see you. TARRANT She stays with us. (Caliph uses neuronic whip on Tarrant) CALIPH Take her. She will come to no harm, provided that you cooperate of course. Groff is especially anxious that you should cooperate. He is Krandor's senior technician, and has many, many targets that must be met. GROFF There is a member of your crew we cannot find. Orac. Where is he? CALIPH The neuronic whip is on an automatic setting. It has only to sense one lie and it will boil your brains in your skull. Where is Orac? TARRANT If he's not on the ship, I don't know where he is. CALIPH How tall is he? (Tarrant demonstrates) A dwarf? TARRANT We never think of him as one. CALIPH What is the color of his hair? TARRANT He hasn't got any. A bald dwarf shouldn't be too hard to find. CALIPH I will instruct the slave masters to organize search parties. ZEN All energy banks recharged. ORAC Excellent. Excellent. There is now little point in further communications between us by audio channels. In future we will communicate by direct sensory link. ZEN Confirmed. GROFF This is where you'll be working, provided you're as good at dynamic flux mathematics as you say you are. TARRANT It was one of my best subjects at the Federation Space Academy. (Avon smiles) GROFF You went to the F.S.A.? TARRANT I'm surprised you've heard of it if you're from another galaxy. What is this place? GROFF This is the very nerve center of the Lord Thaarn's great plan. The gravity generator control room. AVON And what is his great plan? GROFF To become master of the universe. He has promised all of us our own planets. There will be vast estates, and incalculable wealth for all of us. You too if you cooperate. There will be plenty for everyone. We will be kings, and the Lord Thaarn will be supreme emperor. Sit down. There is no reason why we should not start work immediately. TARRANT Graphite writing stick? I've never seen these things outside museums. AVON Start work on what? GROFF On the calculations, of course. You see, we have thousands of unsolved dynamic flux equations, simple enough but they take time. AVON Why not use calculators or computers? GROFF We couldn't do that. TARRANT Groff, what's that? GROFF A finger? TARRANT A finger. And as you can see, it is better designed for pressing buttons than holding writing implements. So why can't we use computers? GROFF The Lord Thaarn will not permit their development on Krandor. He will allow no superior intellects to his TARRANT Why not? GROFF I don't know, it is better not to ask such questions! AVON Perhaps he had an unfortunate experience with a computer. TARRANT Haven't we all? AVON Groff, where does the Lord Thaarn come from? GROFF I don't know. No one does. No one has ever seen him except the Caliph. Now you must do these equations - TARRANT And where do you come from, Groff? GROFF Xaranar. AVON A Federation world that specialized in the building of survey ships and providing them with crews. TARRANT Yes, all the best exploration missions went to you Xarin. GROFF I am not a traitor. One has to make a new life here, you have no choice. TARRANT Then how did you come to be here? GROFF The same way as you. We lost control over our ship, the gravity generator dragged us down. AVON Does it generate a beam or a total field? We will need to know that if we are to work on these equations. GROFF Total field. AVON (writes) Clever. It must require a great deal of energy. GROFF And the new shields require a great deal of herculanium if the power is to be increased. And the design of the shields requires the answers to many equations. TARRANT You had a family on Xaranor? GROFF A wife and two children. I do not think of them anymore. The work of the Lord Thaarn is more important. TARRANT Help us to escape, Groff, and we will return you to Xaranar, I promise. GROFF How could you? TARRANT Don't forget, we have our ship. GROFF The Caliph has sent out a salvage team to slice it up. Very soon your ship will be no more than a pile of scrap metal. (On the flight deck, two suited figures cut the consoles with laser-like instruments. They move towards Zen's interface. A large purple cloud appears) ORAC I would strongly advise against going too near that. I must warn you that it is a defense mechanism generated by the ship's computers. Please, gentlemen, I must earnestly implore you not to come any closer. It is extremely dangerous. (The two men collapse) Fascinating. ZEN Confirmed. (Cally sleeps on a circle bed) THAARN Cally. Cally? You came. I needed you and you came. I've been alone with my plans for so long. Cally. Plans to build a new universe, with no one to share them with, until now. The universe, Cally. And the great univeral force that controls the universe, is gravity. The orbit of the planets, the slow turn of the galaxies. I have built a machine that can generate gravity. When it's complete, it will be powerful enough to move planets, and stars. He who controls gravity, controls everything. We will be rulers of the universe, Cally. CALLY No. THAARN You will be the queen of a thousand worlds. CALLY No! I'll have nothing from you, nothing. If you don't understand that, you're not fit to rule anything. THAARN Please. Cally. Don't make me destroy you, I'm so alone, I need you. So alone. Sleep now, Cally, decide when you have slept. Sleep. CALIPH You tell me what it is you have aboard your ship, otherwise you'll be dead in three seconds. TARRANT I don't know what you're talking about. CALIPH Two men sent to smash the Liberator have been found dead. GROFF The Liberator! CALIPH Was it Orac that killed them? TARRANT I don't know. CALIPH What manner of weapons does he have that can work while the energy isolators are switched on? TARRANT We don't know. None of us knows what type of arms Orac has. He keeps himself to himself. CALIPH I shall turn out every slave to search for him. He will be found and destroyed. Then it will be your turn. All of you! GROFF The Liberator? They said it was invincible. AVON Propaganda that we find useful. TARRANT Thanks to Orac it sounds as if the Liberator is still intact. A trip to Xaranar wouldn't take too long. GROFF Escape is impossible. While the energy isolators are on, your handguns won't work and it is not possible to put the gravity generator into the negative field mode. AVON But putting the gravity generator into reverse would collapse the floor beneath the Liberator and allow her to fall out into free space. GROFF It would weaken the atomic structure of the floor. It's the same way you came in. AVON And putting the gravity generator into full reverse, would cause Krandor to disintigrate. GROFF Worse than that. It would blow up. AVON Gravity in reverse. GROFF That is why only the Lord Thaarn alone has control of the energy isolators. THAARN Cally. Wake up. Have you decided? CALLY Yes, Thaarn. We will rule the universe together. But there's something troubling me... THAARN About your friends? They will come to no harm. CALLY No. Why should I care about them? You're using a field, I can sense you are. How can I be sure that I am making the decision of my own free will? THAARN It's only the energy isolators, Cally. They have no effect on your free will. I promise. CALLY If you want me to trust you, switch off the energy isolators, then I can find out for myself. THAARN It's too dangerous. Cally. CALLY Then I will never be able to trust you. (draws handgun) THAARN Very well. You see, your feelings are no different. (Cally shoots randomly around her) GROFF The energy isolators have been switched off! Get to the others, get back to your ship quickly! TARRANT What about you? GROFF I'll be alright, get going! But if you could tell them, my family, they were always in my thoughts. TARRANT We'll tell them, Groff. (Groff tries to move main switch) TARRANT Come on! VILA What kept you? DAYNA What about Cally? AVON We'll have to leave without her. TARRANT Come on, move! THAARN Cally, Cally, you've hurt me. Why? No, Cally! Stay away, I beg you. You mustn't see me. CALLY I have to see you if I am to kill you. (moves curtain) THAARN I have been ?* in time, but the price has been high, so very high. CALIPH Groff? (they grapple over the switch) CALLY (to Vila, outside the ship) Come on! (all run inside) TARRANT Zen, stand by to activate main drive, if and when we enter free space. ZEN Confirmed. Main drive standing by. The ship is now in free space. Main drive activated. TARRANT Zen, standard by eight. Put the rear scanner on the main screen. ZEN Information. Detectors indicate that a small spacecraft has left object centered on main screen and is flying on a reciprocal course. CALLY That must be the Thaarn. I should have killed him. VILA What did he look like? CALLY I never saw him. TARRANT Zen, I want a course for Xaranar. CALLY Xaranar? TARRANT We promised to take a message there. Didn't we, Avon? AVON I suppose we owe Groff that much. TARRANT I'd say so. AVON So, the Lord Thaarn escaped. I suspect we have made another enemy. A pity. ORAC A pity? A pity. It is intolerable! There is insufficient room in the galaxy for his intellect and mine. (Tarrant takes key) TARRANT I don't know. He did have one redeeming feature. He didn't like computers. ZEN Course for Xaranar laid in. TARRANT Thank you, Zen. Script Index Back to B7 Top
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)