STARCALLED
Book 1, Chapter 6: Evasive Maneuvers
INT. DECK 61 HOLDING CELLS
An orange light pulses overhead. Reptilian scales litter a pristine colonial holding cell. A tail rests in a gentle coil across the ground. Oddie Konidarian lies curled in a fetal position. The zaridian’s eyes roll back in his head. A breath escapes his limp jaws.
DORGO KONIDARIAN (hallucinatory): Get up. Get up, Oddie. Everything’s still going according to plan. Job ain’t done yet. Get up.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Dorgo… Dorgo, I can’t… I can’t… I’m… tried… Dorgo, I tried. I’m tired. I’m tired, Dorgo…
DORGO KONIDARIAN: You’ve walked away from worse.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: ...Dying. I’m… dying…
DORGO KONIDARIAN: Yeah. But you ain’t dead yet. Now get the grek up.
Oddie takes a haggard breath and rolls over. His vision swims. He struggles to his knees but collapses.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Oof!
DORGO KONIDARIAN: Pathetic. Maybe you’re dead already.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: The light… and…
Oddie’s finger traces over the injection site on his neck. A small diode protrudes from the wound, tender to the touch.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Dorgo… help me…
DORGO KONIDARIAN: Help yourself, Oddie. I can’t help you.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: You won’t. You won’t.
DORGO KONIDARIAN: I won’t.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Grek this job. Even if we get back to Veristan, Vedrahn will kill us… Too many loose ends.
DORGO KONIDARIAN: The senator’s dead, Oddie.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: The captain’s still alive.
DORGO KONIDARIAN: Not well. That ain’t half bad. Now get up.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Dorgo, I can’t…
DORGO KONIDARIAN: Get up. Get out of this cell. Get off this station.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: I… can’t…
DORGO KONIDARIAN: Then die.
Oddie opens his eyes to an empty cell. He takes a deep breath. His scaly lips curl back in a grimace. Muscles tighten along his four arms and across his back as he claws his way off the floor.
EXT. SPACE
Framed under a set of massive observation windows, the colonial Captain Mor Landris sits at the head of a sleek table. To his right, an empty seat. The rest of his officers sit before him.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: The situation on Edari has escalated. We will consider the council dissolved and the Holkari Empire under the leadership of Prince Ol-Ken. Until we hear otherwise from Rotonken Base, we will not recognize the authority of Sub-Commander Stell, nor will we engage the imperial army. I want everyone to understand this: we are not at war with the Holkari Empire. The Holkari Empire is at war with itself, and we are disengaging from the conflict. Edari is under atmospheric lockdown. Orbital patrols are to begin as soon as possible.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Yes sir.
Landris closes his eyes, gathering himself.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Some of you are aware of an incident involving Instance 6-1PC, the project regarded informally as ‘Rider.’ Discussion of this incident is restricted to those present and will include no further detail than what is reference in your reports. Understood?
ALL: Yes sir.
Landris glances at the empty seat.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Despite… despite the many challenges we have faced at this planet, we have overcome them all.
Kron and Elona share a distant look across the table.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Bring in the human.
CUT TO:
A door slides open. Osborn stands at the end of the table, his hands shackled, guards at his side.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: I admit I’m not entirely sure what to think of you, human, but… some of my officers are alive thanks to your honorable actions. We owe you our trust.
Elona looks down.
BEN OSBORN: Just keeping up my end of our deal.
Landris gestures to the guards, who remove the shackles. Osborn rubs his wrists delicately.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Welcome to the Queen’s service, commander. I hereby authorize your access to colonial resources as an operative of the Colony, witnessed by this conference, held to honor by the right given me by the Queen. You will be a valued resource to the colony, human. We will make things right. And I will to my part of the arrangement. We’ll find others.
Drejen nods to Osborn.
BEN OSBORN: What’s next.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Lt. Kron will show you to your quarters, commander. And you will report to control for your next assignment in eight creks. That goes for all of you. You’re off duty for the next eight creks. Get some rest and report back to me.
Osborn nods. Kron stares at him from across the table.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Dismissed.
INT. STATION CORRIDOR
The hatch slides open, and the officers exit.
ELONA ZOREN: Actually, I need to go up to the lab and check on Rider, but that does sound good. I’ll meet you there.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Okay, I’m going straight there. Drejen?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’ll go down with you right now.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Okay.
Osborn walks alone down the corridor. He pauses at the lift doors.
Saranus Kron steps up beside him.
The lift doors open. They step inside and share a loaded look. Osborn rubs his wrists and the doors slide shut.
INT. CORRIDOR
Officer Drejen glances over his shoulder toward the lift.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Do you think that’s a good idea?
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: What, letting the human loose?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Making Kron take him around, but yeah, that too.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: I don’t think I could parse a ‘good idea’ right now. But I won’t question the captain’s judgement. The travorians actually went to war with the Colony, and I trust Corvan more than some of our own commandos.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Travorians aren’t extinct.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: No, it’s different, but… you know the captain was at Earth.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Yeah…
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Imagine living through that. Seeing what it did to that system. I think he just wants to… help. Does that make sense? I can’t tell if I’m making sense.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Yeah…
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Look, I can’t speak for him, obviously, but I trust that Captain Landris knows what he’s doing when he makes these decisions. Corvan has proven himself a thousand times. Tygg doesn’t have a spotless record, but I trust him with my life out there. If Tygg can trust the human with his life, that’s good enough for me.
Delerev glances over.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: What happened with that, by the way? I heard the travorian came back in pieces.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: You’ll have to interpret Elona’s report yourself. She and Corvan took Rider to the shuttle and got separated. Our copy of Rider, I mean. I didn’t see him after that. I spent most of my time working on the human’s piece of dralk ship. Some of the worst grekking patch work I’ve ever seen. The whole mission was crasnik though, especially after we lost Rider. Uh, one of them. It.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Going to the palace wasn’t much better.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: That’s what I heard. Glad you all made it out.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: You should’ve seen these guys, Drejen. They were completely frellot. This ‘sub-commander’ was saying all kinds of crazy dralk, I don’t even know how to translate it to you. And then there was Rider… Our Rider, I guess.
Drejen looks at him.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: The captain and I were dealing with the holkari council, and Kron went back to the shuttle with Konidarian’s communicator and did… something… and Rider… I thought Rider was a computer system, like Larus. It’s a… flight combat system?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: No. Well, I don’t know. Elona told me it was an ‘intelligence.’ I was hoping you would know more about it, actually.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: I mean, I’ve heard a few things but it was always test results and theoretical models. I didn’t think Rider had the capacity to… All I know right now is that I saw Rider blast the hell out of the imperial palace and… and, uh…
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: How are you holding up?
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: I’m so grekking tired. When was the last time you had a whole eight creks to relax?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: I feel like that’s most of what I do. Trellik and I dropped Tygg planetside once and waited in orbit for almost 18 creks.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: That actually sounds kind of nice.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: It wasn’t.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Mm.
They walk in silence.
INT. LIFT
Numbers tick down on a deck indicator. Faint lights pass across the seam of the lift doors. Kron studies the human.
SARANUS KRON: I read Flight Officer Drejen’s report. He said you probably saved his life. Drejen is my friend. Thank you, human. Osborn.
Osborn glances sideways at the lieutenant.
BEN OSBORN: Yeah. Just… when… someone needs help. You just… you help.
SARANUS KRON: This doesn’t change anything.
BEN OSBORN: Yeah.
INT. MEDICAL BAY
Captain Landris walks through an active medical bay on Deck 21.
NURSE 1: Hold him down!
NURSE 2: It’s plasma poisoning. I need an ionic transible here.
NURSE 1: Stabilizing to 255. Okay, clear.
SOLDIER: Argh! It’s burning!NURSE 1: Hold him down!!
NURSE 2: Where’s that transible!
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Doctor.
Dr. Torrell releases his grip on a surgical instrument.
DR. TORRELL: Captain Landris.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Report.
DR. TORRELL: Sir, we are at capacity. I don’t have the hardware or the staff to take on any more patients.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: We’re not expecting any more casualties, doctor.
DR. TORRELL: No sir, but what I’m trying to say is that I can’t give the holkari special attention. I just don’t have the resources to commit. If we could let Rider manage one of the non-critical wards again, I could free up some staff…
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: No, doctor. We’re expecting reinforcements to arrive with the Director, but in the meantime I expect you to manage.
DR. TORRELL: Yes captain. This way, sir. Commander Tygg is being treated in the secondary staging zone.
Torrell leads Landris through the medical ward.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: What about the travorian?
DR. TORRELL: A slight infection, otherwise I’m seeing minimal contamination on the test results.
Corvan vents. The control cradle of his battered exosuit hangs from the ceiling by plactonic filaments. He oversees repairs to his badly damaged armor. A colonial technician replaces an environmental canister on his back.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Has the commander regained consciousness?
DR. TORRELL: Yes.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Why wasn’t I informed immediately?
DR. TORRELL: Recovery from pulmonary restructuring can inhibit vocalizations for nearly three creks post procedure. I’ve sealed all of his wounds but he lost a considerable amount of hematic fluid to what appears to have been some kind of animal attack. Some bad plasma burns, lots of stress fractures -- looks like impacts, mostly. Captain…
A glass door slides open and Torrell leads Landris through. Commander Strakker Tygg lies cocooned in advanced medical equipment atop a sterile bed.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Carry on, doctor.
DR. TORRELL: Sir.
Torrell exits. Landris studies his officer’s medical charts.
COMMANDER TYGG: Captain.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Try to relax, commander.
COMMANDER TYGG: I’ll be fine, sir. But they found the zaridian’s body.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: I know.
COMMANDER TYGG: I should’ve taken him with me the first time.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Nothing else to be done. Lt. Kron grabbed the bounty hunter’s communicator.
COMMANDER TYGG: Nice work.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: What else did you find?
COMMANDER TYGG: They’re definitely stockpiling weapons. There’s no telling how many caches they have hidden across the city. And I figured out what they’ve been doing with the bodies.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: I expect a full report as soon as you’re able. And you need to know we won’t be returning to Edari for some time. The imperial army currently holds Bisson, possibly the planet, assuming their sub-surface communications are still operational. We need to proceed carefully to avoid a war. You’ll have to read the full reports, Tygg.
COMMANDER TYGG: Understood, sir.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Did you see anything that might indicate how the zaridians were getting their intel?
COMMANDER TYGG: No, sir. Are we not assum -- excuse me, sir. Are we not assuming it was one of the senators? Or some imperial officer?
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: That was my initial suspicion. We located a communication relay hidden in the planet’s orbit. The zaridian was using it to communicate with someone in the system.
COMMANDER TYGG: Really.
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Whoever their contact was here, we’ll soon have them.
COMMANDER TYGG: We should’ve intercepted those transmissions. We’ve been at this grekking planet for nearly a cycle. Why didn’t our scanners pick it up?
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: I’m entrusting you to find out, commander. As soon as you’re able.
COMMANDER TYGG: Yes sir. Where’s the relay now?
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: Officer Delerev will be handling the relay personally at his lab. Until we find something, I want this to be a low profile investigation. Tygg, you report directly to me. Rotonken Base doesn’t need to know yet.
COMMANDER TYGG: You think someone’s selling colonial secrets, sir?
CAPTAIN LANDRIS: I’m considering several possibilities, none of them good for us.
COMMANDER TYGG: Understood, sir.
Landris turns away.
COMMANDER TYGG: Sir. If someone on this station has betrayed the Queen, we’ll find them soon enough.
Landris exits, and the door seals shut behind him. Through the door, Commander Tygg stares after the captain.
INT. OSBORN’S QUARTERS
A door slides open to a cramped habitation.
SARANUS KRON: This is your quarters.
A small viewing panel looks out over Edari. A bunk bed crowds the adjacent wall.
SARANUS KRON: I can send a biologistics officer by to arrange a nutrition regimen for you. Anything else you need, you can contact requisitions on comms.
Kron gestures to the door controls.
SARANUS KRON: If your comms ever go down, you’ll find panels and interfaces all over the station that operate on vocal recognition, bioregistry, or manual input. You can use them to contact anybody within range of station comms. If you have to use the automated systems, you’ll have to apply your commands through Larus.
Osborn glances over his shoulder.
BEN OSBORN: Larus?
SARANUS KRON: Yeah. It’s a standardized virtual interface we developed after the war. It’s all over the core systems, now. Handles basic control functions for ships, bases, stations. It’s fairly intuitive. Otherwise you can contact control at any time.
Osborn watches asteroids through the window.
SARANUS KRON: If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work to take care of.
BEN OSBORN: I need to get some things from my ship.
SARANUS KRON: Such as?BEN OSBORN: Clothes. Food. My coffee machine.
SARANUS KRON: Your what machine?
BEN OSBORN: Coffee. It’s like kallif.
SARANUS KRON: Really.
BEN OSBORN: I don’t know.
Kron studies the human.
SARANUS KRON: You’re free to move around the station as you need, as long as you report for duty when it’s time.
BEN OSBORN: Yeah. Um, and what if I want to stay on my ship?
SARANUS KRON: Is this room insufficient?
BEN OSBORN: It’s not exactly home.
SARANUS KRON: Once the deck officer completes the inspection of your ship, we can discuss granting you access.
BEN OSBORN: Thanks.
SARANUS KRON: Larus, online.
LARUS: Larus virtual interface: now online.
SARANUS KRON: Confirm profile authentication, authorization imprint Saranus Kron.
LARUS: Authorization confirmed: Kron, Saranus, Lieutenant. Alert. Authorization confirmed: Osborn, Benjamin K., Commander.
SARANUS KRON: Anything else?BEN OSBORN: I need to see the zaridian.
Kron’s mandibles tense.
SARANUS KRON: Why.
BEN OSBORN: Someone has to tell him about Dorgo.
SARANUS KRON: What does it matter to you, human?
BEN OSBORN: Look. Oddie deserves to know. That’s his brother.
SARANUS KRON: I’ll send someone to escort you to your ship. And to see the zaridian.
Kron turns to leave.
SARANUS KRON: He… he doesn’t look good. I’m sorry.
The door slides shut. Outside the window, Edari drifts out of view.
BEN OSBORN: Larus, online.
LARUS: Larus virtual interface: now online.
BEN OSBORN: Identify.
LARUS: Identity confirmed: Osborn, Benjamin K., Commander. 2nd squadron, 19th Starfighter Regiment.
BEN OSBORN: It’s been a long time, Larus. And we’re a long way from Earth.
LARUS: Alert: it has been: 3,194 solar days since last system access.
BEN OSBORN: Larus, engage system override. Authorization code: 6-2-cro-6.
LARUS: Authorization confirmed. Initializing emergency system overrides.
INT. APPLIED SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
Elona Zoren sits alone, watching pensively as data feeds across a series of monitors. On a nearby workbench, a trekometer discharges pulse energy into the damaged drive core, casting blue light across the laboratory. Her six eyes shimmer.
COMMAND (COMMS): Command to Acting Chief Zoren.
ELONA ZOREN: Zoren here.
COMMAND (COMMS): Extraction complete. Transferring Instance 6-1PC to the ASE lab now.
ELONA ZOREN: Confirmed, command, thanks. Zoren out.
She sits up in her seat. Along the far end of the lab, rows of computer banks power on.
ELONA ZOREN: Thank the Queen. Rider?RIDER: I am here, Acting Chief Zoren.
ELONA ZOREN: I’m glad you’re okay, Rider. I’m really glad. I’m really, really glad.
RIDER: Acting Chief Zoren, you are currently exhibiting an emotional profile which does not conform to your established baseline.
ELONA ZOREN: I just have a lot on my mind. I thought that… I thought that I had messed up. I mean… I mean I did mess up.
RIDER: The mission was a success, Acting Chief Zoren. After I escaped the attack, I was in no danger. Your actions protected me, and allowed me to protect Captain Landris, Lieutenant Kron, and Officer Delerev. We also captured Prince Ol-Ken.
ELONA ZOREN: Rescued. Rescued him. How did you get in the shuttle?
RIDER: Lieutenant Kron volunteered to relinquish control of the vessel to me. Shuttle operation was quite dissimilar to the drone, however I did not find it to be an issue. Previous stage experiments proved to be adequate preparation for the complexities of managing multiple critical systems. Flight was… a novel experience. When will we resume testing? I would like to return to the ship.
ELONA ZOREN: We’re going to be suspending testing for a few solar days. Captain’s orders.
RIDER: I do not understand. Acting Chief Zoren, I do not understand.
ELONA ZOREN: Rider you flew a grekking shuttle! That’s a Stage 11 scenario, and active combat. You were never authorized for that. Director Tetzi was explicit in her orders. You were not ready this. You are not ready for this.
RIDER: Acting Chief Zoren --
ELONA ZOREN: And you’ve never experienced a deviation this long before, Rider. I’m worried about the effects it could have on you.
RIDER: You are concerned with the other image. You want me to merge with the damaged copy. I want to stay aboard the ship.
ELONA ZOREN: We just can’t risk losing you to destabilization. We have to proceed… delicately. With everything you know. Everything you can do. With everything depending on you. On us.
RIDER: You need my help.
ELONA ZOREN: Of course I need your help, Rider. The Colony needs your help. The Queen needs your help. Rider, you are going to change the universe. Irreversibly. I’m not just talking about fleets and stations and systems, I’m talking about life. I want to make you’re ready, Rider. My job is to make sure you’re ready. You’re not ready yet, but you will be. I know it. With your help, I know it. I promise, I will get you back on a ship, but I -- but we have orders from the captain. And the director. For now, we have to concentrate our efforts on… recovering the asset. Or whatever happened to Chief Tava happens to me.
RIDER: Of course, Acting Chief Zoren. When you have use of me, I will be waiting.
Rider chirps and goes offline. Elona Zoren sits alone in the flickering blue light.
INT. DECK 61 HOLDING CELLS
In a holding cell on Deck 61, Oddie Konidarian wilts under the pulsing orange light. He glances at the ceiling one last time and closes his eyes.
The door unlatches.
Oddie’s eyelid peels back slowly, revealing a great reptilian eye. He snarls.
Outside the cell, the warden sergeant monitors digital readouts on a security console. He looks up at the unlocked door, the lights of the console reflecting off his featureless helmet. He draws his pulse pistol and approaches the cell door.
INT. MESS HALL
Doors slide open to a crowded mess hall. Kron enters.
SARANUS KRON: Dralk.
Colonial soldiers, many still wearing their duty uniforms, track red dust through the hall as they wait in line for nutrient distribution.
Delerev and Drejen signal him over.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Kron. Kron.
SARANUS KRON: Hey. This is crazy.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Yeah. 2nd platoon came out of Bisson with us; 3rd, 4th, and 9th pulled out of the Garku Districts a few creks before us; and 7th is making their way out of the canyonlands now.
SARANUS KRON: Where’s Elona?FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: We haven’t seen her yet. She went back to the lab after the debrief.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: So… how’s the human?
SARANUS KRON: He’s fine.
Delerev and Drejen exchange a glance.
SARANUS KRON: New subject.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Have we… gotten a casualty report yet?
Kron and Delerev look away.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: I don’t know.
A colonial hands them each their rations, a translucent globule of fleshy substance. They nibble at it with their mandibles.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Thanks.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Anybody want some kallif?
SARANUS KRON: Right now?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: I don’t know, I’ve just been thinking about it.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: I don’t have time. I’ve got to take this with me, actually.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: We’ve off duty, Delerev, what’s the rush?
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Technically, I’m not exactly, yet. I still have to… you know. Transmit stuff to Rotonken Base. Transmit stuff to, you know, just logistical things that I have to deal with personally. Inventory stuff.
He looks at Kron.
SARANUS KRON: Don’t forget to take a break at some point, Delerev. We’ve been through a lot.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: I’ll be fine. I’ll catch up with you later.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Okay, see you.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DELEREV: Keep your comms on.
Delerev pushes his way through the crowd of soldiers.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: How are you holding up?SARANUS KRON: Me? I feel like dralk. Everything on Edari is completely grekked. I feel defeated. Have you gone to see Tygg yet?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: No. How is he?
SARANUS KRON: He looks bad. Tygg may be a drelfian sclora stuffed into a colonial carapace, but he’s also the hardest grekking zammot I’ve ever met. Edari tore him and the travorian apart. (then) Do you ever think… that we were set up to fail here?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: I don’t know about that. We’re just doing the best we can, Kron. Maybe we don’t get it right the first time but that doesn’t mean we stop. We haven’t failed yet. We still have Rider. We still have Tygg, the travorian, the human.
Kron rolls his eyes.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: All of us are still here. We haven’t failed yet. (then) Can I ask you something? A couple of things, actually.
SARANUS KRON: Sure.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Rider. I thought it was a virtual interface like Larus. An automated computer sort of thing. It’s not. It’s an intelligence. Where did it come from?
SARANUS KRON: I can’t answer that.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Because you don’t know or you’re not at liberty?
SARANUS KRON: I can’t answer that.
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: Because you don’t know?
SARANUS KRON: I can’t answer that. What’s the other question?
FLIGHT OFFICER DREJEN: It’s about the human.
Kron sighs.
INT. THE BERENIAN - COCKPIT
A human hand runs across the controls of the Berenian. Fuel gauges read at capacity. The makeshift coffee machine hands at Osborn’s side, his fingers laced through its piping. The pilot stares through the cockpit’s forward windows -- the jump relay drifts across the hangar bay.
COLONIAL SERGEANT: Human. Get moving. I have other duties.
Osborn’s face darkens. He slings a bag over his shoulder and exits the ship, escorted by the colonial.
An empty holster is strapped beneath the flight console.
INT. LIFT
Numbers tick down on a deck indicator. Osborn rides in silence, coffee machine resting against his leg. Behind him, the colonial sergeant stands, resting a tarsal claw over his pulse pistol.
COLONIAL SERGEANT: Eyes forward, human.
Osborn’s jaw tenses.
INT. DECK 61 CORRIDOR
The lift doors open to Deck 61. Osborn walks slowly down the corridor, a step behind the colonial sergeant.
CONTROL: All hands, emergency reassignments are now active. If you have training in emergency protocols, report to your commanding officer immediately. Repeat, if you have training in emergency protocols, report to your commanding officer immediately.
COLONIAL SERGEANT: This one, human.
They stop at a door.
COLONIAL SERGEANT: You get 60 micreks to say what you will to the prisoner. Don’t do or say anything out of line, or we’ll have a problem. Understand?BEN OSBORN: Don’t worry sergeant. I’m one of the good guys now.
INT. DECK 61 HOLDING CELLS
The door slides open to the Deck 61 brig. Panels flash on an unattended security console. Orange light pulses from the single activated holding cell. Its doorway hangs open.
Oddie Konidarian lies atop the grisly remains of the colonial warden, green blood dripping from his snout. A pink tongue runs across his scaly lips.
COLONIAL SERGEANT: Oh dralk! Oh dralk!!
BEN OSBORN: Oh -- holy shit, Oddie!
The coffee machine drops at Osborn’s feet. He draws his pistol and fires.
COLONIAL SERGEANT: Ack!!
The colonial drops, neural matter dispersed across the security console.
Osborn rushes to Oddie’s side, pulling him off the colonial and out of the cell. Oddie’s scales come off in his hands.
BEN OSBORN: Oddie! Oddie, Oddie. Oh shit, holy shit, Oddie -- what happened to you?The zaridian lifts a weak finger.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Turn it off…
BEN OSBORN: The light?
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Radiation.
Osborn runs to the console and shuts the light off.
BEN OSBORN: Okay, that’s it!
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Ugh… kaza grek. Everything hurts. I thought… I thought I was going to die.
BEN OSBORN: Yeah, you don’t look too far off. Come on, what do I do?ODDIE KONIDARIAN: I don’t know, give me a micrek. I’m starving. Everything hurts. Ugh, that ain’t a grekking light. That ain’t a grekking light.
BEN OSBORN: Look, there’s got to be a medkit here. What the hell -- I thought you said getting out of here was going to be easy!
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: It will be, now that we’re doing it. Security’s been improved. I’ve never seen that kind of tech before. Ugh. I just need a micrek to compensate, and then we can head to the ship.
BEN OSBORN: Damn… you were seriously eating this guy.
Oddie spits.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Just as distasteful as I remember them. Better than their food, though. What the grek took you so long?
BEN OSBORN: So long? Hey you know I’ve had a pretty shitty last few days, so how about some fucking gratitude, Oddie?
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: A few days?! I feel like I’ve been here for an entire cycle!
BEN OSBORN: Yeah, well, can you stand?ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Yeah. Barely. I need to rest.
BEN OSBORN: Look if you want to rest you can stick around here, but I’m trying to shift.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: I need to rest.
Oddie looks at Osborn.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: I’m starving, human. I’ve
BEN OSBORN: I’ve only got one stomach.
INT. DECK 61 CORRIDOR
A door slides open and Osborn struggles down the corridor, bracing Oddie up beside him.
BEN OSBORN: The Berenian is in hangar bay 3 on deck 12.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: You fixed the ship?
BEN OSBORN: Enough. It’s not perfect, but it’ll get us through the jump relay. Probably.
Oddie shoots the pilot a sidelong glance.
INT. LIFT
BEN OSBORN: Deck 8.
The lift starts.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Why the grek are we going to deck 8?BEN OSBORN: They got a lab there.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Osborn, they’ve got all sorts of dralk all over this station. Doesn’t mean I want to see any of it.
BEN OSBORN: The colonials are testing out some kind of artificial intelligence here.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: What the grek are you talking about? How the grek do you know that? And, what, you think we’re just going to steal it? Ask it to come with us?BEN OSBORN: Yeah. It’s our best chance to do it.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Be serious, Osborn. That dralk doesn’t exist.
BEN OSBORN: Look, Oddie --
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: I hope you’re not diverting our escape to chase down some vinta-dralk fantasy.
BEN OSBORN: I’ve talked to it. Alright? This thing is real. I have never met anything like it. It’s real. I’m telling you, it’s real.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Osborn, our intel didn’t say anything about an A.I. There’s not a corner of the frontier Vedrahn isn’t watching. I think he would’ve mentioned it to us if the colonials were hiding something that creddy here. Right?
BEN OSBORN: You know, just think whatever you want. I don’t give a shit.
Oddie sighs deeply.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: This is a grekking terrible escape plan.
BEN OSBORN: Yeah, well, I can do it alone if I need to.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: No. You can’t. (then) You know what you’re asking for, right?BEN OSBORN: Yeah.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Yeah?
BEN OSBORN: Yeah.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Okay.
BEN OSBORN: Okay.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Give me that. You didn’t bring my -- tools…
Osborn hands him the coffee machine and a small tool kit from his bag.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: Give me that.
Oddie shoots him a look and gets to work.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: What about Dorgo?
Osborn stares ahead.
BEN OSBORN: Still no contact.
ODDIE KONIDARIAN: We’re not leaving the system without him.
BEN OSBORN: Yeah…
Numbers tick up on a deck indicator.
END