athenaeum (unfinished screenplay)

8/9/2019 Athenaeum (Unfinished Screenplay)

1/51

ATHENAEUM

byAlexander Sherman

[email protected]


2/51

EXT. DESERT - DAY

A squad of armored soldiers stand in formation around a smallmilitary corvette, the Yard Dog, landed in the midst of aferocious sandstorm the color of oxidized copper. They scantheir surroundings through green visors, shouldering

intimidating rifles.

INT. YARD DOG

An unmasked officer sits in front of a holographic screen.

OFFICERNo sir, no sign of the missingcrew. We suspected that the ship

may have downed in thestorm, but it was obviously hit byartillery fire. That's Suleio

equipment, sir, why was I notinformed of-

EXT. DESERT

The wind howls around the soldiers.

POV: Soldier

The view from one the visors flips between different viewmodes: night vision, topographic projection, infra red. Aspot appears on the horizon, and the view zooms in to the

shape of a figure far away.

In the next instant the soldier is struck by a blast and hecollapses to the ground. There are shouts over the radio as,one by one, they are all swiftly dispatched, returning firesporadically, uselessly, shooting into the storm.

INT. YARD DOG

The officer turns at the sounds, motionless during thesilence that follows. He slowly lifts a hand to hisearpiece.

OFFICERSargent?


3/51

EXT. DESERT

The figure walks cautiously out of the storm toward the ship.It is dressed in loose layers of tattered robes and wears

goggles over an elaborate, beaded facemask. It steps overthe bodies, shooting each of them in turn. The wind howls.

INT. YARD DOG

A gunshot, not a bang but a hiss. The officer falls backonto the control panel, bleeding, staring wide eyed at hisattacker. It slowly lowers its gun and unwraps the bandageson a four fingered hand. The skin is green, slick, andscarred. Numbers are carved into the wrist. The officerlowers his head, trembling as the gun is lifted to it and afinal shot is fired.

EXT. DESERT - DAY

A Suleio mining tower, speared into the ground and pulsingrhythmically, reaches up for miles into the stratosphere.

MAC (SHOUTING)Hello? Is there anyone here?ANYONE?

VURAI told you. Theyre all unmanned.

Fully automated.

Our two humans, MAC and VURA, stand in front of it, dots onthe landscape. They are young, disheveled, and they lookvery tired.

VURA (CONT'D)Theres nothing here. Lets keep-do you hear something?

MACNo, what?

VURAI think. . . Hold on!

She runs up to a wall in the shadow of the tower and puts anear against it.

VURA (CONT'D)Hello? Hello, can you hear me?

2.


4/51

MACWhat is it?

VURATheres someone in there! Probably

a repair crew!

MACThats fantastic! What are theysaying?

He puts an ear against the wall and listens. He doesnt heara thing. Vura laughs.

MAC (CONT'D)Oh, not again. Look, that isntfunny!

Vura laughs and walks away.

MAC (CONT'D)Just how close to death will wehave to be before you stop getting

my hopes up?

EXT. DESERT - LATER

They rest on the peak of a sand dune. Suleio mining towersdot the landscape around them, but they are alone.

VURAYoure not going to get a signal.

MACDont get your hopes up, my dear.

VURAThat thing hasnt gone on the

market yet! Any rusty satellitesthat might still be orbiting thisrock will probably just ignore itout of spite. You'd have to bouncea signal off of a moon orsomething!

He holds a iPhone-like device above his head, tracing a pathacross the sky. He freezes.

MACWait! Ive got something!

Neither of them move.

3.


5/51

MAC (CONT'D)Its the embassy! Hold on - I gota message to them! (pause) Theyreplied! They - they say thatthey've been looking for us ever

since the crash! And now they'velocked on to our location and theyexpect a ship to be here within thehour!

VURAI can't believe it! That's thebest thing I've ever heard, they'rereally on their way?

INT. DESERT - LATER

They sit, waiting.

VURAYou said theyd be here in an hour.Have you gotten any other messages?

MACNobodys coming. You're right, Ijust picked up some old datapacket. It looks interesting,though. Geographic data,ecological reports-

Vura glares at him. He laughs.

MAC (CONT'D)I told you it wasnt funny.

Vura hits him on the shoulder, hard. He is taken aback.

MAC (CONT'D)You hit me! You can't hit me,you're a lady!

She hits him again, and continues to for emphasis.

VURAFor the last time, I'm not one ofyour pampered half-wit haremleeches and I am fully capable ofhitting you, you incompetent blueblood-

4.


6/51

Her tirade crescendos as a shadow speeds past them overheadand, several seconds later, at the apex of her fury, thesound of a broken sound barrier hits them, and they covertheir ears against the blast. They see a ship like the onein the opening scene speeding away from them and disappearing

into the distance. They stand, dumbfounded.

VURA (CONT'D)I thought you said they werentcoming.

MACI made it all up, I swear.

VURAThat was a Suleio transport ship.

MAC

They must have seen us! Did theysee us? Is it coming back?

They wait.

VURAIts not coming back.

MACBut - They must have! Or at leastpicked up my signal. Maybe theysent me a-

He pulls out his computer and shrinks with disappointment onchecking the screen.

MAC (CONT'D)They must have seen us.

VURAThen they don't care. (Beat) Comeon, we'll have to go to them.

They shoulder their bags and start down the dune.

EXT. DESERT

They walk through a minor sandstorm.

MACVura, whats that?

They see something through the storm. Squat tents and oldbuildings.

5.


7/51

VURAAnother ghost town.

INT. BAR

The two stand in the doorway of a derelict bar that has beenadapted to be suitable for habitation by the indigenouspopulation, known as newts. It is very dark, very damp, andthe sound of running water is incessant. It is also recentlyemptied, half-eaten food still left in piles on mats on thefloor.

MACI think our reputation precedes us.

VURAHow long have the colonists beengone?

MACDecades.

He scavenges for a drink behind the bar. He finds a bottleand rejoices.

Mac picks something off of a plate, sniffs it, and pops ithis mouth, giving an expression of reserved approval. Therearen't any chairs, so he sits on the ground and startseating, but can't help looking over his shoulder into thedarkness, watching for whoever's food he is stealing. Hegags quietly.

MAC (CONT'D)Slightly better than edible. If Ireally concentrate I can make ittaste like calamari.

He hands Vura a piece, and she accepts it begrudgingly,sitting down close, but not too close to him.

VURAIt's like a swamp in here. Theseabbos are so strange. Do you thinkthey're avoiding us?

MACNo doubt. Haven't seen any indays, and they were wary of usbefore that. I wonder-

He pulls out his pocket computer and begins reading.

6.


8/51

MAC (CONT'D)Ah! Caudata Erectus. Newts. It'snot much, but there's an entryabout them. It reads like a traveljournal.

EXT. TOWN

A group of figures, clad in robes and wearing beaded masks,motion to each other and watch the bar. Two types aredistinct: some have gaudier masks and V-shaped black markingsdown over their faces.

MAC (V.O.)"The inhabitants of Solicus-6 are avery private, very cautious speciesand they revealed few secrets to me

in the months that I spent withthem. The greatest mystery to meis that they are not well adaptedto their own environment, beingamphibious creatures living on adesert world."

INT. BAR

VURAThat explains the humidity. Who

wrote that?

Mac chuckles.

MAC"Anonymous." Some interstellarvagabond. I can't imagine thatlifestyle. Just a week of this andI'm ready to bury myself in thesand.

VURADon't have a taste for adventure?

MACI'd rather read about it.

EXT. TOWN

The Yard Dog hovers above the town, preparing to land.

7.


9/51

MAC (V.O.)Technologically primitive, theyare wary of any alien technology,forcing me to destroy all of mybelongings before they would permit

me near their camp.

The hatch opens, and the shooter steps out. It is met by afew residents of the town who greet it reverently, offeringit gifts, trinkets and food.

MAC (V.O.) (CONT'D)This was the first time I was to

witness their potential forbrutality, and I'm sure they wouldhave killed me had their leaderbeen less kind.

It accepts them and chirps a question in an alien language towhich the residents respond by gesturing toward a nearbybuilding.

INT. BAR

Vura stands and inspects a mural painted on a nearby wall, adense symbolic narrative showing rivers, oceans, and towersunder a stone sky.

MAC (CONT'D)"Their society is a familiar one, afundamentalist, paternal culture in

which the females have littlepower. They are ritualistic,devout worshipers of a complex

mythology and rule of law that Iwas never able to fully understand.

EXT. TOWN

The shooter approaches the bar.

MAC (V.O.)Only once did I ever see a female,so protective are the males. Anadulteress, she was stripped,flogged, and left to burn in theharsh twin suns. She was striped

with bright neon green, and she wasvery beautiful."

8.


10/51

INT. BAR

Vura turns around and suddenly goes tense.

MACThats it.

VURAMac-

Mac turns to her, then follows her gaze. Standing in thedoorway is the shooter, in silhouette, goggles shining. Itsteps forward and there is a tense silence. Mac spits outhis food and places it back on the mat.

MACI'm sorry, I thought - I thought

you were finished-

VURAMac, shut up.

The shooter raises a hand hesitantly, unsure of the gestureit is about to make. It beckons them to follow and walks outof the door. Mac and Vura exchange confused looks.

EXT. TOWN

VURA

Mac, it's a ship! It has a ship!

They follow the shooter, walking quickly ahead of them towardthe entrance of the transport.

MACI don't know about this.

The shooter steps up the ramp and walks into the ship. Vurafollows obligingly, but Mac grabs her arm.

MAC (CONT'D)Wait, are you serious? Shouldn't

we think about this, maybe figureout why we're following a strangealien onto an obviously stolenship?

VURAWe probably should, shouldnt we?

She starts up the ramp again, and Mac stops her again.

9.


11/51

MACLook this is no joke. Did you hear

what I just read? This could bedangerous, especially for you.

VURAAnd I am especially aware of that.Do you have a better idea? Should

we stay here, catch the next one?It's a gamble, sure, but it's all

we've got.

She walks aboard, and Mac waits. The door starts to close,and he jumps aboard, swearing.

The ship lifts off and flies away. The residents of the townstep out of the shadows and watch it leave, moving theirhands as if drawing symbols in the air.

INT. YARD DOG

The shooter pilots the ship. Through the windows of thecockpit, the desert sweeps underneath them. They fly towarda distant mountain range. In the back of the ship Mac andVura sit, sweating profusely.

MACCould you ask him to turn down theheat?

Vura doesn't answer. She stares intently at the pilot. Thepilot takes its hands off the controls and leans back in itschair. It unwraps the bandages on its hands and takes of its

mask.

VURAHim?

Mac looks up. The back of the pilot's head is visible. Oneside arches up in a delicate frill, the other half is badlyscarred and mutilated. Its skin shines neon green. The twoof them are taken aback.

MACGreen stripes.

VURAGod. . .

A green hand, with numbers carved in the wrist, drawspatterns meditatively in the air.

10.


12/51

VURA (CONT'D)What happened to her?

CUT TO:

EXT. MOUNTAINRANGE

They fly along the ridge through a storm. Their destinationreveals itself slowly: among ancient, unidentifiable ruins,in a crevice at the base of a mountain ridge, is a wreckedhuman ship half buried in turqoise sand.

INT. YARD DOG

The ship lands, the passengers craning to get a view of theirsurroundings. The pilot removes an IGNITION KEY from the

control panel, rebandages herself, mists itself with waterfrom a filthy spray bottle, redons her mask and stands. Itpulls out a gun and walks toward Mac and Vura. Mac panics.

MACI knew it. It brought us out hereto the middle of nowhere just so itcould kill us slowly-

The pilot punches a panel and the hatch opens. It waves themout the door. Mac steadies himself. The pilot gestures toitself.

SUSHUKSs-Sushuk-k.

SUSHUK walks ahead of them.

MACWere living on borrowed time, Iknow it.

VURAPlease shut up.

INT. ROMA

The entry hatch of the crashed cargo vessel Roma openssuddenly, and Mac and Vura tumble inside. The wind howlsoutside as Sushuk steps in calmly after them and closes thedoor. Coughing violently and wheezing, Mac and Vura slowlyrecover and survey their surroundings. The power is out.They carry electric lamps.

11.


13/51

The inside of the Roma is eerie, dark and long sinceransacked. Broken glass and equipment lie scattered acrossthe floor. Mac eyes a curious dark stain on the floor.

Sushuk stands at a door leading to another room. She waves

them on, and they follow her down a hallway to what isobviously the command center. As they enter, Sushuk isleaning against the far wall, her head against it, marking it

with a finger. She steps away with a bow, turns toward Macand Vura and beckons.

In the middle of the wall is a small door with a computerscreen, a keyboard and an elaborate lock. On the door is abiohazard symbol. Sushuk lays a palm against it and nods tothem.

VURAIs this why were here?

She nods again, tersely.

Vura walks toward it. Mac stays by the door.

VURA (CONT'D)You want us to open a safe?

Sushuk stands back. Mac doesnt like it.

MACThats not suspicious at all, isit?

Sushuk takes out the IGNITION KEY and displays it to them.

VURAAnd we get your ship.

Vura looks back at Mac. He hesitantly offers a nod ofacceptance.

Sushuk looks at each of them, pockets the key and walks outthe door. Mac walks across the room and he and Vura stand infront of the safe.

MACYou have experience with thingslike this, right?

Vuras expression doesnt inspire confidence.

12.


14/51

MAC (CONT'D)What have you gotten us into? Areyou planning to pick it with a hairpin?

VURAI - what? This ship isnt THATold. Look, it doesnt need a key.Its an interface. Lets at leastsee what it says.

Sushuk stops in the main room. She walks down a differentcorridor, to a room that looks like an office, with a deskplanted in the center. She rests a hand on the corner of thedesk. On the wall are old bloodstains.

INT. ROMA - LATER

MACAnything?

He is lying on his back, buried in an open electrical panelrooting around with a flashlight. Vura is standing on astool in the next room by the vault, flashlight in hand,following a coil of wires.

VURANot yet. They really messed up the

wiring but I think it should work.

MACWho do you think trashed it?Suleio? The militia?

VURANo idea. Ow! I cant even tell

where this ship is from. Might becivilian, military, might even befrom the Sacrament.

MACYou think so? Wait - I think Ifound-

A hum kicks in and the lights turn on, along with the vaultscreen. Mac crawls out and walks into the vault room.

MAC (CONT'D)The power reserves arent great,but we should have plenty of time.

13.


15/51

Vura is sitting on her stool, dejectedly. Mac walks up toexamine the screen. In a simple box it text field it saysPASSWORD. Mac sighs and looks at her with a wry smile.

MAC (CONT'D)

Good thing youre the best hackerin the system.

Vura shakes her head. He walks away.

MAC (CONT'D)Well, then start with aardvark.

He walks into the main quarters and kicks a stool across theroom. He leans against a wall and sighs again. Vura sits onher stool and stares at the screen, worry on her face for thefirst time.

Mac turns as Sushuk bursts through the main entry hatch. Shelooks at him, but he cant face her. She walks past him,down the hall and into the vault room. Upon seeing thescreen she clicks an exclamation. She pulls out a strip ofyellowed paper, approaches the screen, reflects for a moment,and begins to type, slowly, with one finger, carefullyscrutinizing the paper and the pad as she searches for theright keys.

She stands and pauses before cautiously pressing Enter.

The password screen vanishes and is replaced by an image of acats distorted face inside of a blue triangle behind a layer

of noise with three options below it: (A)DOG, (B)BLUE, or(C)ANGULAR SPHEROID.

Vura stands next to her and studies it. Sushuk steps backand holds a wrist in the opposite hand, the gesture that isher equivalent to a shake of the head. Vura looks at her,befuddled, but with something like respect burgeoning betweenthem. Sushuk looks at her and at Mac who has approached as

well, and gestures toward the screen, indicating that it istheir turn. She exits the room and they hear the hatch openand close. The two of them look back at the screen.

MAC (CONT'D)Is that a trick question?

Vura reaches for the keyboard but Mac snatches her hand away.

VURAWhat?

MACIt might be a trick question!

14.


16/51

VURADont worry, this is just to screenAIs. Its just. . . really weird.

She presses B and the screen changes to a wall of text. They

lean in to read it.

MACYou are sailing on Titus-4 when afreak tidal shift sinks your boat.You make your way to a coral island

where you are stranded for sevenmonths. One night a reef crabmakes a nest in your food cache andrefuses to leave. You cannot eatit or catch it, and every time youchase it away, it comes back -

what?

VURAIts an empathy test.

Macs expression betrays utter confusion and despair.

MACWhat is this?

In the text field, the cursor blinks.

EXT. MOUNTAIN RANGE

Sushuk sits on a ridge overlooking the ship. She waits.

INT. ROMA - LATER

Mac is submerged in another nest of electronics, talkingloudly to Vura who is in the vault room answering its oddquestions.

MACOne more time.

VURAFrom the beginning of eternity - tothe end of time and space - to thebeginning of ever end - and the endof every place. What am I?

MACI hate riddles.

15.


17/51

VURAAny idea?

MACNo. Wait. No.

VURAOh! I got it!

MACWhat was it?

VURAThe letter E.

Mac groans with disgust.

MAC

Whats the next one?

VURA(something weird)

MACThats depressing.

VURAI dont even know where to start.I give up. What kind of securitysystem is this?

She walks out and joins him.

MACIt probably is to keep AIs andhacks out.

VURAThats part of it, but I think. . .I feel like its gauging us. I

mean, it could have just been apassword, but instead there arethese weird questions. Some ofthem are multiple choice, right or

wrong but then there are thoseempathy tests and ethical dilemmas,like its testing what kind ofperson is trying to get in.

MACSo the right kind of person can getin?

16.


18/51

VURAI think so. That would mean that

whoever set this up wanted it to becracked, but by someone else. Ivenever heard of anything like this

before.

MACMe neither. That means we have tofind out who this ship belonged toso well know what they want tohear.

VURAYeah.

MACWell, Im trying to get the

mainframe online now, it shouldhave some clues. Archives, missiondetails, ship logs at least. Vura,

what do you think were trying tosteal?

VURAYou think were here to stealsomething?

MACI think its safe to assume, yes.The only question as far as Im

concerned whether well be amongthe ones she kills when she getsit.

VURAShe has some history with thisship. How do you think she got thepassword?

MACOh Im sure she just askedpolitely. Thats probably how shegot hold of a Suleio militarycorvette, after all.

His fervor escalates.

MAC (CONT'D)Look, all Im saying is that shesobviously been through a lot.

17.

(MORE)


19/51

Now it might have been Suleio orthe colonists or her own people or

who knows what, but someone hurther and were probably here becauseshe wants to get them back for whatthey did.

VURAI just dont think thats it.

MACThen what is it?

She doesnt have an answer for him.

VURAYoure right about the logs. Canyou fix this?

MACYeah, I think Ive almost got it.

VURAGood.

Vura leaves, and he crawls back under the bulkhead. Vurastares at the screen, pondering. Mac gets up and tries theconsole, with success. It turns on and a holographic screenappears in front of him.

MACIts working!

VURAGreat.

He scrolls through a glowing 3D interface (mostly reactionshots). He comes to a screen of icons, most of themhighlighted in red.

MACI think I found something. Lookslike the video archives.

He finds one that isnt corrupted and opens it.

MAC (CONT'D)Oh no.

The video is shaky, hand held footage shot in a dark tunnel.A male newt lies on the ground, dead, with a gaping wound inits side. The video becomes distorted, stops, and a red X isdisplayed on the screen before playing again from thebeginning.

18.

MAC (CONT'D)


20/51

VURAWhat is it?

As Vura walks down the hall the entry hatch begins to open.Mac gapes at it with fear. He turns back to the screen and

tries to close the video but it crashes, freezing on a stillof the newt corpse. Sushuk steps inside. Before she can seeit, Mac throws himself to the ground and starts yanking wiresout of the bulkhead. The power cuts off and the ship goesdark.

VURA (CONT'D)Damn it, Mac! What happened?

She turns on a lantern. She and Sushuk stare at him.

MACAh, sorry. Must have kicked

something loose.

Sushuk seethes, clicking angrily. She steps up to him, pullsher gun from her robe and points it at his head.

MAC (CONT'D)No! Please dont, Im sorry!

He forces himself against the wall, palms up, trembling,unable to look at the gun. He is completely powerless and hefears for his life.

VURA

Stop! It was an accident, hellfix it!

MACYes! I promise, Ill fix it rightaway!

Sushuk clicks at him loudly, intensely, and pushes the gunagainst his temple for emphasis before putting it away. Maccollapses, nearly in tears and shaking uncontrollably.Sushuk steps back, glares at Vura and walks out of the hatch.

MAC (CONT'D)Ill get right on it.

Vura runs over and helps him up.

VURAGod, are you alright?

MACIm fine.

19.


21/51

She walks him to the table and they sit down.

MAC (CONT'D)Vura, I found something. This isbad.

INT. ROMA - LATER

MACWe have to run. It isnt safehere, with her.

They sit on the floor next to each other, eating out ofvacuum sealed packets.

MAC (CONT'D)You know Im right.

Vura sighs.

VURAYes. Youre right. But theresnowhere to go. Can you hotwire hership?

MAC. . . No. I can do basic repairsbut I dont know a thing aboutthat. Do you?

VURANo.

MACI dont care. I say we carry as

much food and water as we can andtake our chances in the desert. If

we stay here she will kill us.

VURA. . . You dont know that.

MACCome on!

VURAShe set the terms, remember? Weopen the vault, we get her ship.Maybe we should just do what shesays.

20.


22/51

MACWhat about the video? You reallythink we arent just playing a partin her personal vendetta?

VURAI cant explain it, but I feel liketheres more to it than that.

MACThen I dont know what to say.

He stands.

MAC (CONT'D)Do you hear something?

He runs up to a window and presses his face against it.

MAC (CONT'D)I dont believe it. Its a Suleioship.

He runs to the hatch and starts to open it.

MAC (CONT'D)Come on! We have to go, now!

Vura is next to him, indecisive. They look at each other.

VURA

Okay. Lets go.

EXT. DESERT

They run as fast as they can away from the Roma. They yelland wave their arms, and Mac taps at his pocket computer.The Suleio ship is tantalizingly close. Sushuk, far in thebackground, stands, aims carefully and fires. Macfaceplants. The ship disapears into the distance.

INT. ROMA - LATER

MACShe hates men. Thats what it is.

He is splayed on the floor, alcohol in hand. Vura isfinishing up the bandage on his thigh.

21.


23/51

MAC (CONT'D)Its not about Suleio, the

military, newts and humans,whatever. Its about men andwomen.

Vura eyes him venomously.

MAC (CONT'D)She could have shot you, but shedidnt.

VURAI havent pissed her off.

MACThats true, you havent, but thatprobably has something to this

unfathomable trust you have in her,which really just confirms it.

VURAWhat does that mean?

MACIts also about women and women.

She stands up angrily, putting her weight on his thigh. Hewinces and cries out. She walks away. Once Mac recovers hecontinues to talk.

MAC (CONT'D)Im not saying I dont deserve it.Men, I mean, Im not saying wedont deserve it. Frominterstellar politics, empire thisand brotherhood that, all the wayto that poor newt girl left to burnin the twin suns. Masculinity,territoriality, dominance. Alphamales.

He sneers and drinks.

MAC (CONT'D)Maybe weve got it coming.

Vura looks out of a window. In the twilight, Sushuk watches,vigilant.

VURAYoure actually starting to makesense.

22.


24/51

He forces a smile.

EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

Sushuk turns away and walks up a path into the mountains.She comes to the entrance of a cave amidst a cluster of halfburied ruins. She walks inside.

INT. TEMPLE

She walks down a passageway, slowly, with reverence. Thewalls glow blue with the lines of pictograms and alien myths.At the end is an altar. She kneels in front of it. Shereaches into her robes and pulls out the remnants of a BROKENVIAL, pieces of glass and a metal cap. She lays them on thealtar, draws in the air with her hand, and quietly begins to

sing.

INT. ROMA

MACIm going to get the comm system

working, and Im going to broadcastan SOS.

VURAOkay. Ill keep working on thesafe.

MACTheyll come for us. (Whisper) Orat least for her.

EXT. DESERT - DAY

The horizon, rippling with heat distortion: three figuresemerge in the distance.

INT. ROMA

MACAn arbelisk? What the hell isthat?

VURANo idea. Can you look it up?

23.


25/51

He is working on the mainframe, she on the vault. He takesout his pocket computer and queries it. Vura stretches andgasps when she realizes that Sushuk is sitting on the tablebehind her, watching her work. Sushuk starts to get up toleave, acting somewhat embarrassed.

VURA (CONT'D)No, wait! You can stay. I dont

mind.

Mac overhears and shakes his head, unable to help seeing theinteraction as a betrayal.

MACIts a. . . a Rikean royal symbol,a spined worm coiled around agemstone.

VURAGod, okay. That makes sense.

Sushuk watches and listens with great interest. Vura typesan answer and it is accepted.

VURA (CONT'D)I got it.

Vura pulls a food packet out of her back and starts eating.She offers a piece to Sushuk, who waves it away with disdain.Sushuk reaches into her robes, pulls out a wrapped package,opens it and pulls off a piece of an odd looking pastry,

offering it to Vura with a click. Vura turns and accepts itwith caution, then sniffs it and beams with a gracious smile.She eats it and reacts with shock.

VURA (CONT'D)Thats delicious! Thank you. CanI have more?

Sushuk hands her the package with courtesy.

VURA (CONT'D)No, I didnt mean all of it-

Vura tries to give it back but Sushuk refuses it.

VURA (CONT'D)Thank you. Very much. Mac! Youhave to try this!

Vura runs into the main room. Sushuk follows, watching themfrom the hall.

24.


26/51

MACAre you sure?

VURATrust me.

Mac rips off a piece and tries it, extremely dubious. Onceagain, shock.

MACWow.

VURATake as much as you want, she gave

me all of it.

Dumbfounded, he tears off another piece. Mustering hismanners, he looks back at Sushuk.

MACThank you.

Sushuk offers him a slight bow.

MAC (CONT'D)This is very, very good.

VURAIm as surprised as you are.

Three sudden, loud bangs on the entry hatch interrupt them.

Sushuk pulls out her gun and approaches the door. Mac andVura stay clear.

VURA (CONT'D)Could it be Suleio? Have yougotten the Comm working?

MACNo, but it could be.

Sushuk reaches for the handle. In the window of the hatch ahead appears, wearing a beaded facemask. It pounds on thedoor again. Sushuk thinks for a moment, clicks and puts hergun away. She motions to Mac and Vura, telling them to hide.

MAC (CONT'D)Damn it.

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INT. ROMA - LATER

Mac and Vura watch through a window. Sushuk talks to two ofthe newt males (lots of hand gestures) as the third inspects

the Yard Dog. The three of them are menacing, strapped withknives and skins.

VURAThey dont look very friendly.

MACAre those. . . scalps?

VURAOh, god.

The one by the Yard Dog opens a panel on the side and

inspects it indelicately with his knife.

VURA (CONT'D)Hey, thats our ship!

MACNot yet it isnt. Please, letsjust stay out of this, okay?

EXT. DESERT

The conversation between Sushuk and males is heated, and she

is not convincing. One of them approaches her and pokes ather chest and stomach. She pushes him back and the two ofthem become enraged. She submits and meekly lowers her head.The male approaches again. He indelicately caresses herchest.

INT. ROMA

VURAHey!

She goes for the hatch.

MACPlease, dont!

VURANo! We have to do something!

He cant stop her.

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EXT. DESERT

Vura walks forcefully toward the group.

VURAStop it! Now!

All of the newts glare at her. The males look at Sushuk, sheat them, and then back to Vura. Sushuk punches the alpha

male hard in the face and he goes down, but the other, nextto her, pulls out his knife and hits her with the butt of it,knocking her to her knees. He and the male by the Yard Dogstomp toward Vura, fearsome blades in hand. Vura issteadfast, remarkably confident.

INT. ROMA

MACOh no.

He limps to the hatch.

EXT. DESERT

Vura dodges a jab and disarms the male. He punches her inthe stomach, lifting her off the ground. Mac tackles him.

Sushuk pulls out her gun, but the Alpha male knocks it out of

her hand. He hits her twice, but she dodges the third,grabbing a knife off his belt.

VURAMac!

The third male, walking toward Vura and Mac, aims a rifle athim. Mac, struggling with the second male, turns him intothe shot. It hits the second male in the back and theycollapse to the ground.

Sushuk stabs the alpha male in the stomach. She jerks theblade upward forcefully, disemboweling him.

The third male fires two more rounds into the back of hiscomrades corpse, Mac taking cover underneath it. He finds aclear shot at Macs head, but Sushuk shoots first and hefalls.

The shot echoes, then it is quiet.

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EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

The bodies are laid out in a row. Sushuk takes their mostessential belongings: food, water, bullets, and a ceremonial

cloth. She removes their masks and place the cloths overtheir faces, then their hands over the cloths. Sushuk kneelsand mumbles a prayer.

Mac and Vura sit, far away, watching.

VURAWe really could have died.

MACIve been saying that for a while.

VURA

But really, who knows what theywould have done? To us, or to her.

MACYeah. You- did the right thing.

VURASo did you.

Sushuk walks up to them and gives them the canteens, as wellas a parcel of her food. Vura grabs her hand.

VURA (CONT'D)

Thank you.

Sushuk looks at the hand gripping hers. She gets Vura torelease her grip and places her palm against Vuras, fourfingers against five.

Sushuk looks at Mac, and they bow to each other. Sushukwalks away.

MACShe reminds me of someone,actually. Well. . . nevermind.

VURANo, who?

MACA girl- a woman that I went toschool with. She stood out sinceshe seemed to deserve to be there,

which was not the case for many ofus.

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(MORE)


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Id never met anyone like herbefore. Proud, intelligent,independent.

Vura eyes him.

VURAI guess that would be quite a shockif the only women youd ever met

were the ones you paid for onTanis.

Mac looks at her for a beat.

MACI was born on Tanis.

With that her opinion of him changes completely.

MAC (CONT'D)This may disappoint you, but Imnot exactly a planet hoppingplutocrat. My mother is far from arespectable woman, as you canimagine, but luckily my father,

whoever he is, is stinking rich andshe was smart enough to takeadvantage of it. Thats all.

They look at Sushuk as she continues the ritual, carvingsymbols in the sand around the bodies.

VURAWhat about the girl?

MACWell, there isnt much to say. Shedid exceptionally well at school,put us all to shame despite my bestefforts, and kept to herself.Hardly spoke to anyone.

She eyes him again, but in a different way.

MAC (CONT'D)Not to me, either, no. Well, Inever- But, well, she wouldnthave, anyway. Not to me. Whatabout you?

VURAWhat about me?

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31/51

MACWhats your family like?

VURAGuess.

MACWhy?

VURAI was wrong about you. What do youthink about me?

MACOkay. Earth? Earth. I dontknow. Modest. Quiet. Happy. Youhad a dog and cat and your parentsare. . . street performers, or

something.

VURA(Laughs) Not quite. Quiet. Dull.I never knew my dad either. My

mom, she was strong, but not strongenough. I wanted to fall asleepand wake up on another planet.Here we are.

Sushuk walks up a path and into the mountains. Mac coughsviolently.

VURA (CONT'D)Let me look at your leg.

He moves it, and winces.

MACYou dont talk very much either.

VURAThere isnt much to say.

She unwraps the bandage and suddenly looks worried.

INT. TEMPLE

Sushuk stumbles down the passageway to the altar. She kneelsand prays, but cant for very long. She falls to the floorand moans pitifully, in excruciating pain.

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INT. ROMA

Vura studies the vault. Sushuk watches.

VURAIn a marble hall white as milk -lined with skin as soft as silk

Mac sits at the main terminal. He looks over his shoulder.On his screen is a list of system stats, and the words COMMSYSTEM: ONLINE.

VURA (V.O.) (CONT'D)Within a fountain crystal clear - agolden apple doth appear.

Below that it says: WIRELESS BACKUP D6: CONNECTED. He

searches the drive and finds a sprawling directory ofuncorrupted video logs.

VURA (CONT'D)No doors there are to thisstronghold - yet thieves break into steal its gold.

INT. ROMA - VIDEO

In a cleaner, better lit Roma of another time, asophisticated, professional woman wearing a uniform sits

behind a desk. She speaks to the camera.

COL. ALBEIThis is Col. Albei of the Athenaeumship Roma, ships log: 26 seventharc, 2207. Systems nominal, oncourse. This will be the lastreport before our arrival on Edrus-6, expected in 86 days.

She looks at a chart and sighs.

COL. ALBEI (CONT'D)Im going back to sleep.

She pushes a button and the video stops. The next playsimmediately.

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EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

The silhouette of the Roma, dotted with lights. After amoment the lights go out and we hear Mac scream.

INT. ROMA

Vura enters the room, holding a lantern.

VURAWhat did you do this time?

MACWhat? No, it wasnt me! Vura, Ifound something! There was a

woman!

He points into empty space in front of him. Vura lifts thelantern to the blank wall, studies it and looks back at himquizzically.

VURAGhosts?

MACWhat? No, the logs! I found thelogs, hundreds of them, they couldhave explained everything!

He shouts at the wall.

MAC (CONT'D)Tell me what happened, damn it!Tell me-

He is overtaken by a violent coughing fit. Vura walks him tothe main room, where he falls to the floor, clutching his legand moaning. Sushuk comes into the room and watches.

MAC (CONT'D)Somethings wrong. Theressomething-

He claws at the bandages, ripping them off then recoiling inhorror. Around the wound, something is moving under hisskin.

MAC (CONT'D)Fuck! What the fuck is that?

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Vura slides away. Sushuk steps forward. Vura looks at her,Mac screams at her.

MAC (CONT'D)This is your fucking fault! You

fucking shot me!

VURADo you know what this is?

Vura stands and approaches Sushuk.

VURA (CONT'D)Can you help him?

Sushuk looks at Mac, then at Vura. She nods.

CUT TO:

INT. ROMA - LATER

Vura prepares an anaesthetic by lamp light. Mac, trembling,looks on with horror at an array of menacing instruments on a

mat that Sushuk is unrolling beside him. Mac paws at Vurasleg.

MACPlease dont let her do this-howabout you do it instead? Please,look at-what the hell is that? Are

you going to stick that in my leg?

Sushuk pulls out a long, terrifying, barbed needle.

VURAI think youre going to have totrust her, now hold still.

MACDo you know what youre doing?

VURASort of.

Vura injects him.

MACDont let her kill me. . .

He falls asleep. Vura watches Sushuk prepare. She takes outa bag filled with an array of powders and oils.

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She mixes them with water in a bowl and pours some of it overthe wound.

Mac screams.

MAC (CONT'D)

Fuck! I dont think that was theanaesthetic!

VURASorry! I thought-

His skin writhes, and a faint squealing is audible comingfrom the creature inside of him.

VURA (CONT'D)Oh god.

Vura turns away, a hand over her mouth. Sushuk grabs the

hand and forces into place on Macs leg. Sushuk looks atVura and presses her hand down, telling her to hold Macstill. Vura nods.

MACI cant watch this, please knock meunconscious or something!

Exasperated, Sushuk looks around for a rag and gags Mac withit. He continues to moan and scream during the procedure.

Sushuk takes out an old lighter and burns the end of thebarbed spike. Vura looks at the lighter, it inscribed with

the name T. NOLAN. The needle poised like a harpoon, Sushukpours the rest of the fluid into the wound and as thecreature writhes again she spears it, digging the needle intothe leg and removing it in an instant. Semi transparent,stringy and spiked, the creatures tendrils stretch out ofthe wound for a foot before giving way, springing back likerubber bands.

Mac falls silent as he passes out.

INT. ROMA - LATER

The room silent, Sushuk stitches up the wound as Vura watchesher. Sushuk does it with the precision of one so familiar

with the act that it is reflex. She applies oils andointments before rebinding the leg. She takes a blanket andcovers Mac with it, as he is pail and starting to shiver.She bends over and does something to Macs hand; Vura cantsee what. Sushuk stands and walks away, Vura examines thehand. On the palm of the hand is an elaborate sigyl, drawnin the red of blood. Something occurs to Vura.

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VURAWait!

Sushuk stops and looks at her. Vura thinks for a moment andstarts ruffling through the refuse of the ship, eventually

finding a pen and a piece of paper. She grabs Sushuks armand leads her into the vault room.

Vura steps up to the vault and places a hand on it, then setsthe pen and paper on the table, marking it and pointing backto the vault.

VURA (CONT'D)Can you draw it? Can you show me

whats in there?

Sushuk looks confused for some time, then is struck by therealization. She raises her hands, grabs a wrist with the

other.

VURA (CONT'D)No? Why not?

Sushuk contemplates, then reaches into her robes and drawsout an ancient, weathered scroll. She unrolls it on thetable, clicking reverently. On it are drawn symbols,diagrams, myths and histories. Sushuk runs a finger alongthe words. She grabs the pen and paper, finds on the scrollthe symbol on Macs hand and draws it on the paper. Shepoints at Vura and draws another symbol, she points atherself and draws another, then points at vault and shakes

her head.

VURA (CONT'D)You dont have a word for it? No,I dont mean write it, I mean drawit.

Sushuk stares at her.

VURA (CONT'D)Nevermind.

Sushuk stares intently at the scroll for a moment, and pointsto something: a drawing of a strange, alien city. She pointsat the vault, and back at the city, then herself, then thecity again.

Vura shakes her head.

VURA (CONT'D)I have no idea what that means.

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Sushuk stares at her.

Vura points to the symbol Sushuk drew that represented her.

VURA (CONT'D)

What does this mean?

Sushuk searches the scroll and finds the symbol. Next to itis a drawing of a shining, armored goddess, in one hand aspear and in the other a puzzle box.

VURA (CONT'D)What about him?

She points to Macs. Sushuk shakes her head and points to animage of a goofy, sleeping sloth-like creature. Vura laughs.

INT. ROMA - LATER

Mac wakes up at the sound of Sushuk dropping canteens ofwater onto the floor. He groggily looks for Vura, who issleeping on the other side of the room. Sushuk kneels nextto him with a canteen and gives him water.

MACThank you.

He shivers. Gruffly silent, she finds another blanket andplaces it over him, then leaves the room.

Vura mumbles something. Mac stands unsteadily, takes one ofhis blankets and places it over her.

INT. ROMA - LATER

Sushuks bandaged hand shakes Vura awake. In front of her isa tray with food and a steaming drink. When Vura sits upSushuk is gone, but she hears Mac swear in the next room.Mac is staring at a circuit board, wrapped in blankets andholding his own drink.

VURAFeeling better?

MACNot at all. Every itch make methink there are eggs inside of me.

VURAEggs?

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MACMy mother made really good eggs.Thinking about it makes me sicknow. Did you see it? That thing

was a nightmare. They must be in

the water or something. Who knowswhat other horrors are waiting forus here.

Vura ponders.

VURAHows the power coming? I thinkIm going to have to start over

with the safe from the beginning.

MACThats too bad. Ill be able to

get the logs at least.

VURASure.

MACIm telling you, I found them.

-------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------

(Power comes back on)

-------------------------------------------------

COL. ALBEIWe have landed successfully,despite resistance from the Suleioparamilitary. As an impartialresearch mission there wasnt muchthat they could do, but I doubt

weve seen the last of them. Theiroperation is well underway andcolonists are still being shippedin and resettled by the thousands.No contact yet with the indigenousspecies. To be honest, we dontknow where to look.

INT. ROMA

VURAIts a science vessel?

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MACSeems to be. Biologists from theAthenaema.

VURA

Do you think. . . should we showher?

MACI dont think thats a good idea,at least not until we know moreabout what happened. There arehundreds of logs. For somesadistic reason they arentarranged in any kind of order and

most of them so far are painfullydull. All we know is that it endsin disaster.

VURACan I help? I cant take any moreof those questions and this one has

me pulling my hair out.

MACSure, yeah. Id appreciate it.

Vura smiles. Chemistry.

INT. ROMA - LATER

Mac and Vura slouch, half asleep in their chairs, bored outof their minds in front of a holoscreen.

COL. ALBEI (O.S.)Ships log: 12 eleventh arc, 2207.Continuing drilling samples incoordinate J36. A new species offungus was found thirty metersinside a sedimentary mound,apparently living off of a carbondeposite-

VURANext.

COL. ALBEIShips log: 20 tenth arc, 2207.Today we began drilling for organicsamples in coordinate J36 after anarial survey detected-

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MACOh hell, next!

The next plays. It is silent long enough for curiosity toforce them to look back at the screen. Col. Albei, at her

desk, sits with her head down, her clothes in tatters, herface filthy, distraught and unsure of what to say.

COL. ALBEII cant.

She shuts off the camera. The next video plays. This timeAlbei is more collected, and obviously excited.

MACWhat was the date of that one?

VURA

Shh.

As albei speaks, images are shown on the screen: mountains,drawings on rock formations lit by flashlight, sprawling cavenetworks.

COL. ALBEIShips log: 25 11th arc. Theresbeen an incredible developmentsince last report. After weeks of.. . Drilling and chemical samples

we may be on the verge of firstcontact with the planets

indigenous, intelligent species.Like the microscopic ecosystemsthat weve found so far, thespecies seems to be livingunderground in vast caverns. Thomactually saw a group yesterday butthey seemed to be avoiding ourteam. There are hundreds of milesof caves and they can easilyoutmaneuver us, but hopefully wellat least learn more about themsoon.

The next video plays. A shaky, hand held view from the mainroom. There is shouting and chaos. A group of people huddlearound a man on the ground, screaming, clutching at his badlyburned face.

The next video plays. Albei sits at her desk.

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COL. ALBEI (CONT'D)Ships log: forty-two 9th arc,2207. Weve just completed asurvey of the-

MACNext.

COL. ALBEIShips log: twenty-eight 9th arc-

MACNext!

COL. ALBEIShips log: thirty-six 9th arc-

MAC

Damn it!

Mac walks out of the room.

VURANext.

Albei, weary, sits at her desk.

COL. ALBEII dont know where to begin.

Mac walks down another Roma hallway. He looks into Albeis

office, looks at the desk and the faded blood on the walls.He searches the drawers of the desk, finding sheafs ofyellowed paper, broken electronics.

Vura watches the holoscreen.

INT. CAVERN

Shaky cam. The newt corpse bleeding in the cavern. A Romacrew member rushes up to it and examines it, listens forbreath and checks its pulse. The crew member looks up, thecamera moves. There are the lights and bursts of gunfireecho through the tunnels.

COL. ALBEI (V.O.)The species were living aroundTerium deposits, using the heat ofthe vents for energy for a crudeindustrial society, one of the mostadvanced cultures ever encountered.

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The familiar armor of Suleio military, along with colonists:shabbily dressed men and women and children.

COL. ALBEI (CONT'D)Terium. Of course. Thats why

Suleio came here. Thats wherethey put their colonists, wheretheyre building their refineries,

whether this culture likes it ornot.

Suleio troops line up and execute a group of newt prisoners.

COL. ALBEI (CONT'D)Weve walked into the middle of a

war.

Mac walks into an unfurnished room with an odd pattern on the

walls.

Sushuk enters through the main hatch. Vura powers down theholoscreen. Sushuk gives Vura another package of food. Vuralooks at her with reverence.

MAC (O.S.)Vura, come here.

Vura goes into the hall.

MAC (CONT'D)I found something. I think we

could use another break.

Vura walks into the strange room. Mac pushes buttons on awall panel. The walls fade away, and suddenly they arestanding in a vast cavern lit by a distant ray of sunlight,filled with the sound of running water.

VURADid you find it like this?

MACI just turned it on.

VURAThey lived underground, Mac.

MACWhat did I miss?

CUT TO:

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INT. HOLOROOM - LATER

Sushuk stands, bewildered, looking at a simulation of herhome. She bows to Mac and Vura, turns away from them and

kneels. The three of them wait a moment in the serenity ofthe scene. Mac and Vura leave the room. Sushuk wraps hertrembling hands around her stomach.

INT. TEMPLE

Sushuk collapses in front of the altar. She removes her maskand breathes heavily, painfully.

COL. ALBEI (V.O.)They are strong, scared, andhopeless.

INT. ROMA

Albeis shirt is stained with blood. As she speaks it cutsto photographs of various atrocities.

COL. ALBEIThere are. . . prisons, massgraves, experimentation camps where

we suspect biological weapons arebeing designed for use againstthem.

They killed Thom, but I. . . cantblame them. They dont have anyreason to trust us. I just wish

we could convince them. We arenttrained for this. I dont know

what we can do.

INT. ROMA - PRESENT

The video stops. Another doesnt start. Mac and Vura stareat the screen silently.

VURAThey drove the survivors out of thetunnels, out of their homes andleft them to scavenge in thedesert.

She stands and looks out of a window, at the desert, at thechurning towers of Suleio refineries.

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VURA (CONT'D)Any of those towers could have beena city once, could have been hercity.

MACGenocide. God, and were the onlyones who know.

VURAWhat do you mean?

MACSuleio. The soldiers, thecolonists, theyre contracts.Their minds, their memories are onlease and when theyve served theirterm Suleio can take out anything

they dont like. Its been 20years since this happened. Wheresthe USS, or the ICC? Vura, theygot away with it.

VURANot any more. We can do somethingabout this.

MACYes. Youre right. We still dontknow what happened to the Roma,though.

VURAThey died here, alone. Thats allthat matters. They died afraid,thinking that there was nothingthat they could do about what theyfound on this awful planet and thatthey would probably be swallowed upby the sand and forgotten forever.

INT. TEMPLE

In flashes, Sushuk writhes on the floor.

VURA (O.S.)Were going to get out of here.Were going to let everyone know.

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MACYes.

VURABoth of us. Together.

Shes said it. He looks at her as if for the first. Slowlythey walk toward each other and embrace.

MACI have a bad feeling about this.

VURAAbout this?

MACWell, about everything else.

VURAI know you do. You always do, butplease. Just once. Tell me.

Sushuk screams soundlessly, in utter agony.

MACWere going to get out of here.Were going to be okay.

Montage - water, caves, whale song, shadows, fire and blood.

EXT. DESERT - DAY

Vura stands in the sand, looking into the mountains. Shewaits.

INT. YARD DOG

Mac sits in the cockpit of the Yard Dog, searching. Panelsare opened, wires loose, every compartment scoured. Heclicks buttons on the console, but he cant even turn it on.Finally, in a dusty compartment, he finds an old canteen.

EXT. DESERT

MACVura?

She turns to him, he stands beside her, scruffy, unshaven,sickly and weak. He puts an arm around her. They wait, fora moment, together.

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He hands her the canteen, she takes it with shaking hands andupends it over her mouth, drawing out little more than ataste.

VURAWheres the rest?

MACThis is it. Itll only last acouple more-

VURAI know. Im kidding.

They smile, and look into the mountains.

VURA (CONT'D)Have you ever seen a whale?

MACJust videos.

VURAOn earth you can go out to thecities that went underwater, thereare all these preserves wheretheyre studying how the wildlifeare moving back in. We went to one

when I was a kid, for school, andwe saw a family of whales swimmingabove us. There was a mother and ababy, the baby got really close.

It was twice as big as me. It wasthe most beautiful thing Ive everseen. Ive been dreaming aboutthem.

MACSounds wonderful.

VURAYeah. It makes me thirsty, though.

MACWeve got to do something. Imgoing to send out an SOS.

VURAI thought you were going to do thata while ago.

MACWell I reconsidered.

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VURAGood.

MACWe have to.

She thinks, staring at the mountain path.

VURAWe can wait a little longer.

MACNo, we cant. It has to be now.

Vura hesitates.

VURAOkay.

MACGood. We dont have any choice.

Mac starts back to the ship.

INT. ROMA

MACSOS. This Mac Orsey, one of twosurvivors of the Lighthugger Torocrash four weeks ago. We are

located at GPS coordinates 194-762.If you recieve this, please help.

Vura looks out of the main window.

VURAWe cant tell them anything.

MACThen what will we say, then? Ifthey know anything about this shiptheyll be suspicious.

MAC (CONT'D)I know you want to protect her, but

were going to get out of herealive theyre going to have tobelieve that we werent. . .accomplices in any of this.

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VURAFine, so we say that we werekidnapped. Forced to work atgunpoint.

MACAt least I wont have to lie.

Vura takes offense.

VURAThat isnt the only reason. Is it?

MACWhat do you mean?

VURAYou didnt go through all of this

because she pointed a gun at you,did she?

MACShe did more than point it.

VURABut her saving our lives, herhistory, the ships history,everything between us- doesnt thatfactor into your motivation?

MAC

Yes, of course it does but look, Ijust want to get out of here.

VURASo were going to the company? Theones that got away with genocide?So heres the real question: whatare a couple more bodies to them?Even if they believe us, they may

make us disappear just in case.

MACI dont think I understand what

were talking about. This is aquestion of survival. This is ouronly choice and youve never been-averse to risk before.

VURATheres more to this than survival.Thats what Im talking about.This is about right and wrong.

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MACYes, but the right thing for us todo is to get the hell out of hereand let the courts know what wefound here. You said that. Its

been eight days, if she isntcoming back then we have no choicebut Suleio.

Vura stares out the window. She comes to a decision.

VURAI dont want this.

A pinpoint of light appears on the horizon.

EXT. DESERT

A single-person Suleio speeder stops far away from the Roma.An lightly armored scout dismounts and walks toward Mac andVura, who are waiting by the ship. Mac limps towards him.The soldiers distorted voice sounds.

SOLDIEROrsey?

MACYes.

The soldier looks over at Vura, who stays back.

SOLDIERWhere was this crash?

MACWhat? You didnt know?

SOLDIEROperations have been scaled back inthe last couple months.

He takes off his helmet. He is young and unthreatening.

SOLDIER (CONT'D)There are only two outposts left inthis region. We had no idea. Thisis a dangerous place, youre luckyI picked up your signal or youcould have been waiting out hereforever.

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MACBut you can get us out of here? Toan outpost?

SOLDIER

Yes, of course. Ill have to callin a transport, but it should behere before sundown.

He notices the Yard Dog and gives them a suspicious look.Vura speaks up before Mac has a chance.

VURAWeve been staying in those ships,theyve been ransacked but we foundsome food and water. Do you know

why theyre here?

SOLDIERI dont know about the wreck, butthe Suleio ship was stolen a couple

weeks ago. A terrorist. Killedfive soldiers to get it and dozensof others. Good thing he wasnthere or youd be dead. Like Isaid, this place is dangerous.Dont worry though, were going toget you out of here.

A bullet catches the soldier in the head and he fallsinstantly. Mac stumbles back, his face sprayed with blood.

He looks into the mountains, at Vura, at the body, and at thespeeder.

VURADont do it.

Three bullets strike the speeder and it starts smoking. Maclowers his head.

Sushuk walks down out of the mountains. She reaches the shipand drops her pack, a bundle of still damp water flasks. Shestrides forcefully toward Mac and drops him with a fiercepunch.

VURA (CONT'D)No! Stop!

Mac falls to the ground and Sushuk kicks him again and again.Vura runs up and hold her back. Sushuk resists and nearlyhits her too, but then regains control.

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Badly bruised, Mac coughs up blood onto the sand. Sushuklooks at him, at Vura, and acts on her anger. She grabs Macby an arm and starts dragging him toward the Roma.

INT. ROMA

VURAHe didnt do anything!

Sushuk lets him go, takes her gun and fires into the computermainframe.

MACShit.

VURAAre you okay?

MACNo.

50.

athenaeum (unfinished screenplay)

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