Script – Season four ==================== Episode 20 ---------- *(music)* :Shelby: Okay, men, let’s move this hardware. Go, go, go! Hey, bozo! Take it easy with that! :Hauser: Shelby, aren’t you taking this final frontier act a bit too far? :Shelby: Forewarned is forearmed. :Hauser: Forearmed is trigger-happy. I’d make a bet you’re guaranteeing all out confrontation, only I don’t think I’ll be alive to collect. :Shelby: Sure you will. You’re on the winning side. :Hauser: Am I? :Brett: What is this? :Hauser: Just covering all eventualities. :Shelby: Get your nose outta here, kid. --------- :Brett: That Jake Shelby is a huge worry. You oughta check out the stuff they’re unloading up there. :Jason: I heard. Mum told me. :Brett: This is going to turn into one big disaster. :Neri: We must stop. :Brett: Neri, you shouldn’t be here. Have you seen all these PRAXIS agents just waiting for someone like you? :Neri: Too important. I am going to pyramid. :Jason: Neri wants to negotiate with Shersheba and Malakat. :Brett: But, Neri… :Neri: They are ocean planet people. My people. Only I can make them see. :Jason: The ocean planet people want to migrate here, but if there’s a war, there’ll be nothing left to migrate to. So that’s why Neri thinks they might compromise. :Brett: All they want is the ankh. You’ll walk right into their trap. :Neri: Jason says the same thing but I see no other way. :Brett: We’ve got to think of something else. :Jason: I’ve got an idea. --------- :Garron: Our situation on the ocean planet is fast deteriorating. Even my own position is now under threat. :Malakat: I’m sure you exaggerate. Our troops are devoted to you. :Garron: The red virus is mutating throughout our oceans. Now death comes with even more speed. You promised there would be progress! :Malakat: Patience. :Garron: But, Malakat, we must migrate to earth soon or we will all perish. :Shersheba: Garron– :Malakat: Do you doubt me? :Garron: No, of course– :Malakat: This is the biggest operation in ocean planet history. I am – we are not organizing some, some sightseeing adventure. Your conduct, this hysteria, does not please me or the princess Shersheba. Be warned, Garron. :Garron: Yes, yes. I’m sorry. I realize– :Malakat: Then do your job and let me do mine. :Shersheba: We have an intruder. :Malakat: I must terminate our discussion immediately. :Garron: But Malakat– :Malakat: Enough. Garron, you must keep control, whatever it takes. An enemy craft? :Shersheba: From ORCA. :Malakat: This we shall welcome. Destroy only at my command. --------- :Brett: You did the right thing, talking Neri around. :Jason: For a while there, I didn’t think she would even let us try. :Brett: She listens to you. Don’t know why. Do you think they’ve seen us yet? *(Grinding of rock on rock)* :Brett: Wonder if that’s a friendly gesture. :Jason: Sure. :Brett: Enter the gates of doom. --------- :Malakat: Welcome, gentlemen. :Shersheba: Jason, how nice. And your little brother. :Jason: We come in peace, Shersheba. :Shersheba: Don’t tell me. You want to change sides? :Jason: Not quite. :Malakat: You have something to discuss? :Jason: Yep. :Malakat: Then follow me. --------- :Dianne: They went into the pyramid alone? :Cass: It was them or Neri. :Winston: Neri feels there’s still time to negotiate a settlement. :Cass: Neri wanted to go but Jason wouldn’t let her. :Dianne: Do they realize the danger they’re in? :Winston: Insofar as Neri’s wishes are concerned, telling the boys not to fulfill them would be like telling the wind not to blow. :Dianne: You don’t have to tell me that. :Winston: On their honour, they had to obey. They had no choice. --------- :Neri: Our mother talked of the ways our two peoples could live together in peace. If I went to the pyramid perhaps the statue would speak again and Malakat and Shersheba could hear her. :Mera: Malakat wouldn’t even listen to hear when she was alive. He only believes in war and if you went there they’d just trying force you to give up the ankh. :Neri: But they might hurt Brett and Jason. :Mera: Why would they want to harm the messengers? They’ll come back safely, you’ll see. --------- :Malakat: Now, how can I help you? :Jason: Neri doesn’t want conflict between our people. :Malakat: Give me – us the ankh and there will be no problem. :Neri: Neri has requested a meeting with you, Malakat. Alone. :Shersheba: Malakat is my servant. I give the orders here. :Jason: Well, that’s not how this operation seems to work from the outside, Shersheba. Just an observation. :Shersheba: How dare you. Malakat. :Malakat: They’re just trying to provoke trouble between us, highness. They are bigger fools than I thought. :Jason: No, wait, Shersheba. Neri is prepared to meet with Malakat alone. If you agree, she says she will consider handing over the ankh. And she wants me to be there, just to keep an eye on things. These are Neri’s conditions. She will only meet with Malakat. Take it or leave it. :Shersheba: What are they playing at? :Malakat: This is no game, highness. This is our opportunity. It’s what we’ve been waiting for. :Shersheba: And what about the sister? Where will she be? I don’t like this, Malakat. I suspect a trap. I insist on being there. :Malakat: Highness, please. :Shersheba: That is my decision and it’s final. :Brett: You haven’t heard the rest of the proposal yet. --------- :Cass: PRAXIS have moved those crates into the storeroom on gamma level. Winston, I want to know what they’re doing. :Winston: What do you mean? :Cass: We’ve gotta know. HELEN can patch into the security network and find out what they’re up to. :Winston: Well, er, I don’t think– :HELEN: Would you like to take a closer look at the storeroom? :Cass: You bet. Thanks, HELEN. :HELEN: No problem, Cass. --------- :Shelby: And this little baby triggers the whole item. Incredible, huh? This is all it takes. And, er, vavoom. :Hauser: You know where it goes, of course. :Shelby: Of course. There’s only one place it can go. :Hauser: Unless it has a twin. You’d better locate the instruction manual. :Shelby: You’re trying to undermine me. :Hauser: Am I? :Shelby: Yeah, and it won’t work. This is standard company procedure, Hauser. I’m doing this strictly by the rule book. :Hauser: This is not a standard situation. You’re putting our lives at risk, too. :Shelby: If you want another desk job, Hauser, I know where you can find one. :Hauser: I can the lecture, Shelby. I’m not in the mood. This is all last resort territory and you know it. There have to be other options and I’m going to find them. --------- :Cass: Move in closer, HELEN. Nukes. They’ve brought in nuclear torpedoes. They’re going to destroy everything. And that’ll include all of us. --------- :Hauser: That was close. Are you okay? :Ilona: Perfectly well. Thank you, miss Hauser. *(music)* :Ilona: Start the shower. If I don’t feel water soon, I shall die. *(Running water)* --------- :Hauser: Am I disturbing you? :Cass: Winston’s not here. :Hauser: I need some information. :Cass: I don’t have to give you anything. :Hauser: I hear what you’re saying, believe me. :Cass: We know what you’ve brought on board. :Hauser: Trust me, Cass, it’s not my idea. :Cass: Then change it. Change the situation. :Hauser: Whoa. Don’t think I’m not trying to. I’m sorry. I need some information. It’s a long shot and it’s on the quiet. :Cass: Uh huh. :Hauser: I need access to figures on ORCA’s water consumption records. And I want to throw those numbers up against the figures for Ilona’s cabin. Can you help? :Cass: Why should I trust you? :Hauser: Because I want to stop this, too. Believe me. :Cass: Okay. Did you get that, HELEN? :HELEN: Yes, Cass. :Cass: Comparison read out Ilona’s quarters against total water consumption last two months. :HELEN: Request registered. :Hauser: Thanks. :Cass: Yeah. --------- :Neri: Jason, you are safe. Malakat will come? :Jason: He agreed. With conditions. It’s got to be on the mainland beach, a big open space. That way, no one can approach without being seen. :Neri: Good. :Jason: I’ll be there, back a bit. Malakat’s obviously pretty keen to have it out with you but he did agree for me to be there. :Mera: So, everything’s settled then. :Brett: Meanwhile… :Jason: Brett’s stroke of genius. :Brett: Shersheba. We had to include her in the operation or she’d cause trouble. So, you and me will look after Shersheba in the hills above the beach. As kind of hostage insurance. Is that cool with you? --------- :Shersheba: A meeting has been arranged by the Bates boys. I’ll need more information from you. :Ilona: Yes, highness. :Shersheba: I want the frequencies of their personal communicators. :Ilona: But– :Shersheba: But what? :Ilona: I’m not really enjoying my task any more. That is, I don’t think I’m really suitable to be a spy. I find I’m becoming quite fond of these earth people. I like them. They’re not how we were instructed they were in training. They’re often quite… Nice. :Shersheba: Now, listen to me, Ilona, and listen very well. You have no idea how cruel and ruthless these earth people are beneath their smiling exteriors. They plan to kill us all. At this very moment, they have their weapons assembled, do they not? And now, our survival rests on you. I want that frequency. If you fail, Ilona, you and your mother will be judged as traitors. Do you understand? :Ilona: I will find the frequency. :Shersheba: Good. --------- :Jason: Okay – so far. :Neri: You are not to worry. :Jason: Who, me? Right, well, I’ll wait back here and keep an eye on him, okay. :Neri: I will be careful. :Jason: Neri– :Neri: This is only way. :Jason: Yeah, I know that. Brett. :Brett: Receiving. :Jason: Meeting about to take place. You? :Brett: The insurance is here. She’s unarmed. How’s it looking? :Jason: Winston and Cass are monitoring the underwater approaches so I’m not expecting any unwelcome visitors. Be careful. Out. --------- :Neri: Ocean planet people must come in peace. :Malakat: Peace? :Neri: It must be possible. :Malakat: Neri, you are an innocent. The earth people would never permit that. :Neri: You are not ready to believe. :Malakat: Your people on the ocean planet are dying from the red virus. :Neri: My sister Mera tells me. :Malakat: Then you know that time is not on our side. Don’t fight your own people, Neri. Hear their suffering. Accept that earth will never receive us peacefully. Accept that the time to act is now. We can do it. Together we can share the power of the pyramid. :Jason: Are you there, Cass? :Cass: Yeah, we’re here. :Jason: Just checking for any underwater activity. :Cass: No, it’s all clear. Hey, you’ll be the first to know. :Malakat: And what of this PRAXIS organization? Do you think they’re preparing for a picnic? You know them. They would have killed you but for a lucky accident. :Neri: Not accident. Earth people saved me. Jason, Brett, my friends. :Malakat: Who are they in the scheme of things? The ones with the real power want war. Nothing can change that. You don’t belong with these people, Neri. Come with us. Fulfill your destiny. Rule our new earth kingdom. :Neri: By using the pyramid to kill? Never. This is home for earth people. Must protect. :Malakat: You’re a fool, a dreamer, just like your mother. :Neri: My mother was a great queen. Gave hope to our people. :Malakat: Your mother would have seen to it that we all came as slaves to this planet. Fortunately for all our sakes, she met her end when she did. Just one flash in the sky. :Neri: You saw my mother die? :Malakat: Oh, yes. How well I remember it. When no word from your father’s mission had been received, your mother prepared a mission to find you. Your mother had foolishly decided that she would succeed in mounting a colony on earth where her husband had failed. She went offering friendship. Lunacy. Then, as they took off – the people always believed it was an accident. The plan had worked. :Jason: What plan? You did it? :Neri: You? You killed my mother. :Malakat: It was for the greater good. And now you know how I deal with anyone who gets in my way, Neri. I’m offering you one last chance to rule with us. :Neri: Never! :Malakat: You can both perish with the rest of them. Take the girl. :Jason: Brett! Brett, are you there? I can’t get through, the signal’s being jammed. --------- :Brett: Mera! Let her go! :Shersheba: You can tell Neri, her sister will be kept without water unless the surrenders the golden ankh. You can help her change her mind, Brett. :Brett: Mera! --------- :Winston: Ah, it’s no good. I can’t get through to Jason and Brett. Someone’s jammed the frequency with a very powerful signal. :Cass: How did they know this was happening? :Winston: Well, I can’t imagine. Someone’s logged into the frequency codes. And it’s someone on ORCA. :Cass: A spy? --------- :Brett: They got Mera! I messed up. It’s all my fault. :Neri: No. :Jason: We all blew it. Thy jammed the vid phone. :Brett: They want the ankh, Neri. They want the ankh for Mera. --------- :Shersheba: Hurry. :Mera: You’re wasting your time. Neri will never give up the ankh. :Malakat: You have no faith. Neri would not sacrifice her own sister for a mere ancient relic. She will deliver. Nothing is more certain. :Shersheba: No water. See how long you’ll last. --------- :Hauser: Welcome to ORCA, sir. :Shelby: Ready to go here, sir. Weapons assembled. We’re just waiting for the order. :Richter: Where are my quarters? :Dianne: Dianne Bates, ORCA commander. :Richter: Theodore J. Richter, PRAXIS high command. I have orders for you to surrender full command of the base to my people. :Dianne: I’ve received no notification. :Richter: You have now. I am authorized to put this facility under martial law. --------- :Malakat: She’s strong minded. Her royal blood shows. :Shersheba: Blood has nothing to do with it. :Malakat: Give it time. I do not believe Neri will sacrifice her – abandon her own sister. :Shersheba: Are you saying Neri will hand over the ankh? :Malakat: I’m certain of it. It’s merely a question of time. :Shersheba: We don’t have time! The red virus is taking over. Our people must either migrate from the ocean planet or be poisoned. :Malakat: I don’t need to be reminded of the nature of the virus or the urgency. --------- :Brett: I shouldn’t have made Mera come. Malakat and Shersheba will flood the world. PRAXIS will nuke the aliens. And we lose everything. Can’t say we didn’t try. :Neri: My mother trusted Malakat and he killed her. Now he will kill the earth people too. :Brett: If we don’t hand over the ankh, Mera will die. :Neri: I must choose. Help me. :Jason: I can’t, Neri. It’s a decision only you can make. I’m sorry. *(music)*