Blakes 7 - 0702 - Redemption [ home ] [ prev ] [ next ]
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Author: Terry Nation
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Director: Vere Lorrimer [ IMDB ] |
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Excerpt from Blakes 7: The Program Guide by Tony Attwood Avon tells Blake that one way to defy Orac's prediction concerning the destruction of the Liberator would be to examine the position of the stars shown behind the ship in Orac's projection and then avoid travelling there. This is done, and the star positions indicate a sector of the galaxy far removed from the Liberator's present position - the crew therefore agree to make sure the Liberator stays well outside that sector. Suddenly the Liberator comes under attack from two non-Federation space ships showing great speed and technical fighting ability. Instead of destroying the Liberator, however, the alien ships knock out Liberator's weapon system and take over the computer circuits. This leaves the Liberator travelling at full speed, but blind. The alien ships then withdraw and the crew of the Liberator attempt to effect repairs. They discover that, as they try to regain control, the ship rejects them. This culminates with various cables detaching themselves from their normal positions and attacking first Blake and then Avon in order to stop them from switching on the main drive unit. It becomes clear from these events that the original designers and owners of the Liberator are taking their own property back. They do indeed board and take off various members of the crew before docking. It appears that they work for a massive computer complex in space known as the System. This complex services three planets which were formerly at war until one of the three developed the super-computer which took over the weaponry computers of the others. Although giving the three planets freedom from war and famine, the System has reduced much of the populace to slavery. During the interrogation of Blake which follows, it becomes clear that the System is itself having computer problems and Blake concludes this must be the work of Orac, which has up to this point refused all help, stating that it is already overloaded with analyses. Just before they are about to be killed, the crew manage to escape back to the Liberator and take it once more into space. However they immediately come under attack from an identical sister ship which launches plasma bolts against them. As they wait for their destruction, it is the sister ship instead of Liberator that blows up. Orac then explains that it had scrambled the weaponry system of the sister ship in order to make the original prediction of the destruction of a Liberator-like ship come true. Review 06/29/2005 by ledlogic This is the first episode tape I purchased, and so it has a special place for me. I love the way the crew interacts in this episode. I think it really brings out the characters. The original creators of the Liberator come back for their ship, yet the crew of the Liberator still cannot figure it out until they are all but captured. The Liberator is attacked by smaller, Destroyer-sized versions of itself, which remind me of the destroyer to cruise comparison from Star Trek/ Star Fleet Battles. There are a lot of different parts of the ship in this episode. Script from hal9000.net.au (c) 1978 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a partial dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1993 by Susan Clerc, Micky DuPree, and Frances Teagle. Dramatis Personae:
[A starfield, then an exterior shot of Liberator] [Flight deck] BLAKE: All right, Zen. Run it again for me, will you? ZEN: Confirmed. Play back, normal speed. [The main screen shows Orac's prediction of Liberator exploding] [Exterior shot of Liberator, then shots of maintenance work in progress - Cally and Jenna in teleport section, Gan and Vila in a subcontrol room] [Flight deck] BLAKE: Orac, why won't you give us the background to that prediction? ORAC: Because that would invalidate the prediction. BLAKE: And if we knew the future in detail we could change it, and so it wouldn't be the future. ORAC: Correct. That is the paradox of prediction. BLAKE: All right, Zen, standby to run it again -- at half speed. ZEN: Confirmed. AVON: Slow or fast, it will still look the same. BLAKE: How long have you been there? AVON: I was here when you came in. BLAKE: Why didn't you speak? AVON: I had nothing in particular to say. Besides, you looked as though you were planning something you didn't want the rest of us to know about. BLAKE: Orac's prediction still hasn't come into effect. I am trying to find some reason why he was wrong. AVON: Have you found what you want? BLAKE: No. AVON: That's because you're looking for the wrong things. BLAKE: What exactly does that mean? AVON: It's a common enough failing. Now if you've finished with Zen, I'd quite like to get on; we have a malfunction on the intermediate range sensors. I need to check the systems. BLAKE: Leave it! If I've missed something, I want to know what it is now, Avon. AVON: Well now, all you had to do was ask. Zen! Replay, half speed. ZEN: Confirmed. [Replays prediction in slow motion] AVON: Stop. All right, reverse to the instant before the explosion. [The explosion sequence is run backward] Freeze it there. All the reassurance you could want. BLAKE: Do you think you could forget your superiority complex for a moment and get on with it? AVON: All right. But first of all, let us examine the nature of prediction. The human mind is capable of seeing into the short- range future with reasonable accuracy. For example, imagine that you are standing on the edge of a cliff. BLAKE: As long as you're not standing behind me. AVON: [Pause] There are a number of alternative futures. You could take a pace forward and plunge to your death. The cliff could crumble under your feet with the same result. A gust of wind could carry you over. BLAKE: All right, all right, yes. But the probability is that I would turn round and walk away again. AVON: Exactly. You have just made a prediction based on the known facts. A computer works on precisely the same principle. BLAKE: But all you're saying is that prediction is not immutable fact. AVON: Right. If you hadn't gone near the cliff in the first place, you wouldn't have had to face any of the inherent dangers. BLAKE: So? AVON: Zen, selective magnification. Show us the background. ZEN: Confirmed. [Zooms into starfield on the main screen] AVON: Look at it, Blake. Look at the configuration of the stars. That position is unique in the universe. BLAKE: Ah! Of course. Zen can give us a precise astral fix and tell us exactly where the event is supposed to have happened. AVON: Congratulations. BLAKE: All right, where is it? AVON: It's in the Twelfth Sector. Astral point seven eight one. BLAKE: What? But that's halfway across the galaxy. Now if we make sure that we never go into that area, then the prediction becomes void. I'll tell the others. Uh, how long have you known? AVON: Oh, several hours. BLAKE: And you just let the others go on worrying? AVON: Well, all they had to do was ask. Perhaps in future, they won't rely on you to provide all the answers. [An explosion rocks the ship. They both go down, with Avon's arm draped over Blake] [Jenna and Cally are thrown about the teleport section] [Flight deck] AVON: What the hell is going on? BLAKE: Zen, report. ZEN: Aft hull sensors register two strikes by medium-range neutron blasters. AVON: Where are they coming from? ZEN: Due to the malfunction of our intermediate range detectors, that information is not available. [Explosion] BLAKE: Zen, activate the force wall, increase speed to Standard by Eight. Battle computers on-line. ZEN: Confirmed. BLAKE: Avon, get the others in here fast. [Avon moves to the force wall console] Zen, direct vision three-sixty orbital scan. ZEN: Confirmed. AVON: [Into intercom] Attention! We are under attack. Battle stations! [Exterior shot of Liberator in rapid flight, then Jenna and Cally running in a corridor] [Flight deck] BLAKE: [Two points of light -- the hostile ships-- are shown on the main screen] Hold it there. Two ships homing in on us. Concentrate force wall on coordinates five five three one. ZEN: Confirmed. Five five three one. [Jenna and Cally, then Gan and Vila enter] BLAKE: Vila, activate the weaponry system. Jenna, take her on manual. [The main screen shows the hostile ships making an attack run, then there's an explosion on the flight deck] BLAKE: Re-energize the force wall. ZEN: Confirmed. JENNA: What are they, Blake? BLAKE: I don't know. GAN: Blake, look. [The main screen shows a planet] ZEN: Battle computers propose evasive course. JENNA: Specify. ZEN: Planetary orbit at two thousand spacials. BLAKE: Closer. Make it one thousand. ZEN: Confirmed. BLAKE: Cally, give me tracking on the hostiles. Maximum magnification. [Exterior shot of the two hostile ships] VILA: They must be Federation ships. ZEN: First analysis indicates that they are not vehicles of a type used in Federation fleets. BLAKE: Who are they? [No response] AVON: Who are they? ZEN: That information is not available. [Exterior shot of Liberator pursued by hostile ships] [Flight deck] JENNA: Entering planetary orbit now. BLAKE: Hold it there. [Exterior shots of Liberator pursued by hostile ships] [Flight deck] GAN: Closing in on us. BLAKE: Jenna, hold course till they're within our range. JENNA: Holding course. VILA: Weapons systems primed for firing. BLAKE: Lock on target. VILA: Target fixed. BLAKE: Range? VILA: Fifty thousand spacials and closing fast. They're traveling at almost Standard by Twelve. AVON: Impossible. VILA: I tell you, they are. [Exterior shot of Liberator pursued by hostile ships] [Flight deck] CALLY: They'll be in range in fifty-one seconds. BLAKE: Hold course. JENNA: Holding. GAN: I've got their communications frequency. BLAKE: Voice contact? GAN: No, just computer talk. BLAKE: Can our machines translate? GAN: Negative. BLAKE: Zen, identify the hostiles. CALLY: Forty-two seconds. BLAKE: Zen! [Zen burbles] AVON: The information must be bypassing the translator systems. CALLY: Thirty-five seconds. VILA: Let me launch a couple of seekers before they fire. It might throw their attack run. BLAKE: Go ahead. VILA: Firing one and two, now. [Chirping from his console] BLAKE: Come on, come on. VILA: They won't fire. The fail-safes keep cutting in. BLAKE: Override them. CALLY: Twenty seconds. VILA: The whole system is locked into negative. AVON: Blake, without firepower we'll be blasted to pieces. CALLY: Hostiles closing fast. Thirteen seconds to blaster range. BLAKE: Avon, stand by the force wall. CALLY: In range. BLAKE: Force wall. AVON: [Tries to activate force wall but it just burbles] Primary malfunction. Force wall won't activate. BLAKE: Leave it. Hit it, Jenna, all the power we've got. Hang on! [Exterior shots of Liberator and hostiles, then quick cuts between exterior of ships and the flight deck: hostiles fire, crew fall about on flight deck, hostiles fire again, explosion on flight deck, hostiles fire again and hit underside of Liberator. A close-up of the hostile ships reveals the similarity in design to Liberator, and the lead ship emits a burbling noise similar to Zen's] [Shots of Gan, Vila, and Jenna lying about the flight deck] BLAKE: [Looking around flight deck] Gan! Cally! Vila! [Exterior shot of Liberator] [Starfield] [Flight deck] VILA: [Getting up from floor] Oh... BLAKE: It's all right, Vila. I think we've lost them. VILA: How'd you know? BLAKE: We're still here. Cut the auxiliaries. Get back to primary drive. [To Avon] Are you all right? AVON: All I am willing to admit is that I am still alive. BLAKE: We've got to know if those ships are still coming. See if you can get a scan. [Jenna comes to, Gan and Cally help her up] Cally, take her down to her quarters. Gan, go and check the power units, will you? GAN: Right. VILA: Blake, I can't cut the auxiliary drive. We're still running on full power. AVON: The scan is out, we're flying blind. BLAKE: What's it register, Vila? VILA: Maximum. Can we hold together at that speed? AVON: We won't have to. VILA: What do you mean? BLAKE: Running at full power will drain the energy banks in -- what? AVON: Two hours at the most. BLAKE: And then we'll have no power at all. [Intercom chimes. Blake uses the one at the force wall console. Scene cuts between flight deck and subcontrol room] BLAKE: [Into intercom] Blake. GAN: [Into intercom] Gan. I'm in Subcontrol One. There's a lot of damage here. Virtually all the control systems seem to be out. BLAKE: [V.O.] Check the other subcontrol rooms. GAN: [Into intercom] Right. VILA: Where did those ships come from? Who were they? BLAKE: Yes, and why did they attack? Zen was confident they weren't Federation. VILA: So why did they pick on me? AVON: I doubt if it was personal, Vila. VILA: It felt personal. It always feels personal when someone tries to kill me. BLAKE: It seems we were pretty lucky. Those ships came up on us when we were blind. They should have been able to wipe us out completely. Zen, I want a full damage report, and then an assessment of how much the breakdown can be handled by auto- repair. [No response.] AVON: The translator unit must be out. BLAKE: Then we'll have to do it all ourselves. Vila, go down and see if you can help Gan, make a list of all the faults you can find. I'm going to isolate the auxiliaries from the energy units before they burn up all our power. Avon, concentrate on Zen. Give priority to the detectors and the navigation systems. And then see if you can get us some scans. AVON: Is that all? What shall I do with the other hand? BLAKE: I'll let you know. [Exits] VILA: When you get Zen working, ask him to prescribe something for a headache, will you? I've got this shocking pain right behind the eyes. AVON: Have you considered amputation? [Blake and Cally meet in a corridor] BLAKE: How's Jenna? CALLY: Just shaken. She'll be back in the teleport as soon as she's recovered. BLAKE: Good. Help Avon with Zen. [Flight deck] CALLY: [Enters] What can I do? AVON: Strip down the auto-navigator, remove the damaged components, and list them for replacement. CALLY: This is going to take time. It could have been worse. AVON: It should have been worse. CALLY: What do you mean? AVON: Something Blake said. Those ships should have been able to knock us out completely. Why didn't they? CALLY: There could be many reasons. AVON: I have considered all of them. Only one is satisfactory. CALLY: And which is that? AVON: They didn't want to destroy us. CALLY: But it was a full-scale attack. AVON: Was it? Their first attack knocked out our weaponry system. The second run knocked out virtually every instrument system. Right now Liberator is out of control. At least, out of OUR control. CALLY: You think all this was intentional, and we're not running on a random course? AVON: Oh, I think we're going somewhere quite particular. [Exterior shot of Spaceworld] [Control room, Spaceworld. Alta 1 is seated, Alta 2 and two guards stand at the back. A large white dome on a pedestal beeps and Alta 1 rises from her seat, walks to the dome, and places her hands on it. The dome emits deeper-toned gargling sound] ALTA 1: [In mechanical voice] Acknowledged. [Both Altas touch the silver dots on the foreheads. To Alta 2 in her normal voice] The pursuit craft have made contact, and have initiated all programmed functions. Assemble the assault group and prepare for transference. ALTA 2: Acknowledged. [Exits] [Alta 1 places her hands on the dome again, there is more gargling from it, she then returns to her seat and places her hand on the small dome beside it] [Exterior shot of Liberator] [Subcontrol room. Blake enters, inspects panels, and then screws a lever into a console socket and pulls it forward. The engine hum drops and he attempts to unscrew the lever, fails, gives up and turns toward the door. A wall panel behind the console blows out and the lever slides backwards by itself and the engine hum climbs rapidly again. Intercom chimes] BLAKE: [Into intercom] Blake. AVON: [V.O.] The lights are pulsating. What's happening? BLAKE: [Into intercom] Nothing. Just get on with what you're doing. AVON: [V.O.] Switching the drives in and out isn't helping, you know. BLAKE: [Annoyed] I'll call you IF I need you. [Returns to the console and tries to move the lever again but a thick coiled cable leaps out at him. He grabs a screwdriver from a nearby tool chest. The cable knocks it from his hand, showering sparks when it touches the metal floor. He dives for the door, but it closes before he can escape. The cable traps Blake against the wall, next to the intercom] [Jenna passes through the teleport section and sees the controls moving by themselves] [Flight deck] AVON: How are you getting on? CALLY: I've finished fitting the auto-navigator. And now there is just this detector unit that is burnt out. AVON: You'll find a replacement in the auto-repair cavity. CALLY: [Replaces a component] Good. That's all completed. AVON: [Tries to turn Zen on with no luck, Zen just burbles] That's strange. [Tries again] Thought so. Zen is functioning, the computers are working, but not for us. JENNA: [Enters] Avon, there's something wrong in the teleport section -- all the controls are activating. AVON: Are you sure? JENNA: The locators are setting bearings. Come and see. AVON: No. No one is to go near that section until we have Zen under control. CALLY: Why? AVON: I think I know what's happening now. The teleport section will be the most dangerous area on the ship. When it happens, THAT is where it will start. JENNA: When what happens? What are you talking about? AVON: If I'm right, this will show it. [Connects wires and the component Cally replaced shorts out] CALLY: It's rejecting the replacement. AVON: It's more fundamental than that. We are the cause. It is rejecting us. [Subcontrol room. Blake clicks on intercom. Scene cuts between subcontrol room and flight deck] JENNA: [V.O.] Jenna. BLAKE: [Into intercom] Jenna, it's Blake. I'm in Subcontrol Room Four. Get Avon down here fast. JENNA: Avon. AVON: I heard. I'm busy. JENNA: [Into intercom]He's working on Zen. BLAKE: I don't care what he's working on, get him down here! AVON: [Irritated. Drops what he's working on and crosses to intercom] Blake, what I'm doing is vitally concerned with our survival. Are you prepared to take responsibility for what happens if I delay? BLAKE: [Into intercom] Don't I always? Now just get down here! AVON: [Into intercom] Anything you say. BLAKE: [V.O.] And Avon, don't come crashing in; gently as you open the door. AVON: Blake's regard for our safety is inspiring, don't you think? [Gan and Vila enter] GAN: Avon, there's no structural damage in the other control unit. AVON: Well, that's something. GAN: But the instrument and systems disruption's enormous. AVON: I shall tell our fearless leader. [Exits] VILA: What's the matter with him? JENNA: What do you think? VILA: If it ever comes to a showdown, my money's on Blake. Well, half of it. I'll put the other half on Avon. JENNA: [Laughs] That's a safe bet. But if Avon is right, we'll probably all be dead anyway. VILA: Dead? Is that your idea of a safe bet? [Avon enters the subcontrol room and reaches for the cable still hovering by Blake] BLAKE: Easy! Easy. This coil's live in every sense. It's got enough energy to vaporize both of us. AVON: All right, you're giving the orders -- what do you want me to do about it? BLAKE: Turn off the power -- without touching the main switch. AVON: [Ducks under cable and moves to console] What happened? BLAKE: I tried to shut off the auxiliaries. But they switched back on automatically. AVON: That's happening to every function onboard. BLAKE: And then this coil leapt at me as though it was trying to protect the switchbox. AVON: The ship is working against us. >From now on we are just passengers. BLAKE: The question is, where to? AVON: I'm going to try and break the circuit. [Another section of cable moves to block him] BLAKE: It knows. It knows what you're trying to do, Avon. AVON: [Moves to another part of the console] It's linked to the computer circuits. They're feeding in a defensive program. I'm going to put an explosive charge across the main energy feed. When it senses what I'm trying to do, it should move away from you. BLAKE: Towards you. AVON: When it does, you move to the door. BLAKE: And when it homes in on you? AVON: [Placing explosive device and timer] I think my instinct for survival is more finely tuned than it is. BLAKE: It's moving. Leave it now. Come on. [Blake leaves. The door closes before Avon can reach it. Both men try to force door open from their sides. The device explodes and the door opens. Avon spills into corridor and Blake. Shot of cable lying inert.] BLAKE: That is one I owe you. AVON: Don't worry. At the right time, I will remind you of it. [Flight deck] VILA: [Accepts cup from Jenna and swallows pill] Thanks. JENNA: [To Blake who has just entered flight deck with Avon] You all right? BLAKE: Yes. Where's Gan? CALLY: Treatment unit. He tried to reconnect one of the servo links and it burned his hand. BLAKE: Right, sit down. [All but Vila sit at a small table to the left of flight consoles] No one is to attempt to repair any equipment till the computers are back under our control. JENNA: What is it, Blake? What's going on? BLAKE: Well, the computers seem to be making decisions for themselves. They're resisting all interference. JENNA: But that's not possible. BLAKE: [Motions to Avon] Avon. AVON: It is if you think of the ship as a living entity with massive networks of electronics acting as a nervous system. JENNA: All linked into a central computer. BLAKE: The brain. AVON: Carry the analogy a stage further. When a living creature is hurt -- a cut or a wound -- antibodies gather around the injury to repair it and to fight infection. VILA: You mean the computers are treating us like germs. AVON: [Brief smile at Blake] Crude, but accurate. CALLY: But antibodies kill infection. Why are we still alive? BLAKE: We're not sure. There are dozens of ways the ship could destroy us: cut off the air supply, drop the temperature so we freeze to death -- VILA: Stop putting ideas into its head. BLAKE: [To Avon] Actually, one touch of that cable would have done it. No, I don't think it wants to kill us. AVON: Well, not yet, anyway. It's saving us for something. VILA: Dinner? JENNA: Look, we've been on the Liberator for a long time. The computers have never turned against us before. Why now? AVON: That's what I was trying to find out when you sent for me. There's something else I'd like to try. [Burbles and gargles in two tones from Zen] JENNA: It's another computer. It's communicating with Zen. VILA: Someone outside is controlling the Liberator. BLAKE: Yes, we know. But who and why? [Gan in the teleport section. The light changes. Scene cuts between teleport section and flight deck] GAN: [Into intercom] Blake. BLAKE: [Into intercom] Yes, Gan. GAN: [Into intercom] Blake, there's something peculiar happening in the teleport section. I think the - [Sound of the teleport operating. Gan is attacked by assailants with weapons similar to Liberator hand guns] BLAKE: Cally, Vila, come on. [They exit] JENNA: It's the teleport. AVON: I told you. I warned them to keep away from there. [Blake, Vila and Cally running in a corridor] [Teleport section] BLAKE: [Enters] Gan! VILA: He didn't come past us. He must've gone that way. BLAKE: Go and see if you can find him. [Vila exits] CALLY: Could he have operated the teleport? BLAKE: How and to where? Anyway, all the bracelets are still here. CALLY: Then he is still onboard. BLAKE: Try and get him once more on the communicator. If you can't reach him, go and give Vila a hand to find him. [Exits] CALLY: [Into intercom] Gan, make your way to the flight deck immediately. [V.O., corridor] Repeat -- make your way to the flight deck immediately. [Clicks off. Walks the side of the room opposite the corridor entry] Gan? [Blake in a corridor. Lights pulsate, engine hum changes and dies] [Flight deck] AVON: The energy banks are drained. We must be getting close to our destination. JENNA: You're sure there's a pattern to all this? AVON: Very precise and carefully calculated. I think the takeover will be completed quite soon. BLAKE: [Enters] Jenna, get the guns. We're not giving this ship up without a fight. JENNA: [Going to gun locker and reaching for one] They're white hot. BLAKE: White hot? All of them? [She tries a few more but withdraws her hand from each] AVON: They've covered everything. [Intercom chimes] BLAKE: [Into intercom] Blake. CALLY: [V.O.] Cally. We've made a thorough search. There is no trace of Gan. BLAKE: [Into intercom] All right, come back to the flight deck. [Teleport section] CALLY: Vila? Vila. [Looks to far side of room. There is blood on the wall unseen by Cally] [Flight deck] AVON: I think the attack ships did exactly what they intended. They knocked out our manual control systems. JENNA: Their blaster strike would have to be enormously accurate to cause selective damage. AVON: It could be done if they knew the vulnerable points. JENNA: All right, but how could their computers override Zen? AVON: There's a command code programmed into every system. Key that code, and the computers will only respond to orders from source. JENNA: But who would know the code that operates Zen? BLAKE: It's obvious, isn't it? JENNA: The people who built the Liberator? BLAKE: Just taking back what's theirs. Redemption. [Cally is attacked in a corridor] [Exterior shot of Liberator] [Jenna, and Blake and Avon enter the flight deck from opposite corridors] BLAKE: [To Jenna] Anything? JENNA: Nothing. AVON: Then there's not a trace of any of them. BLAKE: [Into intercom] Cally. Gan. [No response] AVON: I warned them to stay away from the teleport area. The people who built this ship will have the same teleport capability as we have. They'll use it to board us. JENNA: That doesn't account for their disappearance. BLAKE: Unless they've already boarded us. AVON: Ah, that would be logical. They'll take us out a few at a time. They wouldn't want to risk a full-scale battle. It might damage the ship. JENNA: Isn't there anything we can do to hold them off? AVON: No. Not unless we can regain control of the computers. I don't see any way of doing that. BLAKE: Let's try Orac again. JENNA: What good will that do? BLAKE: Maybe he can analyze Zen's programming and eradicate the override. JENNA: And bring Zen back under our instruction. BLAKE: [Inserts the key] Right. You will clear the receptor circuits to receive an emergency program. Confirm when ready. [No response] AVON: Confirm readiness. Come on, come on! JENNA: What's wrong? AVON: You tell me. JENNA: Maybe it's been taken over, too. BLAKE: No, that's not likely. Orac's systems are entirely independent of all the Liberator's. AVON: [Crouches next to Orac's stand] Now then, Orac. Are you going to function or are you not? ORAC: All principle circuits are operating at full capacity and cannot receive new programs at this time. BLAKE: Well, clear the circuits. This is priority. ORAC: Circuit clearance and reprogramming will take precisely one hour and thirty-seven point nine seconds. BLAKE: That could be just a little late. ORAC: State your program requirements. They will be implemented when capacity is available. BLAKE: We want total analysis of Zen's override system and erasure of that control. Eliminate any links with an external computer. Key the voice systems to respond only to the commands of Avon, myself, and Jenna. [A console in front of Zen explodes and the crew turn and see Alta 1 and 2] ALTA 2: Take control. [Guards enter flight deck] AVON: [To Jenna] I think we just lost our ship. ALTA 1: [Into bracelet] The ship is now under our control. The three remaining crew are prisoners. Restore all operating functions and program for docking. [Zen burbles] JENNA: The repair circuits are working. BLAKE: Zen, too. JENNA: Another few minutes and we'll be fully operational. AVON: Zen! [Moves toward Zen but is stopped by guard] ALTA 2: You will all remain under guard until docking is complete. Orders must be obeyed instantly. Failure will result in punishment. BLAKE: Where are the rest of my crew? [She ignores him] Well, at least tell us if they're alive. ALTA 1: You will remain silent. That is an order. BLAKE: I accept that we are your prisoners, but I demand to know what has happened to my crew. ALTA 1: Force level three. [A guard places a longer version of a Liberator handgun against the side of Blake's neck, causing him great pain. It seems to work like a cattle prod. Jenna tries to help Blake but is pushed away] ZEN: All malfunctions have now been rectified. Systems are fully operational. ALTA 2: Lock onto docking flight path. ZEN: Confirmed. ALTA 1: Release. [Guard stops torturing Blake and he collapses] [Exterior shot of Liberator approaching Spaceworld] [Flight deck] JENNA: [Helping Blake to his feet] You all right? BLAKE: Felt as though every nerve in my body was being scraped. ALTA 1: You disobeyed an order. Further infractions will be dealt with more severely. ALTA 2: Screen forward vision. ZEN: Confirmed. JENNA: [Sees Spaceworld on main screen] I don't believe it. BLAKE: Impressive. JENNA: I've never seen a space station on that design before. BLAKE: That's more than just a station. JENNA: The technology... AVON: It's the kind that built Liberator. [Exterior shots of Spaceworld and Liberator. Scene cuts between shots of the runway lights and shots of Altas' and crews' faces] [Flight deck] ZEN: Docking complete. Walkway to main hatch secured. ALTA 2: All flight systems off. ZEN: Confirmed. ALTA 1: You will now walk towards the main hatch. Move. [Blake, Avon, and Jenna exit followed by guards. Orac whirs and Alta 1 walks over and looks at it] [Blake, Avon, and Jenna are marched out the walkway door and then through a large building complex under guard] ALTA 2: Halt! [To guards] Take the leader. [Blake is seized] BLAKE: Why are you separating us? ALTA 2: You are to be interrogated by the System. BLAKE: The System? AVON: What happens to us? ALTA 2: You will remain in the detention section until the System decides on the method of your execution. JENNA: Execution? ALTA 2: [To guards] Move them. [Avon and Jenna are taken away] BLAKE: [Struggling with guards] You can't do that! What right have you got to destroy us?! ALTA 2: Sustained. Level five. [Guard uses prod on Blake again] Release. You were warned. A third time and I will command destruction level. Move. [Exterior shot of Spaceworld] [Jenna and Avon in a cell] JENNA: They've gone. What are you looking for? AVON: Surveillance devices. You check the lock. I think it's clean. JENNA: Magno-lock. Probably linked to a central register. AVON: [Looks at door] Jointed metal plate. No hope there. It might have possibilities if we had a heavy-duty cutter and a couple of explosive devices. JENNA: Even if we do get out, we're in space, Avon -- we've got nowhere to go. AVON: So you're just going to sit here and wait for them to eliminate us? You saw the size of this place. If we get out of here, we can run and we can hide. If they're going to kill us, let us at least try and make it difficult for them. [Blake is marched through hallway. A gang of slaves carrying a heavy pipe section stagger, the rear slave falls and is punished by a guard. Blake runs over to stop the guard and helps the slave up. The guard moves to hit Blake] ALTA 2: [To guard] Stop! [To slaves and guards] March on. [Control room. Alta 2 enters and she and Alta 1 touch the silver dots on their foreheads. The pedestal dome beeps, Alta 2 places her hands on it, and it gargles. Blake is pushed into the room and Alta 1 motions him to a chair across from hers] ALTA 2: Acknowledged. [To Alta 1] There is disturbance on the control program. ALTA 1: Until stable, all commands must be checked and confirmed. ALTA 2: Acknowledged. ALTA 1: [To Blake] The System has questions to put to you. BLAKE: I'd like to ask one or two myself. ALTA 1: That is not permitted. BLAKE: For instance, what is the System? ALTA 1: The System is the supreme power of Spaceworld and the three life-supporting planets which orbit our sun. The System is a complex of infallible machines. BLAKE: All of this? You mean even you are computer controlled? ALTA 1: We serve the System. Its questions and orders are routed through me, but the words and thoughts are those of the System. Is that understood? BLAKE: I demand your assurance that the rest of my crew remain unharmed. ALTA 1: [To guard] Force level seven. [Guard puts prod against Blake's neck] BLAKE: All right! Understood. ALTA 1: We will commence. [Places hand on smaller dome next to her chair and speaks in a mechanical voice] State the circumstance by which you came to be aboard Deep Space Vehicle II. BLAKE: We call it the Liberator. It was found abandoned and drifting in space. I was part of a crew that was put on board. ALTA 1: [M.V.] State the astral location in which you found DSV II. BLAKE: I don't know it. My nearest point of reference is a Federation prison planet called Cygnus Alpha. ALTA 1: [M.V] State any further information you have regarding DSV II. BLAKE: We assume it had been in a space battle. ALTA 1: [M.V] State any further information you have regarding ... regarding ... regarding ... ALTA 2: [At dome, it gargles] Circuitry disturbances are continuing. An outside influence has been analyzed. ALTA 1: [Normal voice] We will resume the questioning when the disturbance has been rectified. [Rises and walks towards the door] BLAKE: It's nice to know that computers can have their bad days, too. ALTA 1: The System is infallible. [Exits] BLAKE: [Under his breath] Orac! [Shot of Orac] [Cell. Jenna is sitting on a bench attached to the wall, Avon is pacing] JENNA: Perhaps we could chew our way out. ALTA 2: [V.O., over P.A.] Attention all guards. Security report: slave group number seven have attacked their escort and escaped. They are to be recaptured and eliminated. Repeat: recaptured and eliminated. AVON: [Stops pacing and spins toward window] Jenna, come here. JENNA: [Joins him] What is it? AVON: You remember Orac's prediction? JENNA: That's the least of our problems at the moment. AVON: I checked the star pattern behind Liberator. What Orac predicted was happening halfway across the galaxy. I made a mental note of the configuration. JENNA: And? AVON: You're looking at it. This is the Twelfth Sector. Astral point seven eight one. Exactly where Orac predicted we would be destroyed. [Zoom-in shot of starfield] [Control room. The dome beeps. Alta 2 places her hands on it and it gargles] BLAKE: Having a little trouble? ALTA 2: [Presses buttons and Alta 1 appears on a screen mounted on the wall. Alta 1 touches the dot on her forehead] The System confirms massive malfunctions. Emergency programs are to be activated. ALTA 1: [On screen] Transfer all prisoners to elimination chamber four, sentence to be carried out immediately. BLAKE: Look, wait a minute, wait a minute! [Guards restrain him] ALTA 1: Take this prisoner to elimination chamber two. [In the complex. Two guards are dragging dead slaves into a pile as Blake is marched past and up a short flight of stairs. At the top he lashes out with both arms, one guard is knocked down the stairs and the other staggers back. Blake seizes Alta 2 and grabs her gun, unplugging her metal collar from its power pack. She drops and Blake shoots a guard off a high walkway, then knocks out the first guard and shoots the second. Two guards from below rush up, one brawls with Blake, knocking the gun from his hand, while the other reconnects Alta 2's collar, reactivating her. Blake escapes and runs into a blind alley. A door in a wall opens] SLAVE: Hey! [Blake goes through door] BLAKE: Thanks. SLAVE: Shhh! [Shot of guard looking around outside] BLAKE: [Whispers] Where are we? [Light comes on] SLAVE: It's an old service lift. Those young guards, they don't even know it exists. BLAKE: Listen, I've got to get to the detention block. Do you know where it is? SLAVE: [Nods] I'll show you. [Lift starts to descend] BLAKE: Good. SLAVE: Where do you come from? BLAKE: Planet called Earth. SLAVE: Earth? BLAKE: How long's all this been here? SLAVE: >From before my father was born. BLAKE: Before that? SLAVE: Those times? The three planets were always fighting or getting ready to fight. BLAKE: [Laughs] Sounds familiar. SLAVE: Then one of the planets developed a computer so powerful it was able to take over the weaponry computers of the other two. BLAKE: So all three became one? SLAVE: One gigantic System that totally governs the three worlds. BLAKE: And the System built this as a control center? SLAVE: Yes, now there's no war, no famine -- BLAKE: And no freedom. SLAVE: Yes. The System uses people. We are flexible, adaptable ... expendable. BLAKE: What about the ones that give the orders? SLAVE: The Altas? They're linked into the System. They're not really people at all. [Cell. Avon and Jenna are sitting on the bench. They hear a noise at the door and Avon signals Jenna to stand by the window while he moves behind the door to attack whoever enters. Avon lets fly before he realizes it's Vila] VILA: Oh! AVON: I'm sorry, Vila. VILA: Been looking all over for you two. JENNA: How did you get here? VILA: I was just passing -- thought I'd drop in and see you. AVON: Where are Gan and Cally? VILA: They're in a cell along the corridor. AVON: Well, what kept you? VILA: Magno-locks aren't that easy to open. Even for me. AVON: Practice. Let's go. VILA: Just a minute. Where's Blake? JENNA: They took him away for questioning. VILA: Questioning? AVON: I don't think we should hang around. VILA: No, neither do I. JENNA: [Checking wound] What did you do to your head? VILA: One of the guards didn't like me. AVON: Come on! [Avon, Jenna, and Vila sneak through the building complex] JENNA: What are we going to do? AVON: Try and get back on Liberator. She's fully operational. It's our only chance. JENNA: What about Orac's prophecy? AVON: As you said, right now that's the least of our problems. VILA: [Spots Cally and Gan] There they are. GUARD: Stop! [Crew dash amid explosions and firing guards until they run into a pack of guards coming down a staircase] GAN: Go on, I'll hold them! [He fights and defeats several guards] VILA: Gan, don't just stand there! Come on! [More running. Alta 2 and a guard stop them] ALTA 2: Raise your hands. Turn round. [They obey] Kill them. [Blake and Slave attack Alta 2 and guard from behind] SLAVE: [Applying prod to Alta 2's neck] Destruction level! [Alta 2 dies, Blake prods fallen guard] BLAKE: Come on! [More running. They reach the walkway door] SLAVE: Through that door. BLAKE: Right. [Blake and Slave open and hold the door so the others can escape] AVON: [To Blake as guard appears and fires] Look out! BLAKE: Right. Get the ship moving and fast! AVON: Jenna! [The others run through doorway] BLAKE: [To Slave] Right. Come on! SLAVE: I'll stay here. JENNA: [Re-appearing at door] Blake, come on! [She pulls Blake through. Slave starts to close door but two guards arrive and shoot him] [Avon and Vila run onto flight deck] AVON: Zen! Prepare immediate launch! ZEN: Confirmed. [Guards entering the walkway] BLAKE: [Enters flight deck] Zen, hundred-eighty turn, full lateral thrust. ZEN: Confirmed. [Heavy smoke -- guards flushed from walkway by fumes] [Jenna pulling flight controls] [Dead guard in walkway entrance] [Control room. Alta 1 teleports two grenade-wielding guards. Scene cuts between control room and Liberator's teleport section] GAN: [Enters teleport section] Cally, quick! [Cally runs behind console and teleports guards back to Spaceworld as they prime their grenades. Arriving back in the control room, they throw the grenades away and duck. When the smoke clears, Alta 1 is standing rigid by the pedestal dome] ALTA 1: [Mechanical voice] Destruct...destruct...destruct...destruct... [Flight deck] ZEN: Walkway severed. Main hatch closed. BLAKE: Give me rear vision. [Shot of the runway lights receding rapidly] [Gan and Cally enter flight deck] [Shots of runway intercut with shots of crews' faces] [Liberator leaving Spaceworld] [Flight deck] JENNA: We're out! VILA: We've made it! BLAKE: [Hugs Jenna] Well done, Jenna! ZEN: Information. Sensors register secondary launch, a space vehicle in pursuit. Speed, Standard by Fourteen. BLAKE: Vila, ready the weaponry system. We'll make a fight of it. JENNA: It's too late, Blake, we're lost. BLAKE: Do it, Vila! GAN: Blake, there's no point. JENNA: Orac's prediction is coming true. AVON: She's right, we are in the precise location where Orac predicted our destruction. BLAKE: It hasn't happened yet! ZEN: Pursuit ship moving into missile attack. BLAKE: Cally, put her on the screen. CALLY: There she is. [Another ship that looks like Liberator appears on main screen] AVON: The same ship. The same as Liberator. BLAKE: That's it. It's a sister ship. That's what Orac showed us. It wasn't the Liberator. AVON: Sister ship or not, she's coming at us. BLAKE: Well, activate the force wall. ZEN: Sensors register missile emission. VILA: Blake, there is no point in going on -- we're finished. At this range we haven't a chance. She can't miss us. [The other ship explodes as the crew watch on the main screen] BLAKE: Vila, did you fire? VILA: No. BLAKE: Well, what happened? ORAC: I took the precaution of scrambling their launch system. It pre-detonated their missiles. Had I not done so, my prediction would have been inaccurate. BLAKE: [Laughs, walks over to Orac] Orac, you are a genius. Next time let us know what you're planning. ORAC: I am closing down. I have much to do. You have engaged my circuits on your petty affairs for far too long. BLAKE: Thank you, Orac. [Disconnects] Zen, take over. ZEN: State course and speed. BLAKE: Speed Standard by Three, Earth Sector. We have unfinished business with the Federation. VILA: Oh, no, not again. AVON: [Coming up behind him] Why Earth Sector? BLAKE: Would you rather stay here? AVON: You make them sound like the only alternatives. BLAKE: They are, for us --- go back to your position. [They look at each other for a moment, then Avon goes back to his position] |