Act 2, Scene 3: Orbit Insertion

PartTime
Intro**00:00 **
Dialogue**00:00 **
**Scene Total****00:00 **
TECH PREROLL

%LIG% LX 0099 - Work Light OFF (Static Playbacks)

%LIG% LX 2300 - STANDBY for GO (Link LX 0002 - DBO with dim blue reading light)

Recall: 123CleanIntercomHelmet
%MIX% Eisfuchs**ON**OFF-
%MIX% Pan**ON**--
%MIX% Tani**ON**--
%MIX% Lynard**ON**--

%MIX% Check Levels
%MIX% Unmute Desk

INTRO

%SND% Music playing in the background

%SND% Person idly tapping on a keyboard

%SND% Warning Signal

%SND% Ricky: "Whoa, hello ..."

%SND% Energetic tapping and clicking

%SND% Ricky: "Holy shit ... what the hell was that?"

%SND% %ACT% Ricky dials on the intercom

%SND% Ringtone

%SND% Intercom On

%SND% Martin: "What is it?"

%SND% Ricky: "Sergeant Baker, this is Ricky Maturo, on sensor duty ... we have an anomaly."

%SND% Martin: "I know who you are. What kind of anomaly?"

%SND% Ricky: "A transient electromagnetic disturbance of magnitude F5 plus, followed by a hell of a gamma ray burst."

%SND% Martin: "That's a doozy. Location?"

%SND% Ricky: "Not yet sir. Blast was so strong it's bouncing all over the place. I've asked the deep space network to help cut through the reflections and triangulate."

%SND% Computer Signal

%SND% Ricky: "That's confirmed. Sector 4489."

%SND% Martin: "That was fast. Did one of our ships report in?"

%SND% Ricky: "No, we don't have a mandate for that area. Wild, wild west out there. No, everybody in the system saw this ... whatever it was. Must have been spectacular."

%SND% Martin: "If someone's drive blew up, you bet it was."

%SND% Ricky: "You're thinking engine detonation? Let's see... Closest match is a decommissioned ERG transport hub. Registered to Dynamo Trading Limited."

%SND% Martin: "Damn! That's Link Kabanshee!"

%SND% Ricky: "Who's that now?"

%SND% Martin: "I keep forgetting you're new. Link Kabanshee's a legend. Stinking rich, and... kind of a wild one. After the station's decommissioning the sector lost its controlled space status, and he saw that as the perfect opportunity to set up his own personal tax haven."

%SND% Ricky: "In that case it's a miracle he didn't get blown up earlier."

%SND% Martin: "You'd think, huh? He's got lots of friends in high places. According to his reputation, he's pretty much untouchable."

%SND% Keyboard noises

%SND% Ricky: "If these records are still up to date, his reactor has been due for replacement for five years."

%SND% Martin: "There you have it. Maybe we're way overthinking the whole issue, and it was all just an accident."

%SND% Ricky: "It's going to be an interesting investigation, that's for sure."

%SND% Martin: "What investigation?"

%SND% Ricky: "There's a nuclear explosion in space, and we're not going to investigate?"

%SND% Martin: "Like you said, rookie: wild, wild west. Where you're free to nuke yourself as you please. The Investigation Bureau is going to look at the data, confirm the nature of the explosion, and that's it. I mean, what are we supposed to do, there's nothing left to look at. If there's nobody there to be rescued, it's not our job to waste any tax money on it. That's the whole point of uncontrolled space."

%SND% Ricky: "Hold up, picking up a ship leaving the area. A Space-X Rhino Mark 4. They've responded to hails on ComNet, said they're fine. Claim they were about to deliver some ... chocolate pudding. Whatever that is code for. Got struck by some shrapnel, but it scraped some paint, nothing more."

%SND% Martin: "*chuckles* Hah. Chocolate pudding. Riiiiight. Well, whatever. I wouldn't be surprised if Link himself is on that very ship."

%SND% Ricky: "Will we ever find out?"

%SND% Martin: "Probably not! And it's not our business anyways. Let's file our report, and be done with it."

%SND% Ricky: "Understood. Ricky Maturo out."

%SND% Intercom Off

DIALOG

%AMB% AMB-2301 - Boring HVAC
%MUS% MUS-2301 - Music Cue 1

%HND% Curtain - open

%ACT% At the table in [4] sit: (in this order from [7]->[1]) Link, Lyra, Sina, Sorin

%LIG% LX 2310 - Lights on

%LIG% Light behind backdrop - Middle panel - ON

%ATT% Everyone has just finished their meal.

%ACT% Sorin sucks on his drink

%SND% SND-2300 - Sluuuuuuuuuuuuurp

%ACT% Sorin burps

Sina: "Hey, didn't your mom teach you any manners?"

Sorin: "Nope."

%ACT% Sorin sucks on his drink

%SND% SND-2300 - Sluuuuuuuuuuuuurp

%ACT% Sorin burps

Lyra: "Stop it, that's disgusting!"

Link: "In space, nobody can hear you belch."

Sina: "Just wait until we enter the control zone. Under Earth legislation, manners are strictly enforced!"

Sorin: "Maybe, but first they've got to catch me! Do you hear me, Earthlings? The Pioneers are coming!"

%ACT% Sorin lets out an EARTH SHATTERING MEGA BURP

%SND% SND-2300B - EARTH SHATTERING MEGA BURP

%ACT% Lyra, Sina and Link EEEEW and start throwing their empty food packages at Sorin

%ACT% Sorin laughs, and tries to dodge the bullets as good as he can

%SND% SND-2301 - Signal Sound
%MUS% MUS-2302 - Music cue 2

Sorin: "Stop ... ow ... this might be important!"

%ACT% Sorin taps on the communicator on his arm (receiving a final blow from Sina's milk carton right in the face)

Sorin: "Ah. We're about to enter controlled space. I'll be on the bridge getting us checked in! Keep your claws crossed they'll let us!"

%ACT% Sorin stands up, and walks towards [1]

Link: "They will. Your new certificates should be cryptographically indistinguishable from the real thing!"

Sorin (while walking away): "Let's hope so, by goodness!"

%MIX% Eisfuchs: Clean - OFF

%MUS% MUS-2303 - Music Cue 3

Link: "I'd bet my station on it! If I still had one."

Lyra: "I'm still amazed how easy you're taking your loss."

Link: "I knew I might have to blow it up eventually. Why would I install a self destruct if I wasn't prepared to use it?"

Sina: "You are a lot richer than you look, aren't you?"

Link: "It's a bit more complicated than that ..."

Sina: "Oh is it?"

Link: "I could tell you, but then I'd have to blow up your ship, too."

Sina: "What happens with your 'business' now?"

Link: "We'll have to relocate."

Sina: "No shit."

Link: "The workshop was mostly just a fancy branch office. The stuff that really brings in the money is all digital. And I have more than one backup, believe me."

%MUS% MUS-2304 - Music Cue 4

Lyra: "Any idea who attacked us?"

Link: "Nope."

Sina: "Some kind of UN black ops?"

Link: "I don't think so. The military has been secretly buying spare parts from me for ages. We've always had a great relationship."

Lyra: "Could it have anything to do with us? Sina, who else knows you're on this ship?"

Sina: "Nobody. I swear."

Lyra: "Maybe they were after Trent Binkin."

Sina: "He's dead."

Lyra: "All they know is that the ship left Juno Station and the bomb didn't explode."

Link: "Wait a minute. Who is Trent Binkin, who are THEY, and what bomb didn't explode?"

Sina: "He's a secret agent sent by Earth who tried to smuggle a fucking SD-Z/4 antimatter bomb onto my station."

Link: "SD? Stillwater Dynamics?"

Sina: "Yeah, isn't it ironic? It has my goddamn family name on it. With love from mom!"

Lyra: "That really doesn't mean anything."

Sina: "It narrows it down to a UN source at the very least."

Link: "What happened to that Binkin guy again?"

Sina: "I shot the motherfucker."

Lyra: "The defenseless motherfucker."

Sina: "Hey! Which side are you on? He wanted to kill us all!"

Lyra: "And now we're never going to know who sent him."

Link: "Did he carry any ID?"

Sina: "What, like his secret agent travel passport?"

Lyra: "I got his tablet. But it's encrypted. Latest gen. I tried everything, it's hopeless."

Link: "Can I see it?"

Lyra: "Sure!"

%ACT% Lyra makes Trent's Tablet appear out of thin air.

%ACT% Link takes the tablet, inspecting it from all sides

%MUS% MUS-2305 - Music Cue 5

Link: "Hmmm ... can you get me a diagnostics cable? There's something I want to try."

Sina: "Uhm ... yeah, sure. Hang on ..."

%ACT% Sina "walks down the stairs" towards the backdrop and disappears.

Lyra: "What are you going to do?"

Link: "Why, unlock this thing, of course."

Lyra: "But how?"

Link: "Do you think the UN would allow personal devices they can't unlock?"

Lyra: "I always thought that was a conspiracy theory!"

Link: "Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you."

%ACT% Sina "walks up the stairs" and re-appears.

%ACT% Sina hands the cable to Link

Sina: "There you go."

Link: "Thank you!"

%MUS% MUS-2306 - Music Cue 6

%ACT% Link puts his own tablet on the docking station, screen facing to the audience

%SND% SND-2302 - Hacking Sounds 1

%ATT% Link's tablet shows some weird Hollywood SFX hacking app

%ACT% Link puts Trent's tablet on the second docking station, screen facing to the audience

%SND% SND-2303 - Hacking Sounds 2

%ATT% Trent's Tablet shows a honking red "LOCKED" animation.

%ACT% Link links the tablets with the link cable.

%SND% SND-2304 - Hacking Sounds 3

%ATT% Link's tablet shows a "unlocking" message and lots of animated green crypto bullshit in the background

%ATT% After a few seconds, Trent's tablet changes from red "LOCKED" to green "UNLOCKED".

%SND% SND-2305 - Hacking Success Sounds

Lyra: "It's that easy? Holy crap!"

%ACT% Lyra grabs Trent's tablet, starting to prod and swipe enthusiastically

%MUS% MUS-2307 - Music Cue 7

Lyra: "Show me your address book, and I will tell you who you are ... hmmm ... let's see ... not much on here ... no personal contacts ... only a few proxy addresses. Ship maintenance software. Crypto stuff. Maps. Location history starts on Earth. Oh ..."

%SND% SND-2306 - DingelDing - you've got mail

Lyra: "This thing is still online! And we just got a message ... from First National Credit ... a chargeback ... 'We are sorry to inform you that our system has detected a fraudulent transaction'. Wow, that's quite a sum. Initiated by some 'Attila B. Shamir'."

Link: "It's probably too late, but maybe you should take that tablet off the network."

Lyra: "Shit! They could have been tracking this device all along! Why didn't I think of this ..."

Link: "Hehe, typical beginner mistake."

Lyra: "Now, who is Attila Shamir?"

Link: "I know him. He's the Chief Security Officer at the Extraplanetary Resources Group. We used to be golf buddies."

Sina: "What?"

Link: "Yeah, it's a long story."

Lyra: "So Binkin wasn't on the military's payroll, but on ERG's!"

Sina: "Does that make sense? We're not at war with ERG. The worst thing we've ever done to them is squat a few derelict bases."

%ACT% Lyra nervously walks up and down, thinking loudly.

%MUS% MUS-2308 - Music Cue 8

Lyra (takes a deep breath): "Maybe it's time to change perspective. On Earth, you're not seen as much of a threat by anybody. In the asteroid belt however, it's a different situation. Out there, ERG is not just a company. It's an empire, built on the exploitation of cheap labor. Juno Station is a socialist utopia in comparison ... and their only competition. They've been pressuring the UN to strike against Juno for years without success. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to take things into their own hands."

Sina: "We're still Earth's most significant opposition."

Link: "Earth is more than just the UN."

Sina: "Well, everyone's entitled to their own opinion."

%MIX% Eisfuchs: Intercom - ON

%ACT% Lyra sighs loudly.

%VID% Sorin's face appears (from the bridge.)

%SND% SND-2307 - Intercom ON
%MUS% MUS-2309 - Music Cue 9

Sorin: "Attention! We've cleared the checkpoint, and we're now preparing to enter our assigned orbit. I want to keep our visit as short as possible, so the next burn will pack a few more G's than our internal gravity can compensate for, so hold on to your drinks. Over and out."

%SND% SND-2308 - Intercom OFF
%MUS% MUS-2310 - Music Cue 10

%VID% Sorin's face disappears

%MIX% Eisfuchs: Intercom - OFF

Sina: "No matter what, we're in controlled space now. Whoever is after this ship can't attack us without attracting lots of unwanted attention. They might try to get at us personally, but that's a risk we'll have to take. Let's go in, see if we can find Albio, and get out again as fast as possible."

Link: "Where are we going to touch down?"

Lyra: "Stockholm."

Link: "Nice!"

Lyra: "The Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm to be precise. The last known whereabouts of Albio Sengo after he was shipped from Davida for medical treatment."

Link: "And what is your plan?"

Lyra: "Find out where he went from there."

Link: "You sound pretty confident!"

%MUS% MUS-2311 - Music Cue 11

Lyra: "I know how earthers tick, trust me. There's almost nothing you can't find out with some good old social engineering!"

Sina: "Social ... What?"

Lyra: "Did you ever play pretend when you were little? It's a bit like that."

Link: "Of course! In fact, I've never quite stopped playing it. I'm all in!"

%MUS% MUS-2312 - Music Cue 12

Sina (bitter): "I was way too busy becoming my foster parents' perfect little toy soldier."

Lyra: "Wow! That was ... unexpected!"

Sina: "Adopting me saved them from getting a birth license of their own. The older I got, the more they treated me like I'm their property."

Lyra (ashamed): "I'm sorry. I'm so happy to be finally home, I forgot how different it is for you. I can't wait to be back on Earth."

Sina (overly pathetic): "I could be in a different galaxy, and I'd still be closer to home than I am here!"

%SND% SND-2309 - Intercom ON
%MUS% MUS-2313 - Music Cue 13

%MIX% Eisfuchs: Intercom - ON

%VID% Sorin appears on screen

Sorin: "Sorry to interrupt your afternoon coffee, but I just got the time and coordinates for our shuttle. I hope you don't mind I'm not trying to land this unwieldy thing. You'll have to go through immigration at the spaceport, so keep your cryptographically indistinguishable certificates ready!"

%SND% SND-2310 - Computer Warning Sound
%MUS% MUS-2314 - Music Cue 14

Sorin: "Oh, and prepare for orbit insertion in 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ..."

%ACT% everybody panics, and talks at the same time

Link: "Wait what?"

Lyra: "NO! We didn't get to clean up yet!"

Sina: "Oh shit, here it comes ..."

%HND% Throw the remaining tablets, cartons and cutlery towards [7]

%ACT% Sina clings to the table, her head is pushed forward towards [7]

%ACT% Link clings to the table, his legs are struggling above the playrail as if pulled towards [7]

%ACT% Lyra clings to the table

%SND% SND-2311 - Engine Burn 1
%SND% SND-2312 - Breaking Glass, Shattering, Clings and Clangs

Everybody: "YAAAAAAAAAAA"

Link (shouting): "THIS WAS SO MUCH EASIER WHEN I STILL HAD A SPINE!!!!"

%SND% SND-2312 - Engine Burn 2
%MUS% MUS-2315 - Music Cue 15

%LIG% LX 2399 - Lights out

%LIG% Light behind backdrop - Middle panel - OFF

%MIX% Fade Ambience, SFX and Music with LX 1199

%HND% Curtain - close

%MIX% Mute all but Video

%LIG% LX 0099 - Work Light ON (Static Playbacks)