INT – night – mid-deck passageway

Kaminski and Kaushik are talking

Kaushik: -OK by me, but if you plan on using Company guns and ammo, better run it by Kat or Lag. Shouldn’t be a problem, but- Continue reading →

Fade in

INT-Day- Engineering.

Stenson, a couple of his maintenance crew are working in an open access panels near the back wall. Stenson turns a wrench, tightening a bolt down, done with his immediate task. Suddenly, in the corner of his eye he sees the lit-candle logo dimly lighting up and glowing just above a closed access panel. He looks at it, cocks his head as if thinking a bit. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – Night – cargo bay

In the dim reddish lights of the night shift, Harbin leads two dozen recruits in bayonet drills, very similar to what the monks were doing, but not so slow-motion. Parry, feint, riposte, thrust, butt-stroke, slash, thrust. The recruits are looking exhausted and ragged. Harbin is sweating, but crisp and precise, and his voice calling the moves in a cadence is strong and clear. Barely noticed in the background, Lag is doing the exercises, too, with the smooth grace of much practice and hard muscles. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – DAY – cargo bay

Harbin watches as a group of two dozen recruits run a simple obstacle course around the ship. They are jogging forward the mid-level passageway on one side, down the stairs, across the cargo bay, up the stairs on the other, then jogging aft through the other mid-level passageway. They are evenly spaced, and doing OK. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – Bridge – Day

Helton stands at the command station, Stenson to one side in the main pilot station, Lag at the other (co-pilot) station. SGT Kaushik stands at one station, Allonia at the other, and Quinn stands wide-eyed in a corner to watch it all. The forward window shows the space-port, side “window” screens various readouts. Continue reading →

EXT – Day – Ground near the stern of the ship.

The ramp is down, but the thick main cargo-bay doors are closed. Allonia and Helton are out for a walk around the ship together, to get some fresh air and stretch their legs. It’s sunny and bright, with the sun at a fairly low angle. Helton is wearing a pistol on a belt, and his cloths are somewhat simple steam-punkish in style. Allonia wears a conservative calf-length skirt and blouse, her hair is in a thick braid. They look like friends out for a stroll. The camera follows them from a distance as they head for the ramp, zooming in slowly. We can’t hear what they say, but it seem to be funny by the smiles and apparent laughter. They get to the foot of the ramp, and start walking up it. Continue reading →

Fade in

EXT – Day – grounds next to the ship

The recruits, SGT Kaushik, Cpl Kaminski, and Harbin stand in the morning sun. The recruits in formation (two rows), with Kaushik and Kaminski as the squad leaders. They are all dressed in simple camo fatigue uniforms. Arrayed before the formation are a series of mannequins, each clad in a different style. In order from left to right there are: Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – night – back in Helton’s cabin on the Tajemnica

Allonia comes up to the open door. A couple of the many computer screens that double as lights are on “dim”, providing a low, diffused light to the room. The bed is made. She looks around and doesn’t see him. Continue reading →

Fade in

EXT – Day – dry gulch road

Helton is walking up a road in a small, deep, dusty gulch, sparse bushes and bare rock around him. He is sweating, and it looks hot. The sun beats down. As he comes around a bend he sees a group of six men ahead, working together with hand tools building a gate and part of a stone wall across the wash, looking like they could be right out of the 10th century. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – DAY – Eridani Parts Depot Office

Helton is in a modest office at a space-port / bone-yard, which is cluttered with various machine parts, electronics, shelves, and ship-related oddments. There are two desk, only one is occupied by a young man in plain cloths eying the e-reader in his hands. Helton sits opposite. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT- DAY – Starship liner dining room

Helton sits at a table with a half-dozen other passengers. Dinner is being served. A couple of tables over near the door, Bipasha is also being served, studiously ignoring him. At her table seem to be a collection of dignitaries, with fancy clothes and a couple in some sort of uniform. Light Bollywood-bluegrass music plays in the background, and there is chatter filling the air as well. A uniformed ships officer comes into the room, looks about, walks by Bipasha and goes up to Helton, and leans forward to whisper into his ear. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – Night- Helton’s cabin

Low angle camera shot with his desk in the foreground in dim light, and bunk in the background. On the desk is the medallion that the monk gave him. Helton lays in bed under a light blanket. He tosses and turns. Continue reading →

INT – night – Adelaide bar

Normal space-port area mid-range night-life bar. Dim. Locals sitting or standing around drinking, talking, playing cards, shooting pool, socializing. No strippers, though there are a few couples dancing in a small corner clearing. At a 4-seat table off to the side near a corner sit SGT Kaushik and CPL Kaminski out of uniform, facing away from the wall, talking in low tones over drinks. An ancient blotto drunk wanders around a little, then staggers over to their table, looking at them a little too closely.

Old Drunk: You… you’re from the ship… Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – night – the cramped quarters of Kat, the battalion Legal Officer.

Kat sits at her desk, leaning back in her chair, reading, door open.

Allonia steps up to the door.

Allonia: Knock-knock.

Kat: ‘Evening. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – day – engineering

The Engineering Command Center a cramped-feeling, long, machinery and control panel filled room on the top deck, over the cargo bay. Stenson is looking at several screens full of readouts. There are tool-boxes and a generally crowded-but-organized appearance to the room. Helton walks in.

Helton: So, how’s progress? Continue reading →

Sounds of clanging, heavy working on machines, chains rattling.

Fade in

INT – Day – Cargo bay

View from inside the cargo deck, looking out the open main aft door. A half dozen soldiers in camo uniforms are working clearing stuff from the cargo bay. There are two chain hoists from the ceiling going down to the ramp, which is now partially raised, and each chain hoist has three soldiers hanging from the chains (basically climbing them) and they are just barely able to lift the ramp that slowly inches up. Chief Stenson is in charge, signaling to one of the teams to climb faster. Outside a single guard in light body armor with a rifle can be seen standing. Quinn sits on top of a pile of crates to one side, wide-eyed, taking it all in. Camera view pulls back and Lag is standing next to Harbin, watching progress. Continue reading →

Fade in

EXT – DAY – cab of a light truck

Chief Stenson is driving, Lag is in the passenger seat.

Stenson: They said I HAD to check the thing out. And that you HAD to meet the owner. They were kind of mysterious about it, but…

Lag: It’s good to get out of the office anyway. It’s always useful to eyeball things in person when something unusual comes up. There it is. Big enough?

Stenson: Depends. Right now, we’re light on everything, so it should work. That ship- looks like an old Meridian transport, all right. Continue reading →

EXT – Day – in the cab of a light truck

View in through the side window. Two soldiers in full combat armor (helmets off) drive down the dusty road leading to pad D9. CPL Kaminski, a huge, powerfully built Viking-looking guy drives while eating a brown food-ration bar. SGT Kaushik, a trim light-skinned East Indian, is in the passenger seat.

CPL Kaminski: (defensively) -She said “recon and secure the building.”

SGT Kaushik: When the major or Top tells you that, yeah, you need armor, air cover, and a hot line to the artillery battery. When the Lawfare Officer tells you, you gotta be smart enough to know she means look it over and get a three year lease with an option to buy. All this gear (indicates the armor) is useless to check out a building with. Continue reading →

Fade in

INT – day – modest sized office with four desks, two doors, good lighting.

Lag sits at a desk reading an e-reader. He’s wearing a sharp-looking dark blue military uniform. There is a knock at the door.

Lag: ENTER!

The door opens, and in walks a middle-aged woman in a similar uniform, Lt KAT. She’s slender and fit, with long hair in a braid, and looks like she used to be gorgeous. She walks precisely to the front of Lag’s desk, comes to attention, salutes.

Kat: Reporting for duty. Continue reading →

Dissolve to

Helton walks to the side of the big aft cargo doors, looks at them, and pushes a button on the wall.

Helton: Open.

Nothing.

Helton: (pushing button again) Open Sesame.

Nothing.

Helton: Open the cargo bay doors, please, Tajemnica.

Ship: (softly) I am afraid I can’t do that. Continue reading →