Air Date: July 13, 2001
Written by Richard Manning
Directed by Ian Watson
Transcript by Xenajules2
Edited and put on-line by Bluey
Episode 3.11 - Incubator
PREVIOUSLY ON FARSCAPE
(The voice of SciFi Prime)
Scene One: From "Liars, Guns & Money," part 3. John is strapped to Scorpius' torture sphere.
Scene Two: "From "Liars, Guns & Money," part 2. John tells Scorpius: "You want the wormhole technology? I want your implant outta my head."
Scene Three: From "Die Me Dichotomy". Tocot drills into John's brain. Scorpius eats John's brain matter.
Scene Four: From "Season of Death". John tells the Scorpius Clone that the chip is gone, "Get outta my head!"
Scene Five: "From "Season of Death". Crais and Talyn destroy Scorpius' marauder. Crais tells Moya and her crew that Scorpius is dead.
AND NOW, ON FARSCAPE...
PROLOGUE
The scene opens on Scorpius' Command Carrier, which is flying near a wormhole. Two prowlers appear to fly into the worm hole. Inside the carrier, a prowler is being brought onboard.
We hear the ship's computer say: "Auto-retrieval sequence complete. Shield levels are zero. D-3. Prepare to open canopy."
Linfer, the female alien we saw previously in "Losing Time" is standing with Lt. Braca behind the glass wall in Scorpius' command center.
Ship's Computer: "Ionized indicators are holding steady at four-oh-nine."
Lt. Braca: "The pilot still hasn't responded. Another failure."
Linfer: "It can't be. Phase-negative shield deployment will eliminate the tissue liquefication effect."
A set of steps are rolled up to the prowler. The canopy is opened. A thick red liquid flows out of the prowler and some splashes onto the face of the Peacekeeper standing by the steps.
Lt. Braca: "Tell that to Officer Jedman."
Linfer: "Jedman mustn't have followed instructions. If he didn't recalibrate his phasing prior to exiting the wormhole..."
Lt. Braca: "Don't blame the pilot for your mistakes."
Linfer: "I made no mistakes. I have correctly interpreted the equations from the neural chip."
Linfer picks up and looks at the implant that was removed from Crichton's brain.
Co-Kura Strapa comes running up: "Yes, but ..." he pants "...those equations are incomplete."
Linfer: "Nonsense. The neural chip was designed to locate all the wormhole knowledge in John Crichton's brain."
Strapa: "True, however..." Strapa goes over to a computer console: "I had coding section run a cross-analysis on the data from the neural chip. They found..." he activates a holo-display "a hidden region, strongly encrypted."
Scorpius enters the command center: "Why hasn't it been deciphered yet?"
Strapa: "It resists analysis."
Linfer: "It may be meaningless. A mere glitch in the data stream."
Scorpius: "Or, it could be the one vital element for wormhole travel."
Linfer:"The one element we lacked is the correct phase progression, and I'm convinced we have that now."
Scorpius: "Convinced?"
Linfer: "Yes. In fact, I wish to pilot the next test flight myself."
Strapa: "As your project leader, I cannot allow you to take the risk!"
Scorpius: "Oh, permission granted."
Linfer breathes deeply, smiles and nods. She leaves.
Scorpius: "Our time grows short. We have to take risks." Scorpius walks over to take a closer look at the holo-display. "This has to be the key. Bring me the neural chip."
Strapa: "Sir?"
Scorpius: "The neural chip, now."
Strapa goes to retrieve the chip from its stand.
Scorpius: "Braca. Summon Nurse Froy, and report to my quarters."
Braca: "Yes sir."
Scorpius leaves.
In Scorpius' quarters, the foreground is filled with a flowering plant called a 'Bird of Paradise'. Scorpius is sitting on his bed. Nurse Froy and Lt. Braca are standing on opposite sides of it.
Nurse Froy: "Socket in place. Ready to install the neural chip."
Lt. Braca comes around to stand at the end of the bed: "Is this idea wise?"
Nurse Froy inserts the neural chip onto Scorpius' cooling rod: "No."
Scorpius: "But necessary."
She presses a button and it enters Scorpius' head.
Scorpius draws breath loudly and lays down on his bed. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He lets it out: "John?"
The scene gets cloudy and out of focus.
When Scorpius opens his eyes he smiles and laughs softly. Scorpius is standing all alone in a mist. Scorpius: "John? John are you here? (there is a faint echoing sound) Oh, so you are."
Out of the mist, John Crichton appears, walking slowly towards Scorpius. He is dressed as he was in Liars, Guns and Money.
John: "Well, this is different. Scorpy. I must be in hell."
Scorpius: "Tell me, what's the last thing you remember?"
John: "Ice planet. Diagnosan. He was diggin around in my brain, trying to pull your chip outa my...Aww! N..! He screwed up? I kicked it on the table? I am in Hell!"
Scorpius: "No, no, no, no. The Diagnosan was successful and the neural chip was removed, and John Crichton is alive and well."
John, circling Scorpius: "Then what the hell am I doin here?"
Scorpius: "Well, strictly speaking, you're not John Crichton. But for my purposes...you'll do."
END OF PROLOGUE
ACT ONE
We see Scorpius standing in the mist. John is talking to him.
John: "Scorpy, go away. Go home. I do not even want to hear it. I'm sick and tired of havin people clomping around inside my head."
Scorpius: "This time it's different. We're not in your head at all. We're in mine." Scorpius looks happy and spreads his arms expansively.
John: "Your head. Well do yourself a favor. Kick the habit before it starts. I'm going for some air. Do not wait up for me."
John turns his back on Scorpius and walks away. Scorpius snorts in disgust. As John walks, he finds himself once again face-to-face with Scorpius.
Scorpius, smiling: "There's nowhere to go."
John looks disgusted and turns away. He strides off only to find Scorpius standing in front of him, once again, this time with arms crossed. John waves his arms in front of himself and keeps walking. He sort of dives right through Scorpius. He stops, turns around, and faces Scorpius again.
Scorpius: "I'll explain. I put a chip in Crichton's brain, to download the wormhole equations the Ancients gave him. Some neural spillover also took place, replicating elements of Crichton's personality in the chip. You'll have to accept it. You're not John."
John: "Alright Scorp, then what am I? Bootleg? A ghost? Holodeck Crichton? A wandering soul that ain't got no body?
Scorpius: "A duplicate of John's psyche, existing only within the neural chip and now, within my own mind."
John: "Why?"
Scorpius: "I need your help."
John laughs: "Man, I'm a... I'm a voice inside your head. What do you plan on usin for leverage?"
Scorpius: "Persuasion. You know so little of me. Let's remedy that."
John: "Let's not and say we did."
Scorpius: "My earliest memory..."
John: "Oh, God!"
Scorpius: "is pain."
The mist turns reddish in color and we hear the sound of a baby crying, just one short wail. There is a bright, circular light over it and it's arms lift up into the light. We see a face, an unfamiliar alien, then another, pale skin, whispy hair, facial features distorted and misshapen lying on its side. Sights of tools and implements flash by, perhaps instruments of torture, a fingernail pulls back an eyelid to examine an eye. Another cry, then screaming. A tool is picked up and the screams get louder, more mature sounding. We see the unfamiliar alien using a tool on the creature, see it lift the creature's head and slam it down again. Always there is the red haze, the bright light directly overhead, shining on the hairless, misshapen creature.
In the mist...
John: "What the hell is that?"
Scorpius: "My first 12 cycles of life."
John: "That's a little too much information. You can keep your memories."
Scorpius: "Don't fight it. You'll only prolong it. Now watch"
The strange alien walks into a room. It appears to be a female Scarran. She is much smaller than a male would be. She walks over to the small creature which is lying on a low table. The creature is still extremely pale and its features are misshapen. It is dressed in pants and shirt that are nearly the same color as its skin. Its hands, which end in claws, appear to be wrapped in rags. It is making small, whimpering noises.
Female Scarran: "You will not cry. Sit up."
The creature attempts to sit up, although it apparently lacks enough muscle tone to do so. It makes slow progress however.
Female Scarran: "Sit Up!"
The creature gasps for breath and finally sits up. He looks up at the female Scarran, and she pushes him back down onto his back.
Female Scarran: "Faster."
Without complaint, the creature once again attempts to sit up.
Female Scarran: "Why can't you sit up?"
Creature (it has a breathy, raspy voice) : "It's hot."
Female Scarran: "It's at less than optimum temperature." She takes out a control she had on her sleeve and pushes a button: "I will make it warmer."
The red haze increases and there is the sound of air rushing in. The light becomes very red. The creature leans backwards onto its elbows, and is having trouble breathing.
Female Scarran: "Do you know why you are here?"
Creature: "Cause I'm weak."
Female Scarran: "Why are you weak?"
Creature: "I'm partly... (he gasps for breath) Sebacean."
Female Scarran: "Because?"
Creature: "Father was Sebacean. "
Female Scarran: "And..."
Creature: "Forced my mother to birth me." He coughs quietly.
We see Moya flying through space, through a backdrop of stars and gas clouds.
On Command, John is at a console, antimatedly pressing controls. He throws something up in the air and catches it again, as he dances over to another console.
John: "Pilot, the deep-space variances are increasing. There is a wormhole around here somewhere. Why don't we double back and triangulate?"
Pilot: "Again?"
John: "Yes, again. Unless you and Moya have something you'd rather be doing. You wanta park and take a nap?"
D'Argo has come onto Command and John tosses the ball to him. D'Argo catches it.
Pilot: "No. Moya is actually enjoying this opportunity for free flight. Retracing the last vector now."
John: "Thank you."
D'Argo: "Umm, you know, we've been flying around aimlessly for nearly 15 solar days John." He tosses the ball back.
John: "It's not aimless, D'Argo. There's a wormhole out there. I can smell it. Besides, it keeps Moya's mind off Talyn and the retrieval squad."
D'Argo: "Well it hasn't stopped me thinking about them."
John: "Yah, well, what do you want me to do about that? You're the one who decided we should stay away and let them deal with it."
D'Argo: "Which suits you perfectly, so you can indulge yourself."
John: "Fine. I'm indulging myself. Maybe I'm entitled, once in a while."
D'Argo: "Yep, once in a while."
John: "You wanta push this? Mister lets-go-find-my-son?"
D'Argo laughs derisively: "Look, it doesn't matter what I think. The point is that Chiana and Jool really need to get off this ship. They're driving each other insane. They're driving me insane. So, do me a favor? Indulge them for once."
John: "The girls. Okay. If this vector comes up empty, we'll bag it and go for some shore leave."
D'Argo sighs.
John: "You happy?"
D'Argo goes over to a console: "Very happy."
John: "Glad you're happy. Hey, look, um. Sorry if I snapped."
D'Argo: "You could use some sleep."
John: "Yeah, you're right. (he sighs) Pilot!"
Pilot: "Yes, Commander. I'll wake you the microt Moya senses anything."
John: "You the man." John leaves Command.
D'Argo: "Pilot. Let him sleep for 12 arns. Don't wake him up, no matter what."
Pilot, sighs: "Agreed."
There is a flash of light. John and Scorpius are looking down on the female Scarran.
John: "The home movies are fascinating Scorpy, but why show them to me?"
Scorpius: "Patience. And all will be clear. The Scarran's name is Tauza. No one else entered nor spoke to me.
Young Scorpius is sitting up on his table/bed. The room is hazy red with heat. Tauza is standing near the bed, talking to Young Scorpius.
Tauza: "With what condition were you born?"
Young Scorpius: "Sebacean Heat Delirium."
Tauza: "Also known as the Living Death. Who saved you from it?"
Young Scorpius: "Scarrans."
Tauza: "Who specifically?"
Young Scorpius, pointing: "You."
Tauza: "Are you Scarran, or Sebacean?"
Young Scorpius: "Scarran."
Tauza: "Then you cannot be weak. Sebaceans are weak. You must become strong."
Young Scorpius hangs his head and gasps for air.
Scorpius: "She did teach me strength and, assisted of course by the usual Scarran incentives, I was also taught endurance."
The overhead light is bright red. The air in the room is a red haze. Young Scorpius is crawling across the floor.
Young Scorpius: "Th..thirsty." His voice is only a harsh whisper.
Tauza is squatting a little ways away from him, holding a cup in her hand.
Tauza: "Your liquid is here." She stands and backs up a step: "but you must come and get it."
Young Scorpius: "Can't."
Tauza: "There are Sebacean impurities in your physiology. You must overcome them."
Young Scorpius is still crawling towards Tauza: "Water. Please."
Tauza pours the water from the cup onto the floor. Young Scorpius immediately begins to lick it up.
Tauza grabs his head with her hand and hauls it up: "You pathetic infant. Never use that word to me again." She slams Young Scorpius' face onto the floor, hard.
John is standing, stone-faced, staring at this scene in the red mist. Scorpius looks on and sighs.
Scorpius: "A brief respite before we continue."
A ship, obviously a prowler, is tumbling through space, near Moya. Chiana and D'Argo run onto Command.
Chiana: "A Prowler?"
Pilot: "Yes. Sending a distress signal."
D'Argo: "Pilot, starburst away immediately."
Pilot: "No."
Chiana: "No?"
D'Argo:"Pilot, definately bait for a trap. This is exactly the same way that the retrieval squad ambushed Talyn."
Pilot: "Moya detects no other vessels, nor anything that could conceal them. Besides, the occupant of the prowler is a Relgarian."
Chiana: "What's a Relgarian?"
Pilot: "A species Moya and I trust."
D'Argo, pointing to himself: "What? As opposed to us?"
Pilot: "Transmission coming in now."
A face appears on the clamshell, through static: "Leviathan vessel. I am Linfer. (speaking an alien language) "Kee ta lanick. Wodvah kree nationale. Anith?"
D'Argo: "Pilot. Do not answer them."
Pilot, also speaking alien language: "Sho shu. Tacka dahlna."
D'Argo looks very disgusted.
Linfer: "Anath."
Pilot: "Moya and I greet you in return."
Linfer: "May I come aboard?"
Pilot: "Of course. Deploying the docking web, now."
Pilot activates the docking web switch.
The prowler is being led into the hanger bay by the docking web. Jool, Chiana and D'Argo go to meet it. They are all carrying weapons.
D'Argo: "Pilot!"
Pilot: "I must say again, I truly don't believe this is necessary."
D'Argo :"Well then, humor us."
Pilot: "DRD's are in position."
D'Argo, Chiana and Jool stand facing the hanger door, with their weapons drawn and pointed.
As the canopy of the prowler opens, a DRD sits on its hood, with its gun pointed at the pilot. Linfer, the female alien from Scorpius' Command Carrier is sitting inside.
D'Argo comms: "Prowler pilot! Move towards the hanger doors and, uh, leave your weapons behind."
Linfer gets out of the prowler cockpit. D'Argo smells the air, checking for .....?
Linfer: "I did it!" She is all smiles.
Jool: "Did what?"
Linfer: "Solved the shielding problem. I knew it'd work. Where's John Crichton? I need to speak to him and to Pilot."
D'Argo: "Lady. You got to talk to us first."
Linfer: "You have nothing to fear from me. And much to gain. Tell Crichton I offer him the secret to wormhole travel."
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
Lt. Braca and Nurse Froy are with Scorpius in his quarters. Scorpius is lying on his bed. Lt. Braca is pacing. Nurse Froy holds an instrument up to Scorpius' chest. Scorpius stirs and sighs in his sleep.
Nurse Froy: "I don't like these readings."
Lt. Braca: "Are they at critical levels?"
Nurse Froy: "No. But they soon will be."
Lt. Braca: "Then proceed as Scorpius instructed."
Nurse Froy does something with the instrument she is holding.
In the mist:
John: "All right Scorpy. Pick it up. Let's get this story over with."
Scorpius: "Tauza's attempts to teach control weren't entirely unproductive."
Young Scorpius is seated at a table. Tauza pushes a plate of food at him and walks away. He picks up a curved eating utensil, but follows her with his eyes.
Scorpius:"I discovered my hybrid body had a unique talent. The ability to percieve energy signatures in living organisms."
Looking at Tauza from across the room, Young Scorpius sees her as a bright white light, against the reddish haze background.
Scorpius: "Each species is different."
Young Scorpius is sitting in a chair, looking at Tauza.
Tauza: "Still another weakness in Sebacean physiology...the skin."
Tauza displays an outline of a Sebacean, as in a classroom.
Tauza: "It's soft, permeable, easily penetrated."
Scorpius: "I soon discovered another trait of energy signatures. They often changed when the subject was being less than honest."
Tauza:" Sebaceans are a deficient breed."
To Young Scorpius' eyes, Tauza now has large black splotches on her face, rather than just white light.
Tauza: "Doubtless that's why Peacekeepers wanted to hybridize them with Scarrans."
Scorpius: "Tauza lied about the Peacekeepers."
John: "I'll have to take your word for that."
Scorpius: "Oh, she lied. Which only made me more determined to discover the truth about my parentage. Of course, to do that, I had to escape."
Young Scorpius is lying on his table/bed as Tauza enters his room.
Scorpius: "I feigned obedience. Over time, she grew careless."
Tauza leaves the door open and crosses to the table. She picks up the used dishes and takes them away.
Scorpius: "But I did not. And, fortunately, my education included basic technology."
Young Scorpius pulls what appears to be a sliver of metal out from among his claws. He goes to a control box on the wall and begins doing something to it with the metal strip.
Scorpius: "I'd often watched Tauza operate the controls,"
Young Scorpius works on the control until, in a flash of light, the door opens. He enters another room and crosses to a computer console.
Scorpius: "dragging up data for my lessons. And, I have an excellent memory. So it wasn't difficult to gain information about my prison..."
Young Scorpius is pushing buttons on the computer console We hear electronic beeping noises and a holo-image appears in front of him.
Scorpius: "which turned out to be a Scarran Dreadnaught."
Young Scorpius studies the holo-image of the Scarran ship.
Scorpius: "It was passing through a neutral system. I jumped ship in an evacuation pod and hid out on a Commerce Planet."
John: "And you lived happily ever after. Is this Fairy Tale over with yet?"
Scorpius: "Everything I've shown you is true."
John: "No doubt. Scorpy the teenage hero outwits the Scarrans, makes it look easy. You goin for pity or applause?"
Scorpius: "Neither."
Moya is flying through space.
Pilot: "Scorpius is alive?"
Linfer: "Yes."
Pilot: "But Crais and Talyn destroyed his marauder."
John climbs up onto Pilot's console and sits.
John: "Yah, and Scorpius was elsewhere, laughin at him the whole time. It's another grand Scorpy fake-out. I knew the bastard wasn't dead. All right."
John brings his pistol up and points it at Linfer: "Why did he send you?"
Pilot: "Commander!"
Linfer: "I came to you on my own. Scorpius' obsession with wormholes is making him irrational."
Pilot: "Scorpius is not alone in that regard."
John: "How did you find us?"
Linfer: "I correctly theorized that the wormhole we had discovered was part of a nexus of wormholes. I checked several of the systems exit nodes, hoping that one of them would have attracted you for study."
John: "So you got lucky."
Linfer: "I would have fled regardless. I'm convinced that, whether Scorpius succeeds or fails, I would be terminated."
John glances over at Pilot, who shrugs his shoulders and sighs.
Linfer: "The craft you flew through the wormhole, did it employ phase shielding?"
John looks at Pilot, who again simply sighs.
Linfer: "I assume it didn't. Hence, you are the lucky one. If that wormhole had been unstable in its rantath flux variance, as most wormholes are, you would'nt have survived the journey."
John: "How did you survive?"
Linfer: "I have developed a unique spectrum of negative phase shielding which will allow any craft to safely traverse any wormhole. I offer you this knowledge."
John: "At what price?"
Linfer: "Moya."
Pilot gasps.
John:"No deal."
Linfer: "I would treat her far better than you and the others have." She approaches Pilot: "You know my species?"
Pilot: "Yes."
Linfer: "Then you know our history with Leviathans."
John: "I don't. And, I'm the one with the gun."
Pilot: "Linfer's is a peaceful race of explorers. They use leviathans to journey into deep space, areas completely unknown. Something Moya and I have dreamed of doing."
John: "Pilot? You and Moya'd really consider this?"
Pilot: "Moya and I would never abandon you, Commander. "
John: "Yes, but given the choice...?"
Pilot looks away. Linfer smiles.
In the mist:
Scorpius: "After I escaped, I traversed the Uncharted Territories for several cycles. Unable to learn anything of my parents, in desperation, I flew into Peacekeeper space, and surrendered to the first Command Carrier I encountered."
A Peacekeeper is seated behind a raised desk: "I am Captain Molayne, and you're....?"
Young Scorpius: "I have chosen the name Scorpius."
Young Scorpius has grown and is now dressing from head to toe in black leather.
Captain Molayne, smiles: "Interesting choice. I've seen the logs of your interrogation."
Captain Molayne gets up and walks around the desk, towards Scorpius: "Quite a life you've had,... if your testimony is true."
Scorpius: "It is."
Captain Molayne: "But, there were some questions you refused to answer."
Scorpius: "As I told your interrogators, there are some topics I will only discuss with a flag officer."
Captain Molayne laughs: "A captain's as high as you'll get, I'm afraid. You'll deal with me, or more interrogators. Frankly, I'm a far better choice."
Scorpius: "I propose an exchange of information. I gave you only a summary of my life aboard the dreadnaught. There is much more I could tell you about Scarran behavior. Vessel design. Security arrangements and so forth."
Captain Molayne: "Oh, we could, of course, simply force that information out of you."
Scorpius: "Doubtful...and unnecessary. My price is not high. I remind you, I came to you, voluntarily."
Captain Molayne: "All right. What's the price?"
Scorpius: "I was taught that I am the product of a forced birthing between a Peacekeeper male and a Scarran female. I believe that to be false. I want to know the truth."
Captain Molayne: "Why? So you can find out who you are?"
Scorpius: "To find out who I should be."
Scorpius is looking at the captain's energy signature.
Captain Molayne: "Everything you tell us will be cross-checked. If we find you have been feeding us misinformation..."
Scorpius: "I wil be executed as a spy."
Captain Molayne: "Hold out your hands."
Scorpius holds up his hands and Captain Molayne removes the electronic handcuffs he has been wearing.
Captain Molayne: "We've correlated what you've told us so far. The pieces fit. We know what happened. The Scarran lied to you."
Scorpius (to John): "The good captain told me about a leviathan full of Sebacean pioneers. On its way to colonize a planet in the uncharted territories. It was brutally attacked by a Scarran convoy and all the civilian passengers slaughtered. One transport pod managed to escape and make a planetary landing. These next images are not memory, but reconstruction based on the log tapes Captain Molayne shared with me."
We see what looks like a painting of a grass covered planet with mountains in the background. In the foreground there is a transport pod. It looks just like on of Moya's transport pods. A young Sebacean man appears, walking towards the pod. He climbs the steps and enters. Inside, a young woman is standing at a console and speaking: "We've reached the planet and managed to land the pod at approximately mid-sun."
Man: "What are you recording?"
Woman: "A complete log. And a distress call with locator vectors. Do you think I should transmit it?"
Man: "No. The Peacekeepers don't care about us. Why tip off the Scarrans that we survived?"
Woman: "You can't blame the Peacekeepers for what happened. They did warn us we were traveling outside their patroled space."
Man: "They didn't warn us that we might run into a Scarran massacre."
Woman: "Don't you think they would've if they had known?"
Man: "Even if they suspected it, they should have provided escort."
Woman: "If this sector was dangerous, then we shouldn't have come at all."
Man: "How the frell were we supposed to...." He stops in mid-sentence. He holds out his hand to her and she comes over to stand beside him. He puts his arms around her waist, from behind.
Man: "I shouldn't take it out on you."
Woman: "This was supposed to be our home."
Man: "Well, we're here."
Woman: "No tools, no supplies, no grain seed. Just one pulse pistol and whatever's in this pod."
Man: "Like real pioneers."
Woman laughs quietly.
Time passes. The man and woman are both asleep in the pod. We hear the pod door open. The sound wakes them. A Scarran male enters the pod.
Man, screams: "Rylani!"
He grabs the pulse pistol and shots the Scarran several times. The shots don't seem to have any effect. The Scarran holds his arm out and waves come out of it. The waves hit the man and he grabs his face. He falls down, screaming. The woman is screaming as the Scarran roars. The Scarran grabs the woman by the throat. She hits at him, to no avail.
Scorpius, in the mist, talking to John: "The pod was found...containing one corpse, a male Sebacean. But no trace of the female."
John: "Rylani. That was her name?"
Scorpius: "Yes. Rylani Jeema Dellos..."
Again the scene is the grass covered planet with the transport pod in the foreground. Young Scorpius is walking towards the pod, but the voice we hear is still Scorpius talking to John.
Scorpius: "born on New Heather. Disappeared on the Motak Four colonization flight. Age 22 cycles"
Young Scorpius reaches the base of the stairs and stops to catch his breath. On his back is an apparent cooling apparatus in a large pack.
Scorpius: "The Peacekeepers didn't bother to salvage the transport pod."
He notices a flower growing beside the steps and touches it. It is a 'Bird of Paradise'.
Scorpius: "Captain Molayne told me where to find it."
Young Scorpius enters the pod and examines its web-covered consoles.
Scorpius: "Apparently nobody had touched it in at least ten cycles."
Young Scorpius continues to explore the inside of the pod, running his hands over the various surfaces.
Scorpius: "Or so I thought."
Young Scorpius runs his hand over one panel that causes the power and lights to reactivate. The door slams shut, and he hears Tauza's voice.
Tauza: "The pod is sealed. Do not attempt escape."
A red mist rises from the pod and Young Scorpius screams as he falls to his knees and loses consciousness.
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
In the mist:
John: "Why would Mamma Scarran go to all that trouble to recapture you?"
Scorpius: "Well, setting a trap in a transport pod wasn't that much trouble . I should have forseen it. I deserved what came next."
Young Scorpius is lying on a table. His cooling apparatus is lying above his head. A clawed hand removes a rod from it and another hand injects something into Young Scorpius which wakes him up.
Tauza, holding the rod where he can see it: "Too feeble to conquer your own deficiencies without help."
Young Scorpius is gasping for breath. Tauza walks over to a bin and tosses the cooling rod into it.
Tauza: "You are Scarran or you are nothing. We tried to make you one of us. How could you reject that for a lesser species? Give me a full account of your actions since your escape. Begin with all Peacekeeper encounters."
Young Scorpius has his eyes and mouth tightly closed. Tauza activates a control and the overhead light turns on. Young Scorpius begins to writhe and scream. Finally Tauza turns off the light.
Tauza: "Tell me. "
Young Scorpius gasps and pants but says nothing. Tauza turns the light back on and he begins to scream.
Back in his quarters, Scorpius is panting and gasping in his sleep. Lt. Braca and Nurse Froy, standing on either side of the bed, look concerned.
Nurse Froy: "It's time to bring him out of it."
Lt. Braca: "No."
Nurse Froy: "The readings are now critical."
Lt. Braca: "What he's trying to achieve is even more critical. He'll survive."
Young Scorpius is gasping.
Tauza: "Tell me."
Young Scorpius begins screaming once again, transfixed by the overhead light.
In the mist:
John: "All right, all right! Enough all ready! Scorp, take five!"
Scorpius, standing beside John, is shaking. He gasps and shakes his head and the vision stops.
Scorpius, gasping: "Apologies John. Apologies. Oh, it's easy to get lost in ones' memories."
In his quarters, Nurse Froy is moving the instrument, checking on Scorpius.
Nurse Froy: "Readings are back within tolerance."
Lt. Braca: "He survived. He always survives."
Scorpius: "That's true. Ah. I will stop now. For the moment."
Lt. Braca helps him to sit up.
In the command center, Co-Kura Strapa is upset.
Strapa: "I don't care! Check all the access logs again."
Scorpius and Lt Braca have entered.
Scorpius: "For what?"
Strapa is startled. He hurries over to Scorpius.
Strapa: "Sir, Linfer's prowler can't be found. We think. We aren't sure, but, uh, we're checking now."
Scorpius: "What?"
Strapa: "She may have accessed certain restricted datafiles before she left. Which may, or may not mean.."
Lt. Braca: "You think she may have intended to defect?"
Strapa: "As I say, we, we aren't sure."
Scorpius: "Well find out."
Strapa nods, vigorously.
Scorpius growls and leaves.
Lt. Braca turns to another Pk: "Get some answers. If Strapa doesn't move fast enough, give him some extra incentive. Clear?"
Pk: "Quite clear. Sir."
Strapa turns back to the workers: "Keep checking! Keep, keep checking!"
On Moya's command, the whole crew is gathered.
John: "I hate to break it to you guys, but Moya and Pilot are for it."
Chiana: "Sounds more like they aren't against it. That's not the same thing."
Jool: "You're actually considering handing Moya over to a stranger?"
D'Argo: "A stranger who works with Scorpius."
John: "She ditched Scorpius."
D'Argo: "Claims she did."
Chiana: "I believe that part."
John: "There ya go."
Chiana: "It's this deep-space explorer dren I don't believe. I think she just wants Moya so she can put some starburst in between her and Scorpius."
Jool: "Even if we were to agree,"
D'Argo: "Which we don't."
Jool: "what happens to us?"
John: "With wormhole tech, we can drop you anywhere you wanta go. Home, if you want."
Chiana, under her breath: "Great."
D'Argo: "That's if you can get it to work."
John: "We're gonna test it first, and until it works, all Linfer gets is a guest room."
Jool: "Huh."
Chiana: "Just what we need. Another guest."
Jool: "Uh! Didn't you come on board as a guest?"
John: "That's the point. We're all guests here. And if Moya wants to go with them..."
D'Argo: "Can you stop pretending that this is anything other than your idea? This is exactly the attitude that got Zhaan killed."
John: "That's low."
D'Argo:"Too bad." He stalks off.
Chiana: "D'Argo!"
Jool: "Leave him alone."
Chiana: "Leave ME alone!"
John: "Terrific. This is what we're arguing about? The chance to stay cooped up together? You know, if I was Moya, I wouldn't want us here."
John leaves. Chiana glares at him as he goes.
Jool walks up to a converted cell and opens the door. She's carrying a tray.
Jool: "I brought you some food."
Linfer is sitting, looking into a mirror.
Jool: "The others are still arguing. That's what we do best around here." She puts down the tray.
Linfer: "It no longer matters. I was wrong."
Jool glances in the mirror and gasps!
Linfer's face is seeping red liquid from one of the eye-sockets. Linfer turns around to face Jool.
Jool: "What is that?"
Linfer: "The start of tissue liquefication, induced by exposure to rantath flux in the wormholes. Apparently my spectrum of phase shielding was only sufficient to delay its onset. I request a favor."
A prowler is seen exiting Moya's hanger bay. John runs onto command. Jool is standing at a console.
John: "How the hell did she get loose? Pilot, get that prowler back here."
Linfer: "Thank you Pilot, for granting my request. I'm sorry we won't travel together. Taka hi.Taka ho." Linfer hits a switch on the prowler's dash. An alarm begins to sound. It continues beeping as the prowler blows up.
Pilot closes his eyes in sadness and sighs.
John: "Pilot. You let her go?"
Pilot: "Correct."
Jool looks stunned: "She was dying."
John: "Well, we might have helped her."
Pilot: "The offer was made. She refused."
Jool: "She said the cellular breakdown was irreversible. There was nothing we could do."
John: "So you just let her fly away and blow herself to bits?"
Pilot: "Correct again."
John: "That's a beautiful decision man."
Jool snorts: "It's funny how you only support Pilot when you both want the same thing."
John: "That's crap Jool."
Jool: "Truth is never crap."
John leaves command.
Scorpius and Lt. Braca enter Scorpius' quarters where Nurse Froy is preparing her instruments. Scorpius walks up and sits on the bed.
Scorpius: "We have no other choice. Do not interfere unless absolutely necessary."
Nurse Froy: "But sir..."
Lt. Braca: "Quiet!"
Scorpius lays down...
And is immediately standing in the mist across from where John is seated. Scorpius walks over to him.
Scorpius: "I have shared these memories for a reason. To show you what Scarrans are like."
John: "Preachin to the choir, Scorpy. I got no love of Scarrans."
Scorpius: "Then help us! Scarrans far outnumber Peacekeepers. Without superior weaponry, we will be crushed."
John: "You wanta kill them. They wanta kill you. I do not see a hell of a lot of difference."
Scorpius: "You let me finish. I'll show you the difference."
John gets up and follows Scorpius into the mist.
Young Scorpius is still on the table, under the light.
Young Scorpius: "You lied about my parents."
Tauza: "Yes. To secure your allegiance. To make you hate Sebaceans, as you should."
Young Scorpius struggles to lift himself up onto his elbows.
Young Scorpius:"You failed."
Tauza: "You defy me? Then see how easily Sebaceans break down and beg. See your deplorable heritage. Behold...your parents!"
Tauza hits a switch and the light come on again. This time there is a scene that is shown as well.
A door opens. A male Scarran enters a room. We can see an outstretched arm that is secured by a metal bracelet, at the wrist. It is the Sebacean woman from the transport pod, Rylani, and she is imprisoned in a spread-eagle position on a metal frame.
Rylani: "Please. Help me!"
The Scarran walks up to her, looking her over, as she cries.
Rylani: "Let me go! Please!"
Young Scorpius screams at the light.
The Scarran feels Rylani's hair with his claws.
Rylani: "Please! Please."
The Scarran moves onto her and begins to rape her.
Rylani, screams: "Noooooooo!'"
Young Scorpius' screams are mingled with hers, as are the screams of the Scarran. Young Scorpius falls off the table to land on his face on the floor. He raises his head to look at Tauza, gasping, then collapses, sobbing, back onto the floor.
END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR
The face of Rylani, screaming is superimposed over the mist where John and Scorpius stand.
Scorpius: "We're nearly finished John."
In the red room, Young Scorpius is lying on the floor. Tauza stands over him.
Tauza: "You are the product of a Scarran male and a Sebacean female. The mating process shattered her fragile psyche. During the gestation, she pleaded for death."
Young Scorpius reaches up and pulls the tube off his cooling apparatus.
Young Scorpius: "You killed her!"
Tauza: "Your birth was difficult. You killed her."
Young Scorpius gaggs. He scrabbles over to the waste bin and vomits.
Tauza: "In 90 other such matings, the Sebacean female and her offspring perished. You were the only one we saved."
Young Scorpius: "Why?"
Tauza: "To find out if Sebacean genetics could serve us. But we now realize that Sebaceans have no value, even as breeding stock. Instead, the Sebacean race will be eradicated and you will further that objective by telling us all you can about Peacekeepers."
Young Scorpius has been gasping and panting through all this: "Can't speak...thirsty."
He has the cooling rod in his hand, which Tauza had earlier thrown in the trash bin. He breaks it in half where she can't see it.
Tauza: "Ahhh." She turns, disgusted and goes to get water for Young Scorpius.
Once she begins to walk away, he leaps up and, from behind her, jabs the two halves of the broken cooling rod into her eyes, blinding her. Tauza screams and falls to her knees, grabbing her head. Young Scorpius falls away, behind her, but quickly gets to his feet and comes after her. She reacts to the sound and kicks out with both legs, knocking him back again. Tauza rises straight up from lying on her back on the floor to a standing position. She lashes out with the wave-weapon from her arm, but she is standing, and Young Scorpius is still on the floor. He moves away from her weapon and gets up. He grabs her from behind and hits her, spinning her around. At the same time, he takes the temperature controller from off her sleeve. He hits her and knocks her to the table. He immediately activates the control and turns off the heat lamps. He hits her again and she falls back onto the torture table. He enters the outer room and activates the contol for the light she has been using on him. She is caught by it and momentarily transfixed. He activates the door control and it closes as she comes towards it. The temperature inside the room has continued to drop. Young Scorpius moves to a window and watches as Tauza falls to her knees and then to the floor, unable to withstand the cold. He watches her with his special sense as her energy signature goes out.
Scorpius: "After my previous escape, the Scarrans should have instituted some rudimentary security on their transport pods... but they hadn't. Scarran hubris, their primary failing."
John: "You bailed again."
Scorpius: "I sent out a locator signal, which enabled a Command Carrier to overtake and destroy the Scarran Dreadnaught. The Peacekeepers were most appreciative."
Captain Molayne: "First Command have responded to my request. Given your unique status and clear loyalties, you are hereby exempted from all Purity Regulations. So, if you haven't changed your mind...?"
Young Scorpius: "Captain Molayne. I tender my application for Peacekeeper service."
Captain Molayne leans across his desk and offers Young Scorpius his hand. They shake hands.
Captain Molayne: "Excellent."
Scorpius: "Through faithful service I quickly advanced in rank, and created a special task force to develop wormhole technology."
John: "Sweet move. Join the army, get them to pay for your pet project."
Scorpius puts his hand on John's shoulder and turns him around: "You think I want wormholes to betray Peacekeepers and to conquer the Universe for myself? I don't want power. I want revenge."
Scorpius sighs and puts his arm around John's shoulders as they begin to walk: "I want to wipe out the Scarrans before they wipe us out. My people, yours, your friends. Everyone you care about."
John: "I've already lost people I care about because of you. Where is my revenge, Scorpy?"
Scorpius: "I've done what I thought necessary. You're entitled to despise me for it, but nonetheless, you and I have a common enemy, Scarrans. They plan to exterminate the Sebaceans but they won't stop there. Nor with Luxans, Delvians, Baniks or a thousand other lower life-forms. They'll stop when they are the only sentient species left. And if they discover wormhole technology before we do ... the galaxy is theirs. And eventually, John, they will find Earth. Your race is defenseless. They'll be raped and slaughtered unless you help us." He looks at John a moment longer, then turns away. A holo-image of mathematical symbols appears before him.
Scorpius: "These are the wormhole calculations the Ancients left in your mind. We can't decode them. You can."
John steps closer to the holo-image, looking at in in fascination.
Scorpius: "Go on, unlock it. Give us the weapon we need to defeat the Scarrans."
John reaches out towards the holo-image: "Scorpius. It's not mine to give away. You remember what the Ancients told me?"
Scorpius: "John!"
John: "If you're not smart enough to discover it for yourself, you're not smart enough to use it wisely."
As John is speaking, the equations in the image are drawing in, closer to his finger. As he finishes, they spin themselves into a tight ball in his hand. He quickly pulls his hand in towards his body and the equations disappear.
Scorpius is distraught.
On his bed, Scorpius is panting quickly for breath.
Nurse Froy: "His temperature's climbing. He's in danger."
Scorpius is panting louder and faster, in obvious distress.
John: "Well, thanks for the slide show. Gotta go." John walks away.
Scorpius is upset. He places himself in John's path.
Scorpius: "No, John. You cannot leave. "
John turns and goes back the other way: "I'll find my own way out."
Scorpius, in front of him once again: "You must retrieve it!" The mist is turning red now.
John: "Scorpy, I'm off the clock."
Scorpius, roars: "John!"
Scorpius is still panting desperately.
Nurse Froy: "We have to intervene."
Scorpius: "Retrieve..."
Lt. Braca grabs her hand to stop her: "Not yet! He's onto something."
Scorpius: "Data!"
In the now reddish mist, Scorpius grabs John by the throat. John is standing on his toes.
John: "Oh, Scorpy, you're gettin kinda warm to the touch. You should take a break and calm down."
Scorpius is screaming in his sleep.
Nurse Froy: "The neural stress is killing him!"
Lt. Braca: "Not yet."
Nurse Froy walks past Braca to get to Scorpius: "I am removing the chip."
Lt. Braca grabs her arms and turns her away: "I said keep away from him."
Nurse Froy: "My duty is to Scorpius."
Lt. Braca knocks her cold with the back of his fist: "So is mine."
Scorpius continues to scream.
In the mist...
Scorpius screams at John: "I will not let you leave!"
John: "Do you think that neural clones go to heaven? Well, wherever I wind up, when I see your mamma, I'll be sure to give her your regards."
Scorpius screams again. John hits him in the face with the heel of his hand and knocks him down.
Lying on his back, Scorpius sees John disintegrate into a million pieces and disappear.
In his room, Scorpius screams and sits up. The cooling rod mechanism ejects itself from his brain. He is panting desperately. The rod is bright red and dripping blood. Lt. Braca looks around for help, but Nurse Froy isn't there. The rod is snapping and sparking. Lt. Braca gingerly reaches in to remove it. When he touches it, he screams in pain, but he continues holding on and removes the rod. Now he and Scorpius are both screaming. Lt. Braca throws the red-hot rod onto the floor and looks at his burned fingers. Scorpius screams something unintelligible. Lt. Braca reaches in and removes the neural chip from the holder. He looks at it in disgust and throws it to the floor. Scorpius continues to pant frantically as Lt. Braca pops a new rod out of a container and places it in the mechanism. He activates the mechanism so it re-enters Scorpius' brain. Lt. Braca can not stop looking at his ruined hands. Scorpius' mind immediately returns to the mist.
Scorpius is still lying on his back, but the mist has once again turned blue.
Scorpius: "John? John?"
END OF ACT FOUR
EPILOGUE
John is sitting on a stool at a counter and drinking something from a cup. D'Argo enters.
John: "If you're here to give me another lecture, go away."
D'Argo: "Well, if you're going to be as sour as an unmated flibisk, I will go away." He picks up the flask and sits down.
John: "What the hell's a flibisk?"
D'Argo: "A flibisk... a floocus is a ten-legged creature about this big..." D'Argo gestures with his hands: "very tasty, if prepared right. But, if you prevent it from mating, it gets very disagreeable."
John: "Hell, who doesn't?"
D'Argo pours something out of the flask into a cup. He picks up the cup and slams it down onto the counter with both hands, then picks it up with one and drains it.
John: "You ever think we've been on this boat way too long?"
D'Argo: "Constantly. But so far, all the other alternatives have been worse."
John: "Well, here's to that changing." He slams his cup onto the counter then drains it.
John: "You know, Scorpy's still out there. He's workin on the wormhole tech and he's a lot further along than I am."
D'Argo: "He hasn't found it yet. And Linfer was wrong."
John: "But Linfer found us. And if she can, Scorpy can."
The outside of Scorpius' Command Carrier. There are many smaller ships flying around it.
Inside, Scorpius is looking at something and reading off numbers.
Scorpius: "Voken nine. Exponent nine. (we are seeing him, but he is seeing inside the mist) Dever four, three, one..."
Co-Kura Strapa has a small pad he is using to note the figures Scorpius is reciting.
Scorpius: "Equivalence mastered. Nine. Palonic square. Equivalence integral. Nine. Volker hypercube. Brelmatic. Six. Lerve. One." He sighs: "That's everything I recall. It's incomplete, but it should be enough to put us in the correct track.
Strapa: "It certainly will sir. I can already see solutions to several previously unknown variables."
Scorpius: "Then resume work."
Strapa carefully closes the pad and leaves.
Scorpius is playing with a metal ball like the one that was on the torture sphere in LGM.
Lt. Braca enters: "Sir. Cybernetic section verifies the neural chip circuits were, destroyed by the heat."
As we look at Scorpius, past Lt. Braca's shoulder, in the foreground is a 'Bird of Paradise" turning in a slow circle.
Scorpius: "It doesn't matter. We may now have the data we need."
Lt. Braca: "Will that be all sir?"
Scorpius: "For the moment" Braca turns to leave.
Scorpius: "Lieutenant." Braca turns around and comes back.
Scorpius: "Your recent performance...has been exemplary."
Lt. Braca smiles: "Thank you sir. I was concerned that I made the wrong decision."
Scorpius: "Nurse Froy made the wrong decision. Yours was correct in the circumstances."
Lt Braca: "Thank you sir. I hope my conduct continues to find favor."
Lt. Braca leaves.
Scorpius sighs and looks over at the circling 'Bird of Paradise', which is again in the foreground. He gets up and goes over to the flower. He smiles as he reaches out and touches it with his finger.
END OF EPILOGUE
