The Stars Came Back (39 page)

Ship AI: (OC) Yes. Their path here
is complicated, but ethical.

Her face brightens.

Quiritis: It’s so good to hear you again! I have so much to tell you!

Ship AI: (OC) I would be happy to listen, Quiri, but first you and the Captain have much to talk about.

FADE TO BLACK

FADE IN

INT - DAY - Officers’ Mess

Allonia, Helton, Quiritis,
Cooper sit at the table with a water carafe and glasses.

Helton: Proper parts have been a
royal pain to get. A
lot
of stuff is very nonstandard.

Allonia:
But
mostly
in a good way.

Helton:
We’re running at less than half power, even though we have six drive cores more or less functional-

Quiritis: All six?

Cooper: I’d be happy to show you around the three Harmon and three Sokolov, show you how they work.

The others look askance at his obvious ploy.

Helton: And both main power systems nominally up. Made good money on our last job, hauling ammo delivered a week ago, but it’s almost spent already. Mostly on parts. Colonel Lag-

Cooper: -
a Plataean we work with-

Helton: -s
till hasn’t gotten paid for a, um, large piece of hardware we picked up for him, so income’s a little uncertain right now. When he
does
get paid, it’ll likely be worth a couple million to us, but Stenson has about fifty million in parts he wants ordered lined up.

Quiritis: That
’s still a lot more than my parents ever got running. They just didn’t have the money or skills, and the local port authority was not exactly helpful. Kept her on shore power, worked on what they could. But you still need
another
fifty mil worth?

Helton: Just in parts.
Highly specialized parts to replace the make-do things installed now. Labor’s free, sort of.

Quiritis raises her eyebrows.

Allonia: You saw some of them on the cargo deck. We almost got sunk, too, but the stars came together. We have a Plataean military unit paying some of the bills. It’s worked out very well. And they’re not
nearly
as scary as I was lead to believe.

Cooper: Especially one in particular?

Allonia blushes.

Allonia: We’re just good friends!

Quiritis: (Laughing) So, you have a special friend. A soldier, no less.

Allonia: He’s really nice
.

Cooper: At least, if he’s not trying to kill you, which he seems to be good at.

Quiritis looks slightly dismayed.

Helton: He means, he’s good at killing the
bad
guys, not Allonia. Proved a problem for the one who tried the wrong approach with her. You’d like Kaminski.

Bipasha comes in looking excited.

Bipasha: Guess WHAT?

Helton: Harbin’s favorite niece found a job at Seymore
’s?

Quiritis
frowns and looks intently at Helton at the mention of the name.

Bipasha: (
Exasperated at first)
No
, you… I found a quick contract job that I think we can do, doesn’t involve corrupt warehouse managers
or
interceptors,
and
will make money!

Helton:
Great! What’s the catch?

Bipasha: Hmm? No catch. Should be easy. Just got posted a little
while ago. Some antiwar organization is looking to contract freelancers to fly over some cities just inside the militarized zone and pick up any remaining refugees and transport them to one of the camps being set up over near New Joysie. It’s a designated war zone so there shouldn’t be anyone left, and there’s been no action in that area. We should move fast in case there’s someone more desperate than we are.

Helton: But it’s called a
war zone for a reason.

Bipasha: This thing is armored, right? Small arms can’t hurt it.

Cooper: What about all the piles of beans and things on the aft ramp?

Bipasha: Leave
them. We could load everyone with just the bow ramp, maybe even just a side hatch.

Allonia: Supplies for passengers?

Bipasha: Shouldn’t need any; it’s only a short extra-atmo hop to the designated Refugee Center, so we don’t have to feed them or anything. Walk ‘em on, bounce over, walk ‘em off, collect the fee.

Helton: (
Warily) …I thought you were going to prove me wrong?

Bipasha: (
Half joking) Oh, I will. I just want to watch you suffer a little longer.

Bipasha notices Quiritis, looks questioningly at Helton.

Allonia: An old friend, a pilot. Quiritis, Bipasha, our business manager.

They
size each other up for a moment. Quiritis stands and sticks out her hand.

Quiritis: Happy to meet any friend of Alli’s.

Bipasha shakes the proffered hand.

Bipasha: Likewise. (
Then to Helton) We should move on this fast.

Helton: (
Into wall intercom mic) All section leaders to the command center.

Kwon: (OC, over intercom) Who’s a section leader, and what’s the command center?

Helton: Kwon, Stenson, any non-recruit uniforms on board, head for the mess room.

Stenson: (OC, intercom) Why didn’t you say so the first time?

Helton: (Into mic) Just go, people, if you want to know the plan.

DISSOLVE TO

INT -
DAY - Large ostentatious office

Seymore sits behind a desk with a big shit
-eating grin on his face, talking into a com screen that the camera can’t see.

Yes,
Councilor. They took the contract, just like you thought they would. They’ll be leaving in a couple of hours. I’m sure such a tragic event will make the news.

FADE TO BLACK

Walk-ons

FADE IN

INT - DAY - Inside the cargo bay, looking out

As the ramp lowers it reveals
a small landing field and open space toward the control tower and port buildings. The sun is high and bright. Two armed and armored soldiers are standing silhouetted against the bright background. Also revealed is a small crowd of a few dozen refugees standing near the landing pad, average folks with packs, bags, other hand carried items.

Kaminski: Doesn’t look so bad.

Kaushik: It’ll get worse. Some of ‘em had to see us coming in. These are just the desperate ones with no other option but to wait here and pray.

Kaminski: Looked like a ghost town from higher up
.

Kaushik: Hope you’re right.
Let’s just screen ‘em fast, get ‘em on, get out’a here.

Kaminski:
Wish Harbin and the recruits were here, we could do it faster.

Ka
ushik: Good day for cleaning and maintenance. Be glad we’re not with them.

As t
he ramp lowers, the soldiers advance part way down it as the refugees stand up and move slowly forward as a mass.

Kaminski: (
Yelling) We got room, keep it orderly! Everyone form a line!

The refugees slow their mass movement and shuffle into a queue, then start to shove and argue.

A device drops down on a spiral cord next to Kaminski. It looks like a combination bullhorn, camera, scanner, and display screen. He grabs it and addresses the surging crowd with it. His greatly amplified voice blasts from speakers above.

Kaminski: LISTEN UP!
NO ONE GETS ON WITHOUT AN ID CHECK. LINE UP QUIETLY OR WE LEAVE!

The crowd settles down and starts queuing up more orderly. A few more refugees run onto the field, individuals and a couple of famil
ies with kids.

Kaushik: (
Pointing to guy at front of the queue) You! Step up and identify yourself! Everyone else, keep back! One person or family at a time!

Refugee1: Tom Corwin.

Kaminski scans his face and palm then looks at the readout screen on the scanner.

INSET - The readout shows images of an eye and a hand with points highlighted for it. Text says “POS ID: retina, facial, prints 100%; THOMAS REGINALD CORWIN, PLUMBER, NO CRIMINAL HIST”

Kaminski: (Pointing into the cargo bay) Go sit there, await further instructions!

Thomas Cor
win sighs with relief and walks tiredly aboard with only a small duffel bag.

Kaushik: (
Keeping eye on crowd, waving to a family group next in line) You three, step up! The rest, keep back!

Camera pulls back outside a ways, showing the ship loading, with the family group going on. More refugees continue to trickle onto the field. In the background, the black spot trailing smoking of a damaged flier is growing rapidly, heading for the spaceport landing field.

CEO

CUT TO

INT - DAY - Bridge

Helton at command, Cooper, Quiritis, Bipasha sit at the controls
.

Cooper: Got incoming. Small ship, looks like a private craft.

Helton: ETA?

Bipasha: Um, maybe a minute or two. Soon.

Helton: Cooper, next chance you get, more training on the sensors.

Cooper: Sure,
love
to.

Bipasha: We
all need to get better, Mr. Captain sir.

Helton:
Tajemnica
, how long till they get here?

Ship AI: (OC) They will arrive on impact and deceleration to a relative velocity of zero.

Helton: Great. Really useful.

Quiritis: Here, like this.

Bipasha watches as Quiri taps a few control screen options. An answer flashes up.

Bipasha: About 45 seconds!

Helton: (Into com) Allonia, everyone ready to sort out the refugees?

Kwon: (OC, on speak
er) Got it covered. Hatches closed and locked. Everyone in place.

Helton: How many out there now?

Cooper: Couple dozen at the ramp, a few more heading this way.

T
he screens in front of Bipasha and Quiritis, showing diagrams of the local area, explode with numerous colored dots.

Bipasha: Whoa! All kinds of stuff showing up. Movement everywhere.

Cooper: Computer, show all people on main screen.

An image
pops up on several small smaller screens in front of each person showing a 5 km map of the area with thousands of dots, clusters and singles, so many it looks like static.

Cooper: I said Main Screen!

All images except the one in front of Quiritis go away.

Cooper: Crap. Useless Computer. We ALL need to see what’s going on.

The image appears in front of everyone but Cooper.

Helton: That’s a lot. But…
that’s everything in 5k. That can’t be right. Limit range to one kilometer.

The screen adjusts, still
showing hundreds of dots converging on them. Cooper leans over to look at Bipasha’s screen, but it disappears before he can get more than a brief glance.

Helton:
If that’s not a glitch, we don’t have room, let alone air when we button up. That many would need several trips.

Cooper:
Don’t care about that, as long as they pay us for every trip. Come’on ‘puter, show it on
my
screen! Damn thing’s as useless as the boss crashing a crew party.

A
new image appears on the main screen. It shows the cockpit of a small private flier with three people: a pilot wearing a helmet and flight suit, with Penger Trask and his wife behind him. They look scared. The signal is weak and staticy. For a moment it comes in sharp and clear.

Trask Pilot: This is Trask Flier 61, calling anyone at the field. We are damaged and losing altitude. Get emergency vehicles ready.
We were hit by ground fire and will be coming in hard. Please respond.

Bipasha: This is
Tajemnica
, we see you. The tower is abandoned. Land near us if, we’ll try to help.

Trask Pilot: Thank God there’s someone there!

Trask: (Over pilot’s shoulder) Abandoned!?

Helton:
Just land. Talk when you’re down.

The pilot nods, the screen clears.

They look out the window and see the flier approaching, trailing smoke.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY
- Boarding ramp

A surge of people come around the corner of
a port building, heading toward the ship. In the background the Trask Flier is fast closing, people pointing and watching. One yells that it’s headed right for them, others scream, and some start to run away. It comes in fast at too steep an angle, trailing flame. It hits hard, breaking off landing struts and sending debris flying. The flier slides to a stop barely 10 meters from the closed side boarding hatch. People gawk, but keep well back from the flames.
Tajemnica’s
side door drops rapidly. Lag, wearing light armor and a carbine slung across his chest, sprints to the side of the flier. He pops the hatch and helps the shaken and bleeding CEO out, then Lucretia Trask whom he hands off to Penger as soon as she’s out. He glances over at the growing crowd, then nods toward
Taj’s
hatch.