Conflicts of the last progenitors

They come upon the craft. Sven wipes sweat from his face; his visage glazes over the moment his hand comes away. He reaches for the orange twistlock at the near side of the cockpit bubble.

KENNETH

What’s that?

Sven wipes sweat from his eyes and looks back at Kenneth.

SVEN

What?

Kenneth points to the front of the vehicle.

Standing upon the hood of the flypod is an upright, eight-inch piece of stone; the figural sculpture has been shaped into the form of a human being.

INT. LOCKDOWN - SAME

Lockdown is a turquoise-colored two-tiered room with ten jail cells (five on level 1, five on level 2); within each detainment chamber are seven or eight people, totalling seventy-eight PRISONERS, most of whom are quiet, somnolent and seated upon white foam benches. Speaker Thakani is amongst the imprisoned, all of whom are Biobranch and Bluebranch.

In the hemispherical space before the cells, Lo-Cheun, Zria, Rectangle and FLORIDA (a three-star Native American bullet with blue-highlighted black hair) stand at the head of forty-five Bullets. Two BLUE SENIORS and Two BIO SENIORS stand off to the side, representing their branches.

69.

In front of the military assemblage is a rolling polypillar adorned with seventeen lenses, nine human eyeballs and five convospheres; wires run from the broadcasting apparatus into the wall; eleven antennas jut from its top.

Graynose enters, plucks a convosphere from the polypillar and extends it on its telescopic antennae (SNIK-SNIK-SNIK-SNIK-SNIK), WHISTLING as he does so. The diminutive Bio Senior CLEARS his throat and faces the variegated lenses.

INT. GLASS-DOMED AMPHITHEATER - SAME

The concave arena is peopled by the remaining people aboard the spacecraft: over seven-hundred attendees are present.

Upon the panorama screen are six images: Graynose, facing the camera; the assembled Bullet brigade; all ten jails cells; a tighter shot of eight occupants in a lower jail cell; a single shot of Thakani behind electrified bars; a shot of the amphitheater audience.

Mlissa watches from the second row, eyes wide, very concerned. She leans to the person seated next to her (an ARABIC MAN of twenty-seven years).

MLISSA

(quietly)

Do you think this is related to the mountain expeditions? Did

something happen down there? Maybe somebody got hurt?

The Arabic Man glances at the nervous woman and then back to the panorama. Upon the screen, Graynose addresses the audience.

GRAYNOSE

We, the Seniors of the multi-star

council, regret and apologize for

today’s disturbances, the cause of

which you’ll know presently. The

final transmissions we received

from Earth informed us of an

unsettling fact we wished to

investigate before making public:

there are terrormongers aboard

Elysabeth, identities unknown.

Tension fills the room; GASPS and concerned faces and worried eyes and clenched fists admit apprehensions.

70.

MLISSA

(to herself)

Sven better not be one.

GRAYNOSE

These saboteurs were originally

believed to be New Puritans, but

now we think differently. The five we’ve identified all have one thing in common: they left children

behind on Earth.

INT. LOCKDOWN - SAME

With little hands, Graynose wipes sweat from his face. (The perspiration beads weirdly on his Fleischwerk nose.) GRAYNOSE

We have incarcerated all of the

progenitors aboard Elysabeth, a

group totalling seventy-eight.

Speaker Thakani and six other multi-stars are amongst them. All of

them may be innocent or all of them may be guilty. We do not know.

Graynose turns toward the ten jail cells; the polypillar rolls in-between him and the prisoners.

GRAYNOSE (CONT'D)

You are all confined until a

determination has been made of your guilt or innocence. If one of you

informs us who you are and what you intended, a peace might be reached.

The Prisoners stare back at Graynose, somnolently.

GRAYNOSE (CONT'D)

Three of the insurgents are dead

and the two captives are being used as lab rats. Confess so that this

dispute might end, for the benefit

of you, your fellow prisoners and

the children you and they might

have someday. Humanity is almost

extinct, please-

(tears in his eyes)

Don’t divide us, don’t diminish our numbers- don’t hasten our end.

We’ve all-

(his voice cracks)

(MORE)

71.

GRAYNOSE (CONT'D)

We’ve all lost far too much

already. Please...

Graynose wipes tears from his eyes. The Prisoners stare down at him...a few are visibly upset.

In the top jail cell, Speaker Thakani walks forward; she passes a SAD MAN with a silver beard. He places a hand on her wrist and squeezes an admonition.

SAD MAN

Don’t.

THAKANI

It’s lost. We can’t do this to

them. Not now...not here.

Graynose, Lo-Cheun, Zria, the Senior quartet and the Bullet brigade watch in shock as the four-star leader walks forward.

Thakani stands near the bars of her cell, her chin upheld, her eyes defiant. The lenses of the polypillar focus on her.

INT. GLASS-DOMED AMPHITHEATER - SAME

Mlissa and the entire audience watch the panorama in disbelief: the screen is filled with a lone tight shot of Speaker Thakani.