Conflicts of the last progenitors

The moment the transports are within the tube, the far wall closes, sealing the dock area.

The lids of two ports in the shoulder wall swing open on Fleischwerk hinges; Armadillo-2 steers toward the second opening and- in an almost coital maneuver- thrusts inside the compliment. Halfway inside the nook, Armadillo-2 presses to the wall and locks in. Armadillo-4 thrusts and locks inside the port beside it.

84.

ELYSABETH’S VOICE (CONT'D)

Repressurizing.

Four-hundred vents HISS all along the tubular dock.

INT. DOCKING BAY / PERSONNEL AREA - MOMENTS LATER

The noses of docked ships jut from the wall like the heads of mounted game. Repressurizing vents HISS, filling the bay.

ELYSABETH’S VOICE

Pressure sustained.

A Fleischwerk-driven ramp rolls to the front of Armadillo-2

and clamps fast; the transport’s hatch opens, CH-CLACK.

The fourteen people aboard Armadillo-2 egress and descend the ramp; Sven, Abacus and Kenneth are the last to reach the floor of the bay.

From the dock’s control booth, Florida and his ten Bullets emerge; the eleven soldiers walk toward the disembarked crew, coilguns drawn and trained on a target.

FLORIDA

Ito Akatagawa.

ITO, a Japanese Bluebranch two-star with a beard, looks over at the Senior.

ITO

Nani?

FLORIDA

Shut your eyes, place your hands

behind your head and face the

ground.

Ito looks at the weapons aimed at him, nods and complies; two Bullets rush toward the Japanese man.

FLORIDA (CONT'D)

(to the remaining persons)

Clear the area.

The Bullets wrap elastifabric around Ito’s wrists, fastening them behind the man’s neck with a SNAP.

Sven walks toward Florida, reaches him and then bows forty degrees.

85.

SVEN

Sir-

FLORIDA

Clear the area.

SVEN

Sir I have information- vital

information- regarding Option-1.

FLORIDA

Name?

SVEN

Sven Bjorlsson.

INT. MULTI-STAR COUNCIL ROOM - LATER

Eight groggy, bleary-eyed Seniors people the room, amongst them Lo-Cheun, Florida and Graynose. Sven, Abacus and Kenneth stand before the multi-stars. The little leader YAWNS.

SVEN

We returned to the Flypod...and

Kenneth saw this resting on the

hood.

Abacus withdraws the human-shaped statue from his backpack.

Graynose, Lo-Cheun, Florida and the other Seniors sit forward, eyes wide, mouths cracked, breaths caught.

GRAYNOSE

I’m awake.

SVEN

You should send a small party back

to that crevasse- we don’t want to

scare them- and the three of us

should be included.

Florida CHUCKLES at the presumptuous young man.

FLORIDA

Is that so?

Sven takes the statue from Abacus’ hands and walks it to the multi-stars.

86.

SVEN

Look closely: this is a statue of me.

Sven puts the sculpture in Graynose’s small, curious hands; Abacus approaches and stands beside the young Swede.

ABACUS

Notice the tall, skinny physique-

and the large, rather nonlinear

proboscis.

Graynose and the crowding Seniors look at the statue...in particular the large, crooked nose clearly fashioned after Sven’s.

INT. COMESTIBLE QUADRANT - NIGHT

The comestible quadrant is empty, but for a lone woman asleep on a bench in the rear. Sven enters and quietly walks over to the her.

SVEN

Mlissa...

Mlissa GRUNTS in an incommunicative manner; Sven taps her shoulder.

SVEN (CONT'D)

Mlissa.

MLISSA

Tired, Dad. Ten more minutes and

we’ll go jogging.

Sven grins. He gently clasps her hand and squeezes it.

SVEN

Mlissa...wake up...it’s Sven.

Mlissa lifts her head from the foam table, blinking, groggy and disoriented. She looks at Sven.

MLISSA

I thought I was back on Earth. I

sleep...very hard.

SVEN

Makes sense-- you’re a very active-

Mlissa throws her arms around Sven’s waist and hugs him.

87.

MLISSA

I was worried.

SVEN

So was I. When I heard there was

an incident on the ship...

Sven leans over to kiss her; Mlissa covers her mouth with her hand.

MLISSA

I need to mint-rinse.

Mlissa stretches her arms and arches her back, eliciting a tattoo of healthy POPS and CRACKS; a golden necklace adorned with a six-pointed star glints on her neck.

SVEN

What’s that?

MLISSA

A star of Daniel.

(thinking; wrinkles her

nose)

Dave maybe?

SVEN

Who was he?

MLISSA

My great-grandmother was Jewish--

some god she worshipped. I was

worried about you so...so I put it

on.

Sven kisses Mlissa on the lips; she kisses him back. She presses her long fingers to his chest. They withdraw and are silent for a moment.

MLISSA (CONT'D)

Are you religious? Buddhist or

Christian? Or something Swedish?

SVEN

My dad built spaceships and war

machines out of living flesh.

MLISSA

That’s a no?

88.

INT. SPINAL TRAIN - SAME

Abacus and Kenneth, both preoccupied, hold ceiling straps beside each other in a train peopled by two Bullets and three Blues; lights flicker past the windows, yellow and green.

ABACUS

Kenneth...?

Kenneth looks over at Abacus.

ABACUS (CONT'D)

I’m not going to be able to...to

get to sleep-- at least for a

while. You want to play some nine-

card or some poker?

KENNETH

Always preferred chess.

ABACUS

For stakes?

INT. MLISSA’S COMPARTMENT - LATE NIGHT