PANDORA’s CARGO
A Star Trek script
by Charles Darwin
CAST
PELTIER, the Prime
Team leader
T’PON, Vulcan science
officer
RAMIREZ, a deadly
Marine
THARK, a big Marine
AZUNDERKAR, engineer
MINX MITCHELL, a
doctor
DE SALLE, a navigator
RIVA TAVOR, Marine officer
HANNAH WESTIN,
Betazoid science officer
1 U.S.S. ENTERPRISE – SPACE
The Enterprise comes into orbit over a purple planet with
jagged orange stripes.
PELTIER (voice-over)
First Officer’s log,
Stardate 8185.9. We are replying to a distress signal from the U.S.S. BEAGLE,
an explorer on a biological survey mission in the Tholian Triangle region of
space. Radioactive debris in orbit around Beta Batmanis Two suggests the BEAGLE
may have exploded above the planet. But the presence of Klingon and Romulan borders
on either side makes the BEAGLE’s disappearance all that much more troubling.
Beyond the loss of two hundred trained scientists, we may be looking at the
beginnings of a war.
2 U.S.S. ENTERPRISE BRIDGE – DAY
PELTIER is at Helm, DE SALLE at Navigation. HANNAH is at the
Library Computer station, T’PON at Sensors, RIVA at Weapons Sub-Systems, THARK
at Defense, AZUNDERKAR at Engineering. MINX and RAMIREZ are standing near the
main viewscreen. CAPTAIN TIBBS is in the center chair.
HANNAH
Tibbs – I’ve got refined metal pingback from the planet’s
surface. Kinda all over the place.
T’PON
I believe there are deposits of highly concentrated rare
earth metals both in the surface and the subsoil. Neodymium, scandium, tantalum
and tungsten. It would explain the unusually colored flora.
HANNAH
So this sensor return could just be --- metal. Regular ol’
metal. Not a starship.
AZUNDERKAR
But there are no straight lines in nature. Isn’t that right,
Sgt. Major?
RAMIREZ
First rule of camouflage.
AZUNDERKAR
So see if you read any sharp-angle reflections. That’d say
“manufactured” no matter what it’s made of.
T’PON
Scanning … significant radar return in one limited region. On
the order of eight meters wide.
DE SALLE
A shuttlecraft! I’ll bet it’s survivors from the BEAGLE ..
or a landing party, marooned when their parent ship exploded.
MINX
With exotic metals all through the plant life … Captain,
there’s nothing they could eat down there. How long have they been stranded?
T’PON
Unknown, Doctor. But no longer than twenty days, which was
the BEAGLE’S last contact with Starfleet Command.
MINX
Twenty days … it’s possible, if they watched their water
consumption carefully.
HANNAH
I see it, T’Pon. Lots of life-form readings around the
shuttle, though. Some definitely moving.
MINX
If any animal life bit them, even bugs – they could have
heavy metal poisoning by now.
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Will all that heavy metal interfere with the transporter?
AZUNDERKAR
Negative, Captain. We’ll want to get a very solid lock-on
before beaming up, of course, but it’s nothing we haven’t done before.
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Peltier, get your Prime Team down to the surface. Find our
people and bring ‘em back, alive or otherwise. We’ll have Medical standing by
in the transporter room to receive casualties.
PELTIER
Aye aye, sir. (stands) Minx, Riva, Ramirez, Hannah and
T’Pon, you’re with me on the first beam-down. Azunderkar, I’d like you and
Thark to follow. Mr. DeSalle in command.
DESALLE
Right. Crashdown, you want to take the helm?
AZUNDERKAR
I was going to watchdog the transporter …
PELTIER
Mr. Churkin can do the job just as well. I want all angles
covered if we see something strange … we’re not going to be able to just beam
out as soon as there’s trouble, right?
AZUNDERKAR
Right. Two lock-in cycles, maybe more, before we beam out.
Call it fifteen seconds.
TIBBS
A lot can happen in fifteen seconds. Go on. (grins) Keep us
starry-eyed voyagers and jarheads out of trouble, okay, engineer?
AZUNDERKAR
Won’t argue with those orders, Captain.
THARK
Rules of engagement, Mr. Peltier?
RAMIREZ
Ayudame, Thark.
Don’t tie our hands before we even get there …
THARK
It’s just that every time I set an alien city on fire, or
blow up a starship, somebody’s gotta start an Article Four investigation. I
just want to know the rules in advance, for once.
RAMIREZ
I didn’t wanna have this conversation. But since we’ve gone
there, sir … what restrictions?
PELTIER
Well, if the animals are poisonous … we can’t let them touch
us. Heavy stun at the first sign of attack. And if that doesn’t work, shoot to
kill.
RIVA
Request two additional Marines on the second beam-down.
PELTIER
Sir?
TIBBS
Your show, Commander. If you need ‘em, you got ‘em.
PELTIER
Two’s good. You pick the men. Have them meet us in the
transporter room. Mark and move, people.
3 PLANET SURFACE – EXTERIOR – NOON
A bright blue star burns in a violet sky. The soil is
various shades of purple, the vegetation magenta and orange-yellow. Crystalline
outcrops and rounded deposits of shiny metals cluster in streambeds, while an
eerie whining note plays.
The Transporter Effect sparkles and the landing party
materializes, tools in hand.
SFX
(Tricorder scanning
sound)
T’PON
Readings are confused in low-lying areas. The metal deposits
are scattering our sensor beams.
HANNAH
But that looks like a shuttlecraft in those orange ferns.
MINX
Let’s stay out of the woods if we can. That’s where the
water is, so animals would gather there. And if they see us …
RAMIREZ
They come after us, I shoot them. They hide, I flush them
from cover with a grenade, THEN I shoot them.
PELTIER
Let’s wait till the Marines are here …
SFX
(Transporter beam-down sound. Thark, Azunderkar, De Salle
and two Marines materialize.)
DE SALLE
We’re here, Mr. Peltier. I brought some extra medical
supplies and ammo, just in case.
PELTIER
What’s that?
DESALLE
A sword … in case we need one?
AZUNDERKAR
There it is. Doesn’t seem damaged from here.
RIVA
Move out. One Marine to each group.
(Small parties advance on the shuttlecraft.)
HANNAH
Oh, darn.
PELTIER
Trouble?
RIVA
What is it?
HANNAH
These crystals. (She picks up a silver dodecahedron with her
black fingerless gloves). They’re absolutely flat, made of solid metal. That’s
what could have made those readings.
AZUNDERKAR
But the shuttle’s over there. If these crystals are all over
the planet, wouldn’t we read hundreds of shuttlecraft?
HANNAH
There aren’t crystals all over the planet. Just here … along
this ridge. Looks like some kind of fungus ..
(The fungus ridge rises up, opening a gaping maw to swallow
HANNAH)
HANNAH
A really angry fungus.
(AZUNDERKAR and HANNAH fire green phaser beams at the purple
worm growth.)
RIVA
Phasers ineffective!
HANNAH
Guys! The fungus is angry!
A snarling, ten-eyed, ten-legged orange and tan beast breaks
through the foliage. It gives a roar, then heads straight for PELTIER.
THARK
Got it! But there’s
another one … and something snakelike, too!
PELTIER
Fall back! Circle
formation!
AZUNDERKAR
We can’t! There’s a thing in the way!
The landing party falls back from either side of the screen.
The ten-legged monster and two more, one bat-winged, one cone-shaped, close in
from all sides …
MUSIC UP AND HOLD
FADE TO CREDITS
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