“THE STAR HAWK”
Triangle Episode 4
by Michael Curtiz
1 INT. BRIDGE – USS ENTERPRISE – DAY
PELTIER
There it is again, Captain. A debris field. Moving at Warp
One away from the Gamma Vulpis system.
RIVA
Wreckage can’t sustain warp speeds; the ship it came from
might have been going much faster.
HANNAH
It’s almost pure gas, Tibbs. Whatever hit that ship
vaporized part of the hull, or whatever else it used to be. Photon torpedo, at
least, if not something bigger.
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Plot a course through all the debris fields we’ve charted,
and extrapolate ahead. Let’s see how this chase finished up.
PELTIER
Course plotted and laid in, Captain.
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Mr. Bader, catch us a battle.
2 EXT. SPACE – STARRY BACKGROUND
The Enterprise banks around a glowing whorl of gas and
accelerates away toward another one.
A red fireball flashes into view ahead.
3 INT. BRIDGE – USS ENTERPRISE – CONTINUATION OF (1) ABOVE
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Bader, swing wide of that flash! Sensors, magnify and hold
that image.
RAMIREZ
Patching fire control feed to main viewing screen.
4 INSET – MAIN VIEWING SCREEN
The explosion outlines a long neck, leading to a wide manta
ray shape as it passes in front of the fireball.
5 INT. BRIDGE – USS ENTERPRISE – CONTINUATION OF (3) ABOVE
RIVA
Klingons.
HANNAH
Just one Klingon. And he’s leaking plasma from both warp
engines. Weapons are hot, but … there’s no one to shoot at.
THARK
There’s the Enterprise. If we can see him, he can see us.
PELTIER
He’s turning …
RIVA
He’s heading right for us!
THARK
Shields up, Cap’n?
CAPTAIN TIBBS
What’s that … behind the Klingon?
THARK
I heard a nod. Shields going up.
HANNAH
I don’t detect anything, Tibbs. That plasma leak is messing
with our sensors.
RAMIREZ
Missile launch dead ahead!
6 SPACE – STARRY BACKGROUND.
Behind the Klingon ship, a wavering form solidifies into a
Romulan warbird, which immediately launches a huge pulsating orange fireball,
similar in color to the flash observed earlier.
7 INT. ENTERPRISE BRIDGE – CONTINUATION
RAMIREZ
Plasma torpedo inbound! Impact in twenty seconds.
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Mr. Bader …
BADER
Quite right.
(The bridge tilts 30 degrees. Everyone rolls to port, except
Thark and Azunderkar, who are already seated on the port side.)
HANNAH
He’s rolling … oh, but he can’t get out of the way in time!
8 SPACE – CONTINUATION
The Klingon ship rolls to one side, almost evading the
plasma torpedo. But instead, it grazes along one warp engine pod, destroying it
in a shower of sparks. The plasma torpedo comes apart, catching the Klingon and
the Enterprise in rippling waves of plasma.
9 ENTERPRISE BRIDGE – CONTINUATION
(The bridge shakes violently, throwing everyone to
starboard, except Hannah and Ramirez, whose stations are on the starboard
side.)
THARK
Shields down! Thirty seconds to restore. With more power,
maybe twenty …
AZUNDERKAR
You got more power.
BADER
Rolling to expose starboard shield.
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Belay that, Helmsman! Keep our torpedo tubes bearing
forward. Mr. Boone?
BOONE
Ready!
CAPTAIN TIBBS
Fire a warning shot at the Romulan. Don’t hit ‘em, but make
it clear we could have if we wanted to.
PELTIER
The Klingon ship is matching our course, Captain. He may be
trying to ram us.
THARK
Or hide in our wake … using OUR shields to protect himself.
HANNAH
The Klingon’s shields are down, Tibbs. He’s using all his
power for speed … no, not for speed. What’s he doing?
(FX: Red flickering Transporter effect near main viewing
screen. KLINGONS appear. Two of them are carrying large silver cubes.)
RIVA
Intruders on the bridge!
(The tallest Klingon steps to the bridge rail, his hands
thrown wide.)
KAAJ
Peltier! We meet again. The Romulans are on my tail, and now
you appear. All my enemies in one place … what more glorious death-song could I
want?
RAMIREZ
Two more Romulan ships decloaking, Captain. They’re lining
up behind their leader … now advancing, spreading out.
KAAJ
The better to get out of the way of their own torpedoes,
Captain. We have not met: I am Kaaj, commanding the Stardragon. Under the
Organian Peace Treaty, I claim asylum from my pursuers. And as you know,
Captain … the Romulans do not cease pursuit simply because their quarry takes
refuge on an enemy vessel.
Destroy them … or allow yourself to be destroyed. Either
way, Captain, I welcome you to the winning side … of the Second Romulan War!
CLOSEUP on TIBBS, squinting angrily.
CLOSEUP on KAAJ, smiling wickedly.
REACTION SHOTS of other officers, concerned or excited.
REACTION SHOTS of other officers, concerned or excited.
MUSIC UP, HOLD, and PEAK
CUT TO CREDITS
Oh, those crafty Klingons. I wonder if the Organian Peace Treaty allows for sheltering asylum seekers inside escape pods. They would technically still be in our custody!
ReplyDeleteI was curious, Steve, how spending experience for new skills works. How specific or generalized are new skills? For instance, if I wanted to round Riva out by making her a violinist in her spare time... would that be the Violin skill, or the Strings skill? Or even the Music skill?
The skills are pretty broad, like Engineering. Something like Violin would likely cost half of what a regular skill would ... in another system it would be less than half, but there's no telling what might be useful some day in Star Trek!
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