Zone Jumper: Episode 1 - "Losing Jezrek"

8/14/2019 Zone Jumper: Episode 1 - "Losing Jezrek"

1/38

ZONE JUMPER: EPISODE 1 - "LOSING JEZREK"

written byEric Peter Schwartz

Created byEric Peter Schwartz & Chris Foster

REVISION 29

March 11, 2010Copyright 2008-2010Eric Peter SchwartzAll Rights Reserved


2/38

TEASER - ON BOARD THE SHIP(LOTUS, SLOAN, PITTS, DAX)

LOTUS(FROM RADIO) Attention! This is Czeal

Warship LOTUS! Our leader, War Chief Xonous

Rile demands that you stop your vessel and

surrender crewman Jezrek, who you have taken

into custody. This is your one and only

warning. If you do not desist from this

present course we will have no alternative

but to

SOUND: RADIO SWITCHED OFF

SLOANI hate disclaimers.

PITTSDo all your plans go this smoothly?

SLOANWhat else were we going to do? Knock on the

front door; hi, were bounty hunters can we

have one of your crew?

PITTSSo its better to sneak onboard a dreadnaught

class Czeal warship and snatch him?

DAXGuys?

SLOAN

It seemed like a good idea at the time!!

DAXGuys!

PITTSI think I made a mistake joining this crew.

SLOANMaybe you did!!


3/38

2.

DAXGuys!

SOUND: EXPLOSION , THE CRACKLE OF FIRE

SLOAN

Damage report.

SOUND: MORE DISTANT EXPLOSIONS

PITTSShields are at minimum operating capability

with breeches growing. Weapons core has

cracked and is leaking through the hull.

Looks like the last blast took out our

starboard reactor.

SLOANDAX! How long before we enter the planets

atmosphere?

DAXRoughly 40 seconds.

PITTSSloan, The Lotus is gaining.

SLOANDAX. Can you lock down the core leak?

DAXTwo steps ahead.

SOUND: THE DISTANT RUMBLE OF THE HULL BEING BOMBARDED BYLASER FIRE.

SLOANTell the prisoner to hold on.

SOUND: SWITCH CLICKED. RADIO STATIC

PITTSNothing.

DAXIt looks like those last pot shots they took

at us took out the hull and Jezrek.

SOUND: INTERCOM SWITCHED OFF


4/38

3.

SLOANDAX. Could you increase the dilation on the

shields and project them inward? Creating

some kind of a gravity buffer inside the

ship.

DAXIll do my best.

PITTSAre you nuts? The shipll break apart on

entry!

SLOANGood if we survive thatll buy us some time

while they try to figure out which chunk of

ship had us in it.

DAXWeve just crossed into the ionosphere.

PITTSOh good. This seems to be a nice planet.

Lets put her down here.

SLOANHows that shield coming, DAX?

DAXIt has just engaged. I am diverting all power

to increase density.

PITTSHeat panels are flying off us like confetti.

SLOAN

Okay guys. Time to pray.

PITTSWay ahead of you boss.

DAXPrayer engaged.

SLOANHold on!!

SOUND: RAIN FALLS IN THE JUNGLE. THE SHIP ROARS OVER HEAD.


5/38

4.

THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE EXPLOSION. THE FORESTIS IN AN UPROAR BUT IT SUBSIDES.

FADE TO TITLE MUSIC

FADE IN

SCENE 1 RUINS OF THE SHIP(PITTS, SLOAN, DAX)

SOUND: THE WRECKAGE SMOULDERS. SPARKS POP AND A FIRE BURNS.

PITTS(Laughs) HA! Ha hahahaha (Slaps her hands)

SLOANIs everybody in one piece?

PITTS

I cant believe that stupid idea worked!!

SLOANYou have no faith.

DAXActually, Sloan, I was seriously questioning

SLOANThank you DAX. Thats enough. Get down to

whats left of the holding cell. See if you

can salvage anything. Use your radio.

DAXYes. (Walks out)

PITTSNo offense, Sloan, but we gotta get out of

here. More than likely The Lotus has already

deployed a salvage team.

SLOANIm way ahead of you Pitts.

DAX(Intercom) Sloan?

SLOANYeah DAX.


6/38

5.

DAXTheres not much left of Jezrek.

PITTSDammit.

SLOANBags or mops, DAX?

DAXShovels.

SLOANOkay. Try to find something that will prove

that we at least had him.

PITTSThis is great! Theyre going to kill us.

SLOANThe deal was dead or alive.

PITTSBut now were only going to get a third of

the money and that wont even cover the cost

of the ship.

SLOANI know! Theres nothing we can do. Provided

we get off this planet, well figure it out

then.

PITTSHmph

SLOANWhy would his own people shoot us down if

they wanted him back?

PITTSI doubt they cared. The Czeal arent known

for compassion.

SLOANBut theyre famous for their race protection.

Its weird.


7/38

6.

DAX(Intercom) Ive got his ID and a tissue

sample.

SLOAN

Good enough. Well meet you outside. Cmon.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS MOVING OFF AS

FADE TO:

SCENE 2 ABOARD THE LOTUS(LOTUS, RILE, ELDGE)

LOTUS(Intercom) Incoming report from the surface

for War Chief Rile.

RILEGo ahead.

LOTUS(Intercom) Sir, the salvage team has reached

the first wreckage site. There is no sign of

Jezrek or the bounty hunters who took him.

RILEWe will send them the coordinates to the next

site.

LOTUS(Intercom) Understood.

RILERelay this message: Find them!! And dont

wreck those vehicles! Theyre worth more than

any of you will ever make. Find them! (Radio

off) Eldge, anything?

ELDGENothing, sir. There are too many life

readings down there to track anything.


8/38

7.

RILEKeep looking. I want those bounty hunters

found! They had an anthroid with them. See if

you can track its electronics.

ELDGESir?

RILEWhat is it, Eldge?

ELDGE(Close talk) Do you think it was wise to

shoot them down? There is a very good chance

that Jezrek was killed too.

RILEBetween you and me, Eldge, Jezrek was a thorn

in my side.

ELDGESir?

RILEJezrek was a bad soldier. He had no respect

for the chain of command and, frankly, he

threatened my leadership.

ELDGEHow so?

RILESomeone on the Interplanetary Council is out

to get me. They are fabricating lies within

the Council and they had Jezrek feeding them

information.

ELDGELies?

RILEYes, lies.


9/38

8.

ELDGESo its better if Jezrek is dead?

RILELets say that an opportunity presented

itself.

ELDGEBut cant the Council use this to fuel

charges and an investigation.

RILEI was well within my rights to retaliate

against an aggressive action against my ship.

They infiltrated my ship and took a

crewmember. How do we know that they werent

returning to an enemy fleet with information?

I simply used the force I deemed necessary.

ELDGEPoint well taken.

RILEGood. To maintain that story, though, does

mean that there can be no witnesses.

ELDGEJezrek and the bounty hunters?

RILEThem and some select members of our crew

ELDGE(Long pause) I see.

RILE

I trust you and your discretion in this

matter. I hope you can - - handle this matter

in a way appropriate to the situation.

ELDGE(Pause) Of course, sir.

FADE TO:


10/38

9.

SCENE 3 - THE JUNGLE(PITTS, SLOAN, DAX)

SOUND: RAIN FALLS IN SHEETS. FEET TRUDGING THROUGH MUD

PITTS

I could think of a billion places Id rather

be. Mmmm, sucking down a beer at some upscale

space port would be nice.

SLOANIm there too. DAX? How far have we come?

DAXJust over 4 miles.

PITTS

Boss, I gotta rest.

SLOANYeah. I know. (Pause) Theres a clearing over

there. We can rest on the far side of it. At

least then we can see whats coming on 3

sides of us. Come on.

FADE TO:

SCENE 4 ON BOARD THE LOTUS(RILE, LOTUS)

RILEHave they found anything yet?

LOTUS(INTERCOM) They have recovered the remains of

Jezrek.

RILE

What about the bounty hunters?

LOTUSThe salvage team reports that the bridge was

still intact. It looks like the crew survived

and have left the crash site. There are some

tracks in the mud leading off into the

forest.


11/38

10.

RILEWell, go get them.

LOTUSMight I suggest, sir, that the team wait

until the rain dies down a little. They are

starting to report problems with their

vehicles. They can short out easily.

RILEFine. But as soon as they possibly can, find

the crew of that ship.

FADE TO:

SCENE 5 - NEAR THE CLEARING(SLOAN, PITTS, DAX)

SOUND: RAIN IS MORE DISTANT

SLOANThats better.

PITTSWhat is it with you Sloan?

SLOANWhat?

PITTSFirst your stupid gravity buffer plan

works. Now we find the one patch of dry

shelter in the entire forest, right where you

tell us to go.

SLOANLucky I guess.

PITTSNo kidding.

SLOANAnyway, its not completely dry. It sounds

like DAX is still getting rained on.


12/38

11.

DAXNope. Im completely out of the rain.(PAUSE)

SLOANThen. . . why am I hearing rain on metal?

PITTSWhat?

SLOANShhh Listen.

SOUND: NOT FAR OFF RAIN IS INDEED HITTING A METAL SURFACE.

DAXInteresting.

PITTS

What is that?

SLOANIts coming from the clearing.

PITTSBut theres nothing out there.

SLOANDAX? Can you scan the area?

DAXI will have to go full power. The Czeal

could possibly spot my signal.

SLOANThats fine. Just for a minute.

SOUND: BLIPS

DAXI am detecting some sort energy covering a

wide area.

SLOANHow wide?

DAXAn area. . . about the size of a house.

PITTSBut from where?


13/38

12.

DAXIts coming from the clearing.

SLOANGo back to low power, DAX. Theres something

out there.

PITTSCould it be underground? Maybe some sort of

underground city?

SLOANI dont know. Stay here. (Leaves)

SOUND: SLOAN MOVES AWAY INTO THE CLEARING

PITTS

Is he always like this?

DAXHe wont send anybody to do anything thing he

wouldnt do himself. Not anymore.

PITTSWhat do you mean?

DAXPike.

PITTSThe old pilot?

DAXRight. We were staking out this guy on

Charon. Sloan really wanted this guy. He

decided to take him out himself. So, Sloan

sent Pike back to the ship to contact our

employer and get the holding cell ready.

Unfortunately there were some old friends

of Sloans waiting at the ship.

PITTSThey killed Pike?


14/38

13.

DAXYeah. In the dark they must have thought it

was Sloan.

PITTS

Good grief.

DAXSince then Sloan is the first one in. Last

one out.(PAUSE)

PITTSLets see how hes doing. Sloan?! Find

anything? (Nothing) Sloan?! Hes gone.

FADE TO:

SCENE 6 - ELDGES QUARTERS ONBOARD THE LOTUS(ELDGE, COUNCIL)

SOUND: RADIO BLIP - RADIO ON

ELDGEHighest priority. Access code HM100XD.

SOUND: STATIC BEGINS TO CLEAR

COUNCILHello Eldge.

ELDGEForgive me Councilman, but I dont have much

time. We are in the midst of a situation

here. One of our crew members was captured by

bounty hunters.

COUNCIL

I know.

ELDGEYou know?

COUNCILIt was Jezrek, wasnt it?

ELDGEYes. How did you know about Jezrek?


15/38

14.

COUNCILWar Chief Rile had people hire the bounty

hunters to dispose of Jezrek.

ELDGE

He hired them? Why?

COUNCILRile knew that he couldnt take care of

Jezrek himself, so he hired these bounty

hunters through a third party. Jezrek was

aiding a Council Investigation.

ELDGEWhat did Rile do?

COUNCIL(Long pause) War atrocities. He orchestrated

the extermination of an entire village during

the Slave uprisings on Caldera 6. Jezrek

uncovered information. We are planning to

intercept the bounty hunters and take Jezrek

into custody ourselves. Rile wont get away.

ELDGESir! Rile had us shoot them down. Jezrek is

dead.

COUNCILWhat?

ELDGEWe shot down the bounty hunters. We blasted

them out of the sky. They have already

recovered Jezreks remains. Hes got salvage

teams searching for the bounty hunters.

COUNCILWe had an undercover Council agent on that

ship bounty hunter ship. We need to get them

(MORE)


16/38

15.

COUNCIL (CONT'D)back safely. They are the only witnesses we

have now.

ELDGE

He also wants me to dispose of some of our

crew. I cant stall that forever. You need

the Council to move against him now.

COUNCILI need to make some emergency calls. Contact

me in two hours.

ELDGETwo hours.

FADE TO:

SCENE 7 - THE CLEARING(PITTS, DAX)

SOUND: RAIN FALLING ON METAL AND THROUGH TREES. FOOTSTEPSMOVE THROUGH MUD.

PITTSSloan?! (Pause) This is insane.

SOUND: ELECTRONIC BLIPS

DAXIm not getting anything other than that

giant power source?

PITTSWhere is it?

DAXIts all around us.

PITTSSloan?!

FADE TO:


17/38

16.

SCENE 8 INSIDE THE JUMPER(PITTS, SLOAN)

SOUND: RAIN CAN BE HEARD HITTING THE OUTSIDE HULL.

PITTS

(On exterior monitor) Sloan?!

SOUND: SLOAN MOVES SLOWLY THROUGH THE METAL HALLWAYS OF THESHIP. THERE IS A SLIGHT ECHO OF EMPTINESS.

SLOAN(To himself.) Wow. DAX, you have to see this.

(Louder, yelling) DAX! DAX?! You have to see

this!

CUT TO:

SCENE 9 - OUTSIDE THE JUMPER IN THE CLEARING(DAX, PITTS, SLOAN)

DAXIm not getting any

PITTSDid you hear that? I heard him. Hes yelling.

Listen.

SOUND: SLOAN CAN BE HEARD YELLING FROM INSIDE SOMETHING.ITS DISTANT, MUFFLED AND SLIGHTLY METALLIC

PITTSThis way!

SOUND: HE BEGINS RUNNING THROUGH THE MUD. THERE IS A LOUDCLANG AND HE FALLS BACK INTO THE MUD.

PITTSOw!

DAX

Theres something here.

PITTSYeah, thats what my nose was just saying.

DAXIts cloaked. Amazing. Here, you can put your

hand inside the cloaking field, look.


18/38

17.

PITTSIs it a ship?

DAXFeel it. Its just a leg. You can walk right

under the thing. Give me that stick.

PITTSHere.

SOUND: HOLLOW METAL BANGING AS PITTS MOVES ALONG THEUNDERSIDE OF THE JUMPER.

DAXThis thing has got to be massive. Look up.

You can see where the top is. The forest

canopy is sitting on it.

PITTSThe things been here for long time.

DAXWhat is this thing?

SOUND: A WHIRRING AS THE UNDERSIDE ENTRANCE PLATFORM LOWERS.

PITTSHoly

SLOAN(From inside) Get up here. You guys have to

see this thing.

DAXShall we?

SOUND: THEY CLIMB THE METALLIC LADDER. THE PLATFORM WHIRS ASIT LIFTS AND SEALS WITH THE SHIP.

CUT TO:

SCENE 10 INSIDE THE JUMPER(PITTS, SLOAN, DAX)

SOUND: CLIMBING THE METAL LADDER

PITTSLook at this place.


19/38

18.

SLOANOne more level up.

DAXThis looks like the engine room.

PITTSAnd a ready room. Did you see the lockers?

DAXSo it can hold a full crew.

SOUND: THEY STEP OFF THE LADDER

SLOANTook you guys long enough.

PITTSNice ship you found, does it have a brother?

DAXSloan, this ship is amazing.

SLOANWe dont have much time. We need to see if

this ship is empty and figure out how to make

it fly.

PITTSSo how long do you think we have?

SLOANThe cloaking device should buy us some time.

Well each take a level of the ship. DAX, you

check out the engine and electrical below

decks. Pitts, it looks like the cockpit is

that way. I will check out the back end and

the upper level.

DAXSounds good.

PITTSAye aye.

SLOANWell meet in the cockpit in 15 minutes.

SOUND: THE THREE MOVE OFF IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, WITH DAX


20/38

19.

DESCENDING THE LADDER.

FADE TO:

SCENE 11 - ABOARD THE LOTUS(LOTUS, RILE, ELDGE)

LOTUS(Radio) The rain has let up, but there is

still no word from the salvage team.

SOUND: FIST SLAMS DOWN ON METAL COUNTER

RILEWhy is this so HARD?! We shot them down hours

ago. Theyre injured! Theyre tired. There

are three of them, on foot. I have twenty men

deployed on the surface and they cant find

them.

LOTUS(Radio) The jungle is rather dense.

RILEI dont want excuses! I want three bounty

hunters dead! I guess I will have to do it

myself. ELDGE!!

ELDGERile?!

RILEPrepare the crew. Were going in.

ELDGESir?

RILEWere going to descend and blast the jungle

ourselves.

ELDGEDo you think thats wise, sir.


21/38

20.

RILEWise or not. Its done! Those bounty hunters

arent getting away from me. HELM!!

FADE TO:

SCENE 12 - INSIDE THE JUMPER(PITTS, SLOAN, DAX)

SOUND: BLIPS, CLICKS, AND THE SLIGHT HUM OF ELECTRICITY

PITTSThis is awesome!

SOUND: SLOAN ENTERS

SLOANHows it going?

PITTSI dont know what most of this stuff is for

yet, but I understand the principles. I

think. This here is the main navigational

computer, from what I gather. But its huge.

I have never seen a mainframe this size. Most

nav-computers are fairly small and can do

light-fast calculations about speed, thrust,

weight and then coordinates. This thing is

massive.

SLOANCan you get it flying?

PITTSIm pretty sure I can. Its got power.

DAXYes it does. Everything seems fine below.

Some sort of fuel cells Ive never seen

before.


22/38

21.

PITTSThis is weird, Sloan. Who would abandon this

ship?

SLOAN

I dont know. It looks like this ship can run

with a crew of ten. There are ten bunks

upstairs, a full mess hall, a complete sick

bay and 2 pods at the far end.

PITTSEscape pods?

SLOANNo. They look like short trip pods. They seat

2 to 3 people and have their own drive

systems.

DAXIt also looks like this ship isnt one of a

kind, either.

SLOANHow so?

DAXAll the mechanical parts and all the

electrical. Theyre machined and look mass

produced. They all have serial numbers for

easy replacement.

PITTSThis is part of a fleet?

SLOANLook, we cant worry about this now. We need

to get off this planet and out of Czeal

space and THEN we can figure out who or what

made this ship. DAX, did you find any

weapons?


23/38

22.

DAXNo theres some storage lockers for them, but

no guns.

SOUND: A DEEP RUMBLE BEGINS TO GROW

PITTSGuys? Sssshh listen.

SLOANWhat is that?

DAXSomethings coming.

SLOANPitts, fire up the controls. Is there a

monitor?

PITTSTheres a couple of screens, lets see what I

can do.

SOUND: THE INSTRUMENTS COME TO LIFE BLIPS, CLICKS

DAXThere! Look, on the infrared monitor.

PITTSIt looks like the jungle is burning.

SLOANNo.. wait.. Oh God!

CUT TO

SCENE 13 ELDGES QUARTERS ONBOARD THE LOTUS(ELDGE, COUNCIL)

SOUND: RADIO BLIP - RADIO ON

ELDGEHighest priority. Access code HM100XD. Its

an emergency.

SOUND: STATIC BEGINS TO CLEAR


24/38

23.

COUNCIL(Radio) Eldge! It hasnt been two hours yet,

whats wrong?

ELDGE

Rile has gotten desperate and has brought The

Lotus into the atmosphere of this planet and

is blasting the jungle.

COUNCIL(Radio) What?!

ELDGEI dont know what to do sir? The ship is

stable but it was never meant for atmospheric

travel. The Council fleet needs to move

against us now.

COUNCILThe Council fleet is at least 6 hours away.

You have to do this. You need to remove him

from power.

ELDGEWhat?

COUNCILI have full authority to deputize you.

ELDGEMutiny?! You want me to mutiny?

COUNCILWar Chief Rile is endangering every hand on

that ship all for the sake of covering up

what hes done. You must relieve him of duty!

CUT TO


25/38

24.

SCENE 14 - THE RILES POST ON THE LOTUS(RILE, LOTUS, ELDGE, COUNCIL)

SOUND: THE SOUNDS OF LASER CANNONS AND EXPLOSIONS

RILE

HELM! Four degrees starboard!

SOUND: BLEEP OF INTERCOM SYSTEM

RILEYes?

LOTUSWar Chief Rile, you asked that we maintain

radio silence during our current situation.

RILE

Thats right.

LOTUSIm picking up a transmission coming from the

Lotus.

RILEPatch it through.

SOUND: STATIC CRACKLES

ELDGE(RADIO) Mutiny? You want me to mutiny?

COUNCIL(RADIO) War Chief Rile is endangering every

hand on that ship all for the sake of

covering up what hes done. You must relieve

him of duty!

ELDGE

(RADIO) I... I...

COUNCIL(RADIO) You will have full immunity from the

council. Rile must be stopped.

SOUND: RADIO SWITCHED OFF


26/38

25.

RILE(Seething with rage) Helm. Take command and

maintain your present course. I have a matter

to attend to.

SOUND: THE RILE STOMPS OUT

FADE TO:

SCENE 15 ONBOARD THE ZONE JUMPER(SLOAN, PITTS, DAX, DAX & SLOAN, LONG PAUSE)

SOUND: SWITCHES BEING THROWN, FURIOUS TYPING ON A KEYBOARD

SLOANCome on, Pitts. Its getting closer!

PITTSGood. Yell at me! Thatll get this bucket in

the air faster.

SLOANIn a couple of minutes that thing will be on

top of us and there wont be any way out.

PITTSI know. Im trying to find the logic in these

controls. Im not a freaking robot like DAX.

DAXIm not a robot, Im an Anthroid.

DAX & SLOANShut up!

PITTS(To herself, spotting controls) Okay, theres

Attitude. This makes no sense. I think this

is pitch, yaw, roll ---- but what are these

other things for. Theres only 3 axis, so

what are these others?! This is insane.

SLOANSo theres no fly now button?


27/38

26.

PITTSEven a flight manual would help. Theres

SOUND: BANG BANG BANG ON METAL, FROM OUTSIDE

LONG PAUSE

DAXOh boy.

CUT TO:

SCENE 16 ELDGES QUARTERS(ELDGE, RILE, LOTUS)

SOUND: RADIO SWITCHED OFF.ELDGE TAKES A DEEP BREATH.THE DOOROPENS

ELDGE

Sir! This is a surprise. Is there news from

the surface?

RILEI trusted you.

ELDGEIm sorry?

RILEOf all the people on this ship that I

expected to turn on me like a drunk stomach,

I never expected you.

ELDGESir, I dont - -

RILEDont lie to me Eldge!

SOUND: A LASER BLAST. ELDGE YELLS AND COLLAPSES TO THE FLOOR

RILEYou forget yourself, boy! Im not some soft

thug who will roll over with the right

pressure. I have killed more people than you

have met in your life.


28/38

27.

ELDGE(Coughing and spluttering) They know. They

know everything.

RILE

They think they know. Jezrek is dead and if

he said anything to those bounty hunters,

theyll be dead soon too.

ELDGE(Spits blood out) Are you just going to keep

killing until youre safe?

RILEWhatever it takes. Now, if you would kindly

die, I can get back to the matters at hand.

ELDGE(Chuckles and coughs) One of those bounty

hunters was a Council agent.

RILEWhat?!

ELDGEKeep killing, Rile, it doesnt matter. You

will never get away. Youve signed your death

warrant.

RILENo! No! No!

SOUND: SEVERAL FRUSTRATED LASER BLASTS, NOT EVENLY TIMED,MORE LIKE A CHILD STOMPING ITS FOOT ELDGEDIES BLEEP OF LOTUS COMPUTER

LOTUSWar Chief Rile?

RILE(Snapping)What?!

LOTUSThere is news from the surface. The salvage

team has found something.


29/38

28.

RILEI will be on the bridge in a moment. And seal

Eldges quarters. I dont want the room

touched until we get home.

FADE TO:

SCENE 17 - ABOARD THE JUMPER(SLOAN, DAX, PITTS)

SOUND: HARDER POUNDING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE SHIP.

SLOAN(Sigh) This just keeps getting better. So,

DAX, no guns?

DAXNo guns.

PITTSMaybe, if were quiet theyll just go away.

SLOANDax, come with me.

DAXWhere are we going?

SLOANI hear bargaining chips pounding on the hull.

Pitts, figure something out in five minutes.

PITTSOh fine. Thanks! Ill just sit here and pull

something out of my

FAST CUT TO

SCENE 18: RUNNING TO THE POD HANGAR

(DAX, SLOAN)

SOUND: RUNNING THROUGH THE SHIP

DAXSo whats the plan, boss?


30/38

29.

SLOANWhen you guys came up from the underside

platform, I locked it. Its not going to open

for them like it did for us. That means we

have some time.

DAXTime for what?

SOUND: THEY STOP RUNNING

SLOANTime for this.

DAXThe three-man pods?

SLOANNo. The hangar door. They are on the

underside of a cloaked ship. We can get the

drop on them. They wont see it coming.

DAXWhy do we want the drop?

SLOANWere going to take them hostage and use them

to bargain our way off this planet.

SOUND: THE WHIR OF MACHINERY AS THE HANGAR DOOR OPENS TOREVEAL THE JUNGLE BEYOND. THE RAIN HASSTOPPED BUT THE RUMBLE OF THE LOTUS IS HEARDIN THE DISTANCE.

SLOANOkay. Thats a little further down than I

thought.

DAXWant a ride?

SLOANIm sorry what?

DAXHop up. Ill give you a piggyback.

SOUND: SOUNDS OF SLOAN GETTING ON


31/38

30.

SLOANIf you ever tell anybody about this, I

will deny it and dismantle you.

DAX

Understood. Hold on.

CUT TO:

SCENE 18 ABOARD THE LOTUS(RILE, LOTUS, SLOAN)

RILEReport.

LOTUSOne of the salvage teams is reporting that

they have found something invisible.

RILEInvisible?

LOTUSThats what they said, sir, large, metal and

invisible.

RILEProbably a safehouse. They were probably

heading there whole time. Has the salvage

team found a way in.

LOTUSThey were awaiting orders from you.

RILEOrders patch me through to the surface.

LOTUSPatching you through.

RILESalvage team! This is War Chief Rile. Have

you found a way in?

SLOAN(RADIO) War Chief Rile. This is James Sloan,

Captain of the ship you shot down.


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31.

RILEWhat?!

SLOAN(RADIO) Look, I hope theres no hard feelings

about Jezrek. I was just doing my job. Beyond

that, you guys are the ones that turned him

into goo. So, I now have two members of your

crew held hostage. According to their ID they

are Privates Gatiss and Shearman. They are

fine for the moment, but I need safe passage

off this planet to make sure they stay that

way.

FADE TO:

SCENE 19 UNDER THE ZONE JUMPER(RILE, SLOAN, DAX)

RILE(RADIO) Captain Sloan, you have no idea how

far in over your head you are. I wanted

Jezrek dead. I wanted his information to die

with him and I want no witnesses. I have no

intention of letting you get off that planet.

Whatever sort of ship you have down there, I

am going to destroy it and you and the

undercover Council agent on your crew.

LONG PAUSE

SLOANWhat?

RILEOne of your crew isnt who you think they

are, Captain Sloan. There is no bargain.

Prepare to die.


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32.

DAXBoss, Pitts?

SLOAN(after a pause) Lets get out of here. Pitts!

Open the door!

SOUND: THE PLATFORM LOWERS, DAX AND SLOAN CLIMB THE LADDER.

FADE TO:

SCENE 20 ABOARD THE ZONE JUMPER(SLOAN, PITTS, DAX)

SOUND: SLOAN AND DAX ENTER THE COCKPIT

SLOANPitts, get this bucket off the ground.

PITTSHere goes nothing.

DAXBut boss

SLOANLater, DAX. Well deal with it later.

CUT TO:

SCENE 21 THE JUNGLE

SOUND: THE ZONE JUMPER POWERS UP AND RISES OUT OF THEJUNGLE, SNAPPING TREE LIMBS THAT HAVE GROWNOVER IT. WHEN IT HAS CLEARED THE JUNGLECANOPY, IT MOVES OFF INTO THE SKY

FADE TO

SCENE 22 ABOARD THE LOTUS(RILE, LOTUS)

RILE

There! Did you see it?! Something burst out

of those trees. Track that cloaking devices

energy signal and follow it.

LOTUSWar Chief, we have locked onto the ships

energy signature.


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33.

RILEOnce weve cleared the stratosphere, blast it

out of the sky.

LOTUS

Of course, sir.

CUT TO:

SCENE 23 ABOARD THE ZONE JUMPER(PITTS, DAX, SLOAN)

PITTSWow! This thing handles like a dream.

DAXThe Lotus is gaining. And if Im working this

scanner right, its powering up its cannons.

SLOANWhy does this sound so familiar? Its locking

on to the energy signature from the cloaking

device. Shut it down.

PITTSCloak off.

SLOAN(Long pause) Turn around.

PITTSWhat?!

SLOANTurn around! Fly right at them. They cant

use their cannons unless were far enough

away. Its time to play some chicken.

PITTSIm wheeling it around.

SLOANFaster.

DAXCannons at full power.


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34.

PITTSWere headed straight for them.

DAXBoss, theyre getting ready to fire.

SLOANGet closer.

PITTSI cant go any faster.

SLOANIs there overdrive?!

PITTSThere is one button that I havent tried yet

and its not labeled. I try to avoid those

buttons if I can.

SLOANWhat color is the button?

PITTSRed.

SLOANThats usually a good sign.

DAXTheir cannons are firing.

SLOANNow!!

PITTSOh God!

SOUND: A HAND SLAMS DOWN ON THE BUTTON THE ENGINES ROAR TOLIFE THERE IS A LOUD ERUPTION LIKE BLAST AND FINALLY THE SOUND OF A SHIP ZIPPING OFFAWAY.

SCENE 24 ABOARD THE LOTUS(RILE, LOTUS)

SOUND: ALARMS BLARE

RILEWhat is it? Whats happening?!


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35.

LOTUS(RADIO) A gravity well! Some sort of

wormhole! It opened up right in front of us.

RILE

Evasive maneuvers!

LOTUSIts too late!

RILENo!!!

SOUND: THE SOUND OF METAL BEING TWISTED AND CRUSHED,EXPLOSIONS FINALLY THE LOTUS IS GONE ANDWOOSH OF THE GRAVITY WELL DISAPPEARS WITH AZIP THEN THERE IS SILENCE

FADE TO:

SCENE 25 ABOARD THE ZONE JUMPER(PITTS, SLOAN, DAX)

SOUND: THERE IS THE ROAR OF THE GRAVITY WELL AND THE SCREAMSOF THE CREW WHICH FADE IN FROM A GREATDISTANCE AND SUDDENLY STOPS. THE ROARSUBSIDES AND THE ENGINES DIE DOWN. THERE ISONLY THE SUBTLE BLEEPING AND TICKING OF THECOCKPIT.

PITTSAre we dead?

SLOANWhat was that?

DAXSome sort of interstitial tunnel. Like a worm

hole.

SLOANLook out the window.

PITTSA binary star system. A red giant and a dwarf

star. With a near by nebula to boot. Its

gorgeous.


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37.

THE END

Documents

Zone Jumper: Episode 1 - "Losing Jezrek"