The Song of the Space-Whale V

(ROLL OPENING CREDITS)

1. INT. CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS (NIGHT)

All the screws are up now. PERI crosses to the internal door and opens it. The loose floor grille rises. Peri looks up at the noise. The grille is now next to the hole in the floor. There is no sign of anything that caused it. Peri continues to slide towards the door, keeping her eyes on the grating.


2. INT. FLIGHT DECK (NIGHT)

The DOCTOR slowly turns around from the console, wrench in hand. GREEG is now standing with his gun aimed. The two GUARDS are also covering him. STENNAR and NURREG are present, along with other CREWMEMBERS.

STENNAR
Give it up, Doctor! It’s not worth dying for.

DOCTOR
Isn’t it?

STENNAR
Of course it isn’t!

DOCTOR
Oh, well, in the face of such a convincing argument.

Greeg cocks his blaster. The Doctor sighs, beaten.

DOCTOR
Yes, I suppose you’re right.

The Doctor lowers the wrench. Greeg doesn’t lower the blaster.


3. INT. CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS (NIGHT)

Peri is beside the door. She stares at the hatchway. Nothing. Taking a deep breath, she spin around, grabs the door and opens it. At that second the claw emerges from the hatch, reaches out and grabs her leg. Peri screams as she is dragged to the ground and hauled straight towards the grille.

The creature rises into view – a wrinkled, black oily GOBLIN with glowing, slanted eyes, a mouth full of needle-like teeth and large, pointed ears. It roars and reaches out to grab Peri with its other arm. She screams again.


4. INT. FLIGHT DECK (NIGHT)

As before. The Doctor moves out of the way of the console.

GREEG
Nurreg! Fire the torpedoes!

Nurreg rises and moves past him to reach the terminal. The Doctor hangs his head. Suddenly, he turns on his heels and hurls the wrench with all his might. It misses Nurreg by inches and strikes the console. The screens shatters and there is a cacophony of explosions as the controls burst into flames. The screen turns to static. More explosions at the Captain’s console. The Doctor drops the wrench and grins at Greeg.

DOCTOR
Oh dear. What a pity. Never mind.

Greeg grins back.

GREEG
That was – to say the least – a mistake.

Suddenly, he fires his blaster twice. Six bolts smash into the Doctor’s chest. He is flung against the wall and he slides lifelessly to the floor. Greeg turns away dismissively and heads for the burning console. The Doctor lies as still as death.

(FINISH OPENING CREDITS)
(THE SONG OF THE SPACE WHALE)
(EPISODE TWO: CASTAWAYS & STOWAWAYS)

1. MODEL SHOT

The Ghaleen is still unable to put distance between it and the Orkas.


2. INT. ORKAS CORRIDOR (NIGHT)

JACKSON and the CHIEF are present, crouched over the hatch.

JACKSON
I knew she was a work experiencer, but this is ridiculous.

CHIEF
Leaving a duct hatch open...

The Chief shouts down into the pipe.

CHIEF
You ever heard of occupational health and safety, girl?!?

There is a distant scream from down the corridor. Jackson looks at the Chief.

JACKSON
Was that you?

CHIEF
No. Didn’t sound like Manus...

Another scream. The two men sigh.

CHIEF
What’s her problem now?

JACKSON
I’ll check. You stay here.

CHIEF
No. I give the orders round here, Jackson.

He clears his throat self-consciously.

CHIEF
Right... I’ll stay here and you check.

Jackson grins and moves off as the Chief drops down into the pipe.


3. INT. CAPTAIN’S CABIN (NIGHT)

The goblin creature is now half out of the duct, both claws around Peri’s ankle. It is a gruesome, menacing figure with long claws and reddish-veined skin stretched tight over its frame, is crouched over the terrified Peri. The large, dark eyes are covered in translucent membranes and tribal scars are cut into its forehead. Peri is close to the entrance of the grille, but she kicks with her free foot. She catches the creature in his face and it howls, one claw moving instinctively to cover its face, and thus Peri increases her struggles.

PERI
Help! HELP ME!

The door opens and Jackson peers carefully around the door. His eyes widen as he sees Peri kicks the monster in the head again and it releases her – but instantly grabs her again, by the waist this time, with both claws. It roars angrily.


4. INT ORKAS CORRIDOR (NIGHT)

Jackson bolts from the door as Peri screams again.

PERI (VO)
NO, PLEASE, COME BACK!

JACKSON
Chief! CHIEF!


5. INT. PIPE (NIGHT)

The Chief is bent over MANUS’ body. Sadly he closes her eyes, his fingers tracing the scar over her throat.

CHIEF
Who’s going to tell your mam this. It’ll break her heart. You’re all she had.

Jackson’s screams are heard. With resolve, the Chief scoops up Manus’ abandoned blaster, cocks it and heads back down the pipe.


6. INT. ORKAS CORRIDOR (NIGHT)

Jackson is just about to climb into the pipe when the Chief emerges, thus they get tangles with each other as they escape.

JACKSON
Chief! It’s a stowaway and this, kind of creature...

CHIEF
I know what it is, Jackson! Is the stowaway still alive?!

JACKSON
She is for the moment.

CHIEF
Let’s hope she can stay that way...


7. INT. CAPTAIN’S CABIN (NIGHT)

The creature has Peri pinned down. It turns her head to expose her neck. It raises a claw to swoop down on her throat...

The door bursts open and the Chief, showing no surprise at the sight, takes aim and fires. A blast strikes the creature in the side, the force causing it to jackknife and release Peri.

CHIEF
Get back, Tuthon!

The creature looks at the Chief in shock. The Chief fires again. The creature falls back and drops into the pipe. There is another roar. The Chief jumps over Peri and fires another two shots into the ducting.


8. INT. PIPE (NIGHT)

Having landed awkwardly, the Tuthon scrambles down the pipe and out of view.


9. INT. FLIGHT DECK (NIGHT)

Greeg and Nurreg are bent over the smoking remains of the weapons console. Nurreg uses a miniature fire extinguisher on the blazes while Greeg waves away the smoke.

GREEG
Get the back-up systems on line!

NURREG
No point, my Captain sah, all the monitors have exploded!

GREEG
Can we still track the pilot?

NURREG
Not on visual...

Calmly Greeg points the gun at Nurreg’s head.

GREEG
Can we still track the pilot?

Nurreg swallows.

NURREG
I think we can. I think... Oh dear.

Stennar rolls the Doctor on his side. The Doctor groans.

GREEG
What about all the neuron torpedoes?

NURREG
Intact, but the targeting circuits interface with weapon systems computer.

GREEG
Which one’s that then?

NURREG
It used to be where the large hole is, my Captain sah.

STENNAR
Sir... The Doctor. He’s still alive.

GREEG
Is he?!

Greeg checks his gun and then, angrily, stamps his foot.

GREEG
All right! Own up! Who the hell put stun charges in my weapon?!

Angrily, he kicks the Doctor’s still form. The Doctor groans loudly.

GREEG
We’re staying right here until whoever it is confesses – and I don’t care how long that is! All right? Is that understood?

A row of anxious nods. A beat.

GREEG
I’M WAITING!

There is a loud buzzing. With an embarrassed shrug, Stennar crosses to the console and picks up the headphones.

STENNAR
Stennar here... What do you mean ‘who’? Stennar! Ard Stennar! Number Two on the Orkas! I mean, I’m second in command. Yes, the production controller. No, STENNAR. S-T-E-N-N-A-R. Brown hair. No I do NOT have a beard! YES, THAT STENNAR! What is it?

The irritation slides off her face.

STENNAR
What?


10. INT. CAPTAIN’S CABIN (NIGHT)

The Chief is speaking into his communicator bleakly. Jackson is watching on in horror. He has no idea about this. Peri is curled up on the bed, scared and shivering.

CHIEF
Manus is dead. She went into the pipe and didn’t come back.

STENNAR (VO)
Did her oxygen supply fail?

CHIEF
No. She wasn’t suffocated. She was... there wasn’t much damage, but she died screaming. I just want you to know that because you are the one who tells the captain and HE is the one who’s going to tell that poor girl’s mother what happened.

STENNAR (VO)
Calm down, Chief.

CHIEF
I am calm.

STENNAR (VO)
Then I’m going to start worrying.

CHIEF
Do that anyway. She was killed by a Tuthon. It’s in the ducting – it’s been causing the blockage we kept thinking was clearing by itself. It also managed to get a stowaway. You better get a stretcher down here for her.

Peri, listening, looks down in worry at the tear in her boots. She peels back the material to show a livid gash on her ankle... with a few drops of black liquid. Now looking feverish, she brushes it away.

STENNAR (VO)
Stowaway?!

CHIEF
Look, just get down here. Once the venom’s in the system, we’re on a countdown.

STENNAR (VO)
Look, Chief, I know Manus was in your care...

CHIEF
One woman’s dead. Do you want another? No? Then do something!

The Chief hangs up, angrily.

CHIEF
Jackson. Get out there – get Manus’ body out, screw the inspection hatch back on, replace the flooring.

JACKSON
But that thing...

CHIEF
Then do it quickly. Just... just do it, Jackson.

Jackson, knowing not to argue, turns and leaves. Peri watches him go. She is shivering.

PERI
Don’t mind me.

CHIEF
I won’t. You’re a stowaway, you’re not my responsibility.

PERI
And if I’m not your responsibility... why care?

CHIEF
Shut up.

PERI
Sorry.

She’s not. The Chief kicks open a cabinet and pulls out a flask of booze.

CHIEF
The more you talk, the more your heart beats and spreads the poison. Stay still and quiet. And you might just survive.

He swigs from the flask.


5. INT. FLIGHT DECK (NIGHT)

The Doctor is sprawled on a stretcher which is being carried out by two crewmen. Greeg and Nurreg are bent over a new monitor which the TECH is wiring up. Stennar hurries over.

STENNAR
Sir, work experiencer Manus has been killed.

GREEG
Really? Oh. Pity. Anyway, start emptying her locker and auction off anything of value.

STENNAR
She was killed by a Tuthon.

NURREG
Oh, get real, Stennar!

STENNAR
The Chief is quite positive. It’s been hiding in the ducting.

NURREG
How cliché.

STENNAR
Tell that to Manus!

NURREG
Look, there are no Tuthons off their home world. It’s all been blockaded, remember? Before The Orkas even left Livanthian. Like we need competition as well as anything else. It’s impossible. Impossible. The opposite of possible.

STENNAR
Both the Chief and Jackson saw it close up.

NURREG
Those voxnic heads? Probably dreamed the whole thing, isn’t that right, my Captain sah?

GREEG
Who cares?

STENNAR
You don’t seem very surprised, Captain.

GREEG
I hope you’re not telling me how to behave on my own flight deck, Number One. If you were to do that then I would naturally be forced to jump up and down on your naked throat for a VERY long period of time. Deal with this.

Stennar turns and leaves.

GREEG
Well?

TECH
Most of the damage is down to blow back, sir. Auto-repair should have this communicator system back on line in fifteen minutes.

GREEG
Good. We can still capture the pilot in that time.

NURREG
We can’t target the neuron torpedoes my Captain sah.

GREEG
So? We don’t need the damn thing dead for the Termination Bay to work on it. It will terminate the whale for us. Hence the name ‘Termination Bay’, bay of termination. You do understand basic language, Nurreg?

NURREG
We’ll get some complaints, my Captain, sah.

GREEG
Will we? Oh well, we can let all the miserable ingrates starve because we were humane to something that isn’t even human or we can provide then with some food so they can live long enough for me to kill them.

TECH
Kill them?

GREEG
It’s what I do to complainers, it’s a vocation I have.

TECH
Sir, I’m not sure you understand the problem.

GREEG
I don’t understand things. I shout until they work or I shoot them.

NURREG
That’s a very honest summary, my Captain, sah.

GREEG
Yeah, I got these self-enlightenment pamphlets cheap on Ziphius.

TECH
Sir? Hello? The targeting systems can be repaired automatically but the actual controls will need to be manually pulled apart and put back together again.

GREEG
Presumably taking longer than fifteen minutes.

TECH
A little more.

GREEG
How much more?

TECH
I won’t beat around the bush, sir. A lot more.

GREEG
Nurreg, get me a gun that works.

The tech flinches and blurts out.

TECH
It’ll be at least three hours sir!

GREEG
Three hours?

TECH
Three hours?

GREEG
As in ten thousand eight hundred seconds?

TECH
Yes, sir.

GREEG
As in one hundred eighty minutes?

TECH
Yes, sir.

GREEG
As in three ‘hours’?

TECH
Yes, sir. Three hours.

GREEG
Nurreg, get me the gun anyway.


6. INT. CAPTAIN’S CABIN (NIGHT)

Peri is perspiring. The Chief sits beside her, quaffing from his flask.

PERI
I’m g-going to die... aren’t I?

CHIEF
Maybe. Shut up. You’re not going to die from the injury, but the Tuthon’s venom. Stay calm, slow the heart rate and you gotta chance. Better than Manus got, anyway.

The door opens and JURAS enters, a spare uniform under her arm. She sees the situation and tosses the uniform to one side before the Chief can turn to her.

CHIEF
Where’s the stretcher party, then? Oh, never mind, come on. We’ve got to get her to the medical unit. Pronto, you silly mare!

Juras nods and crosses to Peri who is barely conscious. As she and the Chief lift Peri up she starts to convulse slightly.

JURAS
What’s happened?

CHIEF
Shut up and move!

They hurry out of the room. There is a scratching noise from the grille.


7. INT. ORKAS CORRIDOR (NIGHT)

Jackson is hauling Manus’ corpse out of the hatch, straining with the effort. Finally he gets her body free and leaps over to the hatch and slams it down. The Chief, Juras and Peri move into view.

CHIEF
Out of the way, Jackson!

Jackson scrambles out of the way, but gets close to the shuddering Peri. He flinches.

CHIEF
It’s not contagious, boy! But it’s fatal, so move!

Jackson squeezes past and they hurry. Juras’ eyes widen as she spots Manus’ body.

JURAS
That’s the one who...

CHIEF
I know.

JURAS
What happened to her?

CHIEF
Attacked in the pipe. Do you always ask so many questions?

JURAS
Attacked by what in the pipe?

CHIEF
The thing that’s still in there, now HURRY!

They move off.


8. INT. ORKAS MEDICAL UNIT (NIGHT)

A far neater and well-kept area than the rest of the Orkas, with half-a-dozen beds and medical equipment stacked nearby. However, it is clearly the same ship with the same patterned wall panels. The medic is FELLBRY, a calm, grey-haired man with a sardonic smile. At the moment he is frowning over some print-out. He crosses to the Doctor, who lies, as still as death, on the bed nearby.

FELLBRY
Unclassified bio-data. No match. Anywhere. Not human or anything like it. Two hearts, secondary respiration system... It just doesn’t make sense.

Without opening his eyes or indeed showing any sign of waking, the Doctor speaks.

DOCTOR
Few things do at first glance.

The Doctor’s eyes snap open.

DOCTOR
Good evening, I’m the Doctor, who are you?

FELLBRY
Fellbry. I’m the Medic here.

DOCTOR
Then I won’t disillusion you.

He sits up and gets off the bed.

DOCTOR
Right. I know who I am, who you are and we are where exactly? No, I remember... The Orka!

FELLBRY
Orkas.

DOCTOR
Yes. First space whaling ship commissioned by the Multi-Global Corporation to hunt down Ghaleen in this sector of space and time.

The Doctor pauses and looks at Fellbry, curious.

DOCTOR
Do you approve?

FELLBRY
I don’t like being hungry. And treating famine victims loses its appeal after time.

DOCTOR
But do you actually approve of this industrial slaughter, Dr. Fellbry?

FELLBRY
If you’re looking for Eco-converts, sir, you’re on the wrong ship.

DOCTOR
Really? I’m not so sure. How long have I been unconscious?

FELLBRY
You’ve only been here a couple of minutes. Three heavy stun-blasts should have left you comatose for the next hundred hours.

DOCTOR
Maybe he was a rotten shot? Is the Orkas still at Catch Stations?

FELLBRY
No. Obviously.

DOCTOR
Good, then I’ve got time. Symmetry!

FELLBRY
What?

DOCTOR
Symmetry! That’s what’s happening. Something else is generating a time field at roughly the same frequency as the TARDIS, which is why it’s jamming. Now, where would you find another time machine at the end of the 46th century?

FELLBRY
I don’t know. And I don’t particularly care.

DOCTOR
Of course, Ghaleens are rumored to have the ability to shift out of their own time stream, and while its never been definitively proved one way or another, they’ve never proved a hazard for TARDISes before.

FELLBRY
TARDISes?

DOCTOR
Well, mine is an old model. The zeiton ore might not be run in yet, but she shouldn’t have broken down. You’re not following me are you?

FELLBRY
No I’m not. And frankly, since you’ve put at risk my pay and the lives of thousands, I’m not particularly inclined to follow you. On top of that, you don’t even have the common decency to be something that the medi-computer recognizes as life!

DOCTOR
It’s not my fault if your equipment lacks imagination!

They both break off as the door slides back and Juras and the Chief stagger in, carrying Peri who is now unconscious. Fellbry rushes over to them, and the Doctor follows, not immediately seeing who they are carrying.

FELLBRY
What’s happened?

CHIEF
Don’t you keep up with the memos, Fellbry? There’s a Tuthon aboard, it slashed her on the right ankle, the venom’s in the system and she’s already in a coma.

DOCTOR
Her name’s Peri. Help her.

FELLBRY
A Tuthon?! Never mind. When was the infection?

CHIEF
Four, maybe five minutes ago.

FELLBRY
Then the poison isn’t at full potency.

DOCTOR
I SAID HELP HER!!

FELLBRY
Look, you colour-blind cretin...

The Doctor grabs the arm, still speaking with unnerving cam.

DOCTOR
My friend is dying from this venom he mentioned. So we need to extract that venom. Now you are going to tell me how that is possible with whatever primitive junk you laughably claim as modern medicine.

Fellbry is intimidated.

FELLBRY
We need a cell modifier.

DOCTOR
Then get one. NOW.

FELLBRY
Will do. Keep out my way while I use it.

He shoves the Doctor aside and heads for a special bed unit. There is scanning apparatus on either side. A rectangular-shaped device is fitted so it will sweep back and forth, up and down the bed. The Chief dumps Peri on the bed.

JURAS
Is there anything we can do?

FELLBRY
Get back to work.

The Chief arches his eyebrows and wanders off, waggling his fingers and going ‘Oooooh!’ as he leaves. Juras hangs around. He turns and notices the Doctor is already connecting up the cables to Peri’s arms and legs. He glares at him and then attaches the remaining cable to the forehead.

FELLBRY
You are a doctor then?

DOCTOR
THE Doctor. Whether or not I can compete your immense expertise remains to be seen.

FELLBRY
One way to find out.

Fellbry activates a control. There is a painful, loud buzzing whir. Peri jerks and convulses as if being given an electric shock. She slumps, still. The scanner slowly glides over her, shining a bright blue light down on her as it moves.


9. INT. ORKAS CORRIDOR (DAY)

Manus staring eyes are finally covered as the body-bag is zipped up. She is on a trolley which is then wheeled away by two crewmembers. Jackson watches it go. Stennar is beside him, and a security guard has a blaster aimed at the hatch.

JACKSON
What will you do?

STENNAR
Put her in the freezer – erm, cold storage. Just until we get back to Livinthian.

JACKSON
You won’t make her into food, will you?

STENNAR
What? No!

JACKSON
I mean, if we don’t catch the Pilot...

STENNAR
We won’t. Now, about this creature.

JACKSON
Tuthon.

STENNAR
First catch your whale hunter. You’re sure it’s a Tuthon?

JACKSON
The Chief is.

STENNAR
And that’s good enough, is it?

JACKSON
Yes! He was in the Allied Whaler Corp.

STENNAR
The one that sort of ended before the first trip was over?

JACKSON
Yeah.

STENNAR
The one that sort of turned into a massacre when the Tuthons decided to eat the humans instead of help catch the whales?

JACKSON
Could be.

STENNAR
The one where only security camera tapes showed what happened to the crew?

JACKSON
Possibly.

STENNAR
The one where there were no living survivors?

JACKSON
Very likely.

STENNAR
You don’t see a problem with that logic?

JACKSON
He was a consultant on the job. He got right up close with the Tuthons before he left. He went back to Livinthian, he said it was a bad job and would go wrong.

STENNAR
Right. So your eye witness conveniently avoided a bloodbath that also got rid of anyone and anything that could possibly contradict him?

JACKSON
Do you want to take the risk, Production Controller?

He puts venom into the title which makes Stennar look away. She then heads down the corridor, away from the guard. Jackson follows.

STENNAR
If Multi-Global find out one of those goblins got aboard, we could be finished.

JACKSON
Could we?

STENNAR
The Tuthons are our main competitor. And considering we’re up against every trigger-happy bounty hunter and warlord that thinks they could take out a space-whale, the Tuthons are a very serious problem. For all we know there could be more down there.

JACKSON
Then the answer’s simple.

STENNAR
For YOU to know the answer, it would have to be.

JACKSON
Are you interested?

STENNAR
Go on.

JACKSON
We close all the hatches, reverse the polarity of the vacuum system. The Tuthon and anything else in the pipes will be sucked straight into the vats.

STENNAR
That will prove messy.

JACKSON
Messes can be cleaned. Multi-Global won’t mind about some muck on the blades.

Stennar nods thoughtfully.

STENNAR
The Chief’s idea?

JACKSON
You can tell?

STENNAR
Well, let’s do it then.

Stennar heads off. Jackson smiles happily.

JACKSON
This could be the start of a beautiful friendship...

- to be continued...