Post by Avatar on Aug 31, 2019 22:38:32 GMT
The standard shooting script is an unreadable format for most people so this was written in the format of a stage play.
Criticism is welcome. The production notes will follow as soon as I figure out how a community college can stage this thing.(AS I DESIGNED IT). Please note that this play is written as a stage or small film production of Battlestar Galactica.
This exercise was just to prove that a stage drama of Battlestar Galactica is writable, folks. It is not Shakespeare, but it is not soap opera either.
Frank
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Requiem;
By *************(Copyright 2006)
Cast;
Of the Pegasus(CVBS77);
Commander(Admiral) of the Pegasus(CVBS)TG 77.2.1 (Nelena or Nelsus)Cain
Captain of the Pegasus;Captain Herodotus Caman
CAG of the Pegasus; Captain Tyro Glen
Commander Viper Squadron [Blue]; Pegasus; Captain Sheba Cain
Chief of Marines: Pegasus; Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Ensign Bartimus (Cluster) Crabbe.
Doctor Archet
Marine/technician 1 Thoma
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Marine/technician 3 Croftus
Marine/technician 4 Horati
Of the Phoenix(DDG104)
Captain of the Phoenix(DDG104);Captain Noretu Osbor
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright
OOD; Shuttle pilot; Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Condemned Suicide Party
Hassel Petry; communications expert
Lara Petry; operations expert
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker
Tien Thee; explosives expert
Staius Livius; survivalist
Cylons;
Gold Cylon # 1
Cylon 1
Cylon 2
Cylon 3
Cylon 4
Traitors;
Doctor Ravidge
Davidus Hastur
Mindless Clones as needed
First Act
Act 1; Scene 1
Setting, the bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens and desks, set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right, set obliquely so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment looking forward. At stage rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards, as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to director]
Most of your action takes place around this table. You are free to block the stage direction as you see fit, but just remember that the central table is a plotter/projector navigation table of the ship's tactical situation. The actors look down into it(the audience(camera) does not see what the actor's see as they describe to each other what they see and what they propose to do about it.
Technician 2nd Class Selene Spright; Sir! Artemus reports by TBS, a positive tylium hit.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Where? How? We're in the middle of a WIMP desert. There shouldn't be any dark matter within a hundred years of us!
Technician 2nd Class Selene Spright; By your leave, Sir. Artemus sends us compressed data.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Need to log this report, Call the Captain?
Technician 2nd Class Selene Spright; I would, Sir. More about the hit......It is bearing 275, our baseline vector at 130 azimuth.
Marine/Technician 1 Thoma; That would be Drone Number Three, Sir. I can patch through Artemus' telemetry and get a repeater if you need it.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Relay it to the plotter. Let's see if we have a ghost; or if this is answer to our prayers.
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; On the plotter, now.
[The writer behind the plexiglass screen plots a vector from the center of the compass in a bold arrow, that leads from the center of the compass to the outside lower right quadrant, as the compass faces the audience. The plotter writes 275/130 R? along the arrow. This should be fairly accurate; but since the audience(camera) is too far away to see the accuracy of the plot, it should be just good enough to give the idea, that the tylium source is behind, starboard, and above the Phoenix.
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Act 1; Scene 2
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles, and screens; and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there, and across the plexiglass plotting screen to hide that from view.]
[Note to director]
You can have as many Cylon[See production notes] extras as you want to dress out the command center, but the only speaking actors should be the indicated dialog parts. The rest of the Cylons should busywork themselves fiddling silently with buttons and levers. Ravidge, unless indicated otherwise, is either seated on the throne, or is near it, as if it is a thing he possesses.
Ravidge;[to Cylon 2] Are you sure that you detected a wormhole inflation?
Cylon 2; What did you misunderstand, Human? Did I not tell you this?
Ravidge(going to a display and looking at it.) Damn your eyes!(He may look at a Cylon as its eye sweeps back and forth) I can't tell from this monitor what direction it is. Adjust it!(The Cylon at the display fiddles with some knobs.)
Cylon 2; Human weakness.
Ravidge; Shut up! I need to see this, you tin buffoon. Ah, that's better. To anti-spinward and below us. Just as I predicted to your idiot masters.......(He walks over to Cylon 2 and pats him on the cheek.) What would you, Toasters, do without me?
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Act 1; Scene 3
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big plotter table that we see used on the bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot throughout the play.
Cain; Its a trap.
Captain Herodotus Caman; How can you say that?
Cain (Looks at handheld) This is a tachyon desert. No dark matter either. Yet out of nowhere, Artemus gets a tylium read from one of her drones? I know Archet is a miracle worker, and he told us that this B class star would be a WIMP source, but.........
Captain Herodotus Caman(looks at his watch); Speaking of Archet, he's late, again.
Doctor Archet enters; This is incredible... The power! Why with such a projector, I could solve the....
Cain; Doctor Archet?
Doctor Archet(Pays attention to the two Colonial officers present.) Oh sorry. I was reading the data from Artemus' Probe Number Three. Astonishing. She sent this before she was corked.
Captain Herodotus Caman; The Artemus?
Doctor Archet(Looking befuddled); No, Of course not! Probe Number Three. .
Cain smiles. What news did Probe Number Three send us, Doctor, before she was ^corked^ ?
Doctor Archet(Going into his ^lecture before the mentally handicapped^ mode) Simple enough, Admiral. The probe jumped into the target system, as I planned; and made a run in on the star, on a galactic north/south anti-spinward parabola.(Archet shows this with his hands and makes whooshing sound to illustrate the path the probe took.)
Cain(gently chiding); All good, Doctor, but what did the probe send back?
Doctor Archet;(becomes serious) It sent back this.(Hands over his handheld to Cain.)
Cain reads aloud; From Artemus. Fourth planet WIMP concentration detected. Probe Three changed course to flyby. Tylium confirmed present in 3% matrix dilution. Probe destroyed by particle beam fire. Analysis indicates planet fortified by close-orbiting gun satellites......Presumed Colonial technology from the particle distribution spall.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Why those dirty bastards.
Cain; You're learning, Herodotus. The Machines aren't stupid. They had to be driving us toward something.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Kind of an expensive trap, using and losing three basestars.
Doctor Archet; Machine logic, Captain. They herd you into a fuel desert, then they run you combat-ragged; until you have to refuel. Naturally, the Machines have staked out the only tylium source in the whole region. If you assault the tylium supply, and the Cylons lose it? They blow that world, and notify their brothers where we are, and we? We are stranded. The Cylon pursuers bring in as many Machines as they need, and they kill all of us. Simple Machine Logic.
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Act 1; Scene 4
Setting; Hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, (except for a Cylon vehicle if you can arrange it). If you cannot manage the Cylon vehicle, then play the scene without it.
[Note to the director]
Once again, you can use whatever Cylon extras you need to dress out the stage. These are armed with rifles. There are ^clones^(obviously humanoid) which are workers. These march across the stage at irregular intervals carrying tools. The indication should be that these clones are the worker ants to a tylium ore processing factory-hive.
Gold Cylon # 1; Report.
Cylon 2; The Colonial drone approached within one tenth of a second, before we attained a fire solution. It is certain that we were detected.
Gold Cylon #1; Did you send off the contact report?
Cylon 2; Yes.
Gold Cylon #1; Are you certain that our own preparations are complete?
Cylon 2: Yes. As instructed; solonite charges are set in the tylium dumps. Query?
Gold Cylon #1; Proceed.
Cylon 2; Why do we risk the destruction of so much valuable refined fuel? We have this world heavily defended, thanks to the Human traitor, Ravidge. The Colonials cannot possibly risk a full-fledged assault upon this place. Our guns outrange theirs, and they dare not risk destabilizing so much dark matter. The explosion would destroy everything within this star system. It is not logical.
Gold Cylon #1; Humans do not deal in logic. They deal in need. We exploit this. The traitor, Ravidge, needed us to build his particle projector; so that he could satisfy his curiosity concerning why top spin quarks wobble, while bottom spin quarks do not. The Colonials of the Pegasus fleet, now, need fuel. So, they will ignore the immutable logic of their situation; which is to submit to us, and hope for survival. They act instead, in defiance, on their need.
Cylon 2; How long do you intend to allow the traitor, Ravidge, to live?
Gold Cylon #1; Until I get Pegasus.
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Act 1 Scene 5
Setting; Wardroom aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise. there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set(camera shot) to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera/POV, as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons.]
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough, to show the audience what is going on in the play as it progresses.
Cain(Sitting at the head of the table, looks down into tabletop, as if the admiral is peering into a well of space.); It is a blue-white B class star. The tylium is on the fourth planet. That planet has the thickest belt of gun satellites I've ever seen. And we need that fuel. I'm open to suggestions, gentlemen?
Captain Tyro Glen; We war-gamed a standard assault, Admiral. It doesn't work. Even if we jump in on top of them, a dozen of those gunsats will skewer us like a Geminese magician doing a sword trick.
Cain; Well, Mister, what do you suggest?
Doctor Archet(interrupting) These gunsats may be Colonial particle beam weapon platforms, but the layout is Cylon. Three distinct discrete layers, like an onion. If that is Cylon true, then, I bet my school key, that it is a Cylon control logic governing the defense. They will have a central command..........
Captain Tyro Glen; So what are you suggesting, Doc?
Ensign Bartimus Crabbe; With respect, Sir, he's suggesting that we take the command center, and thereby knock out the satellite defense system.
Captain Tyro Glen(Looking at Gideon(Hacksaw)Johren); A commando raid?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(Obviously annoyed at the CAG); That could be possible. I have to assume that the raid party is expendable, so it will be a volunteer mission.
(Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron goes over to the plexiglass plot screen, and he unrolls and puts up a rolled transparency of the tylium planet, that he picks up from the conference table. He marks an X on the transparency.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That is where the Artemus probe RDFed the most transmissions from the planet. So that is where I expect the tin-heads put their command bunker. Idiots don't disperse. Here is where the tylium dumps are. (He draws this) I guarantee, that they are mined. So we have to sneak in, and knock out two objectives; the satellite command, and the detonation master control.(He draws this on the planet map.) .
Cain; Very well. Mister Johron, you will handle the planet-side details. Mister Tyro, I expect you, to find a way, to get that raid party in. If we can defuse the Cylon mines, and turn off the satellites, we can close-orbit the planet with the Artemus, and rail-gun the Toasters dirt-side from altitude. Kinetics. We get the fuel......
Doctor Archet; And those lovely particle projectors.......
Cain; My thoughts exactly.....
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End of Act 1
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Second Act
Act 2; Scene 1
Setting; Brig of the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Set the stage, as if you were looking through a fourth ^force-wall^ from the audience(camera) point of view, into a box of a prison compartment. It may be possible to have the toilet/sink combination on the back of the brig cell wall, a pair of steel bunk beds(left), and a bench(right) as furnishings. If you can mange it, have a pull down table next to the toilet, as a common eating work area, the four prisoners share.
[Note to director]
Block the scene as needed. The Colonials segregate prisoners by gender, but not rank, so this cell contains only men. {Dress the prisoners in single-color jump-suits with socks and sandals.}. These four have been thrown together, just within the following hour, and they don't really know each other, or why they are together. They are all condemned men.]
Hassel Petry; Hey you. Ledon Thoma! I know you. You were one of Caman's golden-boys. Couldn't find a Cylon system you couldn't crack. What did you do? Try to run your numbers on the Admiral's daughter?
Ledon Thoma([who is a powerful man for a geek] jumps on Hassel Petrey. It takes the combined efforts, of the other two condemned men, to pull Ledon Thoma off Hassel Petry.).
Tien Thee; That's enough! Save your breath! You'll need it when they put us out through the airlock! We know why they have us. We don't need to satisfy individual curiosities.
(The four of them turn, when they hear a door open(sound effect), to see an armed party of one officer, and three guards[enter stage/shot left] approach the front of their cell. This party is led by Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe, the ensign we saw from the command conference in Act 1; Scene 5)
Staius Livius; Well if it isn't ^Buster^ come to see us off! Crashed any Vipers, lately, Sir?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; No thanks to you, Staius. That number you did on my auto-pilot was cute.
Staius Livius; Well I try to do good works, when I can.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe motions to the guards, and the Guards draw pistols. Marine/technician 2 Bellam moves stage right to a wall-lever outside the ^presumed^ force-wall. He pulls the lever down. [sound effect of switch] The force-wall is off.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; You four are condemned men. Its out the airlock for the lot of you.
Tien Thee; Yeah.Yeah. Without a pressure suit. We know the jokes. Only thing, Ensign(said with a sneer), it isn't our scheduled time to go. I still have seven ship days and my appeal to work through.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Forget the appeal, Tien. You blew that compartment out, and Admiral Cain knows it. The Admiral can't wait to get rid of you. If you wanted to commit suicide, why didn't you cut yourself shaving?
Tien Thee; You wouldn't understand.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; I don't need to. You four are all running out of time. But......
Hassel Petry(perking up); But what? You offering us a way out? I heard a rumor.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Yes, a way. Likely you'll foul it up and die, but you could make it. If you four want to. It means you put your selves in my hands and do what you are told.(Crabbe looks at Hassel Petrey)
Hassel Petrey; I read you loud and clear.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Sir.
Hassel Petry, Tien Thee, and Staius Livius say together; Sir.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; What is the matter with him? (pointing to Ledon Thoma)
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; Thats my brother, sir. He's mute.(Marine/Technician 1 signs to his brother. Ledon Thoma nods his head once in a firm yes.)
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; He understands, Sir.
Hassel Petry; Uh, Sir, I don't know if I mentioned this, but my wife......
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe: Already selected, Hassel. We needed somebody with BRAINS.
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Act 2; Scene 2
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Same set up as previous for Cain's quarters. If there is the plexiglass plotting board, then show the transparency of the planet Murado, seen from Act 1 Scene 5. The words ^Aero-shell insertion 1^ with arrows indicating the primary and secondary drop objectives on the planet Murado near the two X's that Gideon Johron drew should be boldly marked and labelled There should be a meal laid out for two people.
[Note to the director]
This is the setup for the raid. The two actors should do this as one continuous read, sitting over their dinner. they can improvise the conversation as they eat. Lara Petry wears the same prison garb as the condemned men. Cain is in full Colonial dress uniform.
Cain; What do you think of the plan?
Lara Petry; Tyro Glen never could plan an operation. You don't want to risk the Peg on a run like this. You wouldd be better off, using either the Artemus, or the Phoenix. They can jump in danger-close, release kinetic ordnance on a flyby, like you meant it, and we can ride the aero-shells in, with the ordnance garbage. The Cylons will think we are the decoys, and ignore us; while they shoot the real stuff out of the sky.
Cain; I thought about that, but won't the Toasters assume that we wouldn't risk nuclear warheads, for fear that the radioactives will set off the tylium?
Lara Petry; I'm no explosives expert, but doesn't the Peg use sandcaster missiles to break up Cylon massed-missile attacks? Use sandcasters as a wide area kinetic munition?
Cain(laughing); You've talked to Tien. Yes, we can do that. A sandcaster when it hits the ground? It would produce a surface effect, not to dissimilar from rail-gun bombardment. The Cylons would have to engage the missiles.
Lara Petry; Mines. If we are going to make this idiots' plan work, the warheads have to be ballistic mines. If the Cylons see missiles; they'll shoot at everything incoming!
Cain; You really think so?
Lara Petry; I know so.
They eat for a brief while.
Lara Petry; About the aero-shells?
Cain: Three of them. Two of them will contain the raid parties along with the gear you'll need to survive on the planet. The third will contain the land-ram and the heavy weapons.
Lara Petry; Have to change that. So the Vulcanus is turning out three ^boulders^ that we can fly down to the planet?
Cain; Yes. One will be flown by Ensign Crabbe. The second will be flown by a Lieutenant Charus Hevo. I don't know him. He's a volunteer from the Phoenix. And the third will be flown by my daughter.
Lara Petry; I know Hevo. There's no Warrior braver or better.
Cain; That's good to know. Tell me, Lara. Why did you ever marry a scoundrel like Hassel Petry?(Cain indicates Lara's prisoner garb)
Lara Petry; I was an idiot, Admiral, and I was in love.
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Act 2; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigator/plotter table and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles and screens and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2; is now the Cylons have installed their own version of the plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
Carried forward from Act 1, Scene 2
The Centurion event-plotting extra should be plainly visible, so that the audience can see him plot the Cylon side of the battle; as the actors act out the scene. Blocking should be such; so that the audience/camera POV should be un-obstructed.
Ravidge(enters [stage/camera] left and hurries toward his throne.); Why did you wait, so late, to call me? (He swings the throne around as he sits in it; to face and see the plexiglass plotting board. He is mostly in profile as he oversees the unfolding) battle.)
Cylon 3(At the nearest Cylon workstation to the throne); Outer satellites detected two wormhole inflation events, fifteen minutes ago. Two maneuvering objects inbound. IFF radio challenge rejected. Objects tracked at one tenth photonic measured interval.
Ravidge; One tenth the speed of light? Kinetics.... Do you have a mass on the objects? Well do you, you fool?
Cylon 3; Objects do not register on mass discriminators.
Ravidge; Space vessels and small rocks, then. For a moment I thought that might have been.......
Gold Cylon #1(enters [stage/camera right] followed by Cylon 2); Might have been what, traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge (stands); I dislike when you call me that!
Cylon 2; The question asked, has not been answered. You were about to say?
Ravidge; That it is Cain.
Gold Cylon #1; You see the information? (He points to the various Centurions working.[stage/camera left].). The signal returns show objects too small to be a battlestar.(He does not address Ravidge as he says this. His comments are aimed at Centurion 2)
Cylon 2; Traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge(reluctantly leaves his throne and goes along the Cylon work stations. He picks up a handheld device from a Cylon work station he approaches, that he uses, to help him to change the Cylon instrumentation readings to something that his human senses can interpret).
Ravidge; Why two wormholes? One of them is obviously inbound to pass us here in a close flyby. That one is a parabola. Conforms to that probe I destroyed three weeks ago.(He looks directly at Gold Cylon #1 as he says this) This other one is a hyperbola? No, it can't be!
Cylon 3; Updating the inbounds. First object will close approach in two minutes.
(The Centurion, plotting the approach of the objects, should draw two plain bold tracks coming in parallel to the planet Murado. As the tracks come closer, the first track should describe a hyperbola. The track that follows behind should be a parabola.)
Ravidge; This is why you need me, Goldie. I see the plan, now. The plan is simple. The attackers send two ships. One carries kinetics, and the other is a recon bird. This is Cain. He's probing us. Apparently I killed his first probe, before it sent back anything useful! He tests our defenses, before he risks his precious Pegasus to my satellites' tender mercies.
Gold Cylon #1; You suggest that the hyperbolic ship is a bomber? That is not possible. Cain wants the tylium. Nuclear weapons would destabilize the fuel, rendering it worthless.
Cylon 2; Traitor Ravidge suggests kinetics, Leader One. Perhaps he believes that the bomber will release guided impactors, intended to hit this command center?
Gold Cylon #1; Impossible. The Colonials are unable to hit anything at one tenth fraction of photonic velocity interval.
Ravidge; Neither can you, Cylons. Aha! Cain you are a clever devil.(Ravidge returns to his throne, and sits with a flourish,) If you will just stand and watch, Goldie, I'll show you how a Human handles this little problem, while you, Cylons, debate among yourselves, how impossible it is for us, Humans, to hit anything at a tenth of the speed of light.
Cylon 3; Updating.
(Now the Centurion, plotting the two tracks on the plexiglass, should draw a big bold arrow from the ^bomber^ to the planet, Murado, and print ^mines^.)
Ravidge; That is conventional enough, Cain. Rods from the gods. The Quorum outlawed that, but you wouldn't care, would you? DRADIS will discriminate those in about thirty seconds, and then you'll see what my satellites can do, Cain.(Ravidge is lost in himself as he renders this soliloquy. All the Cylons are silent, either working in obedience to Ravidge's orders; or in the case of Gold Cylon #1, and Centurion 2 watching.)
Cylon 3; Updating.
(The Centurion, plotting the attack on the plexiglass plotting board, draws the bold arrow intersecting the planet, Murado.)
Ravidge; Fire-plan six. Wait until the range is one thirtieth of a second, then cluster-fire at the strongest target-echoes. Sustained tracking fire; as the targets pass through the outer, and middle satellite belts.
Ravidge; COMMENCE!
Cylon 3; By your command!
Ravidge(grinning); Brace yourself, Goldie! There are going to be leakers at the fringes!.
([sound effects of explosions] Cylons, not seated, stumble and fall in response to a particularly loud explosion.[darken scene lighting to indicate power loss.]).
Gold Cylon #1; Restore power and communications at once!
Cylon 3; By your command!
([Re-light the scene with subdued light] Various fallen Cylons should stand up.)
Ravidge;(looking at the ceiling) Hah! Nice try, Cain! I'm still here, you bastard!
Gold Cylon #1; What happened, traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge(Looking at his handheld) Well, you just lost your primary airfield, and most of your Raiders. Your alpha legion barracks, and presumably your alpha legion, is gone; and they got the powerplant. I told you to disperse your assets. But, you are Cylons.
Gold Cylon #1; Disaster.
Ravidge; Nonsense. The tylium dumps, and this command post remain. Your beta legion is intact. We have our own power supply. We have positive satellite communication and control. We've been scratched, but we aren't hurt.
Gold Cylon #1; Loss of a Centurion legion and a Raider cohort is not ^being hurt^?
Ravidge; No. Not if it proves my point.
Cylon 2; Which is traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge; If it had been up to you, you would have lost this command center, Goldie. That spread. those impactors, that were thrown at us: Cain carefully orchestrated to make you disperse my satellite's fire. You would protect the installations, to the east of us. CAIN aimed his kinetics, to hide what you would have considered artillery longs and shorts around those sites. You would miss completely, that some of those longs were deliberately aimed at US. I didn't. I sacrificed, what was necessary, to keep the fuel and this base, intact. As long as we have those two items, Cain has to bring Pegasus here to get the fuel. He needs his Vipers to clear out the satellites. If he tries, he dies.
Gold Cylon #1; Traitor Ravidge. I know, that you let the targets be destroyed, to prove that you are essential. That was your deliberate choice. I continue to let you live, despite this, to serve the Cylon Empire. That is my choice. Remember that.
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Act 2; Scene 4
Setting; The Bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens, and desks set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right; set obliquely, so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment, looking forward. At stage rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen, that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, so that the actors do not obstruct the plexiglass plotting board. The Colonial technician, who plots the battle, should use the same marking conventions that were used in Act 1 Scene 5.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Take us out of here. Rotate, and set us on the planned outbound; bearinjg 110, azimuth 036, Mister.
Marine/technician 1{Thoma wears a helmet to disguise his face}; Sir, Aye. Aye. 110 by 036. Three minutes to entry.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; Sir, we have a confirmed contact of Moffitt One.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Any word on Two and Three?
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; No Sir.
Captain Noretu Osbor; It is too soon for Moffitt One. They must be off course. Mistress Spright, I need a contact confirmation on the others.(He looks down into the navigation/plotter table to check on the Phoenix's position.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; Sir, I cannot report, what I do not have.
(There is about a half minute as the Colonial technician replays on the plexiglass plotting screen, what we saw played out in the Cylon command bunker on the planet, Murado, in Act 2; Scene 3. During the wait; at irregular intervals Technician 2 gives a running commentary )
Marine/technician 2(Bellam wears a helmet to disguise his face): Kinetics entering gunsat kill-fire zone........... The satellites use clustered continuous fire, Sir.......................... They concentrate fire on the center of our groupings................... Tracking confirms................................... The defense is letting the fringe masses through, concentrating on the center of the spread.........................................Damage assessment.....................Bright flashes we see at target Cylon objectives, Nimbus and Stratus, presumed destroyed..............Objective Cumulus, secondary explosion..............Aero-shells in the atmosphere....................We have lost their tracks..............................No contact
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; The Cylon command center is off the air!(Cheers on the bridge.)
Captain Noretu Osbor; Belay that! They will be back up shortly. Try to contact the Moffitts, Mistress Spright.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; Plasma sheath, Sir. Ionization makes radio impossible. We're going too fast; and they're braking too hard.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Frak.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; The Cylons are back up.
Marine/technician 2(Bellam wears a helmet to disguise his face); Secondary spall falling. Confirmed. We wiped out their airbase. Confirmed powerplant hit. Confirmed at least one barracks complex destroyed..
Captain Noretu Osbor(says to self in almost a prayer); Thank the gods. We did better than I hoped.
Technician 1(Thoma wears a helmet to disguise his face); Sir, Wormhole inflation.
Captain Neretu Osbor; Take us through, Mister.
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Act 2; Scene 5
Setting; Hillside on the planet, Murado
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen.(This backdrop can be used for the following two scenes, as well, as you can variate its look with stage or setting foliage; so that the audience/camera sees a different scene dressed each time.). The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, (except for a Colonial aero-shell[stage/camera left] smoking if you can arrange it. It should have the War of the Worlds lander feel to it. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present using harmless FX stage smoke blown in stage/camera left )
[Note to the director]
Once again you use (two) Colonial extras you need to dress out the scene. They move into and out of action [stage/camera left] carrying supplies which they pile up at irregular intervals. The Colonials are dressed for planetary combat with camouflaged uniforms. They are armed with rifles and pistols[see props notes].
(Two Marines pile up the supplies out of the crashed aero-shell, Moffitt 1)
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Crashed party of Moffitt 1
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Moffitt 1
Captain Sheba Cain
Marine/technician 1 Thoma
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Hassel Petry; communications expert(off scene/cammera)
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker(off scene/camera)
******************************************************************************
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; Is the Captain all right? The Admiral will kill us, if anything happens to his daughter.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; I presume she can speak for herself, Sarge.
Captain Sheba Cain(limping badly; enters stage left); Thanks for your concern, guys. Where are we?
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; I have no idea.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(looks reproachfully at Thoma); Begging your pardon, Madam, but are not you the conductor, for this little trip?
Captain Sheba Cain; That's true. Did the cargo make it?
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; I have not checked. Do you want me to wake them up?
Captain Sheba Cain; Not yet. First, I have to find out where we are. Then, I have to find out, if the others made it.
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; We should have come down together.
Captain Sheba Cain; That is enough, Sergeant. You may lead the assault element, but I still command. We work with what we find, not with what we should. Save the after-the-facts, for the review; if we live to see it. Now what do we have?
Marine/technician 2 Bellam;(Paws through pile of supplies, so far piled up.) We have the water purifier, field rations for three days, our personal weapons, the clothes we wear, a set of field glasses, charges for the pistols and rifles, one radio. (Shrugs) Most of the stuff was tossed, and jumbled; when you dodged that Cylon missile, Madam.)
Captain Sheba Cain; Could not be helped. At least the shot we traveled in with, hit the missile battery, before it radioed a contact report.
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; We hope.
Captain Sheba Cain(glaring); I said that was enough, Mister.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; Okay, Sarge. I really need help in getting the rest of the stuff out of the shell.......(Looks significantly at Captain Sheba Cain).
Captain Sheba Cain; That makes sense. I'll go to the top of the hill, and see if I can take a sighting. You, two, finish off the salvage, and then I will decide what we do next. First, the position fix.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(digs through the supplies again and produces a sextant; Here is the sextant, Madam.)
Captain Sheba Cain; Thanks, Corporal. Ancient, but reliable. I just hope we are close enough to the Cylon command bunker.
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Act 2; Scene 6
Setting; Another hillside on the planet Murado
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen for this; and the following scenes. The rest of the stage/camera shot is bare, (except for a Colonial aero-shell[stage/camera right] smoking; if you can arrange it. It should have the War of the Worlds lander feel to it. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present, using harmless FX stage smoke blown in stage/camera right.).
[Note to the director]
Once again you use (two) Colonial extras you need to flesh out the scene. They move into and out of action [stage/camera right] carrying supplies which they pile up at irregular intervals. The Colonials are dressed for planetary combat with camouflaged uniforms. They are armed with rifles and pistols[see props notes].
(Two colonial Marines enter stage/camera right. They wear ruck-sacks, and are in march order. One of them carries a device that looks like a radio-locator. The Colonial Pilot, who immediately follows them, has his pistol drawn, He is carrying a map case. Two condemned men follow him. They have rucksacks; and are uniformed, as the Marines; but significantly, neither of them are armed.)
******************************************************************************
Crashed party Moffitt 3
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Marine/technician 3 Croftus;
Marine/technician 4 Horati;
Tien Thee; explosives expert;
Staius Livius; survivalist;
************************************************************
Tien Thee; You had to drop the mortar in the river, when we unloaded, didn't you?
Staius Livius; Not my fault!
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(turns around and reaches into his map case. The two condemned men promptly stagger and fall to the ground; as if they've been hit with a jolt of electricity, which they have been.); I'm tired of treating you, two, like lab mice. Start behaving like men, or you will not survive this little jaunt.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; Sir, I hate to interrupt your morale lesson, but I think we landed dead onto the objective.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo Are you sure, Sergeant?
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; That is the aero-shell's neutrino signal. Signal bearing that a way.(Points offstage/outcamera left). That must be the landram.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; How far?
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; At our pace? About an hour's walk.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; I'll scout ahead, Sir. If I find it is Moffitt Two, I will bring them here. Save you the hike.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(shakes his head); I sit on my butt, too much, as it is. We go together.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus(slaps Horati on the back jovially); I told you, he was Marine Material!(Grins at Charus Hevo) Shall we go collect our taxi, Sir?(Flourishes the invitation with a hand gesture).
Tien Thee(interrupting); I hate to annoy you, heroes, but how am I supposed to blow up the Cylon detonator master control; or eliminate the command bunker, without the mortar?(Glares at Stavius Livius)
Staius Livius; Yeah. What he said.(Points at Tien Thee)
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(good mood broken); Come on, mice. If the Sergeant, or I don't have any ideas; I suggest you come up with some of your own. There is no way off this mud-ball, unless we accomplish the mission. I do not expect you to understand that Staius, but Tien can explain it to you. No way off. Now on your feet!
(The Marines, the Pilot, and the condemned men gather their gear, and themselves, march offstage/offcamera right. Tien Thee, and Staius Livius complain in whispers; about the loads they carry as they march.)
Staius Livius; What do you have in these packs Tien? Rocks?
Tien Thee; Solonite.
Staius Livius; Solonite!?!?!?
Tien Thee; Yeah, Solonite in the mortar rounds.
Staius Livius; Are you out of your mind?
Tien Thee; I sure am! Now shut up. I'm thinking.
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Act 2; Scene 7
Setting; Yet another hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen.(This backdrop can be used from the preceding two scenes, as you can variate its look with stage, or setting foliage; so that the audience/camera sees a different scene dressed this time.). The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, (except for a Colonial aero-shell[stage/camera left] smoking; if you can arrange it. It should have the War of the Worlds lander feel to it. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present using harmless FX stage smoke blown in from stage/camera left.)
[Note to the director]
The three actors should be made up, as if they have fought and lost a fire. They should have nothing with them except for the clothes they wear, their packs, and their weapons. One of them carries a radio.
Three Colonials, the Pilot, the condemned woman, and the Marine; stagger from the thick smoke stage/camera left. They are the party from crashed aero-shell; Moffitt 2.);
******************************************************************************
Crashed party of Moffitt 2;
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe
Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Lara Petry operations expert
Davidus Hastur; clone expert and traitor(Captured and added to the Moffitt 2 party)
*****************************************************************************
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; I screwed up.
Lara Petry; Its not your fault, Barty. Its mine.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron; With all due respect, Lara, it is his fault. He delayed using the decelerator, until it was too late. It overloaded and caught fire. That cost us our supplies the landram, and my squad of Marines. It almost cost us our own lives.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster) Crabbe; You seem real choked up about your Marines.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron(gently to the ensign, as he teaches him the facts of life.); This is not the time for me to mourn my men. I've got to figure out a way to get us to our objectives. I assume that we are the only survivors. Mourn later.
Lara Petry(Shakes her head); I made it too complex, I should have......
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron(shakes her); Listen to me! Listen to me!
Ensign Bartimus(Buster) Crabbe; Hush!(Grabs field glasses from his pack; as he hears the sound of an approaching vehicle and looks stage/camera right.); Hey!(He shoves the field glasses at Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron.); Is that?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron; Yes it is, Mister. THAT is a gift from the gods. A Cylon Chariot, complete with Centurions. Probably from that base to the east of us, that we saw corked, when we came in. Perimeter patrol? Well: if they are, they soon won't be.(He hands the field glasses to Laura Petry)
Laura Petry; They are stopping. The gunner is climbing out. There are the two drivers. There is the commander. He is silver. They have a Human with them! (She hands the field glasses to Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron. She stoops down and sketches upon the ground The audience/camera does not see what she draws. Ensign Bartimus Crabbe watches her with intense interest.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron; Typical Tin-heads. They are putting out solar panels. Means that their beamed power source is gone. Good for us. Their base is definitely dead. What is that man doing with them?
Lara Petry; Who cares? We kill him, if he gets in the way. Take him alive, and squeeze him for it, if we can. (She finishes drawing and stands up. Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron. and Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe look upon her with shock and disgust as she says this. Lara Petry notices.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; You just cannot kill him without cause.
Lara Petry(gives him the hard look); We most certainly can. I am not a nice person, Major; or have you forgotten WHY, I am here; or YOU?......(silence four beats) Now,(she points to the ground) here is my plan. Your input please?(She bends down to the ground where she drew her plan, along with Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron, and Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; to explain her plan); We hit them from the North and the East in a crossfire.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That works.
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End of Act 2
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Third Act
Act 3; Scene 1
Setting; Wardroom aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise, there should be the Plexiglass plot board in the back of the set/camera shot to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera POV. The conference table should have papers scattered across it; as if the meeting that just concluded, was messy and very heated.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough to show the audience what is going on in the play as it progresses. There are big question marks on the projected aero-shell landing sites that indicate to the audience/camera that the aero-shell's fates are uncertain.
(The two actors interact around the table.)
Cain;(Looking at the plexiglass plotting board.); I should have gone in with the Peg.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Are you serious? Trust the plan, Admiral.(He looks at the Plexiglass plotting board.) You do have a habit of charging in before the circumstances clear up. Petry knows what she is doing, and your daughter, Captain Cain, adapts well.
Cain; I should not have let her go.
Captain Herodotus Caman; That is the parent, not the Admiral talking.
Cain; What would you do?
Captain Herodotus Caman; Wait.
Cain; We need a plan for failure.
Captain Herodotus Caman; We have one.
Cain; Not that asteroid thing, again!
Captain Herodotus Caman; It all comes down to kinetics, Admiral.
Cain; You know what Doctor Archet said.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Yes, after the asteroid hits, it would be a year before we could exploit the tylium deposits. Forget about the refined fuel. Poof. Still, it is a plan.
Cain; Your stupid plan. I won't consider it.
Captain Herodotus Caman; I did not hear anything, better.(He waves at the papers on the table.)
Cain; I will wait, Captain. Doctor Archet may come up with something.
(Captain Herodotus Caman has won his argument, so we see him privately smile. The worried Admiral lets the parental concern show. The Admiral keeps looking at the Plexiglass plotting board.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting; Hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage/camera shot is bare, (except for a Cylon Chariot vehicle if you can arrange it. Otherwise use [sound effects of tank or truck] to indicate a vehicle in the vicinity ) Blow heavy F/X stage smoke across the stage/camera frame right.
[Note to the director]
Once again you can use whatever Cylon extras you need to dress out the stage. These are armed with rifles. There are ^clones^(obviously humanoid) which are workers. These march across the stage at irregular intervals carrying tools. The indication should be that these clones are the worker ants to a tylium ore processing factory-hive.
Gold Cylon #1; The traitor Ravidge allowed this to happen.
Cylon 1; Explain?
Gold Cylon #1; He allows our garrisons to die in the atack, but he preserves his toys; the cloned miners, and the satellites He demonstrates his superiority over us. He forgets the true situation, as he nourishes his ego.
Cylon 1; Kill him.
Gold Cylon #1; Not yet.
Cylon 1; Why not yet?
Gold Cylon #1; We do not, yet, understand the full integration control of his satellites.
Cylon 1; How many times must he load his programming algorithmn, before we have the copy?
Gold Cylon #1; Twice more before a final solution. Then you will kill him.
Cylon 1; With the knife. Human bleeding affects me in a positive fashion.
(Gold Cylon # 1 gives Cylon 1 the funny Cylon look. Something is not right here.)
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Act 3; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on the planet, Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigation/plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage/right consoles, and screens and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners, there, and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2, is now the Cylons have installed their own version of a plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/camera POV right), with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
Carried forward from Act 1, Scene 2
The Centurion event-plotting extra should be plainly visible, so that the audience can see him plot the Cylon side of the story; as the actors act out the scene. This time, a transparency of the Cylon command bunker, and the surrounding Cylon installations on a polar Mercator projection map, should be overlaid on the Plexiglass plotting board. Prominent X's should mark out the labelled airbase, the alpha legion barracks, and the Cylon powerplant to indicate their destroyed condition. There are three labelled circles indicating the two Cylon refined tylium fuel dumps, and the command bunker. Blocking should be such; so that the audience/camera POV should be un-obstructed.
Ravidge(sits on his throne and fumbles with his handheld. {the guy has a thing about thrones}); Where, the infernity, did that radio signal come from? Have you found the signal direction yet?
Cylon 3; Insufficient time to establish a fix.
Ravidge; Idiot. You just said, it came from the direction of the alpha legion base. Since there is no more alpha legion base, it is obviously coming from a non-Cylon source.
Cylon 3; The signal could be from one of our perimeter patrols.
Ravidge; Impossible, We have my satellite photos of the area. Nothing but craters and blown down trees. Nothing survives a Cain strike. Nothing.
Cylon 3; We survive.
Ravidge; Only, because I insured it.
Cylon 3; We have the signal source data.
Ravidge(gets up from his throne with his handheld, and walks over to Centurion 3's work station); Show me! He holds up his handheld, waiting for it to resolve the Cylon presentation, into something that his Human eyes can see.)
Cylon 3; It is Chariot 52, one of our perimeter patrols. It transmits a locator beacon signal.
Ravidge; A distress call? Well send out an aircraft to investigate.
Cylon 3; Impossible.
Ravidge; And why is that?
Cylon 3; The airbase is gone. We have your satellite photos of the area. Nothing but craters and blown down trees. Nothing survives a Cain strike. Nothing. Since there is no airbase, it is obviously impossible to send an aircraft to investigate.
Ravidge(in humiliated fury); Send out a Chariot! No, send out two Chariots. Make sure that the crews are heavily armed. I want to be sure.
Cylon 3; That will weaken the Satellite command bunker perimeter defense, below acceptable limits.
Ravidge; I do not have to explain myself to you, you tin-plated bread-browner! Every unknown is a threat! I want to know, what that Chariot 52 is doing, still intact.
Cylon 3; By your command.
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Act 3; Scene 4
Setting; The Bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens and desks set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right; set obliquely, so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment, looking forward. At stage rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen, that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards, as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, so that the actors do not obstruct the plexiglass plotting board. The Colonial technician, who plots the battle, should use the same marking conventions, that were used in Act 1; Scene 5. Use Colonial extras to dress out the scene at the work stations. Those, without lines, should work silently pushing buttons and levers.
(Captain Neretu Osbor, commander of the Phoenix paces the bridge, looking constantly at the plexiglass plot. There is a Mercator polar projection map, showing the Colonial viewpoint of the Cylon bases on the planet. The Captain studies it, and is worried.)
Captain Neretu Osbor; What the frak happened?(He looks at Selene Spright)
Technician Second Class Selene Spright(working with frustrated energy); I don't know, Sir. There was the one burst from Moffitt 2, then nothing. All I'm getting is radio from the Cylon command bunker, and that is low-powered. I think they are using their own site generators to power their transmitter.
(The Colonial technician plots three big question marks where the aero-shell landing sites are marked as squares labelled; Moffitt 1, Moffitt 2 , and Moffitt 3.
Marine/technician 2; (Bellam wears a helmet to hide his face) More strike analysis, Sir. We wiped out their airbase, completely. Nothing, Cylon, flies out of that place, anymore. The dam, that was their powerplant, is gone. So is the missile field that protected it. Moffitt 2 may have landed near there, off course.
Captain Neretu Osbor(eagerly); How do we know that? About Moffitt 2?
Technician Second Class Selene Spright([surprised] works her own station even harder.); I'm sorry, Sir. This information just came through ship's opticals...(She gives Marine/technician 2 Bellam an angry look, since the technician should have sent the information to her station; as she reported the current updates to the Captain)......Moffitt 2 flared. The pilot may have overloaded the aero-shell decelerator. Still no confirmation of a safe landing. But its landed to the North of where it should be.
Captain Neretu Osbor; If Crabbe wrecked Moffitt 2 by braking late, I'll skin him alive.(He continues pacing)
Technician Second Class Selene Spright(eagerly); Sir, I have Moffitt 3! Its a compressed transmission. I'm unpacking it now.
Captain Neretu Osbor; Eight hours old, this far out.....How soon before you have it in plain text?
Technician Second Class Selene Spright(confused); Its Colonial encrypted, and its on a Cylon carrier tight beam? Thirty minutes, Sir?
Captain Neretu Osbor; You have ten, Mistress Spright.
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Act 3; Scene 5
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big plotter table, that we see used on the Phoenix bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources, give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen, that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot, throughout the play.
Cain; Well. We know that Ensign Crabbe, and Lieutenant Hevo made it.
Captain Tyro Glen; Still no word about Sheba?
Cain; Nothing.
Doctor Archet; If those two knuckleheads made it, then Captain Cain landed safely. I am confident in the aero-shells we built; and she was perfect in the simulations.
Captain Tyro Glen; I should have specified fewer slugs and more decoys to Phoenix(Actual) in the insertion-plan.
Cain(Shakes head); Your guidance for Phoenix(Actual) was perfect. They hit your targets, and two of the aero-shells made it through. You saw the damage reports. Nobody, Cylon, or Human; had ever tried it before.
Doctor Archet(under his breath); With good reason.
Cain; What was that, Doctor?
Doctor Archet(clears throat); Well, now that its done.....I simulated the possible strike outcomes, after Mister Glen presented his raid team insertion plan.
Cain; You mean the simulations, where the aero-shells had a less than fifteen percent chance of successfully landing?
Doctor Archet(coughing); I thought.
Cain; Where my daughter is concerned, Doctor, nothing escapes me.
Tyro Glen(laughing); You were saying about my Pilots, Doctor?
Doctor Archet; I stand corrected. Obviously those men are not knuckleheads..
Captain Tyro Glen(serious); Still, they are off of their target landing zones.(He picks up and looks at a handheld.) Moffitt 2 to the North, and Moffitt 1 to the West of their planned drops. Did Phoenix retransmit anything further; other than that, they have a radio contact from Moffitt 2?
Cain; They made contact and joined up with Moffitt 1.
Captain Tyro Glen; How did you learn that, Admiral?
Cain; As I said before. When it comes to my daughter, nothing escapes me.
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Act 3; Scene 6
Setting; Yet another hillside on the planet, Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen.(This backdrop can be used from the preceding planet scenes, as you can variate its look with stage, or setting foliage; so that the audience/camera sees a different scene dressed each time.). The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, except for a Cylon Chariot[stage/camera left], if you can arrange it. It should have an armored fighting vehicle feel to it. Mark the Chariot, as if its armor was scorched by particle beam fire. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present using [sound effects of truck or tank engine] from audience/camera left.
Scatter four dead Cylon Centurions about; as if they have been shot down from ambush.*
[Note to the director]
* If you can start the scene this way, block the scene opening so that the four Centurions(doing routine maintenance tasks) are shot down by surprise.(They collapse where they stand.[sound effect of lightning/thunder] as each is shot.), leaving the traitor, Davidus Hastur, standing alone(in the middle of the stage/frame), with his hands up in surrender. Otherwise, open the scene with the Centurions already dead, and down; with the traitor, Davidus Hastur, sticking his hands up in the air.
Davidus Hastur(looks around wildly); Don't shoot!
Lara Petry(offstage/offcamera left, shouting ); Kneel down! On your knees! Cross your ankles! Hands straight up! Palms front, fingers spread! Good.(Davidus Hastur obeys each shouted order as it is given.); Move and get shot!
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(offstage/offcamera right, shouting); Do you want me to move in, to check the Toasters?
Lara Petry(offstage/offcamera left, shouting ); Wait for Johron to check the tank
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(He has; either, crept up to the Cylon Chariot [onstage/incamera] from stage/frame right; and is checking it for damage, or is [offstage/outframe] right; shouting); The Chariot's okay!
Lara Petry; Okay, Buster. Johron's set to cover you. Move in.(If onstage/incamera; Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron has set himself, up with his rifle, to cover the dead Centurions, and the kneeling Davidus Hastur.
Major Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(moves onstage/incamera from stage/frame right. He goes from dead Centurion to dead Centurion, and shouts as he confirms each deader); Down 1! Down 2 Down 3! Down 4! All dead.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(either from offstage/outframe; or from on the Chariot); Don't get so melodramatic, Mister Crabbe. You watch too many police dramas.(jumps down from the Chariot, or enters scene from stage/frame right.); We are lucky; that your wild shooting didn't kill the Chariot's radio.(He points at the Chariot [either onstage/incamera or offstage/outframe] to indicate the Chariot damage to the looking Crabbe.)
Lara Petry(enters from stage/frame left carrying a rifle.); Are you sure about the radio, Major?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; As sure as I can be without running a transmitter check.
Lara Petry(goes over toward Davidus Hastur); I know you, Hastur. (She kicks him, hard. He topples over.)
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(moves over to Lara Petry and Davidus Hastur. He objects); Hey, You don't have to do that!
Lara Petry(swings her own rifle up, and aims it at Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe); You need to grow up, Buster.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(saunters calmly between the two of them. It is apparent why Cain chose him, as Chief of Marines. He calmly pushes Lara Petry's rifle aside to a safe position, as he addresses Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe); Why don't we find out why she kicked the man, before we jump to hasty conclusions, Mister?(He looks at Lara Petry for an explanation.)
Lara Petry; Ask him, the clone master.(She points at Davidus Hastur. Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron sees the truth in Lara Petry's eyes.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; So, he is Hastur?(He, unconsciously, aims his own rifle at Davidus Hastur) What have you been up to, Rube? Still trying to make a race of worker slaves, you Sagitarran maniac?(He pokes the prostrate Davidus Hastur with his rifle.)
(As Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe looks on with horror, Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron hauls up Davidus Hastur ,and works over the collaborator. Lara Petry watches with approval.)
Davidus Hastur; Enough! I'm Hastur. What are you going to do? Beat me to death for living?
Lara Petry; That seems to be what the Sagitarrii Archons had in mind, when they condemned you, isn't it? Enslavement is against the charter. So is rebellion. As I should know.(She laughs.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Give me a reason, not to kill you, Hastur. Working for the Cylons? I have a good idea, why you are here. Tylium mines need a lot of laborers. Cloned programmed slaves would be perfect from the Cylons' point of view. Human clones, especially. Adaptable, teachable, much cheaper as a labor supply; than a Cylon labor cohort. If some of the clones die? Pour more goo into the vats, and grow some more slaves.
Davidus Hastur; That wasn't what.
Lara Petry; Don't confuse your good intentions with your evil outcomes, you psycho.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(suggests); Maybe we can try finding out; if we can use him, instead of finding a reason for killing him?
Lara Petry; Sensible, Buster. Okay, Davidus. Give us a reason to keep you alive.
Davidus Hastur; I can control the clones.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That would be useful.
Lara Petry; Incentive?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Would Cain approve it?
Lara Petry(She shakes her rifle); Cain gave me another chance.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(Considers); Imprisonment though; not a pardon. Life is all.
Lara Petry and Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(both address Davidus Hastur); Your life in exchange for the clones?
(Davidus Hastur eagerly shakes his head yes.)
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Are we to use the clones? How does that make us any better than the Cylons?
Lara Petry(sadly); It does not. Sometimes you are given two evils to choose, and there is no good that comes from it. I had two evils, and I chose the wrong one. Here I am, forced to choose again. I hope I choose right.
(Davidus Hastur glares at her as she speaks)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(contradicts); Mister Crabbe, don't listen to her. She is a born pessimist. I know we will win, and we will free the clones, and give them their Humanity. All they need is the chance to break their chains. With this Gomer(he shakes Hastur); we give them their chance.
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Act 3; Scene 7
Setting; Yet another hillside on the planet, Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage/camera shot is bare, (except for a Cylon Chariot[stage/camera left]; if you can arrange it. Otherwise use [sound effects of tank or truck engine] to indicate a vehicle in the vicinity.) Blow heavy F/X stage smoke across the scene from stage/camera frame right. Place the dead Cylons around the stage, randomly, as if they died in a firefight. Place the fake boulder[center/left stage/camera frame]; so that setting is divided 1/3 stage/left, to 2/3 stage/right proportionally.
[Note to the director]
This is a crowded scene. Keep the two Moffitt parties(1 and 2), together, in separate groups; separated by the boulder. The Colonials(actors), not involved in the scene's speaking parts, should be busy checking the dead Cylons, and their abandoned gear for useful equipment;
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Moffitt 1
Captain Sheba Cain
Marine/technician 1 Thoma
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Hassel Petry; communications expert
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker
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Moffitt 2
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe
Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Lara Petry operations expert
Davidus Hastur; clone expert and traitor
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Moffitt 3
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Marine/technician 3 Croftus;
Marine/technician 4 Horati;
Tien Thee; explosives expert;
Staius Livius; survivalist;
******************************************************************************
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(On top of the boulder, looking to stage/camera right. {There is an explosion offstage/outcamera frame right.[Sound effects of tremendous explosion]Use harmless FX stage smoke blown in from stage/camera right to indicate the explosion, as occurring.); Cain got them!
Tien Thee(At the bottom of the boulder, looking at Lieutenant Charus Hevo); Don't I deserve some credit?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Okay, your Cylon Centurion remake hashjob of a rocket launcher, did what you said it would do. Are you happy?
Tien Thee; I would be happier, if I could find something I could use for a mortar.
Stavius Livius; Are you still bringing up that MORTAR?
Marine/technician 4 Horati; Why don't you two clowns shut up? Especially you, Stavius. At least Tien pulls his weight.(Points to the smoke.)
Stavius Livius; Is that so? What have you been eating, Corporal? Our rations ran out a week ago. Or do you know what you can eat around here?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Okay, Stavius. We know that you are the cook.
(Captain Sheba Cain limps in from stage/camera right. She is followed by Ledon Thoma, Hassel Petry, and the wounded Marine/technician 2 Bellam. The mute, Ledon Thoma is distraught. Hassel Petry lugs the awkward Tien Thee rigged-up bazooka.)
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; What happened? Where's Sergeant Thoma?....Madam.(He remembers to add, as he sees the smoke-blackened tear-streaked face of Captain Sheba Cain.)
Captain Sheba Cain; He panicked, Lieutenant. The Cylon gunner cut him down; before I could get the tube set up. My fault. I wasn't fast enough.
Hassel Petry; Felgercarb, Captain. When he saw that Chariot come around the hill; he broke cover, and ran: like the coward he was.(He looks at Ledon Thoma); I know that you loved your brother, Ledon. But he was a coward.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; Ah. What the frak. It was just bad luck, we ran into them.
Tien Thoma; How many rockets did you use?
Captain Sheba Cain; Just the one, Mister Thee. We have five left. I had a lot of trouble with your rocket tube; setting it up.
Tien Thee; Not surprised, Captain. I did not have time to make it pretty, or easy to use.
Hassel Petry; Well we got one good thing out of this mess. I can build a radio from the pieces.
(Sounds of an approaching vehicle[Use sound effects of a truck or tank engine to indicate this]. Lieutenant Charus Hevo looks stage/camera left to see what is approaching. The Marines take up positions around the boulder, Captain Sheba Cain hobbles over to Hassel Petry, and the two of them try to set up the bazooka/rocket launcher.)
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Hold it! It is Moffitt 2
(The three Marines, around the boulder, relax. Captain Sheba Cain continues to work the bazooka/rocket/launcher; despite Lieutenant Charus Hevo's call for a stand-down. She is not going to be caught unawares, twice.
(Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe, Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron, Lara Petry, and a trussed up Davidus Hastur; clone expert, and traitor: enter stage/camera left on foot. Their Chariot is offstage/outframe left.[sound effect of truck or tank engine being turned off] before they enter.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Thank the gods. You made it! (rushes over to Captain Sheba Cain.); Girl! You are hurt!
Captain Sheba Cain; It is nothing. I lost Sergeant Thoma.
(Background chatter among the three Moffitt parties as Captain Sheba Cain and Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron move to the foreground[stage/center/front] to catch up on the situation. Off to one side, Lara Petry keeps a close eye on Davidus Hastur, at the base of the boulder. Hassel Petry goes offstage/outframe left to check on the Moffitt 2 Chariot; to see if it has parts he can use to build a radio.)
Hassel Petry(interrupts the two; Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron and Captain Sheba Cain); I want to check that tank, to see, if it has parts for a radio.
Captain Sheba Cain; Go ahead, Mister Petry.(Hassel Petry, leaving, looks at his wife Lara Petry. She ignores him.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; I expected you to lose Bellam. Thoma? That is a surprise.
Captain Sheba Cain; Thoma made a mistake. You underestimate the Corporal, Gideon.(She looks at the wounded, Bellam); He turned Hassel Petry around for me. He, also, drew the Cylons' fire, when we shot the tank.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(correcting); We call it a Chariot.
Captain Sheba Cain; Chariot. Tank? All I know, is that I respect you, Marines, a lot more. Give me a Viper, any day, against Raiders; to facing one of those things.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; You do all right.
Captain Sheba Cain(starts to shake); Its cold.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(gently, as he has done with Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe in previous scenes); That is not cold, little Sheeb. That is your body catching up. (He takes off his jacket, and puts it around the Captain, as she shivers. He is not Admiral Cain, but he has the same kind of (foster) parental concerns for this overachieving Pilot.)
Hassel Petry(rushes in from stage/frame left); You have a radio on that tank! Why, the frak, didn't you use it?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(from where he is talking to Lieutenant Charus Hevo on top of the boulder); We tried it once. You see what happened?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; So how did you find, Mister Hevo?
Captain Sheba Cain; He found us. He thought he was closing on Moffitt 2, but we were the neutrino source, he tracked. Our radio wouldn't transmit, but it sure leaked neutrinos.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(puzzled and appalled); Why did you hang on to it? That was a broadcast target!
Captain Sheba Cain; It was a risk. Somebody, Colonial, would home in on it. I decided, it was worth it. You can check my logic, Gideon, but it worked.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(admonishing; elder to younger); They could have been Cylons. You have a lot of the Admiral in you, Girl. You take too many risks.
Captain Sheba Cain(laughs); Well, It will kill me someday, but not today!
(She does in an eerie replay, of what Lara Petry did earlier. She kneels down and begins to draw on the ground, a plan.)
Captain Sheba Cain; Here, is where we are. This is where we have to be within the week.)
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End of Act 3
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Fourth Act
Act 4; Scene1
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings, and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise, there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set/camera shot, to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera POV; as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons yet again.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough, to show the audience what is going on in the play, as it progresses.
(Doctor Archet walks up to the plexiglass plotting board. He looks at the notes that someone scribbled on the planet, Murado, transparency overlay. The overlay shows that the battle has progressed, as far as we have seen to the point, that the three Moffitt parties, are joined into the unified raid force, that was intent of the original plan. He taps the spot, where the three parties are.)
Doctor Archet; So you named it, Murado?
Cain; Yes. I thought you were going to ask me about the Moffitts.
Doctor Archet; There is nothing more that either you, or I can do about the Moffitts, Admiral. All we can do is wait. But while I wait, I like to satisfy my curiosity. So why Murado?
Cain; I thought, I might honor the man. He taught me a great life lesson. I am also a little vain, so why not name the planet after my Mentor? Honor him, honor myself. There is a certain power, that comes with naming.
Doctor Archet; What was this great life lesson that he taught you; that caused you to satisfy your vanity?
Cain(with gusto); Life!.........It will kill me someday, but not today! .
Doctor Archet(taken aback); That's it?
Cain; What? You were expecting the secrets of the universe? Sorry, Doctor. For profound truth like that, you need to address the Lords of Kobol.
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Act 4; Scene 2
Setting; The Wardroom of the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up, like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise, there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set/camera shot, to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera POV; as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons yet again.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough to show the audience, what is going on in the play; as it progresses. This scene is later, after the Doctor Archet/Admiral Cain philosophy discussion. There has just been a meal. Two(Marine/technician 1 Thoma and Marine/technician 2 Bellam wear food service worker uniform caps that hide their faces) mess stewards clear away the conference table. This is the Pegasus, and Phoenix senior battle staff, and key personnel meeting, They discuss the pending climax to Moffitt and its aftermath; if all goes as well as hoped;
Of the Pegasus(CVBS77);
Commander(Admiral) of the Pegasus(CVBS)TG 77.2.1 (Nelena or Nelsus)Cain
Captain of the Pegasus; Captain Herodotus Caman
CAG of the Pegasus; Captain Tyro Glen
Doctor Archet
Of the Phoenix(DDG104)
Captain of the Phoenix(DDG104); Captain Noretu Osbor
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright
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(The six Colonials are gathered in two loose clusters; standing in front of the plexiglass plotting board, as the stewards clear the table.)
(First trio drifts to the foreground[Center/stage/front/near/camera/frame center] until the audience/camera picks up the group's conversation)
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; What am I doing here, Sir?
Captain Noretu Osbor; You are here Mistress Spright, as my contribution to the war effort. You happen; to have so terrorized the rest of the Phoenix Communications Division; including poor Ensign Pulvion, when it comes to contact with the raid party; that you are my defacto communications expert for Moffitt. I suggest that you accept the price of your egotistical initiative, and accept the consequences. When the Admiral asks, you are my answer.
(Admiral Cain joins the two. Selene Spright awkwardly joins in with her.)
Cain; And I am asking Captain Osbor for the latest situation report. I supposem that means; I should ask you for the latest situation report? Mistress Spright?
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright(Gulps); Admiral?
Cain; I'm waiting.
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright; Well, uh, the Moffitts, uh; the raid party is going to use the clones to take the Cylon master detonator site. While one group under Mister Hevo clears out the perimeter around the satellite command bunker, Mster Crabbe's group will use the clones, to overwhelm the Cylons at the tylium site. Major Johron, of that Moffitt party, will make his way into the detonator site and disarm the master detonator; while the Cylons fight the clones. The third Moffitt party will attack the satellite command bunker.
Cain; Thats the one, Captain Cain leads?
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright; Yes, uh, Admiral.
Cain; Thats all for now. Please take a seat; in case I need you.
(Technician Second Class; Selene Spright leaves to take her designated place at the conference table.)
Captain Noretu Osbor(sticking up for his signaleer); Admiral? With all due respect, I don't see what putting my signaleer through the ringer, for what you already know, accomplishes, here. In fact, I still don't know, why you had me bring her aboard.
Cain; She shows initiative. And I need that. Anywhere I can find it. She, also, shows presence. You can count yourself lucky, Noretu. You may have your next communications officer. Or are you satisfied with Pulvion?
Captain Noretu Osbor; No. I am not. He's good for counting widgets. Managing an operations division? No way. But there is no way; Selene is ready for command.
Cain; Leave her on Pegasus, We can train her.
Captain Noretu Osbor; You plan this, in the middle of a life and death operation, for us?
Cain; Just because we are a little short of tylium does not stop the wheels turning, Captain. But now that we havve done our little side business.... let us go to our main headache?
(The two of them, Admiral Cain and Captain Noretu, go to the conference table, and take their places.)
++++++++++++++++POV shift in scene++++++++++++++
{Keylight this group in the stage/shot; as if the Pegasus is powering down for night cycle}
(Audience/camera turns to the second trio, who drift across the scene to the foreground[Center/stage/front/right /near/camera/frame/right]; until the audience/camera picks up the group's conversation)
Captain Herodotus Caman; Captain Cain is out of her mind!
Captain Tyro Glen; Stampeding the clones through the Cylon tylium bunker fuel complex.......ingenious...... that is something the Admiral would do.
Doctor Archet; Admiral Cain is crazy! So is the Admiral's nutty daughter.
Captain Tyro Glen(puts finger to lips.); You need to learn Doctor, that little skill-set, that combines diplomacy, and tact; like when to shut up about our Commander. (He looks at the Admiral). Still, What would you do?
Doctor Archet; I do not know. I have not the information that I need.
Captain Tyro Glen; And, that is why I do not envy Captain Cain, Doctor. I admire her. I pray for her. And I am thankful that I am not where she is. For know you, that though she is there, I am sure, standing here, that she believes, that she does not have the information, that she needs, either.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Which brings up the big question. Now that they have lost their mortar, how will they get the solonite charges onto the Satellite command complex?
Doctor Archet; I do not think Captain Cain is trying to explode the complex.
Captain Tyro Glen and Captain Herodotus Caman(together); What?
Doctor Archet; You gave the clue, Captain. Without the mortar, Captain Cain must infiltrate the bunker. I bet, that the Cylons use clones in the Satellite control center......It fits.
(The two Colonial Captains are silent as they contemplate Doctor Archet's speculation.)
Doctor Archet; You were saying about tact?
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Act 4; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigation/plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage, on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles, and screens; and put in a liftaway wall with a doorway. Hang banners, there; and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2, is now the Cylons have installed their own version of a plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
Carried forward from Act 1, Scene 2
The Centurion event-plotting extra should be plainly visible, so that the audience can see him plot the Cylon side of the battle; as the actors act out the scene. Blocking should be such; so that the audience/camera POV should be un-obstructed.
(Ravidge enters from stage/camera left. He is obviously greatly distressed. The Cylons at their work stations work furiously. Our famous lonely Centurion, who plots the Cylon Point of View, on the Satellite Command Center Plexiglass plotting board, is frantically marking surrounding arrows, indicating massive activity at the tylium fuel dumps, on the planet Murado transparency, that is on the plexiglass plotting board. Ravidge glances at the plot; as he heads for his throne. Even as his ^world^ crashes around he has his throne fixation.)
Ravidge; What is happening?
Cylon 3; The worker drones, created by traitor Davidus Hastur, broke his programming protocols. They leave the mines, and head for the refinery. Efforts underway to re-establish control fail.
Ravidge; Hastur had to go out, and see his ^new^ men. Idiot. There are times to play god, and there are times to do serious work.(Ravidge turns his throne from facing the plotting board, to face the Cylons working at their stations,); Where is your leader?
Cylon 3; Leader One restores order at the refinery.
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Act 4; Scene 4
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set/scene as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big plotter table that we see used on the Phoenix's bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen, that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot the audience sees throughout the play.
(Cain works behind the desk. Even Colonials have paperwork, though in this paperless Colonial society; they use recording media that looks like the traditional ROM crystal.[use poker chips to represent the recording media. Have Cain sign handhelds, as message pads; to simulate signed orders, the admiral issues. The Colonials are VERY bureaucratic. Various personnel enter and leave.).
Marine/technician 1 (Thoma wears uniform headgear to disguise his face. Enters stage/camera frame right. Goes to desk and salutes ); Admiral. Messenger reports.
Cain(finishes writing message on the handheld. Signs handheld.); Make sure that Artemus(Actual) acknowledges this with a written reply. Encrypter?(Looks for something on the desk, finds it. [use a paperweight for the encryption device prop], passes it over the handheld to presumably scramble the message it carries.)
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; At your order. Admiral(Leaves stage/camera frame right.)
Marine/technician 4 (Horati wears uniform headgear to disguise his face. Enters stage/camera frame right); Correspondence from the Vulcanus.
Cain(cocks eyebrow); I know I run a loose ship, but........
Marine/technician 4 Horati; (Salutes). Sorry, Admiral(Hands Cain a handheld).
Cain(reads the correspondence); That cannot be right.(Cain writes on the handheld); Encrypter?(The Admiral has misplaced the encrypter, again. Looks for the device on the desk, finds it, passes it over the handheld to presumably scramble the message it carries.); To be hand-carried to Vulcanus(Actual). I expect a reply.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; (Salutes) At your order, Admiral.
Cain; Don't overdo it.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; Yes, Admiral.(leaves stage/camera frame right)
Captain Tyro Glen(Enters stage/camera frame right); You seem busy, this offwatch, Admiral.
Cain(looks up); Hello, Tyro. Nothing but bad news.
Captain Tyro Glen; From the Artemus?
Cain; Our two base-star friends are moving in on us. No Cylon boundary radio from Murado; so the base-stars must be acting on months' old messages. Thank the lords the Tin-heads can't build a decent wormhole transmitter, without a giant power-source.
Captain Tyro Glen; Then I better start running deep patrols.
Cain; Not yet.Tyro. Vipers out; will draw those base-stars to us, like light draws insects. I've an idea.
Captain Tyro Glen(COMPREHENDING); I do not like where you go with this, Admiral. It is too risky. We should settle for the fuel.
Cain( looks cross); I understand your concern, Mister Glen. But consider. Those Cylon base-stars will be here in days. We need time to refuel. If it works, time will not be a problem, anymore.
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Act 4; Scene 5
Setting; Hillside outside the Cylon tylium refinery.
[Note to set dresser]
Use the backdrop from Act1; Scene 4, either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, Place the fake boulder(turned to face a different aspect to the audience/camera so that it is stage/camera/left/rear/background. Use F/X stage smoke stage/frame right to indicate the direction of the fighting. Place dead Centurions[See production notes] and clones[See production notes] across the stage.
[Note to the director]
Once again, you can use whatever clone extras[see production notes] you need; to move across the stage as if they are a horde(Use the old stage trick, of marching the same spear carriers across the stage; over and over, again; to simulate your battalions of marching morons.). The clones are armed with mining drills{see prop notes) that can substitute for weapons[use modified stage spears or broom handles witrh fencepost cap tips for yur mining drill ^spears^]. The clones march across the stage at irregular intervals carrying their mining tool ^spears^. The indication should be, that these clones are the worker ants, to a tylium ore processing factory-hive, under positive Hastur control; as he directs the marching morons, to attack into Cylon Centurion fire. The attack is ongoing;
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Moffitt 2
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron,
Lara Petry operations expert
Davidus Hastur; clone expert and traitor
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(Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe withn drawn pistol is on top of the boulder with Davidus Hastur. Hastur works some kind of radio-control unit. Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron and Lara Petry are at the bottom of the boulder.)
Lara Petry(looking at Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe and shouts up to the top of the boulder); How are they doing?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(Observes with field glasses, then looks to Davidus Hastur with menace); The clones are not doing well.
Davidus Hastur; Wait! It takes time.
Lara Petry; Buster?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(shouts down); There is your opening. The Tin-heads never learn.....Hastur, I told you to move the clones to the left; once they breached the line.(He pokes Hastur with his pistol.)
Davidus Hastur; All right, Just watch where you point that thing.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That's us, then. Time to exploit the breach. Milady, your Chariot awaits.(He flourishes an exit to Lara Petry. Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron and Lara Petry exit stage/camera left.[use sound effect of a truck or tank engine offstage/outframe to indicate this] to their Cylon Chariot.)
(Use sound/lighting effects of lightning/thunder stage/camera left to indicate heavy fighting. Climax the F/X with sound/light effect of tremendous explosion. Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe uses field glasses and gives a running commentary to direct Davidus Hastur; controlling the clones, as the fight progresses.)
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; There goes the Major. He is laying down a wall of fire. Move the clones to the left, Hastur. I told you!
Davidus Hastur; I'm trying, but even ants recoil from fire!
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Keep those clones to the left. If that Cylon gun unmasks, our people will be caught in the Cylons' kill-zone.(He menaces Davidus Hastur with the pistol.) To the left, by the gods!
[sound effect of the climatic explosion]
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(Stands up with his eyes on the battle and not on Davidus Hastur.); By the Lords of Kobol; they did it. There go your clones, Hastur. The Major is following them in-right into the-(Davidus Hastur jumps Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe, and hits him with the clone radio control unit. The fight goes against the Ensign, with the issue unresolved.)
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Act 4; Scene 5
Setting; Hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use the backdrop from Act 2; Scene 6; either a scene of a hill, or an open glen. Use stage plants to give the impression of broken country. The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare,
[Note to the director]
This is a running fight, with the Colonials doing the pursuing. This is not the usual state of affairs. Use Cylon extras to make up the Cylon cohort.
(Block your action from right to left, so that the audience gets the reverse psychology of the impression of pursuit. The Cylons should be running, and turning to fire every few steps. Gold Cylon #1 is the last to fall.)
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Moffitt 3
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Marine/technician 3 Croftus;
Marine/technician 4 Horati;
Tien Thee; explosives expert;
Staius Livius; survivalist;
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(Cylon cohort, fleeing on foot enter stage/camera frame right.).
Cylon 2; We must hide.
Gold Cylon #1(showing for the first time, a Cylon sense of humor, points to the chrome Centurions, and the green foliage.); That might be a problem.
(Centurions fall as they are shot. [use sound effects of lightning and thunder], leaving just Gold Cylon # 1 and Cylon # 2.).
Cylon # 2(firing); We made too many mistakes.(Shot. He falls dead.)
Gold Cylon # 1(stands in the open and drops his weapon. He looks at Cylon # 2 ); Not we, I.(Shot. He falls dead.)
(The pursuing Colonials of Moffitt 3 enter stage/camera frame right, Marine/technician 4 Horati enters first.)
Marine/technician 4 Horati(advances cautiously; rifle at the ready. As the point-man, he checks each dead Centurion, as he comes upon it, He checks Cylon # 2 and Gold Cylon # 1 to ensure that they are dead. As soon as he's satisfied he shouts); All dead.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus(follows Marine/technician 4 Horati. He second searches some of the Centurions for weapons); Useful this stuff. Charged rifles and grenades. Look, this one has a pistol. Well, he had a pistol.(Picks up pistol.)
(Tien Thee and Staius Livius enter stage/camera frame right Tien Thee is carrying the rocket launcher and Stavius Livius carries the mortar round rockets.)
Staius Livius; Twice, you missed!
Tien Thee; I got them, didn't I?
Stavius Livius; If you got them, genius, then why did we have to chase them up this damn hill?
Tien Thee; Okay, so I got their ground transport.
Staius Livius; Just so you know, we have two rockets left.
Tien Thee; I know, I can count.
Stavius Livius; Cain is going to need them.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo (enters stage/camera frame right. He walks over to the dead Gold Cylon # 1. He looks at the dead Cylon.); Gentlemen, we lucked out. I think we killed the garrison leader.(He stoops down to examine the Cylon.) Yes, by the Lords, that is the garrison leader!
Tien Thee; The leader is the master coordinator. Without him the garrison is directionless.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; That should be true? Yet somebody is still fighting, still leading(He points stage/camera left.)[use offstage/outcamera sound/light effects of lightning/thunder and explosions]; That is the tylium refinery.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; And that is where we go next.
Tien Thee; Should not we follow Cain in, like she planned?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; We killed the perimeter patrol. Her way through to the bunker, is clear. That leaves us free, to move for the moment. The fuel first, then the satellites. Besides, the tylium dumps are just a side trip to the Cylon command bunker. We will be there in time, to give Captain Cain, the help she needs.
Stavius Livius; I think that is a mistake.
Tien Thee; The only mistake we made, was letting you carry the mortar.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; What is it with you two, and that mortar?
Stavius Livius and Tien Thee laugh together.(The Colonials of Moffitt 3 pick through the dead Cylons belongings, salvaging what they can.)
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Act 4; Scene 6
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigation/plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage, on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles, and screens; and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there and across the back wall to hide that from view.]. The change from Act 1; Scene 2; is now the Cylons have installed their own version of the plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
You can have as many Cylon[See production notes] extras as you want to dress out the command center, but the only speaking actors, should be the indicated dialog parts. The rest of the Cylons, should busywork themselves fiddling silently with buttons and levers. Ravidge, unless indicated otherwise, is, either seated on the throne, or is near it; as if it is a thing he possesses.
(There are sounds of fighting offstage/outcamera.[Use sound effects of lightning/thunder to indicate this.] . If its possible for Cylons to look worried, these Cylons look worried.) The Colonials burst from stage/camera left;
******************************************************************************
Moffitt 1
Captain Sheba Cain
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Hassel Petry; communications expert
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker
******************************************************************************
[During the onstage/oncamera gunfight, use sound effects of lightning/thunder to simulate the invisible particle beam fire from Cylon rifles and Colonial]
Captain Sheba Cain(dressed as a clone, and if possible limping worse than ever, enters first from stage/camera left. She shoots Cylon # 3, with her pistol, as he rises from his station to fight. She shouts); Ravidge!(as she recognizes the traitor. She falls down wounded.)
Hassel Petry(dressed as a clone follows Captain Sheba Cain in from stage left. He mows down three Centurions at their work stations before they can react. The third Cylon kills him in the exchange of fire.He yells); Lara! (as he falls dead.).
Marine/technician 2 Bellam (enters from stage left. He aims his rifle at the Centurion, that has been plotting the battle for the Cylons at the Cylon Plexiglass plotting board, that the Tin heads set up for Ravidge, all the way back in Act 2 Scene 3. Marine/technician 2 Bellam's rifle doesn't work. The Cylon Centurion moves from the plexiglass plotting board; draws its knife, and attempts to attack the fallen Captain Sheba Cain. Marine/technician 2 Bellam moves to block the Centurion, and he fights it hand-to-hand., He yells); Yaaaaaaaaargh! (The Centurion stabs him and he falls alongside Captain Sheba Cain.)
Captain Sheba Cain(fires her weapon, and kills the Centurion which falls on her.She gasps); Ugh.(as the Centurion falls on her.)
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(groans to indicate he still lives); Aaaaaaah.
Ledon Thoma(enters like a child from stage/camera left. He looks around at the carnage in the Cylon command center.)
Ravidge(from his throne); You came close, Cain! But not close enough. Even sacrificed your own daughter? What a waste.(He gets up from his throne. Ignoring Ledon Thoma, he picks up a fallen Cylon rifle, and aims it at the wounded Captain Sheba Cain, and the wounded Marine/technician 2 Bellam.); I really hate to do this to you, girl, but the Admiral shouldn't have sent a child to do a Man's-
(Ledon Thoma(picks up a Cylon rifle and shoots Ravidge dead.)
Captain Sheba Cain(lying prostrate in pain n the floor); Ledon! Ledon!
(Ledon Thoma looks at her. He needs to see her face to read her lips.)
Captain Sheba Cain;Ledon! Ledon! Summon the others with an SOS. Then send Hassel's taped message to Pegasus. He has it. Get it off him. Do you understand?(Ledon nods yes.) Send the message to Pegasus, Ledon. Send the message.(Captain Sheba Cain passes out from pain and shock as she says these words.)
(Ledon goes to Hassel Petry's body. He takes from it a recorded message chip[Use a poker chip as the prop.]. He moves to the Cylon work stations and begins his work. He is still childlike, as he works.)
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End of Act 4
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Fifth Act
Act 5; Scene 1
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big navigation/plotter table that we see used on the Phoenix's bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards, to notebook computers. If you have the resources give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot throughout the play.
Cain(Seated behind the desk. Distraught, Cain drops the handheld. It clatters onto the desk.); She could die.
Doctor Archet; She pulled it off, Admiral.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Let us not waste that success.
Cain(becoming resolute); You know my intentions, Herodatus?
Captain Herodotus Caman; Send the Phoenix into close orbit and finish the job with kinetics. That kills the outlying Toasters. We jump in and refuel. Then we send Glen's Vipers out to tag a couple of Raiders.
Doctor Archet; Then its Happy Birthday!
Cain; Captain, tend to the orders?
Captain Herodotus Caman(understanding Cain's grief); At your order, Admiral, (Captain Herodotus Caman salutes and exits stage/camera left.)
Doctor Archet; By your leave; Admiral? (Doctor Archet bows and exits stage/camera left.)
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Act 5; Scene 2
Setting, the bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens, and desks set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right set obliquely so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment looking forward. At stage/rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen, that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards, as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to director]
Most of your action takes place around this table. You are free to block the stage direction as you see fit, but just remember that the central table is a plotter/projector navigation table of the ship's tactical situation. The actors look down into it(the audience(camera) does not see what the actors see, as they describe to each other what they see, and what they propose to do about it.
******************************************************************************
Phoenix battlestaff
Captain Noretu Osbor
Acting Ensign Selene Spright
Marine/technician 1 Thoma(wears helmet to obscure his face)
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(wears helmet to obscure his face)
Marine/technician 3 Croftus(wears helmet to obscure his face)
Marine/technician 4 Horati(wears helmet to obscure his face)
******************************************************************************
Captain Noretu Osbor; Welcome back from the Pegasus, Mistress Spright.
Acting Ensign Selene Spright; Thank you, Sir.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Lady and Gentlemen, are we ready to do this?
Marine/technician 4 Horati(wears helmet to obscure his face) First load outbound in five minutes, Sir. Then we expend ordnance, according to fire-plan seven. We hit the Cylon beta legion barracks site; as the last target in the firing sequence; about one hundred ten minutes; once we start shooting.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Do it.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; At your order; Captain.(Salutes)
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Act 5; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the plotter table and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles and screens and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2; is now the Cylons have installed their own version of the plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
It is the Moffitt party that runs the Satellite command complex. Block the scene so that the Plexiglass plotting board remains unobstructed, so that the audience/camera can see the near orbit battle, that is taking place, over the planet Murado. Lara Petry sits on the throne that Ravidge once called his own. She is all business;
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Satellite command center party;
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron
Lara Petry
Ledon Thoma
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Tien Thee
Marine/technician 3 Croftus
Marine/technician 4 Horati
******************************************************************************
Lara Petry; How far away are our friends?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(from his station) That near base-star is just about inside the outer gunsat kill-zone boundary. The other one is still playing cautious Cathy.
Lara Petry; Are we still broadcasting our ^victory^ over the Pegasus?
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; Just like good little dutiful Cylons. And we have the clones doing their tylium thing, in case the base-stars are telescoping us.
Lara Petry(with deep anger); Come on you, Tin-heads. Buy into it. This cost us too much, for you not to pay-out.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Easy does it, Lara. Patience
Lara Petry; Easy for you to say. Did you lose a husband?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; No, I lost a squad of Marines and, Buster. Poor Crabbe, I should have left you with Hastur, and taken him to drive the Chariot.
Lara Petry(turns the throne from the workstations to face Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron, who stands next to the Plexiglass plotting board); Why?
Marine/technician 4 Horati leaves his workstation to update the base-star positions on the plexiglass plotting board.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Ah. Our uninvited guests are within range.
Lara Petry; You did not answer my question.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; This would be a good time for Mister Thoma to do his magic, Madam Petry.
Lara Petry(leaves the throne and goes over to where Ledon Thoma stands. She takes him by the hand, and leads him to the throne. She seats him upon it, as an adult leads a child. She turns the throne, so that Ledon Thoma sees the stations, where the Moffitt party technicians work.); Look, Ledon.(Lara Petry points) There are the ones, who killed your brother. They are here, to kill the rest of us.
(Ledon Thoma becomes angry. He begins to work the Cylon control systems with manic fury.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(from his station); There goes the far one. The near one is trying to open a wormhole. He's not going to make it. Lucky, Murado is between him and us. Poof. Gone.
Lara Petry; After all that blood, storm, and all that fury. Just that quick?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Just that quick. Ninety percent of the final victory, is the losing, that leads up to it. I think that Ledon is done.
(Lara Petry goes to the throne and leads Ledon Thoma off, back to where he stood. He assumes his childlike waiting.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Mister Chevo? Would you send this message to the Pegasus.. The skies are clear, and Moffitt wants to come home.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; At your order, Sir.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(To Lara Petry); You wouldn't let a punk, like Hastur, jump you.
Lara Petry(startled); Oh, I see.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Yes, you do. After all, you hunted Hastur down, after the fact.
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Act 5; Scene 4.
Setting; The Wardroom of the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table, rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set/camera shot; to provide an en camera aid to the audience(camera POV); as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons yet again.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors do not foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough to show the audience, what is going on in the play, as it progresses. This scene is just after a meal. Two(Marine/technician 1 Thoma and Marine/technician 2 Bellam wear food service worker uniform caps that hide their faces) mess stewards clear away the conference table. This is the second major Pegasus, and Phoenix senior battle staff, and key personnel meeting, They discuss the after action to Moffitt. It did not, entirely, go as well as hoped;
******************************************************************************
Of the Pegasus(CVBS77);
Commander(Admiral) of the Pegasus(CVBS)TG 77.2.1 (Nelena or Nelsus)Cain
Captain of the Pegasus; Captain Herodotus Caman
CAG of the Pegasus; Captain Tyro Glen
Chief of Marines: Pegasus; Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Doctor Archet
******************************************************************************
Of the Phoenix(DDG104)
Captain of the Phoenix(DDG104); Captain Noretu Osbor
XO of the Phoenix Acting Lieutenant; Lara Petry
Acting Ensign; Selene Spright
******************************************************************************
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(scribbles on the plexiglass as he tells the tale of Moffitts 1, 2, and 3.); We made the decision, in situ, to use the clones as our wedge into the Cylon tylium detonation station's defenses for Moffitt 2's assault. This would, also serve, as a cover distraction, so we could infiltrate the Satellite control bunker. We sent Moffitt 1, disguised as clones, to actually infiltrate the Satellite bunker. Moffitt 3 was to engage the Cylon perimeter patrol, and distract them; until Moffitt 1 made it to its objective, then follow Moffitt 1 in, to complete the takeover. It was a good plan, given the circumstances. Most of it succeeded.(Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron finishes his presentation to the officers, assembled.)
Doctor Archet(stands clapping); Outstanding work, Major Johron. Despite Moffitt 3's tardiness, you achieved all your objectives. Admiral(Doctor Archet looks at Admiral Cain) A toast; To the Moffitt raid party
All present(stand); To the Moffitt raid party
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Act 5; Scene 5
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big navigation/plotter table that we see used on the Phoenix's bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources, give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen, that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot, throughout the play.
(Cain is seated in the sitting room reading a handheld. Doctor Archet is seated across from the Admiral. Captain Sheba Cain(heavily bandaged) forms the third apex of the triangle.
Cain; You made some mistakes.
Captain Sheba Cain; I know. I should have waited until Hevo showed up.
Cain; Thoma, Bellam and Hassel Petry are dead, Sheba. Thoma was not your fault. He was a coward. But you charged into a situation before you were ready, and Petry and Bellam paid for your courage with their lives. That is the price of their devotion to YOU, that YOU bring out in your people.(The admiral points a finger at Sheba and stabs the air with it like a knife each time the word ^YOU^ is uttered.); Never forget that.
Captain Sheba Cain; I won't forget, Admiral.
Cain; Daughter of mine, I pray not. (Mindful of her wounds, the Admiral hugs Captain Sheba Cain in a gentle embrace).
Doctor Archet(coughs slightly); Admiral, we've completed the satellite salvage, and the tylium refueling.
Cain(smiles gently at Captain Sheba Cain); I'm sorry daughter. But duty calls. Do you need help?
Captain Sheba Cain(stands awkwardly and stiffly, gives a wrong hand salute. to the seated Admiral); No, Admiral. By your leave?(Captain Sheba Cain, limping and in obvious great pain exits stage/camera left)
Doctor Archet(stands as Captain Sheba Cain exits); There, Admiral, goes a hero!
THE END
Copyright; ************* 2006
*************************************************************************************************
Production appendix
Requiem is designed to be a low cost production that can be staged by a well trained community theatre company, or a enthusiastic fan group that has access to a good set of props, a competent costumer, a good set designer, and a directer who can imaginatively use the minimal guidance he is given to stage the play.
Props
Handhelds. Obviously Blackberries come to mind, but as far as I'm concerned the flip up field secretaries that construction contractors use or anything that can pass for a handheld notebook computer is sufficient.
Radio-locator device; this prop should look like a handheld radio set. Use it for clone control and to locate radio signals when the Moffitt parties try to find ewach other.
Rifles; you will need five Colonial rifles and five Cylon rifles. These rifles must be different from each other. I would suggest toy UZIs painted black for the Colonials and toy MP-5s with the barrels and stocks painted chrome for the Cylons.
Pistols; You will need five prop pistols. These can be toy automatics of the same type. Two should be painted chrome for the Cylons and three painted black for the Colonials
Clone miner's drills; You will need a minimum of four of these ^spears^.; It can be as simple as a broom handle with a round fence postcap attached to it. or as fancy as your property master can turn out. Paint it chrome as it is a Cylon tool issued to the clone slaves. In the play's story these ^spears kill by the tip contacting the person. So have the clone actors carry and use these ^drills^ like spears.
ROM memory chips; I suggest poker chips either white or red, to serve as your memory chips in the play. You will need a stack of ten.
Encrypter; I recommend a glass paperweight either of the half globe or the cube variety. If you want to be creative you can use an editors reading scale as a sort of wand device encrypter prop. The point is that it should be something that Admiral Cain will lose on a cluttered desk while busy in the action.
Cylon Uniforms
Centurions; Four suits of stage armor(minimum)
Cylons 1-4 should be dressed in white jumpsuits and wear white motorcycle helmets.
Gold Cylon # 1 should have a gold or yellow jumpsuit and a gold motorcycle helmet.
Colonials Uniforms(This is where the purist fans must make their own chices. My choices are based on the practical resources available to the average theatre company, F.)
Colonial Marines; Raid party Camouflage BDUs and hat Civilian hunter web vest and field pack for those scenes on planet Murado, one uniform for each Colonial cast member of the Moffitt raid party. Twelve sets in all.
Colonial Marines; Ship uniform; brown trousers, light tan shirt with brown shouder board(rank insignia optional {DO NOT USE GENUINE RANK INSIGNIA-LEGAL ISSUES} If rank insignia are used have the company costumer seamstress design it.) and brown or black cover(hat)
Colonial Navy; ship uniform; blue trousers, light blue shirt, with blue shoulder boards(rank insignioa optional {DO NOT USE GENUINE RANK INSIGNIA-LEGAL ISSUES} If rank insignia are used have the company costumer seamstress design it ) and blue or black cover(hat)
Mess steward uniform; food service worker whites with a white cover(hat)
Notes on bit parts.
You will notice that in the cast I have parts listed as Marine/technician 1/ Thoma. That indicates the same man playing three characters. He will be playing a Marine or a technician 1 or the speaking part of Thoma. When he is not playing Thoma he is either in stage makeuo(beard or mustache or wearing a helmet or cap that disguises his face from the audience as he plays the other parts. Not many companies have enough members to cover a cast that requires thirty parts. So you may find the same eight actors playing the twenty-two to thirty supporting parts as Cylons, clones, Marines, stewards, and dead bodies that is strewn across this little play. In fact I calculate that aside from the twelve principles you can get away with as few as four spear carrier extras in the cast as long as you double up some of the Colonial principles as Cylons. The Actress playing Sheba Cain can play the role of Gold Cylon # 1 for example. Don't be afraid to block out parts this way. Especially if a small TV production is attempted this works as you can arrange shooting scripts and script blocks in such a fashion to operate with a reduced cast in this way. The stage is harder. You don't have the luxury of time for cxostume change.
Sets.
You have these basic sets
The Phoenix Bridge set which is designed to function as the base set for the Phoenix bridge, the Cylon command bunker, the Pegasus Wardroom, and Admiral Cain's quarters. With these sets you move furniture, use a drop wall and curtains tomimic other sets as needed.
The hillsides on the planet Murado set. Here you move around stage plants and a boulder on wheels, You have two backdrops. Woods and the Tylium refinery/mine are also simulated.
The brig set(Used Once); Keep it simple. Bunkbeds and a toilet is all you really need to dress the set. Use a part wall with the wall switch, if you have the resources, otherwise use a prop remote control to turn off the force-wall.
Special effects;
You better become proficient in the use of lighting tricks, stage smoke, and sound effects. And your company effects wizard must know how to run a time board. If not; then the Shakespearean noise and thunder that is so much of the play and which gives it so much of its BATTLESTAR GALACTICA feel will dissappear. Stage instruction for the effects are explicit as to time and type to match the drama being presented. It is those effects that carry the audience into the story unfolding before them.
Plexiglass plotting board;
The instructions for this visual audience aid are in the play for a reason. It is the audience visual cue and score card to let them know the status of the rising action. Call it the drama thermometer. The director has sme leweway as to how he presents it, but not much, as it is the pexiglass plotting board which is the dramatic unifying McGuffin. Don't foul it up when you block it out.
Thoughts;
This is not Shakespeare. For one thing the writing is not that good.It is a pedestrian story with familiar archetypes. You won't find startling situations or new insights into the human condition.
What you will find is space opera for the stage. As I remarked to one poor person upon whom I subjected it, I had set myself just about the hardest writing task I know, writing a science fiction stage play.
Let me say this. Those who criticize Glen Larsen, need to try to write this stuff in any fashion similar to the way he did. Those who can, can feel justified, then in their criticism. As for me? I'm going to keep my big fat mouth shut, and listen to my betters to see if I can learn a thing or two by asking questions. That is what writing this test piece taught me. That work is for GL. Respect for the man. This scripting is hard to do.
As for the Moore/Ron?
Batter up!
Avatar
Criticism is welcome. The production notes will follow as soon as I figure out how a community college can stage this thing.(AS I DESIGNED IT). Please note that this play is written as a stage or small film production of Battlestar Galactica.
This exercise was just to prove that a stage drama of Battlestar Galactica is writable, folks. It is not Shakespeare, but it is not soap opera either.
Frank
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Requiem;
By *************(Copyright 2006)
Cast;
Of the Pegasus(CVBS77);
Commander(Admiral) of the Pegasus(CVBS)TG 77.2.1 (Nelena or Nelsus)Cain
Captain of the Pegasus;Captain Herodotus Caman
CAG of the Pegasus; Captain Tyro Glen
Commander Viper Squadron [Blue]; Pegasus; Captain Sheba Cain
Chief of Marines: Pegasus; Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Ensign Bartimus (Cluster) Crabbe.
Doctor Archet
Marine/technician 1 Thoma
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Marine/technician 3 Croftus
Marine/technician 4 Horati
Of the Phoenix(DDG104)
Captain of the Phoenix(DDG104);Captain Noretu Osbor
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright
OOD; Shuttle pilot; Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Condemned Suicide Party
Hassel Petry; communications expert
Lara Petry; operations expert
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker
Tien Thee; explosives expert
Staius Livius; survivalist
Cylons;
Gold Cylon # 1
Cylon 1
Cylon 2
Cylon 3
Cylon 4
Traitors;
Doctor Ravidge
Davidus Hastur
Mindless Clones as needed
First Act
Act 1; Scene 1
Setting, the bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens and desks, set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right, set obliquely so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment looking forward. At stage rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards, as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to director]
Most of your action takes place around this table. You are free to block the stage direction as you see fit, but just remember that the central table is a plotter/projector navigation table of the ship's tactical situation. The actors look down into it(the audience(camera) does not see what the actor's see as they describe to each other what they see and what they propose to do about it.
Technician 2nd Class Selene Spright; Sir! Artemus reports by TBS, a positive tylium hit.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Where? How? We're in the middle of a WIMP desert. There shouldn't be any dark matter within a hundred years of us!
Technician 2nd Class Selene Spright; By your leave, Sir. Artemus sends us compressed data.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Need to log this report, Call the Captain?
Technician 2nd Class Selene Spright; I would, Sir. More about the hit......It is bearing 275, our baseline vector at 130 azimuth.
Marine/Technician 1 Thoma; That would be Drone Number Three, Sir. I can patch through Artemus' telemetry and get a repeater if you need it.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Relay it to the plotter. Let's see if we have a ghost; or if this is answer to our prayers.
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; On the plotter, now.
[The writer behind the plexiglass screen plots a vector from the center of the compass in a bold arrow, that leads from the center of the compass to the outside lower right quadrant, as the compass faces the audience. The plotter writes 275/130 R? along the arrow. This should be fairly accurate; but since the audience(camera) is too far away to see the accuracy of the plot, it should be just good enough to give the idea, that the tylium source is behind, starboard, and above the Phoenix.
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Act 1; Scene 2
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles, and screens; and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there, and across the plexiglass plotting screen to hide that from view.]
[Note to director]
You can have as many Cylon[See production notes] extras as you want to dress out the command center, but the only speaking actors should be the indicated dialog parts. The rest of the Cylons should busywork themselves fiddling silently with buttons and levers. Ravidge, unless indicated otherwise, is either seated on the throne, or is near it, as if it is a thing he possesses.
Ravidge;[to Cylon 2] Are you sure that you detected a wormhole inflation?
Cylon 2; What did you misunderstand, Human? Did I not tell you this?
Ravidge(going to a display and looking at it.) Damn your eyes!(He may look at a Cylon as its eye sweeps back and forth) I can't tell from this monitor what direction it is. Adjust it!(The Cylon at the display fiddles with some knobs.)
Cylon 2; Human weakness.
Ravidge; Shut up! I need to see this, you tin buffoon. Ah, that's better. To anti-spinward and below us. Just as I predicted to your idiot masters.......(He walks over to Cylon 2 and pats him on the cheek.) What would you, Toasters, do without me?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Act 1; Scene 3
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big plotter table that we see used on the bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot throughout the play.
Cain; Its a trap.
Captain Herodotus Caman; How can you say that?
Cain (Looks at handheld) This is a tachyon desert. No dark matter either. Yet out of nowhere, Artemus gets a tylium read from one of her drones? I know Archet is a miracle worker, and he told us that this B class star would be a WIMP source, but.........
Captain Herodotus Caman(looks at his watch); Speaking of Archet, he's late, again.
Doctor Archet enters; This is incredible... The power! Why with such a projector, I could solve the....
Cain; Doctor Archet?
Doctor Archet(Pays attention to the two Colonial officers present.) Oh sorry. I was reading the data from Artemus' Probe Number Three. Astonishing. She sent this before she was corked.
Captain Herodotus Caman; The Artemus?
Doctor Archet(Looking befuddled); No, Of course not! Probe Number Three. .
Cain smiles. What news did Probe Number Three send us, Doctor, before she was ^corked^ ?
Doctor Archet(Going into his ^lecture before the mentally handicapped^ mode) Simple enough, Admiral. The probe jumped into the target system, as I planned; and made a run in on the star, on a galactic north/south anti-spinward parabola.(Archet shows this with his hands and makes whooshing sound to illustrate the path the probe took.)
Cain(gently chiding); All good, Doctor, but what did the probe send back?
Doctor Archet;(becomes serious) It sent back this.(Hands over his handheld to Cain.)
Cain reads aloud; From Artemus. Fourth planet WIMP concentration detected. Probe Three changed course to flyby. Tylium confirmed present in 3% matrix dilution. Probe destroyed by particle beam fire. Analysis indicates planet fortified by close-orbiting gun satellites......Presumed Colonial technology from the particle distribution spall.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Why those dirty bastards.
Cain; You're learning, Herodotus. The Machines aren't stupid. They had to be driving us toward something.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Kind of an expensive trap, using and losing three basestars.
Doctor Archet; Machine logic, Captain. They herd you into a fuel desert, then they run you combat-ragged; until you have to refuel. Naturally, the Machines have staked out the only tylium source in the whole region. If you assault the tylium supply, and the Cylons lose it? They blow that world, and notify their brothers where we are, and we? We are stranded. The Cylon pursuers bring in as many Machines as they need, and they kill all of us. Simple Machine Logic.
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Act 1; Scene 4
Setting; Hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, (except for a Cylon vehicle if you can arrange it). If you cannot manage the Cylon vehicle, then play the scene without it.
[Note to the director]
Once again, you can use whatever Cylon extras you need to dress out the stage. These are armed with rifles. There are ^clones^(obviously humanoid) which are workers. These march across the stage at irregular intervals carrying tools. The indication should be that these clones are the worker ants to a tylium ore processing factory-hive.
Gold Cylon # 1; Report.
Cylon 2; The Colonial drone approached within one tenth of a second, before we attained a fire solution. It is certain that we were detected.
Gold Cylon #1; Did you send off the contact report?
Cylon 2; Yes.
Gold Cylon #1; Are you certain that our own preparations are complete?
Cylon 2: Yes. As instructed; solonite charges are set in the tylium dumps. Query?
Gold Cylon #1; Proceed.
Cylon 2; Why do we risk the destruction of so much valuable refined fuel? We have this world heavily defended, thanks to the Human traitor, Ravidge. The Colonials cannot possibly risk a full-fledged assault upon this place. Our guns outrange theirs, and they dare not risk destabilizing so much dark matter. The explosion would destroy everything within this star system. It is not logical.
Gold Cylon #1; Humans do not deal in logic. They deal in need. We exploit this. The traitor, Ravidge, needed us to build his particle projector; so that he could satisfy his curiosity concerning why top spin quarks wobble, while bottom spin quarks do not. The Colonials of the Pegasus fleet, now, need fuel. So, they will ignore the immutable logic of their situation; which is to submit to us, and hope for survival. They act instead, in defiance, on their need.
Cylon 2; How long do you intend to allow the traitor, Ravidge, to live?
Gold Cylon #1; Until I get Pegasus.
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Act 1 Scene 5
Setting; Wardroom aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise. there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set(camera shot) to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera/POV, as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons.]
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough, to show the audience what is going on in the play as it progresses.
Cain(Sitting at the head of the table, looks down into tabletop, as if the admiral is peering into a well of space.); It is a blue-white B class star. The tylium is on the fourth planet. That planet has the thickest belt of gun satellites I've ever seen. And we need that fuel. I'm open to suggestions, gentlemen?
Captain Tyro Glen; We war-gamed a standard assault, Admiral. It doesn't work. Even if we jump in on top of them, a dozen of those gunsats will skewer us like a Geminese magician doing a sword trick.
Cain; Well, Mister, what do you suggest?
Doctor Archet(interrupting) These gunsats may be Colonial particle beam weapon platforms, but the layout is Cylon. Three distinct discrete layers, like an onion. If that is Cylon true, then, I bet my school key, that it is a Cylon control logic governing the defense. They will have a central command..........
Captain Tyro Glen; So what are you suggesting, Doc?
Ensign Bartimus Crabbe; With respect, Sir, he's suggesting that we take the command center, and thereby knock out the satellite defense system.
Captain Tyro Glen(Looking at Gideon(Hacksaw)Johren); A commando raid?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(Obviously annoyed at the CAG); That could be possible. I have to assume that the raid party is expendable, so it will be a volunteer mission.
(Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron goes over to the plexiglass plot screen, and he unrolls and puts up a rolled transparency of the tylium planet, that he picks up from the conference table. He marks an X on the transparency.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That is where the Artemus probe RDFed the most transmissions from the planet. So that is where I expect the tin-heads put their command bunker. Idiots don't disperse. Here is where the tylium dumps are. (He draws this) I guarantee, that they are mined. So we have to sneak in, and knock out two objectives; the satellite command, and the detonation master control.(He draws this on the planet map.) .
Cain; Very well. Mister Johron, you will handle the planet-side details. Mister Tyro, I expect you, to find a way, to get that raid party in. If we can defuse the Cylon mines, and turn off the satellites, we can close-orbit the planet with the Artemus, and rail-gun the Toasters dirt-side from altitude. Kinetics. We get the fuel......
Doctor Archet; And those lovely particle projectors.......
Cain; My thoughts exactly.....
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End of Act 1
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Second Act
Act 2; Scene 1
Setting; Brig of the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Set the stage, as if you were looking through a fourth ^force-wall^ from the audience(camera) point of view, into a box of a prison compartment. It may be possible to have the toilet/sink combination on the back of the brig cell wall, a pair of steel bunk beds(left), and a bench(right) as furnishings. If you can mange it, have a pull down table next to the toilet, as a common eating work area, the four prisoners share.
[Note to director]
Block the scene as needed. The Colonials segregate prisoners by gender, but not rank, so this cell contains only men. {Dress the prisoners in single-color jump-suits with socks and sandals.}. These four have been thrown together, just within the following hour, and they don't really know each other, or why they are together. They are all condemned men.]
Hassel Petry; Hey you. Ledon Thoma! I know you. You were one of Caman's golden-boys. Couldn't find a Cylon system you couldn't crack. What did you do? Try to run your numbers on the Admiral's daughter?
Ledon Thoma([who is a powerful man for a geek] jumps on Hassel Petrey. It takes the combined efforts, of the other two condemned men, to pull Ledon Thoma off Hassel Petry.).
Tien Thee; That's enough! Save your breath! You'll need it when they put us out through the airlock! We know why they have us. We don't need to satisfy individual curiosities.
(The four of them turn, when they hear a door open(sound effect), to see an armed party of one officer, and three guards[enter stage/shot left] approach the front of their cell. This party is led by Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe, the ensign we saw from the command conference in Act 1; Scene 5)
Staius Livius; Well if it isn't ^Buster^ come to see us off! Crashed any Vipers, lately, Sir?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; No thanks to you, Staius. That number you did on my auto-pilot was cute.
Staius Livius; Well I try to do good works, when I can.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe motions to the guards, and the Guards draw pistols. Marine/technician 2 Bellam moves stage right to a wall-lever outside the ^presumed^ force-wall. He pulls the lever down. [sound effect of switch] The force-wall is off.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; You four are condemned men. Its out the airlock for the lot of you.
Tien Thee; Yeah.Yeah. Without a pressure suit. We know the jokes. Only thing, Ensign(said with a sneer), it isn't our scheduled time to go. I still have seven ship days and my appeal to work through.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Forget the appeal, Tien. You blew that compartment out, and Admiral Cain knows it. The Admiral can't wait to get rid of you. If you wanted to commit suicide, why didn't you cut yourself shaving?
Tien Thee; You wouldn't understand.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; I don't need to. You four are all running out of time. But......
Hassel Petry(perking up); But what? You offering us a way out? I heard a rumor.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Yes, a way. Likely you'll foul it up and die, but you could make it. If you four want to. It means you put your selves in my hands and do what you are told.(Crabbe looks at Hassel Petrey)
Hassel Petrey; I read you loud and clear.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Sir.
Hassel Petry, Tien Thee, and Staius Livius say together; Sir.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; What is the matter with him? (pointing to Ledon Thoma)
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; Thats my brother, sir. He's mute.(Marine/Technician 1 signs to his brother. Ledon Thoma nods his head once in a firm yes.)
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; He understands, Sir.
Hassel Petry; Uh, Sir, I don't know if I mentioned this, but my wife......
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe: Already selected, Hassel. We needed somebody with BRAINS.
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Act 2; Scene 2
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Same set up as previous for Cain's quarters. If there is the plexiglass plotting board, then show the transparency of the planet Murado, seen from Act 1 Scene 5. The words ^Aero-shell insertion 1^ with arrows indicating the primary and secondary drop objectives on the planet Murado near the two X's that Gideon Johron drew should be boldly marked and labelled There should be a meal laid out for two people.
[Note to the director]
This is the setup for the raid. The two actors should do this as one continuous read, sitting over their dinner. they can improvise the conversation as they eat. Lara Petry wears the same prison garb as the condemned men. Cain is in full Colonial dress uniform.
Cain; What do you think of the plan?
Lara Petry; Tyro Glen never could plan an operation. You don't want to risk the Peg on a run like this. You wouldd be better off, using either the Artemus, or the Phoenix. They can jump in danger-close, release kinetic ordnance on a flyby, like you meant it, and we can ride the aero-shells in, with the ordnance garbage. The Cylons will think we are the decoys, and ignore us; while they shoot the real stuff out of the sky.
Cain; I thought about that, but won't the Toasters assume that we wouldn't risk nuclear warheads, for fear that the radioactives will set off the tylium?
Lara Petry; I'm no explosives expert, but doesn't the Peg use sandcaster missiles to break up Cylon massed-missile attacks? Use sandcasters as a wide area kinetic munition?
Cain(laughing); You've talked to Tien. Yes, we can do that. A sandcaster when it hits the ground? It would produce a surface effect, not to dissimilar from rail-gun bombardment. The Cylons would have to engage the missiles.
Lara Petry; Mines. If we are going to make this idiots' plan work, the warheads have to be ballistic mines. If the Cylons see missiles; they'll shoot at everything incoming!
Cain; You really think so?
Lara Petry; I know so.
They eat for a brief while.
Lara Petry; About the aero-shells?
Cain: Three of them. Two of them will contain the raid parties along with the gear you'll need to survive on the planet. The third will contain the land-ram and the heavy weapons.
Lara Petry; Have to change that. So the Vulcanus is turning out three ^boulders^ that we can fly down to the planet?
Cain; Yes. One will be flown by Ensign Crabbe. The second will be flown by a Lieutenant Charus Hevo. I don't know him. He's a volunteer from the Phoenix. And the third will be flown by my daughter.
Lara Petry; I know Hevo. There's no Warrior braver or better.
Cain; That's good to know. Tell me, Lara. Why did you ever marry a scoundrel like Hassel Petry?(Cain indicates Lara's prisoner garb)
Lara Petry; I was an idiot, Admiral, and I was in love.
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Act 2; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigator/plotter table and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles and screens and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2; is now the Cylons have installed their own version of the plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
Carried forward from Act 1, Scene 2
The Centurion event-plotting extra should be plainly visible, so that the audience can see him plot the Cylon side of the battle; as the actors act out the scene. Blocking should be such; so that the audience/camera POV should be un-obstructed.
Ravidge(enters [stage/camera] left and hurries toward his throne.); Why did you wait, so late, to call me? (He swings the throne around as he sits in it; to face and see the plexiglass plotting board. He is mostly in profile as he oversees the unfolding) battle.)
Cylon 3(At the nearest Cylon workstation to the throne); Outer satellites detected two wormhole inflation events, fifteen minutes ago. Two maneuvering objects inbound. IFF radio challenge rejected. Objects tracked at one tenth photonic measured interval.
Ravidge; One tenth the speed of light? Kinetics.... Do you have a mass on the objects? Well do you, you fool?
Cylon 3; Objects do not register on mass discriminators.
Ravidge; Space vessels and small rocks, then. For a moment I thought that might have been.......
Gold Cylon #1(enters [stage/camera right] followed by Cylon 2); Might have been what, traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge (stands); I dislike when you call me that!
Cylon 2; The question asked, has not been answered. You were about to say?
Ravidge; That it is Cain.
Gold Cylon #1; You see the information? (He points to the various Centurions working.[stage/camera left].). The signal returns show objects too small to be a battlestar.(He does not address Ravidge as he says this. His comments are aimed at Centurion 2)
Cylon 2; Traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge(reluctantly leaves his throne and goes along the Cylon work stations. He picks up a handheld device from a Cylon work station he approaches, that he uses, to help him to change the Cylon instrumentation readings to something that his human senses can interpret).
Ravidge; Why two wormholes? One of them is obviously inbound to pass us here in a close flyby. That one is a parabola. Conforms to that probe I destroyed three weeks ago.(He looks directly at Gold Cylon #1 as he says this) This other one is a hyperbola? No, it can't be!
Cylon 3; Updating the inbounds. First object will close approach in two minutes.
(The Centurion, plotting the approach of the objects, should draw two plain bold tracks coming in parallel to the planet Murado. As the tracks come closer, the first track should describe a hyperbola. The track that follows behind should be a parabola.)
Ravidge; This is why you need me, Goldie. I see the plan, now. The plan is simple. The attackers send two ships. One carries kinetics, and the other is a recon bird. This is Cain. He's probing us. Apparently I killed his first probe, before it sent back anything useful! He tests our defenses, before he risks his precious Pegasus to my satellites' tender mercies.
Gold Cylon #1; You suggest that the hyperbolic ship is a bomber? That is not possible. Cain wants the tylium. Nuclear weapons would destabilize the fuel, rendering it worthless.
Cylon 2; Traitor Ravidge suggests kinetics, Leader One. Perhaps he believes that the bomber will release guided impactors, intended to hit this command center?
Gold Cylon #1; Impossible. The Colonials are unable to hit anything at one tenth fraction of photonic velocity interval.
Ravidge; Neither can you, Cylons. Aha! Cain you are a clever devil.(Ravidge returns to his throne, and sits with a flourish,) If you will just stand and watch, Goldie, I'll show you how a Human handles this little problem, while you, Cylons, debate among yourselves, how impossible it is for us, Humans, to hit anything at a tenth of the speed of light.
Cylon 3; Updating.
(Now the Centurion, plotting the two tracks on the plexiglass, should draw a big bold arrow from the ^bomber^ to the planet, Murado, and print ^mines^.)
Ravidge; That is conventional enough, Cain. Rods from the gods. The Quorum outlawed that, but you wouldn't care, would you? DRADIS will discriminate those in about thirty seconds, and then you'll see what my satellites can do, Cain.(Ravidge is lost in himself as he renders this soliloquy. All the Cylons are silent, either working in obedience to Ravidge's orders; or in the case of Gold Cylon #1, and Centurion 2 watching.)
Cylon 3; Updating.
(The Centurion, plotting the attack on the plexiglass plotting board, draws the bold arrow intersecting the planet, Murado.)
Ravidge; Fire-plan six. Wait until the range is one thirtieth of a second, then cluster-fire at the strongest target-echoes. Sustained tracking fire; as the targets pass through the outer, and middle satellite belts.
Ravidge; COMMENCE!
Cylon 3; By your command!
Ravidge(grinning); Brace yourself, Goldie! There are going to be leakers at the fringes!.
([sound effects of explosions] Cylons, not seated, stumble and fall in response to a particularly loud explosion.[darken scene lighting to indicate power loss.]).
Gold Cylon #1; Restore power and communications at once!
Cylon 3; By your command!
([Re-light the scene with subdued light] Various fallen Cylons should stand up.)
Ravidge;(looking at the ceiling) Hah! Nice try, Cain! I'm still here, you bastard!
Gold Cylon #1; What happened, traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge(Looking at his handheld) Well, you just lost your primary airfield, and most of your Raiders. Your alpha legion barracks, and presumably your alpha legion, is gone; and they got the powerplant. I told you to disperse your assets. But, you are Cylons.
Gold Cylon #1; Disaster.
Ravidge; Nonsense. The tylium dumps, and this command post remain. Your beta legion is intact. We have our own power supply. We have positive satellite communication and control. We've been scratched, but we aren't hurt.
Gold Cylon #1; Loss of a Centurion legion and a Raider cohort is not ^being hurt^?
Ravidge; No. Not if it proves my point.
Cylon 2; Which is traitor Ravidge?
Ravidge; If it had been up to you, you would have lost this command center, Goldie. That spread. those impactors, that were thrown at us: Cain carefully orchestrated to make you disperse my satellite's fire. You would protect the installations, to the east of us. CAIN aimed his kinetics, to hide what you would have considered artillery longs and shorts around those sites. You would miss completely, that some of those longs were deliberately aimed at US. I didn't. I sacrificed, what was necessary, to keep the fuel and this base, intact. As long as we have those two items, Cain has to bring Pegasus here to get the fuel. He needs his Vipers to clear out the satellites. If he tries, he dies.
Gold Cylon #1; Traitor Ravidge. I know, that you let the targets be destroyed, to prove that you are essential. That was your deliberate choice. I continue to let you live, despite this, to serve the Cylon Empire. That is my choice. Remember that.
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Act 2; Scene 4
Setting; The Bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens, and desks set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right; set obliquely, so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment, looking forward. At stage rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen, that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, so that the actors do not obstruct the plexiglass plotting board. The Colonial technician, who plots the battle, should use the same marking conventions that were used in Act 1 Scene 5.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Take us out of here. Rotate, and set us on the planned outbound; bearinjg 110, azimuth 036, Mister.
Marine/technician 1{Thoma wears a helmet to disguise his face}; Sir, Aye. Aye. 110 by 036. Three minutes to entry.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; Sir, we have a confirmed contact of Moffitt One.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Any word on Two and Three?
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; No Sir.
Captain Noretu Osbor; It is too soon for Moffitt One. They must be off course. Mistress Spright, I need a contact confirmation on the others.(He looks down into the navigation/plotter table to check on the Phoenix's position.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; Sir, I cannot report, what I do not have.
(There is about a half minute as the Colonial technician replays on the plexiglass plotting screen, what we saw played out in the Cylon command bunker on the planet, Murado, in Act 2; Scene 3. During the wait; at irregular intervals Technician 2 gives a running commentary )
Marine/technician 2(Bellam wears a helmet to disguise his face): Kinetics entering gunsat kill-fire zone........... The satellites use clustered continuous fire, Sir.......................... They concentrate fire on the center of our groupings................... Tracking confirms................................... The defense is letting the fringe masses through, concentrating on the center of the spread.........................................Damage assessment.....................Bright flashes we see at target Cylon objectives, Nimbus and Stratus, presumed destroyed..............Objective Cumulus, secondary explosion..............Aero-shells in the atmosphere....................We have lost their tracks..............................No contact
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; The Cylon command center is off the air!(Cheers on the bridge.)
Captain Noretu Osbor; Belay that! They will be back up shortly. Try to contact the Moffitts, Mistress Spright.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; Plasma sheath, Sir. Ionization makes radio impossible. We're going too fast; and they're braking too hard.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Frak.
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; The Cylons are back up.
Marine/technician 2(Bellam wears a helmet to disguise his face); Secondary spall falling. Confirmed. We wiped out their airbase. Confirmed powerplant hit. Confirmed at least one barracks complex destroyed..
Captain Noretu Osbor(says to self in almost a prayer); Thank the gods. We did better than I hoped.
Technician 1(Thoma wears a helmet to disguise his face); Sir, Wormhole inflation.
Captain Neretu Osbor; Take us through, Mister.
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Act 2; Scene 5
Setting; Hillside on the planet, Murado
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen.(This backdrop can be used for the following two scenes, as well, as you can variate its look with stage or setting foliage; so that the audience/camera sees a different scene dressed each time.). The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, (except for a Colonial aero-shell[stage/camera left] smoking if you can arrange it. It should have the War of the Worlds lander feel to it. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present using harmless FX stage smoke blown in stage/camera left )
[Note to the director]
Once again you use (two) Colonial extras you need to dress out the scene. They move into and out of action [stage/camera left] carrying supplies which they pile up at irregular intervals. The Colonials are dressed for planetary combat with camouflaged uniforms. They are armed with rifles and pistols[see props notes].
(Two Marines pile up the supplies out of the crashed aero-shell, Moffitt 1)
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Crashed party of Moffitt 1
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Moffitt 1
Captain Sheba Cain
Marine/technician 1 Thoma
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Hassel Petry; communications expert(off scene/cammera)
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker(off scene/camera)
******************************************************************************
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; Is the Captain all right? The Admiral will kill us, if anything happens to his daughter.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; I presume she can speak for herself, Sarge.
Captain Sheba Cain(limping badly; enters stage left); Thanks for your concern, guys. Where are we?
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; I have no idea.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(looks reproachfully at Thoma); Begging your pardon, Madam, but are not you the conductor, for this little trip?
Captain Sheba Cain; That's true. Did the cargo make it?
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; I have not checked. Do you want me to wake them up?
Captain Sheba Cain; Not yet. First, I have to find out where we are. Then, I have to find out, if the others made it.
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; We should have come down together.
Captain Sheba Cain; That is enough, Sergeant. You may lead the assault element, but I still command. We work with what we find, not with what we should. Save the after-the-facts, for the review; if we live to see it. Now what do we have?
Marine/technician 2 Bellam;(Paws through pile of supplies, so far piled up.) We have the water purifier, field rations for three days, our personal weapons, the clothes we wear, a set of field glasses, charges for the pistols and rifles, one radio. (Shrugs) Most of the stuff was tossed, and jumbled; when you dodged that Cylon missile, Madam.)
Captain Sheba Cain; Could not be helped. At least the shot we traveled in with, hit the missile battery, before it radioed a contact report.
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; We hope.
Captain Sheba Cain(glaring); I said that was enough, Mister.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; Okay, Sarge. I really need help in getting the rest of the stuff out of the shell.......(Looks significantly at Captain Sheba Cain).
Captain Sheba Cain; That makes sense. I'll go to the top of the hill, and see if I can take a sighting. You, two, finish off the salvage, and then I will decide what we do next. First, the position fix.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(digs through the supplies again and produces a sextant; Here is the sextant, Madam.)
Captain Sheba Cain; Thanks, Corporal. Ancient, but reliable. I just hope we are close enough to the Cylon command bunker.
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Act 2; Scene 6
Setting; Another hillside on the planet Murado
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen for this; and the following scenes. The rest of the stage/camera shot is bare, (except for a Colonial aero-shell[stage/camera right] smoking; if you can arrange it. It should have the War of the Worlds lander feel to it. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present, using harmless FX stage smoke blown in stage/camera right.).
[Note to the director]
Once again you use (two) Colonial extras you need to flesh out the scene. They move into and out of action [stage/camera right] carrying supplies which they pile up at irregular intervals. The Colonials are dressed for planetary combat with camouflaged uniforms. They are armed with rifles and pistols[see props notes].
(Two colonial Marines enter stage/camera right. They wear ruck-sacks, and are in march order. One of them carries a device that looks like a radio-locator. The Colonial Pilot, who immediately follows them, has his pistol drawn, He is carrying a map case. Two condemned men follow him. They have rucksacks; and are uniformed, as the Marines; but significantly, neither of them are armed.)
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Crashed party Moffitt 3
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Marine/technician 3 Croftus;
Marine/technician 4 Horati;
Tien Thee; explosives expert;
Staius Livius; survivalist;
************************************************************
Tien Thee; You had to drop the mortar in the river, when we unloaded, didn't you?
Staius Livius; Not my fault!
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(turns around and reaches into his map case. The two condemned men promptly stagger and fall to the ground; as if they've been hit with a jolt of electricity, which they have been.); I'm tired of treating you, two, like lab mice. Start behaving like men, or you will not survive this little jaunt.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; Sir, I hate to interrupt your morale lesson, but I think we landed dead onto the objective.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo Are you sure, Sergeant?
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; That is the aero-shell's neutrino signal. Signal bearing that a way.(Points offstage/outcamera left). That must be the landram.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; How far?
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; At our pace? About an hour's walk.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; I'll scout ahead, Sir. If I find it is Moffitt Two, I will bring them here. Save you the hike.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(shakes his head); I sit on my butt, too much, as it is. We go together.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus(slaps Horati on the back jovially); I told you, he was Marine Material!(Grins at Charus Hevo) Shall we go collect our taxi, Sir?(Flourishes the invitation with a hand gesture).
Tien Thee(interrupting); I hate to annoy you, heroes, but how am I supposed to blow up the Cylon detonator master control; or eliminate the command bunker, without the mortar?(Glares at Stavius Livius)
Staius Livius; Yeah. What he said.(Points at Tien Thee)
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(good mood broken); Come on, mice. If the Sergeant, or I don't have any ideas; I suggest you come up with some of your own. There is no way off this mud-ball, unless we accomplish the mission. I do not expect you to understand that Staius, but Tien can explain it to you. No way off. Now on your feet!
(The Marines, the Pilot, and the condemned men gather their gear, and themselves, march offstage/offcamera right. Tien Thee, and Staius Livius complain in whispers; about the loads they carry as they march.)
Staius Livius; What do you have in these packs Tien? Rocks?
Tien Thee; Solonite.
Staius Livius; Solonite!?!?!?
Tien Thee; Yeah, Solonite in the mortar rounds.
Staius Livius; Are you out of your mind?
Tien Thee; I sure am! Now shut up. I'm thinking.
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Act 2; Scene 7
Setting; Yet another hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen.(This backdrop can be used from the preceding two scenes, as you can variate its look with stage, or setting foliage; so that the audience/camera sees a different scene dressed this time.). The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, (except for a Colonial aero-shell[stage/camera left] smoking; if you can arrange it. It should have the War of the Worlds lander feel to it. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present using harmless FX stage smoke blown in from stage/camera left.)
[Note to the director]
The three actors should be made up, as if they have fought and lost a fire. They should have nothing with them except for the clothes they wear, their packs, and their weapons. One of them carries a radio.
Three Colonials, the Pilot, the condemned woman, and the Marine; stagger from the thick smoke stage/camera left. They are the party from crashed aero-shell; Moffitt 2.);
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Crashed party of Moffitt 2;
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe
Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Lara Petry operations expert
Davidus Hastur; clone expert and traitor(Captured and added to the Moffitt 2 party)
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Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; I screwed up.
Lara Petry; Its not your fault, Barty. Its mine.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron; With all due respect, Lara, it is his fault. He delayed using the decelerator, until it was too late. It overloaded and caught fire. That cost us our supplies the landram, and my squad of Marines. It almost cost us our own lives.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster) Crabbe; You seem real choked up about your Marines.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron(gently to the ensign, as he teaches him the facts of life.); This is not the time for me to mourn my men. I've got to figure out a way to get us to our objectives. I assume that we are the only survivors. Mourn later.
Lara Petry(Shakes her head); I made it too complex, I should have......
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron(shakes her); Listen to me! Listen to me!
Ensign Bartimus(Buster) Crabbe; Hush!(Grabs field glasses from his pack; as he hears the sound of an approaching vehicle and looks stage/camera right.); Hey!(He shoves the field glasses at Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron.); Is that?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron; Yes it is, Mister. THAT is a gift from the gods. A Cylon Chariot, complete with Centurions. Probably from that base to the east of us, that we saw corked, when we came in. Perimeter patrol? Well: if they are, they soon won't be.(He hands the field glasses to Laura Petry)
Laura Petry; They are stopping. The gunner is climbing out. There are the two drivers. There is the commander. He is silver. They have a Human with them! (She hands the field glasses to Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron. She stoops down and sketches upon the ground The audience/camera does not see what she draws. Ensign Bartimus Crabbe watches her with intense interest.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron; Typical Tin-heads. They are putting out solar panels. Means that their beamed power source is gone. Good for us. Their base is definitely dead. What is that man doing with them?
Lara Petry; Who cares? We kill him, if he gets in the way. Take him alive, and squeeze him for it, if we can. (She finishes drawing and stands up. Major Gideon(Hacksaw) Johron. and Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe look upon her with shock and disgust as she says this. Lara Petry notices.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; You just cannot kill him without cause.
Lara Petry(gives him the hard look); We most certainly can. I am not a nice person, Major; or have you forgotten WHY, I am here; or YOU?......(silence four beats) Now,(she points to the ground) here is my plan. Your input please?(She bends down to the ground where she drew her plan, along with Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron, and Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; to explain her plan); We hit them from the North and the East in a crossfire.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That works.
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End of Act 2
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Third Act
Act 3; Scene 1
Setting; Wardroom aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise, there should be the Plexiglass plot board in the back of the set/camera shot to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera POV. The conference table should have papers scattered across it; as if the meeting that just concluded, was messy and very heated.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough to show the audience what is going on in the play as it progresses. There are big question marks on the projected aero-shell landing sites that indicate to the audience/camera that the aero-shell's fates are uncertain.
(The two actors interact around the table.)
Cain;(Looking at the plexiglass plotting board.); I should have gone in with the Peg.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Are you serious? Trust the plan, Admiral.(He looks at the Plexiglass plotting board.) You do have a habit of charging in before the circumstances clear up. Petry knows what she is doing, and your daughter, Captain Cain, adapts well.
Cain; I should not have let her go.
Captain Herodotus Caman; That is the parent, not the Admiral talking.
Cain; What would you do?
Captain Herodotus Caman; Wait.
Cain; We need a plan for failure.
Captain Herodotus Caman; We have one.
Cain; Not that asteroid thing, again!
Captain Herodotus Caman; It all comes down to kinetics, Admiral.
Cain; You know what Doctor Archet said.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Yes, after the asteroid hits, it would be a year before we could exploit the tylium deposits. Forget about the refined fuel. Poof. Still, it is a plan.
Cain; Your stupid plan. I won't consider it.
Captain Herodotus Caman; I did not hear anything, better.(He waves at the papers on the table.)
Cain; I will wait, Captain. Doctor Archet may come up with something.
(Captain Herodotus Caman has won his argument, so we see him privately smile. The worried Admiral lets the parental concern show. The Admiral keeps looking at the Plexiglass plotting board.)
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Setting; Hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage/camera shot is bare, (except for a Cylon Chariot vehicle if you can arrange it. Otherwise use [sound effects of tank or truck] to indicate a vehicle in the vicinity ) Blow heavy F/X stage smoke across the stage/camera frame right.
[Note to the director]
Once again you can use whatever Cylon extras you need to dress out the stage. These are armed with rifles. There are ^clones^(obviously humanoid) which are workers. These march across the stage at irregular intervals carrying tools. The indication should be that these clones are the worker ants to a tylium ore processing factory-hive.
Gold Cylon #1; The traitor Ravidge allowed this to happen.
Cylon 1; Explain?
Gold Cylon #1; He allows our garrisons to die in the atack, but he preserves his toys; the cloned miners, and the satellites He demonstrates his superiority over us. He forgets the true situation, as he nourishes his ego.
Cylon 1; Kill him.
Gold Cylon #1; Not yet.
Cylon 1; Why not yet?
Gold Cylon #1; We do not, yet, understand the full integration control of his satellites.
Cylon 1; How many times must he load his programming algorithmn, before we have the copy?
Gold Cylon #1; Twice more before a final solution. Then you will kill him.
Cylon 1; With the knife. Human bleeding affects me in a positive fashion.
(Gold Cylon # 1 gives Cylon 1 the funny Cylon look. Something is not right here.)
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Act 3; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on the planet, Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigation/plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage/right consoles, and screens and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners, there, and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2, is now the Cylons have installed their own version of a plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/camera POV right), with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
Carried forward from Act 1, Scene 2
The Centurion event-plotting extra should be plainly visible, so that the audience can see him plot the Cylon side of the story; as the actors act out the scene. This time, a transparency of the Cylon command bunker, and the surrounding Cylon installations on a polar Mercator projection map, should be overlaid on the Plexiglass plotting board. Prominent X's should mark out the labelled airbase, the alpha legion barracks, and the Cylon powerplant to indicate their destroyed condition. There are three labelled circles indicating the two Cylon refined tylium fuel dumps, and the command bunker. Blocking should be such; so that the audience/camera POV should be un-obstructed.
Ravidge(sits on his throne and fumbles with his handheld. {the guy has a thing about thrones}); Where, the infernity, did that radio signal come from? Have you found the signal direction yet?
Cylon 3; Insufficient time to establish a fix.
Ravidge; Idiot. You just said, it came from the direction of the alpha legion base. Since there is no more alpha legion base, it is obviously coming from a non-Cylon source.
Cylon 3; The signal could be from one of our perimeter patrols.
Ravidge; Impossible, We have my satellite photos of the area. Nothing but craters and blown down trees. Nothing survives a Cain strike. Nothing.
Cylon 3; We survive.
Ravidge; Only, because I insured it.
Cylon 3; We have the signal source data.
Ravidge(gets up from his throne with his handheld, and walks over to Centurion 3's work station); Show me! He holds up his handheld, waiting for it to resolve the Cylon presentation, into something that his Human eyes can see.)
Cylon 3; It is Chariot 52, one of our perimeter patrols. It transmits a locator beacon signal.
Ravidge; A distress call? Well send out an aircraft to investigate.
Cylon 3; Impossible.
Ravidge; And why is that?
Cylon 3; The airbase is gone. We have your satellite photos of the area. Nothing but craters and blown down trees. Nothing survives a Cain strike. Nothing. Since there is no airbase, it is obviously impossible to send an aircraft to investigate.
Ravidge(in humiliated fury); Send out a Chariot! No, send out two Chariots. Make sure that the crews are heavily armed. I want to be sure.
Cylon 3; That will weaken the Satellite command bunker perimeter defense, below acceptable limits.
Ravidge; I do not have to explain myself to you, you tin-plated bread-browner! Every unknown is a threat! I want to know, what that Chariot 52 is doing, still intact.
Cylon 3; By your command.
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Act 3; Scene 4
Setting; The Bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens and desks set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right; set obliquely, so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment, looking forward. At stage rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen, that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards, as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, so that the actors do not obstruct the plexiglass plotting board. The Colonial technician, who plots the battle, should use the same marking conventions, that were used in Act 1; Scene 5. Use Colonial extras to dress out the scene at the work stations. Those, without lines, should work silently pushing buttons and levers.
(Captain Neretu Osbor, commander of the Phoenix paces the bridge, looking constantly at the plexiglass plot. There is a Mercator polar projection map, showing the Colonial viewpoint of the Cylon bases on the planet. The Captain studies it, and is worried.)
Captain Neretu Osbor; What the frak happened?(He looks at Selene Spright)
Technician Second Class Selene Spright(working with frustrated energy); I don't know, Sir. There was the one burst from Moffitt 2, then nothing. All I'm getting is radio from the Cylon command bunker, and that is low-powered. I think they are using their own site generators to power their transmitter.
(The Colonial technician plots three big question marks where the aero-shell landing sites are marked as squares labelled; Moffitt 1, Moffitt 2 , and Moffitt 3.
Marine/technician 2; (Bellam wears a helmet to hide his face) More strike analysis, Sir. We wiped out their airbase, completely. Nothing, Cylon, flies out of that place, anymore. The dam, that was their powerplant, is gone. So is the missile field that protected it. Moffitt 2 may have landed near there, off course.
Captain Neretu Osbor(eagerly); How do we know that? About Moffitt 2?
Technician Second Class Selene Spright([surprised] works her own station even harder.); I'm sorry, Sir. This information just came through ship's opticals...(She gives Marine/technician 2 Bellam an angry look, since the technician should have sent the information to her station; as she reported the current updates to the Captain)......Moffitt 2 flared. The pilot may have overloaded the aero-shell decelerator. Still no confirmation of a safe landing. But its landed to the North of where it should be.
Captain Neretu Osbor; If Crabbe wrecked Moffitt 2 by braking late, I'll skin him alive.(He continues pacing)
Technician Second Class Selene Spright(eagerly); Sir, I have Moffitt 3! Its a compressed transmission. I'm unpacking it now.
Captain Neretu Osbor; Eight hours old, this far out.....How soon before you have it in plain text?
Technician Second Class Selene Spright(confused); Its Colonial encrypted, and its on a Cylon carrier tight beam? Thirty minutes, Sir?
Captain Neretu Osbor; You have ten, Mistress Spright.
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Act 3; Scene 5
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big plotter table, that we see used on the Phoenix bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources, give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen, that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot, throughout the play.
Cain; Well. We know that Ensign Crabbe, and Lieutenant Hevo made it.
Captain Tyro Glen; Still no word about Sheba?
Cain; Nothing.
Doctor Archet; If those two knuckleheads made it, then Captain Cain landed safely. I am confident in the aero-shells we built; and she was perfect in the simulations.
Captain Tyro Glen; I should have specified fewer slugs and more decoys to Phoenix(Actual) in the insertion-plan.
Cain(Shakes head); Your guidance for Phoenix(Actual) was perfect. They hit your targets, and two of the aero-shells made it through. You saw the damage reports. Nobody, Cylon, or Human; had ever tried it before.
Doctor Archet(under his breath); With good reason.
Cain; What was that, Doctor?
Doctor Archet(clears throat); Well, now that its done.....I simulated the possible strike outcomes, after Mister Glen presented his raid team insertion plan.
Cain; You mean the simulations, where the aero-shells had a less than fifteen percent chance of successfully landing?
Doctor Archet(coughing); I thought.
Cain; Where my daughter is concerned, Doctor, nothing escapes me.
Tyro Glen(laughing); You were saying about my Pilots, Doctor?
Doctor Archet; I stand corrected. Obviously those men are not knuckleheads..
Captain Tyro Glen(serious); Still, they are off of their target landing zones.(He picks up and looks at a handheld.) Moffitt 2 to the North, and Moffitt 1 to the West of their planned drops. Did Phoenix retransmit anything further; other than that, they have a radio contact from Moffitt 2?
Cain; They made contact and joined up with Moffitt 1.
Captain Tyro Glen; How did you learn that, Admiral?
Cain; As I said before. When it comes to my daughter, nothing escapes me.
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Act 3; Scene 6
Setting; Yet another hillside on the planet, Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a forested hills, or an open glen.(This backdrop can be used from the preceding planet scenes, as you can variate its look with stage, or setting foliage; so that the audience/camera sees a different scene dressed each time.). The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, except for a Cylon Chariot[stage/camera left], if you can arrange it. It should have an armored fighting vehicle feel to it. Mark the Chariot, as if its armor was scorched by particle beam fire. If you cannot build it, then indicate it [offstage/outframe] as being present using [sound effects of truck or tank engine] from audience/camera left.
Scatter four dead Cylon Centurions about; as if they have been shot down from ambush.*
[Note to the director]
* If you can start the scene this way, block the scene opening so that the four Centurions(doing routine maintenance tasks) are shot down by surprise.(They collapse where they stand.[sound effect of lightning/thunder] as each is shot.), leaving the traitor, Davidus Hastur, standing alone(in the middle of the stage/frame), with his hands up in surrender. Otherwise, open the scene with the Centurions already dead, and down; with the traitor, Davidus Hastur, sticking his hands up in the air.
Davidus Hastur(looks around wildly); Don't shoot!
Lara Petry(offstage/offcamera left, shouting ); Kneel down! On your knees! Cross your ankles! Hands straight up! Palms front, fingers spread! Good.(Davidus Hastur obeys each shouted order as it is given.); Move and get shot!
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(offstage/offcamera right, shouting); Do you want me to move in, to check the Toasters?
Lara Petry(offstage/offcamera left, shouting ); Wait for Johron to check the tank
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(He has; either, crept up to the Cylon Chariot [onstage/incamera] from stage/frame right; and is checking it for damage, or is [offstage/outframe] right; shouting); The Chariot's okay!
Lara Petry; Okay, Buster. Johron's set to cover you. Move in.(If onstage/incamera; Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron has set himself, up with his rifle, to cover the dead Centurions, and the kneeling Davidus Hastur.
Major Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(moves onstage/incamera from stage/frame right. He goes from dead Centurion to dead Centurion, and shouts as he confirms each deader); Down 1! Down 2 Down 3! Down 4! All dead.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(either from offstage/outframe; or from on the Chariot); Don't get so melodramatic, Mister Crabbe. You watch too many police dramas.(jumps down from the Chariot, or enters scene from stage/frame right.); We are lucky; that your wild shooting didn't kill the Chariot's radio.(He points at the Chariot [either onstage/incamera or offstage/outframe] to indicate the Chariot damage to the looking Crabbe.)
Lara Petry(enters from stage/frame left carrying a rifle.); Are you sure about the radio, Major?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; As sure as I can be without running a transmitter check.
Lara Petry(goes over toward Davidus Hastur); I know you, Hastur. (She kicks him, hard. He topples over.)
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(moves over to Lara Petry and Davidus Hastur. He objects); Hey, You don't have to do that!
Lara Petry(swings her own rifle up, and aims it at Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe); You need to grow up, Buster.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(saunters calmly between the two of them. It is apparent why Cain chose him, as Chief of Marines. He calmly pushes Lara Petry's rifle aside to a safe position, as he addresses Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe); Why don't we find out why she kicked the man, before we jump to hasty conclusions, Mister?(He looks at Lara Petry for an explanation.)
Lara Petry; Ask him, the clone master.(She points at Davidus Hastur. Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron sees the truth in Lara Petry's eyes.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; So, he is Hastur?(He, unconsciously, aims his own rifle at Davidus Hastur) What have you been up to, Rube? Still trying to make a race of worker slaves, you Sagitarran maniac?(He pokes the prostrate Davidus Hastur with his rifle.)
(As Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe looks on with horror, Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron hauls up Davidus Hastur ,and works over the collaborator. Lara Petry watches with approval.)
Davidus Hastur; Enough! I'm Hastur. What are you going to do? Beat me to death for living?
Lara Petry; That seems to be what the Sagitarrii Archons had in mind, when they condemned you, isn't it? Enslavement is against the charter. So is rebellion. As I should know.(She laughs.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Give me a reason, not to kill you, Hastur. Working for the Cylons? I have a good idea, why you are here. Tylium mines need a lot of laborers. Cloned programmed slaves would be perfect from the Cylons' point of view. Human clones, especially. Adaptable, teachable, much cheaper as a labor supply; than a Cylon labor cohort. If some of the clones die? Pour more goo into the vats, and grow some more slaves.
Davidus Hastur; That wasn't what.
Lara Petry; Don't confuse your good intentions with your evil outcomes, you psycho.
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(suggests); Maybe we can try finding out; if we can use him, instead of finding a reason for killing him?
Lara Petry; Sensible, Buster. Okay, Davidus. Give us a reason to keep you alive.
Davidus Hastur; I can control the clones.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That would be useful.
Lara Petry; Incentive?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Would Cain approve it?
Lara Petry(She shakes her rifle); Cain gave me another chance.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(Considers); Imprisonment though; not a pardon. Life is all.
Lara Petry and Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(both address Davidus Hastur); Your life in exchange for the clones?
(Davidus Hastur eagerly shakes his head yes.)
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Are we to use the clones? How does that make us any better than the Cylons?
Lara Petry(sadly); It does not. Sometimes you are given two evils to choose, and there is no good that comes from it. I had two evils, and I chose the wrong one. Here I am, forced to choose again. I hope I choose right.
(Davidus Hastur glares at her as she speaks)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(contradicts); Mister Crabbe, don't listen to her. She is a born pessimist. I know we will win, and we will free the clones, and give them their Humanity. All they need is the chance to break their chains. With this Gomer(he shakes Hastur); we give them their chance.
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Act 3; Scene 7
Setting; Yet another hillside on the planet, Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use a backdrop; either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage/camera shot is bare, (except for a Cylon Chariot[stage/camera left]; if you can arrange it. Otherwise use [sound effects of tank or truck engine] to indicate a vehicle in the vicinity.) Blow heavy F/X stage smoke across the scene from stage/camera frame right. Place the dead Cylons around the stage, randomly, as if they died in a firefight. Place the fake boulder[center/left stage/camera frame]; so that setting is divided 1/3 stage/left, to 2/3 stage/right proportionally.
[Note to the director]
This is a crowded scene. Keep the two Moffitt parties(1 and 2), together, in separate groups; separated by the boulder. The Colonials(actors), not involved in the scene's speaking parts, should be busy checking the dead Cylons, and their abandoned gear for useful equipment;
******************************************************************************
Moffitt 1
Captain Sheba Cain
Marine/technician 1 Thoma
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Hassel Petry; communications expert
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker
******************************************************************************
Moffitt 2
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe
Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Lara Petry operations expert
Davidus Hastur; clone expert and traitor
******************************************************************************
Moffitt 3
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Marine/technician 3 Croftus;
Marine/technician 4 Horati;
Tien Thee; explosives expert;
Staius Livius; survivalist;
******************************************************************************
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(On top of the boulder, looking to stage/camera right. {There is an explosion offstage/outcamera frame right.[Sound effects of tremendous explosion]Use harmless FX stage smoke blown in from stage/camera right to indicate the explosion, as occurring.); Cain got them!
Tien Thee(At the bottom of the boulder, looking at Lieutenant Charus Hevo); Don't I deserve some credit?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Okay, your Cylon Centurion remake hashjob of a rocket launcher, did what you said it would do. Are you happy?
Tien Thee; I would be happier, if I could find something I could use for a mortar.
Stavius Livius; Are you still bringing up that MORTAR?
Marine/technician 4 Horati; Why don't you two clowns shut up? Especially you, Stavius. At least Tien pulls his weight.(Points to the smoke.)
Stavius Livius; Is that so? What have you been eating, Corporal? Our rations ran out a week ago. Or do you know what you can eat around here?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Okay, Stavius. We know that you are the cook.
(Captain Sheba Cain limps in from stage/camera right. She is followed by Ledon Thoma, Hassel Petry, and the wounded Marine/technician 2 Bellam. The mute, Ledon Thoma is distraught. Hassel Petry lugs the awkward Tien Thee rigged-up bazooka.)
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; What happened? Where's Sergeant Thoma?....Madam.(He remembers to add, as he sees the smoke-blackened tear-streaked face of Captain Sheba Cain.)
Captain Sheba Cain; He panicked, Lieutenant. The Cylon gunner cut him down; before I could get the tube set up. My fault. I wasn't fast enough.
Hassel Petry; Felgercarb, Captain. When he saw that Chariot come around the hill; he broke cover, and ran: like the coward he was.(He looks at Ledon Thoma); I know that you loved your brother, Ledon. But he was a coward.
Marine/technician 2 Bellam; Ah. What the frak. It was just bad luck, we ran into them.
Tien Thoma; How many rockets did you use?
Captain Sheba Cain; Just the one, Mister Thee. We have five left. I had a lot of trouble with your rocket tube; setting it up.
Tien Thee; Not surprised, Captain. I did not have time to make it pretty, or easy to use.
Hassel Petry; Well we got one good thing out of this mess. I can build a radio from the pieces.
(Sounds of an approaching vehicle[Use sound effects of a truck or tank engine to indicate this]. Lieutenant Charus Hevo looks stage/camera left to see what is approaching. The Marines take up positions around the boulder, Captain Sheba Cain hobbles over to Hassel Petry, and the two of them try to set up the bazooka/rocket launcher.)
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; Hold it! It is Moffitt 2
(The three Marines, around the boulder, relax. Captain Sheba Cain continues to work the bazooka/rocket/launcher; despite Lieutenant Charus Hevo's call for a stand-down. She is not going to be caught unawares, twice.
(Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe, Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron, Lara Petry, and a trussed up Davidus Hastur; clone expert, and traitor: enter stage/camera left on foot. Their Chariot is offstage/outframe left.[sound effect of truck or tank engine being turned off] before they enter.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Thank the gods. You made it! (rushes over to Captain Sheba Cain.); Girl! You are hurt!
Captain Sheba Cain; It is nothing. I lost Sergeant Thoma.
(Background chatter among the three Moffitt parties as Captain Sheba Cain and Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron move to the foreground[stage/center/front] to catch up on the situation. Off to one side, Lara Petry keeps a close eye on Davidus Hastur, at the base of the boulder. Hassel Petry goes offstage/outframe left to check on the Moffitt 2 Chariot; to see if it has parts he can use to build a radio.)
Hassel Petry(interrupts the two; Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron and Captain Sheba Cain); I want to check that tank, to see, if it has parts for a radio.
Captain Sheba Cain; Go ahead, Mister Petry.(Hassel Petry, leaving, looks at his wife Lara Petry. She ignores him.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; I expected you to lose Bellam. Thoma? That is a surprise.
Captain Sheba Cain; Thoma made a mistake. You underestimate the Corporal, Gideon.(She looks at the wounded, Bellam); He turned Hassel Petry around for me. He, also, drew the Cylons' fire, when we shot the tank.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(correcting); We call it a Chariot.
Captain Sheba Cain; Chariot. Tank? All I know, is that I respect you, Marines, a lot more. Give me a Viper, any day, against Raiders; to facing one of those things.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; You do all right.
Captain Sheba Cain(starts to shake); Its cold.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(gently, as he has done with Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe in previous scenes); That is not cold, little Sheeb. That is your body catching up. (He takes off his jacket, and puts it around the Captain, as she shivers. He is not Admiral Cain, but he has the same kind of (foster) parental concerns for this overachieving Pilot.)
Hassel Petry(rushes in from stage/frame left); You have a radio on that tank! Why, the frak, didn't you use it?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(from where he is talking to Lieutenant Charus Hevo on top of the boulder); We tried it once. You see what happened?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; So how did you find, Mister Hevo?
Captain Sheba Cain; He found us. He thought he was closing on Moffitt 2, but we were the neutrino source, he tracked. Our radio wouldn't transmit, but it sure leaked neutrinos.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(puzzled and appalled); Why did you hang on to it? That was a broadcast target!
Captain Sheba Cain; It was a risk. Somebody, Colonial, would home in on it. I decided, it was worth it. You can check my logic, Gideon, but it worked.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(admonishing; elder to younger); They could have been Cylons. You have a lot of the Admiral in you, Girl. You take too many risks.
Captain Sheba Cain(laughs); Well, It will kill me someday, but not today!
(She does in an eerie replay, of what Lara Petry did earlier. She kneels down and begins to draw on the ground, a plan.)
Captain Sheba Cain; Here, is where we are. This is where we have to be within the week.)
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End of Act 3
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Fourth Act
Act 4; Scene1
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings, and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise, there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set/camera shot, to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera POV; as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons yet again.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough, to show the audience what is going on in the play, as it progresses.
(Doctor Archet walks up to the plexiglass plotting board. He looks at the notes that someone scribbled on the planet, Murado, transparency overlay. The overlay shows that the battle has progressed, as far as we have seen to the point, that the three Moffitt parties, are joined into the unified raid force, that was intent of the original plan. He taps the spot, where the three parties are.)
Doctor Archet; So you named it, Murado?
Cain; Yes. I thought you were going to ask me about the Moffitts.
Doctor Archet; There is nothing more that either you, or I can do about the Moffitts, Admiral. All we can do is wait. But while I wait, I like to satisfy my curiosity. So why Murado?
Cain; I thought, I might honor the man. He taught me a great life lesson. I am also a little vain, so why not name the planet after my Mentor? Honor him, honor myself. There is a certain power, that comes with naming.
Doctor Archet; What was this great life lesson that he taught you; that caused you to satisfy your vanity?
Cain(with gusto); Life!.........It will kill me someday, but not today! .
Doctor Archet(taken aback); That's it?
Cain; What? You were expecting the secrets of the universe? Sorry, Doctor. For profound truth like that, you need to address the Lords of Kobol.
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Act 4; Scene 2
Setting; The Wardroom of the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table rigged up, like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise, there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set/camera shot, to provide an en camera aid to the audience/camera POV; as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons yet again.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors don't foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough to show the audience, what is going on in the play; as it progresses. This scene is later, after the Doctor Archet/Admiral Cain philosophy discussion. There has just been a meal. Two(Marine/technician 1 Thoma and Marine/technician 2 Bellam wear food service worker uniform caps that hide their faces) mess stewards clear away the conference table. This is the Pegasus, and Phoenix senior battle staff, and key personnel meeting, They discuss the pending climax to Moffitt and its aftermath; if all goes as well as hoped;
Of the Pegasus(CVBS77);
Commander(Admiral) of the Pegasus(CVBS)TG 77.2.1 (Nelena or Nelsus)Cain
Captain of the Pegasus; Captain Herodotus Caman
CAG of the Pegasus; Captain Tyro Glen
Doctor Archet
Of the Phoenix(DDG104)
Captain of the Phoenix(DDG104); Captain Noretu Osbor
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright
******************************************************************************
(The six Colonials are gathered in two loose clusters; standing in front of the plexiglass plotting board, as the stewards clear the table.)
(First trio drifts to the foreground[Center/stage/front/near/camera/frame center] until the audience/camera picks up the group's conversation)
Technician Second Class Selene Spright; What am I doing here, Sir?
Captain Noretu Osbor; You are here Mistress Spright, as my contribution to the war effort. You happen; to have so terrorized the rest of the Phoenix Communications Division; including poor Ensign Pulvion, when it comes to contact with the raid party; that you are my defacto communications expert for Moffitt. I suggest that you accept the price of your egotistical initiative, and accept the consequences. When the Admiral asks, you are my answer.
(Admiral Cain joins the two. Selene Spright awkwardly joins in with her.)
Cain; And I am asking Captain Osbor for the latest situation report. I supposem that means; I should ask you for the latest situation report? Mistress Spright?
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright(Gulps); Admiral?
Cain; I'm waiting.
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright; Well, uh, the Moffitts, uh; the raid party is going to use the clones to take the Cylon master detonator site. While one group under Mister Hevo clears out the perimeter around the satellite command bunker, Mster Crabbe's group will use the clones, to overwhelm the Cylons at the tylium site. Major Johron, of that Moffitt party, will make his way into the detonator site and disarm the master detonator; while the Cylons fight the clones. The third Moffitt party will attack the satellite command bunker.
Cain; Thats the one, Captain Cain leads?
Technician Second Class; Selene Spright; Yes, uh, Admiral.
Cain; Thats all for now. Please take a seat; in case I need you.
(Technician Second Class; Selene Spright leaves to take her designated place at the conference table.)
Captain Noretu Osbor(sticking up for his signaleer); Admiral? With all due respect, I don't see what putting my signaleer through the ringer, for what you already know, accomplishes, here. In fact, I still don't know, why you had me bring her aboard.
Cain; She shows initiative. And I need that. Anywhere I can find it. She, also, shows presence. You can count yourself lucky, Noretu. You may have your next communications officer. Or are you satisfied with Pulvion?
Captain Noretu Osbor; No. I am not. He's good for counting widgets. Managing an operations division? No way. But there is no way; Selene is ready for command.
Cain; Leave her on Pegasus, We can train her.
Captain Noretu Osbor; You plan this, in the middle of a life and death operation, for us?
Cain; Just because we are a little short of tylium does not stop the wheels turning, Captain. But now that we havve done our little side business.... let us go to our main headache?
(The two of them, Admiral Cain and Captain Noretu, go to the conference table, and take their places.)
++++++++++++++++POV shift in scene++++++++++++++
{Keylight this group in the stage/shot; as if the Pegasus is powering down for night cycle}
(Audience/camera turns to the second trio, who drift across the scene to the foreground[Center/stage/front/right /near/camera/frame/right]; until the audience/camera picks up the group's conversation)
Captain Herodotus Caman; Captain Cain is out of her mind!
Captain Tyro Glen; Stampeding the clones through the Cylon tylium bunker fuel complex.......ingenious...... that is something the Admiral would do.
Doctor Archet; Admiral Cain is crazy! So is the Admiral's nutty daughter.
Captain Tyro Glen(puts finger to lips.); You need to learn Doctor, that little skill-set, that combines diplomacy, and tact; like when to shut up about our Commander. (He looks at the Admiral). Still, What would you do?
Doctor Archet; I do not know. I have not the information that I need.
Captain Tyro Glen; And, that is why I do not envy Captain Cain, Doctor. I admire her. I pray for her. And I am thankful that I am not where she is. For know you, that though she is there, I am sure, standing here, that she believes, that she does not have the information, that she needs, either.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Which brings up the big question. Now that they have lost their mortar, how will they get the solonite charges onto the Satellite command complex?
Doctor Archet; I do not think Captain Cain is trying to explode the complex.
Captain Tyro Glen and Captain Herodotus Caman(together); What?
Doctor Archet; You gave the clue, Captain. Without the mortar, Captain Cain must infiltrate the bunker. I bet, that the Cylons use clones in the Satellite control center......It fits.
(The two Colonial Captains are silent as they contemplate Doctor Archet's speculation.)
Doctor Archet; You were saying about tact?
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Act 4; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigation/plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage, on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles, and screens; and put in a liftaway wall with a doorway. Hang banners, there; and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2, is now the Cylons have installed their own version of a plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
Carried forward from Act 1, Scene 2
The Centurion event-plotting extra should be plainly visible, so that the audience can see him plot the Cylon side of the battle; as the actors act out the scene. Blocking should be such; so that the audience/camera POV should be un-obstructed.
(Ravidge enters from stage/camera left. He is obviously greatly distressed. The Cylons at their work stations work furiously. Our famous lonely Centurion, who plots the Cylon Point of View, on the Satellite Command Center Plexiglass plotting board, is frantically marking surrounding arrows, indicating massive activity at the tylium fuel dumps, on the planet Murado transparency, that is on the plexiglass plotting board. Ravidge glances at the plot; as he heads for his throne. Even as his ^world^ crashes around he has his throne fixation.)
Ravidge; What is happening?
Cylon 3; The worker drones, created by traitor Davidus Hastur, broke his programming protocols. They leave the mines, and head for the refinery. Efforts underway to re-establish control fail.
Ravidge; Hastur had to go out, and see his ^new^ men. Idiot. There are times to play god, and there are times to do serious work.(Ravidge turns his throne from facing the plotting board, to face the Cylons working at their stations,); Where is your leader?
Cylon 3; Leader One restores order at the refinery.
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Act 4; Scene 4
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set/scene as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big plotter table that we see used on the Phoenix's bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen, that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot the audience sees throughout the play.
(Cain works behind the desk. Even Colonials have paperwork, though in this paperless Colonial society; they use recording media that looks like the traditional ROM crystal.[use poker chips to represent the recording media. Have Cain sign handhelds, as message pads; to simulate signed orders, the admiral issues. The Colonials are VERY bureaucratic. Various personnel enter and leave.).
Marine/technician 1 (Thoma wears uniform headgear to disguise his face. Enters stage/camera frame right. Goes to desk and salutes ); Admiral. Messenger reports.
Cain(finishes writing message on the handheld. Signs handheld.); Make sure that Artemus(Actual) acknowledges this with a written reply. Encrypter?(Looks for something on the desk, finds it. [use a paperweight for the encryption device prop], passes it over the handheld to presumably scramble the message it carries.)
Marine/technician 1 Thoma; At your order. Admiral(Leaves stage/camera frame right.)
Marine/technician 4 (Horati wears uniform headgear to disguise his face. Enters stage/camera frame right); Correspondence from the Vulcanus.
Cain(cocks eyebrow); I know I run a loose ship, but........
Marine/technician 4 Horati; (Salutes). Sorry, Admiral(Hands Cain a handheld).
Cain(reads the correspondence); That cannot be right.(Cain writes on the handheld); Encrypter?(The Admiral has misplaced the encrypter, again. Looks for the device on the desk, finds it, passes it over the handheld to presumably scramble the message it carries.); To be hand-carried to Vulcanus(Actual). I expect a reply.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; (Salutes) At your order, Admiral.
Cain; Don't overdo it.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; Yes, Admiral.(leaves stage/camera frame right)
Captain Tyro Glen(Enters stage/camera frame right); You seem busy, this offwatch, Admiral.
Cain(looks up); Hello, Tyro. Nothing but bad news.
Captain Tyro Glen; From the Artemus?
Cain; Our two base-star friends are moving in on us. No Cylon boundary radio from Murado; so the base-stars must be acting on months' old messages. Thank the lords the Tin-heads can't build a decent wormhole transmitter, without a giant power-source.
Captain Tyro Glen; Then I better start running deep patrols.
Cain; Not yet.Tyro. Vipers out; will draw those base-stars to us, like light draws insects. I've an idea.
Captain Tyro Glen(COMPREHENDING); I do not like where you go with this, Admiral. It is too risky. We should settle for the fuel.
Cain( looks cross); I understand your concern, Mister Glen. But consider. Those Cylon base-stars will be here in days. We need time to refuel. If it works, time will not be a problem, anymore.
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Act 4; Scene 5
Setting; Hillside outside the Cylon tylium refinery.
[Note to set dresser]
Use the backdrop from Act1; Scene 4, either a scene of a petroleum refinery, or an open pit mine. The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare, Place the fake boulder(turned to face a different aspect to the audience/camera so that it is stage/camera/left/rear/background. Use F/X stage smoke stage/frame right to indicate the direction of the fighting. Place dead Centurions[See production notes] and clones[See production notes] across the stage.
[Note to the director]
Once again, you can use whatever clone extras[see production notes] you need; to move across the stage as if they are a horde(Use the old stage trick, of marching the same spear carriers across the stage; over and over, again; to simulate your battalions of marching morons.). The clones are armed with mining drills{see prop notes) that can substitute for weapons[use modified stage spears or broom handles witrh fencepost cap tips for yur mining drill ^spears^]. The clones march across the stage at irregular intervals carrying their mining tool ^spears^. The indication should be, that these clones are the worker ants, to a tylium ore processing factory-hive, under positive Hastur control; as he directs the marching morons, to attack into Cylon Centurion fire. The attack is ongoing;
******************************************************************************
Moffitt 2
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron,
Lara Petry operations expert
Davidus Hastur; clone expert and traitor
******************************************************************************
(Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe withn drawn pistol is on top of the boulder with Davidus Hastur. Hastur works some kind of radio-control unit. Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron and Lara Petry are at the bottom of the boulder.)
Lara Petry(looking at Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe and shouts up to the top of the boulder); How are they doing?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(Observes with field glasses, then looks to Davidus Hastur with menace); The clones are not doing well.
Davidus Hastur; Wait! It takes time.
Lara Petry; Buster?
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(shouts down); There is your opening. The Tin-heads never learn.....Hastur, I told you to move the clones to the left; once they breached the line.(He pokes Hastur with his pistol.)
Davidus Hastur; All right, Just watch where you point that thing.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; That's us, then. Time to exploit the breach. Milady, your Chariot awaits.(He flourishes an exit to Lara Petry. Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron and Lara Petry exit stage/camera left.[use sound effect of a truck or tank engine offstage/outframe to indicate this] to their Cylon Chariot.)
(Use sound/lighting effects of lightning/thunder stage/camera left to indicate heavy fighting. Climax the F/X with sound/light effect of tremendous explosion. Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe uses field glasses and gives a running commentary to direct Davidus Hastur; controlling the clones, as the fight progresses.)
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; There goes the Major. He is laying down a wall of fire. Move the clones to the left, Hastur. I told you!
Davidus Hastur; I'm trying, but even ants recoil from fire!
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe; Keep those clones to the left. If that Cylon gun unmasks, our people will be caught in the Cylons' kill-zone.(He menaces Davidus Hastur with the pistol.) To the left, by the gods!
[sound effect of the climatic explosion]
Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe(Stands up with his eyes on the battle and not on Davidus Hastur.); By the Lords of Kobol; they did it. There go your clones, Hastur. The Major is following them in-right into the-(Davidus Hastur jumps Ensign Bartimus(Buster)Crabbe, and hits him with the clone radio control unit. The fight goes against the Ensign, with the issue unresolved.)
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Act 4; Scene 5
Setting; Hillside on the planet Murado.
[Note to set dresser]
Use the backdrop from Act 2; Scene 6; either a scene of a hill, or an open glen. Use stage plants to give the impression of broken country. The rest of the stage(camera shot) is bare,
[Note to the director]
This is a running fight, with the Colonials doing the pursuing. This is not the usual state of affairs. Use Cylon extras to make up the Cylon cohort.
(Block your action from right to left, so that the audience gets the reverse psychology of the impression of pursuit. The Cylons should be running, and turning to fire every few steps. Gold Cylon #1 is the last to fall.)
******************************************************************************
Moffitt 3
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Marine/technician 3 Croftus;
Marine/technician 4 Horati;
Tien Thee; explosives expert;
Staius Livius; survivalist;
******************************************************************************
(Cylon cohort, fleeing on foot enter stage/camera frame right.).
Cylon 2; We must hide.
Gold Cylon #1(showing for the first time, a Cylon sense of humor, points to the chrome Centurions, and the green foliage.); That might be a problem.
(Centurions fall as they are shot. [use sound effects of lightning and thunder], leaving just Gold Cylon # 1 and Cylon # 2.).
Cylon # 2(firing); We made too many mistakes.(Shot. He falls dead.)
Gold Cylon # 1(stands in the open and drops his weapon. He looks at Cylon # 2 ); Not we, I.(Shot. He falls dead.)
(The pursuing Colonials of Moffitt 3 enter stage/camera frame right, Marine/technician 4 Horati enters first.)
Marine/technician 4 Horati(advances cautiously; rifle at the ready. As the point-man, he checks each dead Centurion, as he comes upon it, He checks Cylon # 2 and Gold Cylon # 1 to ensure that they are dead. As soon as he's satisfied he shouts); All dead.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus(follows Marine/technician 4 Horati. He second searches some of the Centurions for weapons); Useful this stuff. Charged rifles and grenades. Look, this one has a pistol. Well, he had a pistol.(Picks up pistol.)
(Tien Thee and Staius Livius enter stage/camera frame right Tien Thee is carrying the rocket launcher and Stavius Livius carries the mortar round rockets.)
Staius Livius; Twice, you missed!
Tien Thee; I got them, didn't I?
Stavius Livius; If you got them, genius, then why did we have to chase them up this damn hill?
Tien Thee; Okay, so I got their ground transport.
Staius Livius; Just so you know, we have two rockets left.
Tien Thee; I know, I can count.
Stavius Livius; Cain is going to need them.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo (enters stage/camera frame right. He walks over to the dead Gold Cylon # 1. He looks at the dead Cylon.); Gentlemen, we lucked out. I think we killed the garrison leader.(He stoops down to examine the Cylon.) Yes, by the Lords, that is the garrison leader!
Tien Thee; The leader is the master coordinator. Without him the garrison is directionless.
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; That should be true? Yet somebody is still fighting, still leading(He points stage/camera left.)[use offstage/outcamera sound/light effects of lightning/thunder and explosions]; That is the tylium refinery.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; And that is where we go next.
Tien Thee; Should not we follow Cain in, like she planned?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; We killed the perimeter patrol. Her way through to the bunker, is clear. That leaves us free, to move for the moment. The fuel first, then the satellites. Besides, the tylium dumps are just a side trip to the Cylon command bunker. We will be there in time, to give Captain Cain, the help she needs.
Stavius Livius; I think that is a mistake.
Tien Thee; The only mistake we made, was letting you carry the mortar.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; What is it with you two, and that mortar?
Stavius Livius and Tien Thee laugh together.(The Colonials of Moffitt 3 pick through the dead Cylons belongings, salvaging what they can.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Act 4; Scene 6
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the navigation/plotter table, and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage, on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles, and screens; and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there and across the back wall to hide that from view.]. The change from Act 1; Scene 2; is now the Cylons have installed their own version of the plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
You can have as many Cylon[See production notes] extras as you want to dress out the command center, but the only speaking actors, should be the indicated dialog parts. The rest of the Cylons, should busywork themselves fiddling silently with buttons and levers. Ravidge, unless indicated otherwise, is, either seated on the throne, or is near it; as if it is a thing he possesses.
(There are sounds of fighting offstage/outcamera.[Use sound effects of lightning/thunder to indicate this.] . If its possible for Cylons to look worried, these Cylons look worried.) The Colonials burst from stage/camera left;
******************************************************************************
Moffitt 1
Captain Sheba Cain
Marine/technician 2 Bellam
Hassel Petry; communications expert
Ledon Thoma; computer hacker
******************************************************************************
[During the onstage/oncamera gunfight, use sound effects of lightning/thunder to simulate the invisible particle beam fire from Cylon rifles and Colonial]
Captain Sheba Cain(dressed as a clone, and if possible limping worse than ever, enters first from stage/camera left. She shoots Cylon # 3, with her pistol, as he rises from his station to fight. She shouts); Ravidge!(as she recognizes the traitor. She falls down wounded.)
Hassel Petry(dressed as a clone follows Captain Sheba Cain in from stage left. He mows down three Centurions at their work stations before they can react. The third Cylon kills him in the exchange of fire.He yells); Lara! (as he falls dead.).
Marine/technician 2 Bellam (enters from stage left. He aims his rifle at the Centurion, that has been plotting the battle for the Cylons at the Cylon Plexiglass plotting board, that the Tin heads set up for Ravidge, all the way back in Act 2 Scene 3. Marine/technician 2 Bellam's rifle doesn't work. The Cylon Centurion moves from the plexiglass plotting board; draws its knife, and attempts to attack the fallen Captain Sheba Cain. Marine/technician 2 Bellam moves to block the Centurion, and he fights it hand-to-hand., He yells); Yaaaaaaaaargh! (The Centurion stabs him and he falls alongside Captain Sheba Cain.)
Captain Sheba Cain(fires her weapon, and kills the Centurion which falls on her.She gasps); Ugh.(as the Centurion falls on her.)
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(groans to indicate he still lives); Aaaaaaah.
Ledon Thoma(enters like a child from stage/camera left. He looks around at the carnage in the Cylon command center.)
Ravidge(from his throne); You came close, Cain! But not close enough. Even sacrificed your own daughter? What a waste.(He gets up from his throne. Ignoring Ledon Thoma, he picks up a fallen Cylon rifle, and aims it at the wounded Captain Sheba Cain, and the wounded Marine/technician 2 Bellam.); I really hate to do this to you, girl, but the Admiral shouldn't have sent a child to do a Man's-
(Ledon Thoma(picks up a Cylon rifle and shoots Ravidge dead.)
Captain Sheba Cain(lying prostrate in pain n the floor); Ledon! Ledon!
(Ledon Thoma looks at her. He needs to see her face to read her lips.)
Captain Sheba Cain;Ledon! Ledon! Summon the others with an SOS. Then send Hassel's taped message to Pegasus. He has it. Get it off him. Do you understand?(Ledon nods yes.) Send the message to Pegasus, Ledon. Send the message.(Captain Sheba Cain passes out from pain and shock as she says these words.)
(Ledon goes to Hassel Petry's body. He takes from it a recorded message chip[Use a poker chip as the prop.]. He moves to the Cylon work stations and begins his work. He is still childlike, as he works.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Act 4
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fifth Act
Act 5; Scene 1
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big navigation/plotter table that we see used on the Phoenix's bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards, to notebook computers. If you have the resources give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot throughout the play.
Cain(Seated behind the desk. Distraught, Cain drops the handheld. It clatters onto the desk.); She could die.
Doctor Archet; She pulled it off, Admiral.
Captain Herodotus Caman; Let us not waste that success.
Cain(becoming resolute); You know my intentions, Herodatus?
Captain Herodotus Caman; Send the Phoenix into close orbit and finish the job with kinetics. That kills the outlying Toasters. We jump in and refuel. Then we send Glen's Vipers out to tag a couple of Raiders.
Doctor Archet; Then its Happy Birthday!
Cain; Captain, tend to the orders?
Captain Herodotus Caman(understanding Cain's grief); At your order, Admiral, (Captain Herodotus Caman salutes and exits stage/camera left.)
Doctor Archet; By your leave; Admiral? (Doctor Archet bows and exits stage/camera left.)
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Act 5; Scene 2
Setting, the bridge of the Phoenix
[Note to set dresser]
The set should have a series of banked screens, and desks set in two parallel rows, one stage left, and one stage right set obliquely so that the audience(camera) appears to look from the back of the compartment looking forward. At stage/rear is a large plexiglass plotting screen, that a writer can stand behind, and be seen writing backwards, as data is relayed to him/her from the various technicians at their consoles.
Stage center is a table where the navigation and battle conferencing is conducted by the bridge battlestaff.
[Note to director]
Most of your action takes place around this table. You are free to block the stage direction as you see fit, but just remember that the central table is a plotter/projector navigation table of the ship's tactical situation. The actors look down into it(the audience(camera) does not see what the actors see, as they describe to each other what they see, and what they propose to do about it.
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Phoenix battlestaff
Captain Noretu Osbor
Acting Ensign Selene Spright
Marine/technician 1 Thoma(wears helmet to obscure his face)
Marine/technician 2 Bellam(wears helmet to obscure his face)
Marine/technician 3 Croftus(wears helmet to obscure his face)
Marine/technician 4 Horati(wears helmet to obscure his face)
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Captain Noretu Osbor; Welcome back from the Pegasus, Mistress Spright.
Acting Ensign Selene Spright; Thank you, Sir.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Lady and Gentlemen, are we ready to do this?
Marine/technician 4 Horati(wears helmet to obscure his face) First load outbound in five minutes, Sir. Then we expend ordnance, according to fire-plan seven. We hit the Cylon beta legion barracks site; as the last target in the firing sequence; about one hundred ten minutes; once we start shooting.
Captain Noretu Osbor; Do it.
Marine/technician 4 Horati; At your order; Captain.(Salutes)
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Act 5; Scene 3
Setting; the Cylon Command Post on Murado;
[Note to set dresser]
Use the Phoenix bridge set and redress.
You can remove the plotter table and substitute a throne chair in the middle of the stage on a rotating dais. Remove the stage right consoles and screens and put in a wall with a doorway. Hang banners there and across the back wall to hide that from view. The change from Act 1; Scene 2; is now the Cylons have installed their own version of the plexiglass plotting board(canted stage/cameraPOV right) with a Centurion assigned to plotting duties.
[Note to director]
It is the Moffitt party that runs the Satellite command complex. Block the scene so that the Plexiglass plotting board remains unobstructed, so that the audience/camera can see the near orbit battle, that is taking place, over the planet Murado. Lara Petry sits on the throne that Ravidge once called his own. She is all business;
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Satellite command center party;
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron
Lara Petry
Ledon Thoma
Lieutenant Charus Hevo
Tien Thee
Marine/technician 3 Croftus
Marine/technician 4 Horati
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Lara Petry; How far away are our friends?
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(from his station) That near base-star is just about inside the outer gunsat kill-zone boundary. The other one is still playing cautious Cathy.
Lara Petry; Are we still broadcasting our ^victory^ over the Pegasus?
Marine/technician 3 Croftus; Just like good little dutiful Cylons. And we have the clones doing their tylium thing, in case the base-stars are telescoping us.
Lara Petry(with deep anger); Come on you, Tin-heads. Buy into it. This cost us too much, for you not to pay-out.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Easy does it, Lara. Patience
Lara Petry; Easy for you to say. Did you lose a husband?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; No, I lost a squad of Marines and, Buster. Poor Crabbe, I should have left you with Hastur, and taken him to drive the Chariot.
Lara Petry(turns the throne from the workstations to face Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron, who stands next to the Plexiglass plotting board); Why?
Marine/technician 4 Horati leaves his workstation to update the base-star positions on the plexiglass plotting board.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Ah. Our uninvited guests are within range.
Lara Petry; You did not answer my question.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; This would be a good time for Mister Thoma to do his magic, Madam Petry.
Lara Petry(leaves the throne and goes over to where Ledon Thoma stands. She takes him by the hand, and leads him to the throne. She seats him upon it, as an adult leads a child. She turns the throne, so that Ledon Thoma sees the stations, where the Moffitt party technicians work.); Look, Ledon.(Lara Petry points) There are the ones, who killed your brother. They are here, to kill the rest of us.
(Ledon Thoma becomes angry. He begins to work the Cylon control systems with manic fury.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo(from his station); There goes the far one. The near one is trying to open a wormhole. He's not going to make it. Lucky, Murado is between him and us. Poof. Gone.
Lara Petry; After all that blood, storm, and all that fury. Just that quick?
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Just that quick. Ninety percent of the final victory, is the losing, that leads up to it. I think that Ledon is done.
(Lara Petry goes to the throne and leads Ledon Thoma off, back to where he stood. He assumes his childlike waiting.)
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Mister Chevo? Would you send this message to the Pegasus.. The skies are clear, and Moffitt wants to come home.
Lieutenant Charus Hevo; At your order, Sir.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(To Lara Petry); You wouldn't let a punk, like Hastur, jump you.
Lara Petry(startled); Oh, I see.
Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron; Yes, you do. After all, you hunted Hastur down, after the fact.
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Act 5; Scene 4.
Setting; The Wardroom of the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Use the set that you dressed for Cain's quarters. Change the wall hangings and the furniture. You should have a conference table, rigged up like the navigation/plotter you used on the Phoenix's bridge set. Likewise there should be the Plexiglass plot in the back of the set/camera shot; to provide an en camera aid to the audience(camera POV); as to what Cain's merry band of pirates scheme to do to the Cylons yet again.
[Note to the director]
Block this scene, and subsequent scenes, carefully; so that the actors do not foul each other, as they move to scribble on the plexiglass. Make sure that the actors write large enough, and bold enough; so that the action, planned, is clear enough to show the audience, what is going on in the play, as it progresses. This scene is just after a meal. Two(Marine/technician 1 Thoma and Marine/technician 2 Bellam wear food service worker uniform caps that hide their faces) mess stewards clear away the conference table. This is the second major Pegasus, and Phoenix senior battle staff, and key personnel meeting, They discuss the after action to Moffitt. It did not, entirely, go as well as hoped;
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Of the Pegasus(CVBS77);
Commander(Admiral) of the Pegasus(CVBS)TG 77.2.1 (Nelena or Nelsus)Cain
Captain of the Pegasus; Captain Herodotus Caman
CAG of the Pegasus; Captain Tyro Glen
Chief of Marines: Pegasus; Major Gideon (Hacksaw) Johron,
Doctor Archet
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Of the Phoenix(DDG104)
Captain of the Phoenix(DDG104); Captain Noretu Osbor
XO of the Phoenix Acting Lieutenant; Lara Petry
Acting Ensign; Selene Spright
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Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron(scribbles on the plexiglass as he tells the tale of Moffitts 1, 2, and 3.); We made the decision, in situ, to use the clones as our wedge into the Cylon tylium detonation station's defenses for Moffitt 2's assault. This would, also serve, as a cover distraction, so we could infiltrate the Satellite control bunker. We sent Moffitt 1, disguised as clones, to actually infiltrate the Satellite bunker. Moffitt 3 was to engage the Cylon perimeter patrol, and distract them; until Moffitt 1 made it to its objective, then follow Moffitt 1 in, to complete the takeover. It was a good plan, given the circumstances. Most of it succeeded.(Major Gideon(Hacksaw)Johron finishes his presentation to the officers, assembled.)
Doctor Archet(stands clapping); Outstanding work, Major Johron. Despite Moffitt 3's tardiness, you achieved all your objectives. Admiral(Doctor Archet looks at Admiral Cain) A toast; To the Moffitt raid party
All present(stand); To the Moffitt raid party
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Act 5; Scene 5
Setting; Cain's quarters aboard the Pegasus
[Note to set dresser]
Dress the set as a sitting room(center), office(right), sleeping quarters(left). Provide a table(desk) with at least three chairs.
[Note to director]
Provide hand props to the actors, to substitute for the big navigation/plotter table that we see used on the Phoenix's bridge set. These can be anything from clipboards to notebook computers. If you have the resources, give Cain's quarter's a small plexiglass plot screen, that duplicates the Phoenix's bridge plexiglass screen plot, throughout the play.
(Cain is seated in the sitting room reading a handheld. Doctor Archet is seated across from the Admiral. Captain Sheba Cain(heavily bandaged) forms the third apex of the triangle.
Cain; You made some mistakes.
Captain Sheba Cain; I know. I should have waited until Hevo showed up.
Cain; Thoma, Bellam and Hassel Petry are dead, Sheba. Thoma was not your fault. He was a coward. But you charged into a situation before you were ready, and Petry and Bellam paid for your courage with their lives. That is the price of their devotion to YOU, that YOU bring out in your people.(The admiral points a finger at Sheba and stabs the air with it like a knife each time the word ^YOU^ is uttered.); Never forget that.
Captain Sheba Cain; I won't forget, Admiral.
Cain; Daughter of mine, I pray not. (Mindful of her wounds, the Admiral hugs Captain Sheba Cain in a gentle embrace).
Doctor Archet(coughs slightly); Admiral, we've completed the satellite salvage, and the tylium refueling.
Cain(smiles gently at Captain Sheba Cain); I'm sorry daughter. But duty calls. Do you need help?
Captain Sheba Cain(stands awkwardly and stiffly, gives a wrong hand salute. to the seated Admiral); No, Admiral. By your leave?(Captain Sheba Cain, limping and in obvious great pain exits stage/camera left)
Doctor Archet(stands as Captain Sheba Cain exits); There, Admiral, goes a hero!
THE END
Copyright; ************* 2006
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Production appendix
Requiem is designed to be a low cost production that can be staged by a well trained community theatre company, or a enthusiastic fan group that has access to a good set of props, a competent costumer, a good set designer, and a directer who can imaginatively use the minimal guidance he is given to stage the play.
Props
Handhelds. Obviously Blackberries come to mind, but as far as I'm concerned the flip up field secretaries that construction contractors use or anything that can pass for a handheld notebook computer is sufficient.
Radio-locator device; this prop should look like a handheld radio set. Use it for clone control and to locate radio signals when the Moffitt parties try to find ewach other.
Rifles; you will need five Colonial rifles and five Cylon rifles. These rifles must be different from each other. I would suggest toy UZIs painted black for the Colonials and toy MP-5s with the barrels and stocks painted chrome for the Cylons.
Pistols; You will need five prop pistols. These can be toy automatics of the same type. Two should be painted chrome for the Cylons and three painted black for the Colonials
Clone miner's drills; You will need a minimum of four of these ^spears^.; It can be as simple as a broom handle with a round fence postcap attached to it. or as fancy as your property master can turn out. Paint it chrome as it is a Cylon tool issued to the clone slaves. In the play's story these ^spears kill by the tip contacting the person. So have the clone actors carry and use these ^drills^ like spears.
ROM memory chips; I suggest poker chips either white or red, to serve as your memory chips in the play. You will need a stack of ten.
Encrypter; I recommend a glass paperweight either of the half globe or the cube variety. If you want to be creative you can use an editors reading scale as a sort of wand device encrypter prop. The point is that it should be something that Admiral Cain will lose on a cluttered desk while busy in the action.
Cylon Uniforms
Centurions; Four suits of stage armor(minimum)
Cylons 1-4 should be dressed in white jumpsuits and wear white motorcycle helmets.
Gold Cylon # 1 should have a gold or yellow jumpsuit and a gold motorcycle helmet.
Colonials Uniforms(This is where the purist fans must make their own chices. My choices are based on the practical resources available to the average theatre company, F.)
Colonial Marines; Raid party Camouflage BDUs and hat Civilian hunter web vest and field pack for those scenes on planet Murado, one uniform for each Colonial cast member of the Moffitt raid party. Twelve sets in all.
Colonial Marines; Ship uniform; brown trousers, light tan shirt with brown shouder board(rank insignia optional {DO NOT USE GENUINE RANK INSIGNIA-LEGAL ISSUES} If rank insignia are used have the company costumer seamstress design it.) and brown or black cover(hat)
Colonial Navy; ship uniform; blue trousers, light blue shirt, with blue shoulder boards(rank insignioa optional {DO NOT USE GENUINE RANK INSIGNIA-LEGAL ISSUES} If rank insignia are used have the company costumer seamstress design it ) and blue or black cover(hat)
Mess steward uniform; food service worker whites with a white cover(hat)
Notes on bit parts.
You will notice that in the cast I have parts listed as Marine/technician 1/ Thoma. That indicates the same man playing three characters. He will be playing a Marine or a technician 1 or the speaking part of Thoma. When he is not playing Thoma he is either in stage makeuo(beard or mustache or wearing a helmet or cap that disguises his face from the audience as he plays the other parts. Not many companies have enough members to cover a cast that requires thirty parts. So you may find the same eight actors playing the twenty-two to thirty supporting parts as Cylons, clones, Marines, stewards, and dead bodies that is strewn across this little play. In fact I calculate that aside from the twelve principles you can get away with as few as four spear carrier extras in the cast as long as you double up some of the Colonial principles as Cylons. The Actress playing Sheba Cain can play the role of Gold Cylon # 1 for example. Don't be afraid to block out parts this way. Especially if a small TV production is attempted this works as you can arrange shooting scripts and script blocks in such a fashion to operate with a reduced cast in this way. The stage is harder. You don't have the luxury of time for cxostume change.
Sets.
You have these basic sets
The Phoenix Bridge set which is designed to function as the base set for the Phoenix bridge, the Cylon command bunker, the Pegasus Wardroom, and Admiral Cain's quarters. With these sets you move furniture, use a drop wall and curtains tomimic other sets as needed.
The hillsides on the planet Murado set. Here you move around stage plants and a boulder on wheels, You have two backdrops. Woods and the Tylium refinery/mine are also simulated.
The brig set(Used Once); Keep it simple. Bunkbeds and a toilet is all you really need to dress the set. Use a part wall with the wall switch, if you have the resources, otherwise use a prop remote control to turn off the force-wall.
Special effects;
You better become proficient in the use of lighting tricks, stage smoke, and sound effects. And your company effects wizard must know how to run a time board. If not; then the Shakespearean noise and thunder that is so much of the play and which gives it so much of its BATTLESTAR GALACTICA feel will dissappear. Stage instruction for the effects are explicit as to time and type to match the drama being presented. It is those effects that carry the audience into the story unfolding before them.
Plexiglass plotting board;
The instructions for this visual audience aid are in the play for a reason. It is the audience visual cue and score card to let them know the status of the rising action. Call it the drama thermometer. The director has sme leweway as to how he presents it, but not much, as it is the pexiglass plotting board which is the dramatic unifying McGuffin. Don't foul it up when you block it out.
Thoughts;
This is not Shakespeare. For one thing the writing is not that good.It is a pedestrian story with familiar archetypes. You won't find startling situations or new insights into the human condition.
What you will find is space opera for the stage. As I remarked to one poor person upon whom I subjected it, I had set myself just about the hardest writing task I know, writing a science fiction stage play.
Let me say this. Those who criticize Glen Larsen, need to try to write this stuff in any fashion similar to the way he did. Those who can, can feel justified, then in their criticism. As for me? I'm going to keep my big fat mouth shut, and listen to my betters to see if I can learn a thing or two by asking questions. That is what writing this test piece taught me. That work is for GL. Respect for the man. This scripting is hard to do.
As for the Moore/Ron?
Batter up!
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