TEASER
FADE IN:
EXT. PLANET SURFACE – GARDEN
It’s a bright sunny day in a pleasant garden - insects buzz among the flowering plants, alien birds sing strange and beautiful songs.
SUDDENLY, we hear shots being fired, and distinctive green energy pulses fly by from the left side of the screen. A BEAT later, COMMANDER TUCKER, MAJOR REED, ENSIGN CUTLER, and PRIVATE FORBES run through a path in the garden, with Tucker in the lead and Reed and Forbes returning fire at the unseen enemies.
Changing angles, we can see that Tucker has made it to Shuttlepod 01, parked in a clearing in the garden. He opens the side hatch and quickly climbs inside. A BEAT later we can hear the engines start to wind up. Reed and Forbes have caught up to Cutler, and continue to fire at an unseen enemy. There’s another burst of fire, most of which pass very close to the landing party and strike the shuttlepod.
Forbes turns and starts to backpedal, attempting to get a better shot, but is instead hit in the chest as another burst of fire erupts from off screen. Another shot hits Cutler in the back, just as she’s starting to crawl through the open shuttlepod door. Forbes falls to the ground, clearly dead, while Cutler cries out in pain and crumples in the doorway of the shuttlepod.
Reed, a moment from reaching the shuttlepod himself, fires off a few more shots from his plasma pistol. Upon reaching the pod, he helps to push Cutler the rest of the way in, and turns briefly to look in Forbes’s direction.
Reed’s POV: Forbes lies sprawled on his back, with empty eyes looking vacantly up at the sky. PAN UP slightly to see SIX ORION PIRATES running toward us, only meters away, with weapons spitting green fire.
Reed quickly jumps into the shuttlepod and closes the door behind him, just before several more disruptor shots strike his former location.
INT. SHUTTLEPOD 01
The door shudders from more disruptor fire as Reed turns to Tucker.
REED
Go!
We can hear the engines whine louder as Tucker throttles up.
EXT. PLANET SURFACE – ALIEN CITY
Shuttlepod 01 lifts off from what turns out to be the roof of a tall building, the top of which is overgrown with the “garden”, making it look not unlike the mythical Babylonian “Hanging Gardens”. The Orions continue to fire at the fleeing shuttlepod.
EXT. PLANET ATMOSPHERE
Shuttlepod 01 accelerates at high speed, leaving the alien city far below. Just when it seems like they’re in the clear, green disruptor fire lashes out from off screen and slams into the fleeing shuttlepod. A BEAT later we can see the source of the fire, two ORION FIGHTERS, which are essentially beefed up shuttles armed with heavy disruptors.
INT. SHUTTLEPOD 01
Tucker activates the comm.
TUCKER
Shuttlepod One to Enterprise! We’re taking fire and could sure use some cover!
The ‘pod shakes from another series of hits.
INT. ENTERPRISE – BRIDGE
We see CAPTAIN ARCHER strapped into the command chair as the ship shudders from weapons fire. The captain keys the comm. panel on the chair’s armrest.
ARCHER
We’ll be there as soon as we can, Commander, but we’re fighting off an Orion ship ourselves.
PICARD (O.S.)
They’re coming ‘round again!
TUCKER (COMM. VOICE)
Understood, but I don’t know how much longer we can hold out!
ARCHER
(concerned)
We’re coming, Trip, hold on!
Archer turns the comm. off and we change angles to face the viewscreen. With the exception of LIEUTENANT PICARD taking Reed’s place at Tactical, everyone else is at their usual position. We can see the curvature of the planet on the side of the viewscreen as the ship turns to face a wicked looking ORION FRIGATE, which opens fire, spewing green disruptor bolts at us. The ship rattles from the impact.
ARCHER
Helm, lay in an intercept course for the shuttle and engage at full impulse!
MAYWEATHER
Aye, laying in an intercept course.
Mayweather manipulates a few controls and adjusts the control yoke. We can see three laser beams lash out at the Orion ship as Enterprise rolls away from its tormentor.
PICARD
Direct hit, hostile is drawing away!
EXT. SPACE – PLANETARY RING SYSTEM
Shuttlepod 01 weaves through the rocks that make up the planet’s rings, dodging the incoming disruptor fire from the pursuing Orion fighters, and meeting with limited success.
Quickly PANNING UP, we can see Enterprise exchanging more fire with the Orion Frigate in the distance.
EXT. SPACE – ABOVE PLANET
Enterprise takes evasive action as the Orion Frigate stubbornly continues to pursue them, weapons blazing. Enterprise fires a dozen more missiles at the other ship, forcing it to temporarily break off its pursuit.
INT. ENTERPRISE – BRIDGE
Picard hunches over the targeting viewer, poised to fire.
PICARD
I have a lock, but it isn’t very solid.
ARCHER
We’ll have to take that chance.
(beat)
Fire!
Picard pushes the “fire” button.
EXT. SPACE – CLOSE TO ENTERPRISE
From a position on the hull directly behind it, we see the port missile launcher rise up from being reloaded. The launcher adjusts to take aim at the distant target in the planet’s rings before firing a single missile, which streaks off into the distance.
INT. ENTERPRISE – BRIDGE
We focus on the viewscreen as the missile streaks toward the Orion fighters pursuing Shuttlepod 01. The rest of the bridge crew watches in anticipation as missile reaches the area just between the fighters and explodes. The explosion is large and obscures the view of all three small spacecraft. After a BEAT, the explosion fades. The fighters AND the shuttlepod are gone. Only the glittering of metal debris gives any hint that they were ever there.
Save SUB-COMMANDER T’POL, everyone on the bridge is aghast.
ARCHER
(urgently)
Sub-Commander…
T’Pol checks her console and enters a few commands. After a BEAT, she looks into her viewer.
T’POL
Reading metal alloys, polymer composites, and organic remains…
Off Archer’s stunned look we…
FADE OUT.
END OF TEASER
Continue to Act One
