ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. SPACE
Alone, an object drifts in space, at the mercy of physics and its own mass. We ZOOM IN, and as we refocus, we can see that it’s Shuttlepod 01, now badly battered. Its sensor dome is completely gone, and as it slowly rotates, we can see several breaches in the lower compartment, and that the ‘pod’s engines are also almost completely blown away.
INT. SHUTTLEPOD 01
We focus on Commander Tucker as he lies on the stairs next to the pilot’s seat. An access panel is pulled out from the bulkhead, with several optical wires trailing out of it to an object that bears a strong resemblance to a computer motherboard – the SUBSPACE TRANSCEIVER, which Tucker cradles in one arm as he works on it with his free hand. He’s clearly frustrated, and soon sets the transceiver aside with a slight growl. He looks toward the rear of the shuttlepod with a sigh.
Quickly changing angles, we see Major Reed tending to a wounded, unconscious Ensign Cutler, now lying on one of the side benches with an I.V. drip rigged up next to her. Reed finishes running a medical scanner over Cutler and looks at it before putting it back in the open medkit that rests on the floor.
TUCKER
How’s she doin’?
Reed’s face has a slightly hard look to it as he turns to answer.
REED
She’s still stable, but that disruptor hit was a severe shock to her system.
(beat)
It’s only a matter of time…
Tucker is clearly affected by the news, and he tries to distract himself by pretending to tinker with the transceiver again. He does a very poor job of it, but Reed, looking at the floor, doesn’t even notice.
TUCKER
Well… the subspace transceiver is beyond repair… at least without some replacement parts.
REED
(muttering to himself)
I shouldn’t have left him behind…
TUCKER
What was that?
Reed looks right into Tucker’s eyes.
REED
I should’ve tried to get Private Forbes; it isn’t right to leave anyone behind.
Tucker puts the tool he’s been poking at the transceiver with aside.
TUCKER
(confused)
I thought you said he was dead.
REED
Doesn’t matter, it’s the principle of it. We never leave a comrade behind, dead or alive.
(beat)
Besides, I've heard stories about the kind of things those Orions do to people, even when they’re dead. I don’t know what I’ll tell his parents if they do anything like that to Forbes’s body.
Tucker thinks for a BEAT, seeming unsure what to say.
TUCKER
They were right on top of us, Major. If you’d gone, they’d have got you too, and probably me and Elizabeth to boot.
Reed remains visibly tense.
REED
I know that, Commander. I know the only reason we’re not dead or on our way to an Orion slave market is because I shut that door.
(beat, sour)
Doesn't make me feel like I failed Forbes any less.
Tucker frowns at that as we
CUT TO:
EXT. SPACE – PLANETARY RING SYSTEM
The small rocky debris that makes up the alien planet’s rings tumble in their orbit as we focus on glinting pieces of metal. Some of these pieces are recognizably parts of the Orion fighters and Shuttlepod 01 (such as the impulse engines). We PULL BACK…
TRANSITION TO:
INT. ENTERPRISE – BRIDGE
We find ourselves looking at the same pieces of debris, only now displayed on the viewscreen. Computer graphics pop up on the screen, indicating and labeling pieces of the lost shuttlepod.
Changing angles, we see Sub-Commander T’Pol looking into her holo-viewer before turning to face Captain Archer.
T’POL
This is the debris from the shuttlepod. There is insufficient mass for the remains of the entire shuttlepod to be present.
We can see Lieutenant Picard ease up slightly in the background as Archer reacts to the news.
ARCHER
So they survived the explosion?
T’POL
I estimate an eighty-nine-point-six-five-four-nine percent chance that the shuttlepod survived largely intact. However, it is also possible that the shuttlepod was destroyed, and that the bulk of its debris was forced out of the area by the missile’s detonation.
Both Archer and Picard react negatively to T’Pol’s alternative theory.
PICARD
(regretfully)
Either way, we’ll probably never be able to find them now…
Archer cuts the military officer a short look.
ARCHER
That might be true, but if there’s any way we can find them, dead or alive, we have to at least try.
(beat, easing up)
Your shooting managed to drive the Orions off; we need to focus on getting our people back now.
T’POL
I believe that there is enough information contained in the sensor records to calculate a finite number of possible trajectories that the shuttlepod could have been driven onto.
ENSIGN MAYWEATHER turns and looks up at T’Pol.
MAYWEATHER
I think I could help you with that, Sub-Commander.
T’Pol considers the helmsman without a hint of her inner thought displayed on her features. Archer looks between the two of them skeptically.
ARCHER
Are you sure you could narrow them down to something we could realistically search?
T’POL
I can make no such guarantee at this time, Captain, until I have compiled all available data and begin calculations.
Mayweather seems a bit skittish, but looks otherwise sure of himself.
MAYWEATHER
I’m pretty sure we can narrow it down, Captain.
(beat, off both Archer’s and T’Pol’s looks)
There’ve been plenty of times that I’ve helped to find lost cargo based off of a lot less than what we have here!
Archer smiles lightly at the young Boomer.
ARCHER
You keep reminding me how nice it is to have a Boomer on board, Travis.
(beat, to both T’Pol and Mayweather)
Very well, make this your priority. I want our people back, alive. Use whatever resources you need, but get it done quickly; we have no idea what condition the shuttlepod or its occupants are in.
T’Pol nods and goes back to her console, while Travis taps a button on the helm, presumably calling in someone to take over at that station. Archer turns to face Picard, who still looks very skeptical.
ARCHER
In the meantime, Lieutenant, I want to know how the Orions found us. As far away as we are from Syndicate territory, I doubt this was a coincidence.
(beat, darkly)
If we just lost four of our own today, I want to know who’s responsible.
(beat, to Sato)
Contact the Idobre government, we have a few questions for them…
INT. SHUTTLEPOD 01
Ensign Cutler gasps for breath as Major Reed runs a medical scanner over her. Alarms are coming from the scanner and we can tell by the expression on Reed’s face that Cutler’s condition is dire. Commander Tucker is soon at their side.
TUCKER
(tense)
What’s wrong!?
REED
She’s going into respiratory arrest!
Tucker grabs the medkit and starts to frantically looks through the various vials of medication. Reed gives Tucker the briefest of exasperated looks before roughly handing him the medical scanner.
REED
(annoyed)
Keep an eye on her.
Reed digs through the medkit and finds the proper medication, which he slides into the included hypospray.
Tucker runs the scanner over Cutler when another alarm sounds on it. Cutler stops breathing.
TUCKER
Major! Her heart’s stopped!
Remaining relatively calm, Reed quickly injects the hypo into Cutler’s neck. He looks to Tucker.
REED
Anything?
Tucker looks at the scanner for a BEAT and shakes his head. Reed quickly pulls open Cutler's uniform shirt and begins CPR on her, with Tucker continuing to monitor the ensign with the scanner. After several tries, the ensign is still flat-lining. Tucker looks like he’s convinced that Cutler is dead, but Reed quickly digs through the medkit and pulls out two small wireless defibrillator patches and places them on Cutler’s chest. Taking the scanner from Tucker, he changes its settings.
REED
Charging to three hundred millijoules…
There’s an audible electric whine for a BEAT. Without warning, Reed presses a button on the scanner, jolting Cutler with electricity. Her body spasms, but as soon as the shock is over she goes limp again.
Reed digs through the medkit again and pulls out what looks like another hypospray, but with a long hypodermic needle on the end of it. Tucker looks at Reed with confusion as the SF pulls the needle’s safety cap off.
TUCKER
What the hell is that?
REED
(grimacing)
Pure adrenaline.
Tucker watches as Reed positions the needle and flinches slightly as the major plunges the needle deep into the young woman’s chest. The hypospray almost instantly deploys with an audible hiss.
REED
Three-fifty…
There’s another whine as the charge builds up. Reed activates the defibrillators again, but this time, they work, as is confirmed by the sounds on the scanner. Cutler takes in a new breath with a shudder, but remains unconscious.
TUCKER
Whew! That was close.
(beat, wryly)
Who would’ve thought you were so good at patching people up?
REED
(dryly)
Yes, well, tends to come in handy when one of your mates has been shot up.
(beat, wryly)
Who would have thought that an engineer couldn’t fix a person? The human body is just another machine.
Tucker gets the joke and smiles slightly.
TUCKER
Entirely different kind of machine.
(beat, looking Cutler over)
How is she?
Reed scans her and checks the readings.
REED
She’s stable for the time being, but if that happens again, I don’t know if we’ll be able to help her.
Tucker nods absently, his mind clearly on more than just the ensign. Reed looks over the front of the shuttlepod.
Reed’s POV: Several of the consoles and access panels are pulled out, with their mechanisms exposed and/or pulled out.
REED
So… how are we?
TUCKER
Well, the subspace transceiver is shot, for one, so there’ll be no way we can send a distress call, or even pick up a hail from Enterprise letting us know that they’re looking for us.
Tucker sighs and gets up, then taps a few commands into the Engineering board. A five view diagram of the shuttlepod comes up on the monitor, displaying the all the damage to Shuttlepod 01.
TUCKER (CONT’D)
(indicating the parts on the diagram)
There isn’t much left of the impulse drive, and the flight controls are fried, so no thrusters. So, to put it simply, we’re at the mercy of our momentum from the explosion. The sensor array is gone too, and that’s not even the fun part.
(beat)
Because evidently some shrapnel punctured three of the four O-2 tanks.
Reed’s face hardens right back up as he looks down at the floor for a BEAT.
REED
How long do we have?
TUCKER
The recyclers are going to help us out, but I don’t imagine we’ll have air for more than about…
(beat, thinking)
Forty hours.
Reed briskly closes the medkit.
REED
(muttering to himself)
Just my bloody luck…
TUCKER
What was that?
REED
(harshly)
I said it’s just my luck, sir!
We can tell Reed didn’t mean to be that harsh. The SF sighs while Tucker waits for him to elaborate.
REED (CONT’D)
(with a slight laugh)
I never used to believe that much in luck, not until I was assigned to Enterprise.
(beat)
This shuttlepod seems to have an inordinate amount of bad luck though. First it crashes and Corporal McKenzie ends up dead and almost killed the lot of you … and now, Private Forbes and probably us too.
Tucker gives Reed a sympathetic look.
TUCKER
(forcing a smile)
Maybe my luck will rub off on you then.
(beat)
Sometimes it doesn’t seem to matter how bad it looks, somehow I always seem to make it out alright.
REED
I wished I had your optimism, sir, but I just don’t see how we can make it out of this one unless Enterprise just happens to come across us.
TUCKER
I bet that’s just what’ll happen.
Tucker offers him another smile, but Reed still looks gloomy.
REED
When I found out about what’d happened to McKenzie, I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had I stayed on the ground overnight.
TUCKER
(apologetically)
I didn’t mean anything by it, Major.
REED
In a way, you were right. I left you all down on the surface for the comfort of my warm bed, and McKenzie died cold and wet.
TUCKER
Don’t beat yourself up, Major, it wouldn’t have made any difference if you’d been there, except that you might be dead too.
(beat, sullenly)
Besides, it’s not like you’re the one that let her die.
REED
You didn’t let her die, Commander; I read the Sub-Commander’s report about what happened and she was pretty clear about that. There was nothing else you could’ve done.
Tucker offers another small smile.
TUCKER
I guess that makes us even then.
(beat, off Reed’s questioning look)
There was nothing you could’ve done either.
Reed relaxes slightly and gives Tucker a small nod.
TUCKER (CONT'D)
And… it’s not like you were the one to insist on staying on the surface to check out the latest in Idobre power generation either.
REED
I didn’t exactly complain either, sir. It was a nice warm day out.
(beat, slightly sour)
I rather enjoyed the tour until the Orions showed up.
Tucker doesn’t react much to that, instead looking at Cutler.
TUCKER
I shouldn’t’ve let her stay. I should’ve made her go back with the others.
(beat, sarcastically)
But no, she wanted to check out some more damned bugs, and I didn’t think anything about it.
REED
In a way, it’s actually a good thing she was there.
(beat, off Tucker’s questioning look)
If she and Forbes hadn’t been outside on the hanging gardens, we never would’ve known the Orions were coming.
TUCKER
Doesn't seem like a fair trade, what with her and Forbes being the ones that got shot.
Tucker and Reed silently reflect for a BEAT.
REED
At least none of us were taken by the Orions.
Tucker nods in agreement before getting up and turning his attention back to the shuttlepod’s exposed equipment.
TUCKER
Guess I better get back to work…
(beat, sarcastically)
After all, someone has to get us rescued.
Reed forces himself to smile at Tucker’s attempt to lighten the mood, but he can’t help but give Cutler another look as we…
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
Continue to Act Two
