This is UN-copyrighted - you may change what you like!

========
ALL CHANGE - A Blake's 7 Radio Play By Judith Proctor. UN-COPYRIGHT-ed - you
may change what you like!
(Scene 1 rewritten by WL)

( BLAKE'S 7 THEME TUNE FADING INTO: INTERIOR, A LARGE ROOM IN XENON BASE.
ORAC'S HUM CAN BE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND)

SOOLIN: What've you got there?

VILA: This is the latest magno-lock. I've just cracked it. It -

DAYNA: Locks don't interest me.

VILA: Well, they do require a subtlety of touch -

DAYNA: Unlike my programmable grenades, I suppose you're implying.

VILA: Look, any Federation building could have these installed.

SOOLIN: So. Useful to be able to open it.

DAYNA: Just blasting a lock is faster.

VILA: But noisy! And likely to attract troopers who aren't pleased to see me.
Now, see, to crack this you have to do immediate calculations to answer
the challenge number sequence....

ORAC: Fascinating.

VILA: There! I always knew somebody would appreciate me some day.

ORAC: Not you. The teleport project. It was, after all, merely a matter of
time before the teleport was developed independently. I have just
intercepted a Federation message confirming their willingness to buy
the teleport system recently completed by Zebulon Probert of the
Feynman Corporation.

DAYNA: A teleport!

SOOLIN: But that's our main advantage over the Federation.

DAYNA: (ominously) You mean it _was_ our main advantage.

VILA: (quickly) Orac, that message, is it the first one you've heard about
this teleport project? There hasn't been any mention anywhere else? The
research networks?

ORAC: No. We may assume that detailed knowledge of the project is localised
to the Feynman Corporation research station.

SOOLIN: That's lucky. We'd better tell Avon.

( TO INTERIOR. SMALL OFFICE ACOUSTIC )

DEVA: Probert?

BLAKE: What is it, Deva? I'm busy.

DEVA: There's something I think you ought to know.

BLAKE: (impatient) Well?

DEVA: I've just been speaking to the project manager...

BLAKE: And?

DEVA: The Federation have seen our test results. They're _very_ impressed.
They're sending an investigative team from Space Command to run
independent tests on the prototype, and they intend to purchase the
system for the military if it functions reliably. They'll be here in
three days.

BLAKE: Then I'd better finish this documentation quickly, hadn't I?

DEVA: That's not all.

BLAKE: (sighs) You're obviously determined to tell me everything.

DEVA: Flight control say the Al-Biruni isn't on her scheduled approach. They
should have picked her up on the scanners by now.

BLAKE: So, why tell me? I'm not travelling on her.

DEVA: _Probert_ certainly isn't.

BLAKE: Just what are you implying?

DEVA: That Probert isn't your real name.

BLAKE: Let me get this straight. I'm just about to deliver one of the most
important projects this corporation has seen in a decade, and you're
trying to tell me that I'm an impostor?

DEVA: (a little nervous) This place may be a dump in the middle of nowhere,
but they did hire a good computer security expert. I know my job... Blake.

BLAKE: I see. (beat) People looking for me generally have one of three
motives. You aren't pointing a gun at me, so we'll eliminate the first
one. That leaves you as an amateur rebel, or a blackmailer. Which is it?

( CUT TO INTERIOR XENON BASE. ORAC'S HUM CAN BE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND )

AVON: Probert worked on the original Aquitar project on Earth and appears to
have come into possession of a Liberator teleport bracelet at some point.

VILA: That's nothing unusual. We left them lying around like confetti. Bet
Servalan had at least half a dozen.

AVON: What is unusual is that Probert seems to have been able to recognise
the key difference between the Liberator system and the approach used
by the Aquitar Project. That makes him... a threat.
DAYNA: To us, that is.

SOOLIN: So the Federation are getting a teleport. What are _we_ going to do
about it?

AVON: I should have thought that was obvious. We kill Probert and destroy his
machine. (beat) Scorpio will leave as soon as the necessary equipment
is on board.

/* What about data backups? esp offsite? */

DAYNA: Ah, what about backups of his research? Especially offsite backups?

VILA: Remember Orac said everything's on the research station.

AVON: Well then... we may have to do a little more damage.

DAYNA: I'll just get some things from the weapons lab!

AVON: Hurry it up!

TARRANT: (uneasy) Wait, just like that? No discussion?

AVON: Oh, you can discuss all you like, but I prefer to be moving while
you're wasting time talking.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

DEVA: Blake, I want to go with you.

BLAKE: Why, Deva?

DEVA: If you want a pragmatic reason, I'll lose my job anyway when you steal
the prototype. You _are_ going to steal it, I take it. If you want the
genuine reason, I admire what you've done.

BLAKE: And hero-worship is a good reason to risk your neck?

DEVA: Blake, you stood up to the Federation. You've survived imprisonment,

deportation, and far more besides. You came back and kept on fighting.
I'm not like that. I don't have that kind of strength, but I know it
when I see it.

BLAKE: Then learn to think for yourself. How do you know I'm the hero that
popular myth would have me be? How do you know that I'm not what the
Federation claim: a child molester who betrayed his own followers? How
do you know that anything you hear about Roj Blake isn't a mixture of
rebel and Federation propaganda?

DEVA: I told you, I'm good. I imagine you came to work for a neutral
corporation because you hoped we wouldn't be able to access Federation
files. Though, whoever helped you alter Probert's file did a good job;
I'll admit that. The finger and retina prints match, but there are
limitations to how much can be done. There's just too many records to
alter in too many places.

BLAKE: So what alerted you? Or did you just recognise me?

DEVA: There wasn't a photograph in Probert's file. That's unusual. It might

 have been due to data damage from the Andromedan war. A lot of
information did get lost then. Then again, it might have been a man who
was too easily recognisable if anyone hunted the files for his image.
So I checked up on your face. I had a nagging feeling that I'd seen you
somewhere before and that you were important.

BLAKE: And you came up with Roj Blake.

DEVA: Yes. You picked a good man to hide behind. Probert shares a lot of your
technical background, but he died on an obscure frontier world nearly
three years ago.

BLAKE: (lightly) I shall have to hope that no one else goes through the
records with your determination.

DEVA: At least, I fixed the photo problem. There's one in Probert's file now.
Looks enough like you so it's no worse than any other identity photo,
but different enough so that no one scanning the data base will say,
'That's Roj Blake'.

BLAKE: I'm impressed, though I hope I won't need this identity much longer.
Do you know what you'll be letting yourself in for if you come with
me? Life on the run isn't exactly easy. (beat) (brisk) So, do you have
any reason other than misapplied hero-worship or insanity for desiring
to join what's left of the rebellion?

DEVA: Am I supposed to trot out a clich�? A murdered sister? A family exiled?

Can't I just recognise evil when I see it?

BLAKE: Ah, a man of principle. I'd begun to think they didn't exist any longer.

DEVA: Were you always this cynical?

BLAKE: No. I used to think that I could change things, that what I did would
really make a difference.

DEVA: If you don't think you can achieve anything, why keep on fighting?

BLAKE: (passionately) How can I _not_? (apologetic) Sorry. I get carried away
sometimes. It's so rare to find anyone who cares, these days.

DEVA: I think people care, Blake. They're just scared. I've no family, no
relatives. There's no one back on Earth they can threaten me with.

BLAKE: (remembering his dead brother and sister) Welcome to the ranks.

( CUT TO TO INTERIOR LARGE SPACESHIP (SCORPIO). ORAC'S HUM CAN BE HEARD IN

THE BACKGROUND )

TARRANT: Course for Feynman station laid in.

SOOLIN: Why kill Probert? Your plan was for us to recruit scientists. I would
have thought a man smart enough to develop a teleport would make an
excellent addition to the team.

AVON: Orac, display Probert's record on the rear screen.

SOOLIN: (Pause) I see what you mean.

VILA: Federation loyalist through and through. Even reported on suspect
activities by his fellow workers.

SOOLIN: Charming.

TARRANT: And for that you'll kill him?

SOOLIN: (sardonic) Why not? I've killed men before. Does it really make any
difference whether it's for money or to get rid of a traitor?

TARRANT: Yes, I think it does.

AVON: Since when did you develop a conscience?

TARRANT: I've killed plenty of men, when I was in the Federation, and since
then as well - I'm not denying that, but there are times when it's
necessary and times when it isn't. We don't know why Probert
reported those men. They might have been members of the rebellion,
they might equally well have been fiddling their tax returns.
(pause) Besides, I don't like making war on civilians.

DAYNA: Orac, were they rebels?

ORAC: I have cross-referenced their names with the available files. The
results are really quite clear.

DAYNA: You see?

TARRANT: People sometimes do things because they believe them to be right.

It's possible to give your loyalty to something evil without
realising that it's evil. It's also possible to learn, to change. If
you kill a man, you never give him that chance.

AVON: And if you don't kill him, you give the chance to betray you. We can't
afford that risk. Probert dies.

VILA: He's an ugly looking bastard, you know. All that curly hair - cousin of
yours, Tarrant?

TARRANT: My only close cousin may be six foot tall and curly-haired, but
she's definitely female.

VILA: I wouldn't want to meet her on a dark night. Actually, thinking about
it, Probert looks lot more like Blake than he does you.

AVON: Blake is dead, Vila.

( MUSIC: A FEW LINES OF 'THE PARTING GLASS' PLAYED ON STRING OR WIND

INSTRUMENT. FADING INTO: INTERIOR. SMALL OFFICE ACOUSTIC )

DEVA: Blake, it's been three days. We've got to face it, Al-Biruni isn't coming.

BLAKE: Perhaps.

DEVA: Perhaps! You're just refusing to face facts.

BLAKE: What would I gain by facing them? The next scheduled ship is two weeks
 away. Of the ships known to be passing within range, two are unmanned
ore carriers and cannot divert, and the third's from Eddor.

DEVA: Methane breathers. All right, I take your point. Worrying won't produce
an extra ship.

BLAKE: She might have developed engine trouble.

DEVA: More likely ran into a Federation patrol. They don't like Amagons, but
then I can't say I do either.

BLAKE: They're not all pirates, though some of them would sell their own
mothers if the bounty was high enough. Quite a few of them are strongly
anti-Federation because they want access to Earth and to Mecca.

DEVA: To what?

BLAKE: Holy place. Sacred to their religion. I gather the city itself was
destroyed at the start of the New Calendar, but they still want to go there.

DEVA: There's no accounting for taste. High radiation zones don't appeal to me.

BLAKE: Quite.

( SOOLIN'S VOICE IS HEARD THROUGH A SPEAKER )

SOOLIN: (Efficient) Feynman Station. Feynman Station. This is civilian

freighter Capricorn. We require to speak to your security officer.

( CLICK IS HEARD AS DEVA PRESSES 'TRANSMIT' )

DEVA: Civilian freighter Capricorn, this is Feynman Station, security officer Deva.

SOOLIN: Officer Deva, is this channel secure?

( ANOTHER SWITCH IS PRESSED )

DEVA: It is now.

SOOLIN: We are an independent security group travelling under direct

instructions from Commissioner Sleer. Our orders are to check your
base security in advance of the arrival of Councillor Wells.
Danforth, our contractual officer, will present you with our
credentials upon arrival. We will dock within half an hour and
require your fullest co-operation.

DEVA: You may rest assured that we will assist you in any matter that does
not compromise station security.

SOOLIN: We will need to speak to Dr Probert as soon as we dock.

BLAKE: (very low voice) No, it's too risky.

DEVA: I'm sorry; he's just gone off-duty. He's been working massive overtime
trying to get everything ready in time. He'll be asleep by now. I won't
wake him.

SOOLIN: That is most inconvenient. As he is the man most familiar with the
teleport system, we particularly need to speak with him. I would hate
 to think that you were obstructing our work in any way.

DEVA: You may have authority from Commissioner Sleer, but this is a neutral
station and I am head of security here. I will not wake Dr Probert. It
is my considered opinion that a man that tired would be incapable of
doing work safely. Station regulations prohibit interruption of
compulsory rest breaks in non-emergency situations. In my considered
opinion, this is not an emergency.

SOOLIN: We'll discuss the matter further when we arrive. End transmission.

DEVA: (sighs) And I thought our luck was bad before...

BLAKE: (in a low voice. Smiling.) On the contrary: you're a better worrier
than you thought. We've got a ship.

DEVA: Are you out of your mind? That ship's Federation security!

BLAKE: So, we steal it.

( FEW BARS OF THE B7 THEME MUSIC FADING INTO: INTERIOR SCORPIO. )

VILA: Will someone tell me again why we aren't just teleporting in?

DAYNA: (Speaking as though to a retarded child) Because it's a teleport

research station. They'll use an MSD field.

VILA: Sounds like a hallucinogenic drug. Say, did I ever tell you about the
time -

DAYNA: Yes, you did. Frequently. It's a Molecular Shift Detector; registers
any teleport activity.

AVON: Which is why we need the fake IDs. Haven't you finished that card yet?

VILA: I'm doing my best. I'll have you know that genius takes time. This is
creative work of the highest order.

AVON: All you have to do is forge Sleer's signature. Orac and I did the hard
part. The encoding we used will stand up unless the Federation have
changed their system recently. Orac cannot decrypt all their transmissions.

SOOLIN: You're risking our lives on identity cards that you aren't sure will
hold up?

AVON: The risk is necessary. We cannot afford the Federation getting hold of
the teleport. Vila, we haven't got time to waste.

VILA: Just hold on! An autograph requires talent. It can't be just an exact
copy of an original, that would give it away as a forgery. It has to
retain the flourish of the original, but each one must be subtly
unique. (pause) There! Federation security computers would pass it.

SOOLIN: That's the important point.

DAYNA: And Federation security doesn't argue with their computers!

AVON: (sharply) Dayna. Give everyone a recap on the explosives.

DAYNA: These ones here are low-burst incendiaries; I didn't want to risk
breaching the station's hull. The fire from them should be hot enough
to reduce any electronic components to slag. The fuses are variable
from one minute to five hours. The timer is set by adjusting this dial
here. (beat) Vila!

VILA: I was only looking.

DAYNA: Once the timer has been set, it cannot be cancelled - that's a
security measure in case the bomb is detected. Any attempt to reset
the timer manually will cause the bomb to go off.

SOOLIN: What if we need to set them off early, as a diversion for example?

DAYNA: They can be cross-linked so that they'll all go when any one of them
does; if we need to leave in a hurry, we can do a shorter setting on
the last one.

AVON: (asking a question to which he already knows the answer) And if we need
to eliminate the station?

DAYNA: I was coming to that. This is the big one, the granddaddy of them all,
and we hope we don't have to use it. It's designed for maximum
penetration and has to be placed outside the station. There's a
powerful electromagnet to hold it tight to the hull and the casing is
shaped so as to focus the charge in a single direction. There's a
cluster bomb combination inside so that once the hull has been
penetrated, there's further damage from subsequent radiating explosions.

VILA: Don't you two ever think of anything apart from blowing things up?

DAYNA: (sarcastically) Remind me to consult you the next time I want to

discuss philosophy.

AVON: We need to plan ahead. We may not have long before the Federation
arrive. If we don't have the opportunity to destroy the teleport
machine, then we'll have to consider other options.

VILA: You're nothing but a pair of psychopaths!

TARRANT: Vila, it's a logical military decision.

VILA: (indignant) I thought you were the one who was opposed to unnecessary
killing?

TARRANT: Unnecessary, yes. But if we are unable to destroy the equipment in

any other way, then we may well have no other choice. Unless, of
course, you prefer to think of the Federation as being able to land
troops instantly from orbit.

VILA: That's a horrible idea! Enough to make your hair curl.

DAYNA: I've packed the incendiaries into standard equipment cases and added
in a few other things that may come in useful.

VILA: Anything to drink?

DAYNA: No, Vila. I said useful. And before you ask, there isn't any alcohol
 left on Scorpio either.

SLAVE: I am terribly sorry to interrupt you, but it is my humble duty to

inform you that we are now approaching Feynman Station.

VILA: It's not much to look at, is it? Looks just like a bunch of sausages
stuck together at random.

DAYNA: I've never visited a research space station before. What are they like?

TARRANT: Pretty boring, actually.

VILA: If you want an interesting station, you ought to visit Space City. You
can get anything there: booze, women, drugs, sensory-ecstasy booths.
You name it, they've got it.

SOOLIN: (derisory) And I bet you've tried them all. You're disgusting, Vila.

VILA: Everyone's entitled to a holiday now and then.

SOOLIN: It's just that you think you're entitled to one all the time.

( DEVA'S VOICE IS HEARD THROUGH A SPEAKER )

DEVA: Freighter, please identify yourself.

TARRANT: Feynman station, this is civilian freighter Capricorn, requesting

permission to dock.

DEVA: Civilian freighter Capricorn, permission is granted.

TARRANT: Docking now.

( SCORPIO DOCKS WITH THE SPACE STATION )

SOOLIN: Vila, pass me a bracelet.

VILA: I thought we couldn't use the teleport? (quickly) If you're using it, I
volunteer to stay behind and look after it.

AVON: You are staying behind; we need someone to watch the scanners, but
Soolin, we are not taking any bracelets.

SOOLIN: We need them as communicators!

AVON: To anyone who has worked in the field of teleportation, it is entirely

too obvious what they are.

DAYNA: Another necessary risk?

AVON: Precisely.

( CUT TO INTERIOR LARGE OFFICE. A SPORTS COMMENTARY CAN BE HEARD ON A RADIO )

COMMENTATOR: Cheng is coming down the right flank, passing to Jordan. Lovely
move there as he somersaults over, bounces off the far wall and
uses the momentum to give the ball some real velocity. Turner
moves to intercept, but he's misjudged the trajectory. No wait.
 I don't know how, but he's done it! He's got the ball and is
throwing it back to

( BLAKE AND STEVEN'S CONVERSATION STARTS AROUND HERE. FADE SPORTS COMMENTARY
DOWN AND BEHIND. )

MacPherson. There's been an appeal! The ref has stopped play and
the Hobos are demanding a strip search. They obviously suspect a
concealed propulsion unit. Turner is denying the charge
vehemently, but if he's guilty this could be the end of the
season for the Dragons. With just this one game standing between
them and relegation they may have been driven to desperate
measures. We'll return to you immediately after the break.

BLAKE: Book me out a large trolley, will you, Stevens. I've a load of
machinery to shift. Got to make a good impression on the visiting VIPs.

STEVENS: Third bay on the left. Don't forget to sign it back in, when you
return it.

BLAKE: Will do.

STEVENS: Do you think the Dragons stand a chance?

BLAKE: (shrugs) I never write anyone off before the end of the season.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

DEVA: Danforth? Welcome to Feynman Station. Your ident, please?

AVON: I'm sure you'll find everything to be in order.

SOOLIN: We haven't time to waste on bureaucracy.

( SOME COMPUTER BLEEPS )

DEVA: Your ident checks out fine, but I'm afraid station regulations prohibit
the carrying of firearms.

AVON: The treaty of two forty-two allows us to carry personal weapons when
acting on Federation business.

DEVA: That treaty was never fully ratified.

AVON: If you check your records, you will find that the treaty was ratified
by the Ragdar Union, and the Ragdar government are a majority
shareholder in Feynman. That makes the treaty valid.

DEVA: Only if you have ambassadorial level security clearance. I'm sure you'll
understand if I run a deeper level security check. Nothing personal.

AVON: No offence taken.

DEVA: Running verification now.

( A RIPPLE OF USEFUL-SOUNDING BLEEPS )

DEVA: I'm impressed. I've never met anyone with that clearance level before.
 However, I must inspect your weapons. You do understand the risk of
projectile weapons aboard a space station?

AVON: Naturally.

( TWO SCORPIO GUN CLIPS ARE REMOVED )

SOOLIN: All our ammunition is colour coded. As you can see, both our guns
have red stun clips.

DEVA: Thank you.

( GUN'S CLIPS ARE REPLACED )

DEVA: Please note that any unnecessary use of your weapons will result in you
being barred from the station.

AVON: Noted. I've taken the liberty of sending two of my crew on ahead.

DEVA: I must object! That is highly irregular.

AVON: You verified their ident yourself. We don't know how long we have and
their presence may be critical. Their orders are to scan C and D
modules. The residential areas are obviously a key area for any
potential saboteur wishing to target off-duty personnel.

DEVA: I must insist on verifying their ammunition.

AVON: Very well. I will send Soolin to fetch them.

DEVA: That's not necessary. We _do_ have our own facilities. (beat) Watch the
screen. Display modules B, R and C. Ten metre steps. Half-second interval.
(Three second pause) Freeze image. There. Your people, I presume.

( CUT TO CORRIDOR. )

DAYNA: How can this be R module? We came through B module to get here.

TARRANT: It's standard practice on space stations to number modules in the

order of construction. This is one of the newer parts.

DAYNA: It doesn't look new.

TARRANT: Maybe it was salvaged from another station.

DAYNA: So how do we get to C module from here?

TARRANT: Left at the next junction. If the map was correct.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

DEVA: There are intercom panels at regular intervals along the walls. You'd
better have a word with your people; they look a little lost. Instruct
them to check their ammunition.

AVON: I'll do that. Why don't you tell me which is Dr Probert's room? I can
instruct them to act as a security detail. He is, after all, the most
vulnerable person on the station.
DEVA: Are they capable?

SOOLIN: They are far more competent than they look. I trained them myself.

DEVA: Then I accept your offer. This is only a small station. I'm the only
security officer here and I have numerous other duties as well.
Probert's room is C14, but I must insist that he is not disturbed.

( A BUTTON IS PRESSED. CUT TO CORRIDOR ACOUSTIC. AVON'S VOICE IS HEARD

THROUGH AN INTERCOM SYSTEM. )

AVON: Tarrant.

TARRANT: Wha-

AVON: Behind you. On the wall.

( ANOTHER BUTTON IS PRESSED )

TARRANT: (Recovers quickly) I hear you, Danforth.

AVON: Please check your ammunition and confirm you are not using projectiles.

TARRANT: On a space station! What do you take us for?

AVON: Thank you. You are to go to room C14 and act as a security guard for Dr
Probert. However, the station security officer is insistent that Probert
not be disturbed. You are to ensure that no one enters his quarters.

TARRANT: Understood.

AVON: Danforth out.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

AVON: My compliments on a very effective system. If it could do trace

chemical analysis as efficiently, my entire team would be out of a job.

DEVA: (a little diffident) What time is Councillor Wells scheduled to arrive?

AVON: (slightly surprised) I was hoping you could inform us of that. Security has
been so tight around this particular project that we're having difficulty
getting all the information we need to carry out our task effectively.

DEVA: No one has seen fit to inform us of their arrival time. Our scanners
haven't picked them up yet though, so you should be able to do a
thorough sweep before their arrival.

SOOLIN: (flippant) Not so much a case of the left hand not telling the right
hand what it's doing but one leg of a trifid not telling the other two.

AVON: We'd like to inspect the prototype first. It's obviously the most
vulnerable target.

DEVA: How long will that take?

AVON: No more than ten or fifteen minutes.

DEVA: Fine. This way.

( CUT TO CORRIDOR ACOUSTIC )

DEVA: Tell me, why are the Federation employing civilians for this task?

SOOLIN: We're the best. Danforth worked on the original Aquitar project that
your Doctor Probert worked on. If there's anything to be found, he'll
find it. (beat) I'm a fire-arms specialist.

DEVA: I noticed your gun was unusual. May I?

SOOLIN: No. I never part with my weapon when I'm on duty.

DEVA: I'm sorry. It's an original design; I've never seen anything like it before.

SOOLIN: We all carry them. They are fast, deadly, and versatile.

AVON: Just like Soolin herself, in fact.

DEVA: I see. (Pause) In here.

( DOOR OPENS. FADE TO MEDIUM LABORATORY ACOUSTIC )

DEVA: Do you need any assistance?

AVON: No. Our equipment is remarkably sensitive and can check for all known
explosives. When we're done here, we'll sweep our way through the
station checking out all likely places where an attack on Federation
personnel might be made.

DEVA: What areas in particular?

AVON: Recreation areas are often a prime target. The regular passage of
people makes it easy for anyone to plant explosives. Of course, the
targets are likely to to be specific people in this case, so I shall
concentrate on the work areas initially.

DEVA: You obviously have it all planned out. I'll leave you to it.

( DOOR CLOSES )

SOOLIN: Convenient. We can go anywhere on the station and the more restricted
the area, the better our excuse for going there. (beat) Is that
Probert's teleport apparatus? It doesn't look like much.

AVON: It was built by an engineer, not an interior designer.

SOOLIN: Even an engineer can use matching panels. Anyone would think he meant
it to look like a heap of junk.

AVON: Place the explosives as quickly as you can. Get them well inside the
machinery and replace the cover panels after you've finished.

SOOLIN: That's all very well for you to say, but which bits are actually part
of the teleport? There's certainly not much resemblance to Scorpio's
systems.
AVON: It's perfectly straightforward. This is a locator grid and that's the
resonance calibrator. You can work it out easily if you study the
controls. The bay with the transmitter nodes is over there. You'll need
to set several charges in its walls.

SOOLIN: What are you going to do while I'm doing all this?

AVON: I'm going to check the computer system. If the system is properly designed,
there'll be an automatic back-up on another part of the station. I need to
see if that back-up can be accessed and deleted from here.

( SOUNDS OF SMALL BITS OF EQUIPMENT BEING MOVED AROUND AS SOOLIN UNFASTENS

PANELS AND POSITIONS EXPLOSIVES. THE EXPLOSIVES ARE MAGNETIC AND MAKE A
GENTLE METALLIC CLANG WHEN CONTACT IS MADE )

SOOLIN: Have you noticed how all these units are separate rather than being
mounted in a single bank?

AVON: So?

( MORE SOUNDS INCLUDING A LARGE PANEL BEING TAPPED )

SOOLIN: This bay is built in sections as well; it's not nearly as sturdy as
Scorpio's. I think the whole system was designed to be dismantled easily.

AVON: (disinterested) Naturally. If the Federation purchase it, they need to

be able to remove it. (normally) Keep quiet. I need to concentrate on
this terminal. I've got to crack the security.

( CUT TO TO INTERIOR CORRIDOR. TROLLEY RATTLING ALONG FLOOR )

DEVA: (a little out of breath) Slow down, Blake. You've got a couple of
minutes yet until they're finished in the lab. The other two have been
ordered to guard your room, so they're safely out of the way.

BLAKE: How long do we have until the Federation ships get here?

DEVA: I don't know. Their ETA is anytime now, but there's nothing on the
screens. Perhaps they've run into whatever hit the Al-Biruni; maybe a
meteoroid storm or something. We're overdue for some luck.

BLAKE: I don't believe in luck anymore.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

AVON: Soolin, have you finished?

( PANEL BEING REPLACED AND SCREWS BEING TIGHTENED )

SOOLIN: I'm just fastening the cover panels back. They don't all fit very well.
( KICKS METAL PANEL INTO POSITION ) (with satisfaction) That's better. Where next?

AVON: The main computer room. I can't access the back-ups from here. This
terminal doesn't have the access rights. It can only archive, not
retrieve or delete. We'll have to destroy the main computer.

SOOLIN: That could knock out the life-support systems. We'd kill everyone on
 the station.

AVON: We're not here to play games. If the Federation get the teleport then
we're dead one way or another.

SOOLIN: Wouldn't Deva have a master terminal?

( SOUND OF FINGERS SNAPPING )

AVON: Yes. And Deva's office is closer.

( CUT TO INTERIOR CORRIDOR )

DAYNA: This is it. C14. Now what? You do realise they're probably watching us
on the video cameras?

TARRANT: Possibly, but there's too many cameras for them all to be monitored
all the time. Besides, you forget, were supposed to be on their
side. There's no need for them to watch us.

DAYNA: Fine. I've got a drug clip in the gun - nerve toxin. It'll be quick
and quiet.

TARRANT: Dayna, I'm not sure about this.

DAYNA: You heard what Avon said.

TARRANT: That doesn't mean that I have to agree with it. (pause) Look, surely
Probert's more use to us alive than dead?

DAYNA: A traitor?

TARRANT: I knew someone once, a young officer in Space Command, all

regulations and duty. He was brought up to believe in the service,
to believe that might was right and that the only way to preserve a
stable society was to have a strong military. When he overheard two
men in another unit passing on rumours about recent rebel
activities, he reported them to their commanding officer as was his
duty. (beat) What he didn't know was that the Supreme Commander had
just ordered a new clampdown on rumours of Blake. Instead of
receiving a reprimand or a demotion, those men were executed.
(Pause) That young man started to look around him, to see things in
a different light. He questioned things that he'd never questioned
before. Six months later, he deserted.

DAYNA: I'm sorry; I never thought about it like that.

TARRANT: Yes. Well. He was very young.

DAYNA: So you want to give Probert a chance? You think seeing the Federation
as it really is might change his mind?

TARRANT: He came to work in neutral space. That suggests he may have doubts
already.

DAYNA: You've convinced me. ( SOUND OF CLIP IN GUN BEING EXCHANGED FOR ANOTHER )
I've put in a stun clip. If he doesn't come willingly, we can always
carry him back to Scorpio.
( CUT TO INTERIOR MEDIUM LABORATORY )

DEVA: They've gone. Get that thing in here fast and mind the paintwork.

( RUMBLE OF TROLLEY STARTS )

BLAKE: Why worry? You won't be here much longer.

( RUMBLE OF TROLLEY STOPS )

DEVA: Habit, I suppose.

BLAKE: If you dismantle the teleport bay, I'll make a start on the rest. It
should all fit on one trolley.

DEVA: Are you sure?

BLAKE: That's how I drew the original design specifications, though

admittedly I did have to add a few bits and pieces to improve the
teleport range. (beat) There's only one way to find out.

DEVA: Can you lift that on your own?

BLAKE: I - (grunts in effort) Maybe not. Take the corner, but be careful of
the screen, it's very fragile.

DEVA: You should have made it from something stronger.

BLAKE: I couldn't always get the materials I wanted. Feynman imposed a very
tight budget.

DEVA: Doesn't surprise me. They never thought you'd get it to work.

BLAKE: But were just greedy enough to take the risk. Ready? Lift.

DEVA: (grunts)

( SOUND OF LARGE OBJECT BEING PLACED ON TROLLEY )

BLAKE: That's it. Now the MSD generator. We can pack the resonance calibrator
next to that and the signal booster on top of it.

( ANOTHER LARGE OBJECT IS PLACED ON THE TROLLEY )

BLAKE: Careful of those wires. Okay, I can manage the rest. Stack the bay
sections on the end. I think there's just enough room.

DEVA: It's never all going to fit. You'll have stuff falling off all the way.

BLAKE: You worry about the bay sections and make sure nothing bangs into the
transmitter nodes. I'll get the rest of it on there somehow. Look,
wear a teleport bracelet. It'll be one less thing to fall off. Catch.

( SOUND OF A TELEPORT BRACELET BEING CAUGHT AND SNAPPED SHUT, THEN ANOTHER
BRACELET IS SNAPPED SHUT )

BLAKE: Just like old times.

( CUT TO INTERIOR CORRIDOR )

DAYNA: He's not answering the door.

TARRANT: Probably fast asleep. He was supposed to have been working very
late. We'll just have to let ourselves in.

DAYNA: Where's Vila when you need him?

TARRANT: You don't need Vila for a door that flimsy. Cover me.

( TARRANT BOOTS OPEN THE DOOR WITH ONE GOOD KICK )

DAYNA: (pause) There's no one here.

TARRANT: Check the bathroom.

( DOOR OPENS )

DAYNA: No one here either. Where's he gone? Do you suppose he knew we were
coming?

TARRANT: Not very likely. There's no reason for him to run - our ident passed
scrutiny. Maybe he got hungry and popped out for something to eat.

DAYNA: Don't remind me. I feel hungry all the time, these days.

TARRANT: What's wrong with the food on Scorpio?

DAYNA: What's right with it? You've eaten processed food most of your life.
Where I grew up, we hunted for fresh meat and ate the local plants.
There's no comparison. The food on Liberator was bad enough, but what
Slave produces is almost inedible.

TARRANT: So why not go hunting on Xenon? Mind you, the natives aren't exactly
friendly.

DAYNA: I've never let that stop me in the past. So, do we hunt for Probert in
the refectory?

TARRANT: He could just as easily be visiting a friend. We could end up searching

the entire station and while we're searching, he might come back here.

DAYNA: I could set a booby trap to get him on his return. I brought the
necessary equipment along. You never know when something like that is
going to come in handy.

TARRANT: (hesitant) We could.

DAYNA: But you'd rather not. That young officer - his name wouldn't have
Tarrant by any chance?

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

SOOLIN: Where's Deva?

AVON: I don't know and I don't care. The security monitors are here. If he's
not here, then he's not checking the monitors.

SOOLIN: Can you use this terminal?

AVON: There's only one way to find out. (command) Start program.

COMPUTER: Voice not recognised.

AVON: It's keyed to Deva's voice print. I rather thought it might be.
Security is necessarily higher on a master terminal.

SOOLIN: Do you want me to find Deva? I imagine we could persuade him between us.

AVON: I'll try something else first. People don't always put their defences
in the right place. The computer is voice-locked, but the monitors may
not be. (beat) Display security office. Time minus twenty-four hours.

SOOLIN: There he is! Now you locate a section with him bringing the terminal
on-line?

AVON: Precisely. Forward-search, speech sequence 'start program'.

DEVA: (recorded voice) Start program.

AVON: Now I build up a sequence of different words instructing it to accept a

new voice-print. It'll only take a couple of minutes.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. ORAC'S HUM IN BACKGROUND )

VILA: I'm bored.

ORAC: That is nothing unusual. The inferior intellect can rarely come up with
anything original.

VILA: All right, plastic brain. If you're so smart, answer this one. What's
the difference between a pilot and a politician?

ORAC: There are up to three hundred and seventeen differences depending on

the qualifications of the pilot.

VILA: It's a _riddle_, Orac.

ORAC: Oh, very well. What is the difference between a pilot and a politician?

VILA: One flies in space, the other lies in your face.

ORAC: I see. Ingenious. The humour is supposed to lie in the fact that the
verbs rhyme with one another and -

VILA: Shut up, Orac.

( CUT TO INTERIOR CORRIDOR. TROLLEY RUMBLES TO A HALT )

DEVA: (whispers) This is Capricorn's dock. I'll check ahead though the airlock.

( LIGHT FOOTSTEPS FADING AWAY, FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF A HEAVY BLOW )

DEVA: (calls) All clear.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. ORAC'S HUM IN BACKGROUND. RUMBLE OF TROLLEY )

DEVA: There was only one man on duty and he wasn't even -

( TROLLY RUMBLE STOPS )

BLAKE: Vila! What the devil?

DEVA: You know him?

BLAKE: Know him? He worked with me for two years. Well, perhaps worked isn't
quite the right word in Vila's case. He was with me on Liberator.

DEVA: I thought Liberator was destroyed?

BLAKE: So did I. I can't tell you how relieved I am to see Vila again. He was
a good friend. I hope he's all right.

DEVA: I don't think I hit him too hard. He's still breathing.

ORAC: He will doubtless recover. He has a remarkably thick skull.

BLAKE: (with a touch of sarcasm) Deva, allow me to introduce Orac.

DEVA: (with the reaction you'd expect upon being introduced to a box of
flashing lights) What is it?

BLAKE: It's an extremely useful pain in the neck. Speaking of which, where's Avon?

ORAC: He is on the space station.

BLAKE: Jenna? Cally?

ORAC: (a little hesitant) Jenna Stannis did not return to Liberator. Her last
message said she was heading towards Morphenniel. Cally is...

BLAKE: She's dead isn't she? (softly) I heard her call out my name. I knew then...

ORAC: I have frequently observed that humans waste an unnecessary amount of

time in sentimental observations. Your attention would be far better
applied to considering the problem of the Federation ships that have
docked alongside Scorpio.

DEVA: But that's impossible! I'd have picked them up on the scanners.

BLAKE: An improved detector shield?

ORAC: Evidently.

DEVA: Blake, we've got to get this ship out of here!

BLAKE: We can't. I won't abandon Avon. Orac, teleport him back.

ORAC: That is not possible.

BLAKE: You've got a teleport bay. What's wrong with it?

ORAC: I am unable to teleport them because they are not wearing their
teleport bracelets.

BLAKE: Why the -

( FOUR MARCHING SOLDIERS CAN BE HEARD )

DEVA: (whispers) Blake, troopers!

BLAKE: Deva, into the teleport bay. Orac, put us down on a Federation ship
and don't tell anyone we've been here except -

( SOUND OF TELEPORT SOUND EFFECT FOLLOWED BY A NECK BREAKING. SMALL SPACESHIP

ACOUSTIC )

DEVA: You just...

BLAKE: Broke its neck. What's the matter, Deva? Idealism wearing a little thin?

DEVA: But couldn't you have...

BLAKE: Just be glad there was only a single mutoid left on board.

DEVA: Hey, my bracelet's getting hot!

BLAKE: Damn! I was afraid of that. Avon's system must work on a different
frequency. It's overloaded the circuits - we were lucky to get here at all.

DEVA: Yours too?

BLAKE: Just so much melted microcircuitry. ( SOUND OF BRACELET BEING DROPPED

ON THE FLOOR) The only way we leave here is by flying this ship.

DEVA: We could try going through the station to join up with your friend Avon.

BLAKE: We could get gunned down by two dozen Federation troopers as well.
Running around Feynman station isn't an option. We'll be more use to
both ourselves and Avon if we get this ship underway. That ship of his
looks like a Wanderer class. They don't carry much in the way of
armament. (beat) Have you ever operated a Federation weapons console?

DEVA: Strangely enough - no.

BLAKE: Then you'd better hope that you're a fast learner.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. ORAC'S HUM IN THE BACKGROUND )

SERGEANT: Wake up!

VILA: (groans) Oh, my head. What hit me?

SERGEANT: What happened? Who are you?

VILA: Who me? Sergeant, I was attacked. What do we pay taxes for when people
can go around knocking other people out?
SERGEANT: What were you doing here?

VILA: I was... I was... I remember now. I was inspecting the cargo. That was
it. We'd had a tip-off that this ship was carrying illegal drugs. Worth
a lot of money those are. I mean you can't afford to let them fall into
the wrong hands.

SERGEANT: They must have run when they heard us coming.

VILA: Sign of a guilty conscience, that.

( BLEEP )

SERGEANT: Edwards.

( THE LIEUTENANT IS HEARD OVER HIS RADIO )

LIEUTENANT: We have saboteurs on board. Two known rebels have just been
apprehended in Dr Probert's quarters. The doctor himself is
missing.

SERGEANT: Sir. There may be more of them. I found an unconscious man on this
ship. Obviously a victim of a rebel attack. We're questioning him
now. (beat) Edwards out.

VILA: Saboteurs? I knew it! You can't trust anyone these days. Would you
check the hold for me? They might have hidden there and I don't feel
safe on my own. Maybe they've got Probert with them.

SERGEANT: Cheng, Roberts, Singh. Check it out.

VILA: (Low voice) You'd better go with them. If there are drugs hidden there,
you can't be too careful.

SERGEANT: Just what are you suggesting?

VILA: Nothing. Nothing at all. But its a terrible temptation even for an
honest man like yourself.

SERGEANT: Hm. Where's the entrance?

VILA: Over here. The control's on the wall.

( SOUND OF BUTTON BEING PUSHED AND BULKHEAD OPENING. THREE SECONDS WORTH OF
MEN WALKING THROUGH DOORWAY )

VILA: Slave! Close emergency bulkheads!

( BULKHEADS SLAM DOWN)

VILA: Lock until released by my verbal command.

SLAVE: At once, sir. May I compliment you on your skillful handling of the
situation, sir.

( VILA'S VOICE HAS A SLIGHT ECHO AS HE IS SPEAKING INTO A MICROPHONE )

VILA: (panicking a little) Avon, get back here at once.

ORAC: Given that Avon is not wearing his bracelet, your attempt to contact
him is futile.

( VILA'S VOICE BACK TO NORMAL )

VILA: So suggest something useful, instead of just sitting there twinkling

your lights. They've got Tarrant, you know. It's bound to be Tarrant and
Dayna. Who else would get themselves captured?

ORAC: On the available evidence to date, you are the most likely person. May
I remind you of the occasion -

VILA: No you may not. Tell me something useful like where Avon is.

ORAC: Kerr Avon is in the station's main computer room.

VILA: (Suspicious) How do you know that?

ORAC: It is a relatively trivial matter for me to access the station's

security system and observe his presence on the cameras.

VILA: How come if it's so trivial, you didn't pick up Tarrant and Dayna being
caught?

ORAC: I have far better -

VILA: Things to do with your time. I know. Well use some of your precious
time and warn Avon that Tarrant's been captured.

ORAC: The intercom system is not computer controlled. I am unable to use it

to contact Avon.

VILA: Well, why can't you put a message on the computer screen he's using?

ORAC: (hurriedly) I was just about to suggest that.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

AVON: There's something odd here. The back-up files aren't complete.
(extremely astonished) That one just deleted itself.

SOOLIN: (Pragmatic) Why worry? We want them deleted. They're getting deleted.

AVON: I don't like things I don't understand. Some one has released a killer
programme, and I want to know who and why.

SOOLIN: (puzzled) There's a message overwriting the screen.

AVON: Orac! (beat) That's all we need. Federation troops roaming the station,
and Tarrant and Dayna are in their hands.

SOOLIN: Dayna won't talk.

AVON: Tarrant might, if they threaten Dayna. There are times when he has an
inconvenient streak of chivalry.

SOOLIN: Can we set up an ambush?

AVON: Computer. Scan modules C, D and R. Five metre intervals. Half second
pause. (beat) If we can intercept them before they get back to their ship...

SOOLIN: They're there. R module. We'll never get there in time.

AVON: You forget where we are.

( CUT TO INTERIOR CORRIDOR. SOUND OF MARCHING FEET )

LIEUTENANT: Captain Tarrant, I must ask you again, where is Dr Probert?

TARRANT: I told you, I have no idea where Probert is.

DAYNA: We wouldn't have been in his room, if we already had him.

LIEUTENANT: If you hand him over, it might improve your chances when you come
to stand trial.

TARRANT: (sarcastic) Oh, we have a very good idea what our chances are there.

LIEUTENANT: You will be tried in accordance with the regulations.

TARRANT: (sarcastic) We mustn't forget the regulations, must we, Section

Leader. Sorry, I forgot, you're a lieutenant now.

DAYNA: You know one another?

TARRANT: How do you think he recognised me so easily? It wasn't just my

charming good looks.

LIEUTENANT: You betrayed the service. I don't like deserters.

TARRANT: I'm sure the bounty on my head had nothing to do with it at all.

( AVON'S VOICE IS HEARD OVER A PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM )

AVON: Emergency. This is not a drill. Meteor impact has punctured B module.
All personnel evacuate B module immediately. Bulkheads will close in ten
seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero.

LIEUTENANT: (While Avon is counting) That cuts off our access to the docking
bay. (Pause) Try anything and you're dead. ( CLANG OF CLOSING
BULKHEAD AS AVON'S COUNT REACHES ZERO ) We'll have to take a
roundabout route.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. ORAC'S HUM IN BACKGROUND )

VILA: I need a drink.

SLAVE: I am most terribly sorry, Sir, but the only beverage left on board is
a bottle of Denebian brandy.

VILA: (Enthusiastic) What's wrong with that? Lead me to it.

SLAVE: I most humbly apologise, Sir, but I have been strictly forbidden to
reveal its location to you.
VILA: What's the good of Avon keeping it to himself? He won't appreciate it
properly anyway. Now take me, I know a good vintage when I find one.

SLAVE: The year is two thirty-seven, Sir.

VILA: Two thirty-seven and he's hogging it to himself! (beat) Now let's see.
He wouldn't hide it on the flight deck because he knows I'd find it
there. But then he might assume that I'd think that way and besides
nothing's pressurised except the flight deck when we're in space, so he
wouldn't be able to get at it unless he hid it on the flight deck. On
the other hand, maybe he only drinks when we're at base and he hides it
on Scorpio to stop me finding it when we're on Xenon in which case it
wouldn't be on the flight deck... (Wearily) My head aches. (Pause)
(Suddenly alert) If it's in the hold those troopers may find it. You do
realise that don't you, Slave. They could be there now, drinking and
carousing and we'd never hear them through that bulkhead. You really
ought to tell me where it is just so that I can be sure it's safe.

SLAVE: It is not in the hold, Sir.

VILA: Thank you, Slave. That's all I needed to know.

( CUT TO INTERIOR CORRIDOR. TWO SETS OF RUNNING FEET )

SOOLIN: (running) How much further?

AVON: (running) The docking bay's just round the corner.

( RUNNING CONTINUES FOR THREE MORE SECONDS AND THEN STOPS. )

SOOLIN: (a little out of breath) See that stack of cargo containers over there?

AVON: Yes.

SOOLIN: How good are you at weight lifting?

AVON: I have always believed the brain to be a far superior organ to any
muscle.

SOOLIN: Well, unless your brain has evolved to the stage where it can shift
matter by telekinesis, you'll have to descend to our level and help
me shift these crates the hard way.

AVON: Wonderful.

SOOLIN: We need to provide ourselves with cover so we can hit them as they
emerge from the corridor. It'll give us the best chance of getting
them all at once without Tarrant or Dayna getting hurt.

AVON: I'd worked that one out for myself. (beat) You shoot the men at the
front, I'll take the ones at the rear. As soon as we have Tarrant and
Dayna, we head for Scorpio and get the hell out of here.

SOOLIN: (grunting as they lift a container) Why don't docking areas have
adjustable gravity fields? It would make the job so much easier.

AVON: (while carrying heavy container) It was tried when artificial gravity
was first developed. They found that the accident rate was too high. As
 a species, we're evolved to suit one G. We can adapt to gravities
reasonably close to that, but we can't change rapidly from one to
another. Our reflexes become confused. Hence, the one G standard.

( A LARGE CONTAINER IS PLACED ON THE FLOOR )

SOOLIN: Only two more to go.

AVON: Somewhere there has to be proper equipment for moving this stuff.

SOOLIN: Have we got time to go and find it?

AVON: (sour) Guess.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL SPACESHIP )

DEVA: An instruction manual would be helpful.

BLAKE: (snaps) We haven't got one.

DEVA: It's all very well for you. I've never even been on a ship's flight
deck before. I haven't the faintest idea where to start.

BLAKE: (calmer) It's easier than you think. Just imagine you're designing the
interface for a space computer game. What's your primary weapon?

DEVA: Plasma bolt.

BLAKE: All right. Now figure what parameters you need to set for each bolt.

DEVA: Ignition temperature. Injection time. Volume.

BLAKE: Good. You'll find readouts for each of those. There are safety
lockouts to prevent you choosing settings that would blow the ship up.
Targeting is largely automated. Again, like a simulation game. As long
as you keep the target centred on screen, the computer will compensate
for variables caused by relative motion and the like. You don't have
to understand it; you just have to press the button.

DEVA: (Slightly dubious) Right. How many ships are there?

BLAKE: According to the display, there's a Federation light cruiser on the

far side of Scorpio. That's our target, but don't shoot until she's
clear of the docking bay.

DEVA: You're asking the impossible, Blake. I might just possibly hit her
while she's docked. I won't have a chance against a moving target!

BLAKE: If you hit her while she's still docked, you risk breaching the
station. I don't know about you, but I have friends on board that
station. (beat) I'm disconnecting the umbilicals and sealing the
airlock. Once we take off you'll just have to do the best you can to
compensate for my piloting.

DEVA: We must be insane!

BLAKE: (low voice) Thank you, Deva. You make me feel right at home.
( CUT TO INTERIOR CORRIDOR. HALF A DOZEN PAIRS OF MARCHING FEET ARE HEARD FOR
TWO SECONDS. THEN FADE TO FORM A MUTED BACKGROUND TO THE CONVERSATION )

DAYNA: (Indignant) How dare you say that? Tarrant would never abandon his crew.

TARRANT: Oh, I didn't. They deserted with me, but ( ACOUSTIC CHANGES FROM
CORRIDOR TO LARGE DOCKING BAY ) when they were found dead everyone
thought that -

( FIVE RAPID GUNSHOTS FROM SCORPIO CLIP-GUNS. MARCHING FEET STOP AS GUNSHOTS
TAKE OUT TROOPERS. )

DAYNA: Avon! Are we glad to see you!

AVON: We've no time to waste. Back to Scorpio.

DAYNA: Wait. I'll set one last explosive. If I set that one for five minutes
and activate the cross-linkage, they'll all go off just after we leave.

AVON: _Do_it_; we need to ensure the teleport equipment is destroyed, but do

it quickly. Tarrant, did you get Probert?

TARRANT: No. He wasn't in his quarters.

AVON: _Damn_!

TARRANT: Do you have any idea where he might be?

AVON: We haven't got time to look for him; the whole place is crawling with
troopers. We'll have to blow the station. Dayna, have you got your
mega-bomb?

DAYNA: I left it on Scorpio, it was too heavy to carry. I thought we'd have
time to go back for it, if we needed it. Why didn't we have any
warning of the Federation's approach?

AVON: Maybe Vila fell asleep.

/* Hey! Maybe you didn't take any communicators with you? needs rewrite! */

SOOLIN: _Come_ _on_!

( A FEW BARS OF THE BLAKE'S 7 THEME TUNE. CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. SEVERAL
RUNNING FEET, FOLLOWED BY PEOPLE SITTING HEAVILY ON CHAIRS TAKES PLACE DURING
AVON'S FIRST SPEECH )

AVON: Stations! Slave, close airlock, prepare for space. Orac, status report!
Vila, what the hell is _that_ doing here?

VILA: Why ask me? I thought you brought that load of junk in while I was
unconscious.

/* No one says, "You were unconscious?!" */

ORAC: There are two other ships present. The pursuit ship has just undocked.
The cruiser is preparing for space.
SOOLIN: That 'load of junk', Vila, is a teleport system and it's going to
explode in less than five minutes.

VILA: Shove it back into the station!

SLAVE: I am terribly sorry, Sir, but the airlock has already been sealed.

DAYNA: _Avon_! Those ships are charging up their weapon systems.

AVON: Tarrant, get us out of here!

( SCORPIO'S ENGINES FIRE AND THIS GRADUALLY FADES TO A BACKGROUND SOUND )

AVON: Soolin, I don't care how you do it, but get those explosives out of
that teleport equipment. It would be a waste to dump it in space if
there is a chance of salvaging it.

SLAVE: I beg to inform you, master, that the cruiser has undocked and is
turning to bear its main guns on us!

DAYNA: The pursuit ship's fully charged its plasma bolts. We're sitting ducks!

ORAC: I would strong-

AVON: Vila, fire at the pursuit ship!

VILA: With what? All this tub has is one measly laser.

AVON: I don't care if you attack it with a toothpick as long as you hit it.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL SPACESHIP. ENGINE NOISE IN BACKGROUND - PREFERABLY

SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT SOUND TO SCORPIO'S )

DEVA: (nervous) I think I've got it targeted. Have you found the comms panel?

BLAKE: Oh, I've found it all right. But I can't figure out its operation and
manoeuvre this ship at the same time. (Grimly) Let's just hope Avon
chooses the right target to shoot at. Now, launch that plas-

( LASER SHOT FOLLOWED BY EXPLOSION )

DEVA: (cries out in surprise at the same time as Blake swears)

BLAKE: Damn! (beat) Deva, fire!

DEVA: (panicking) At which ship?

BLAKE: The cruiser!

( PLASMA BOLT FIRES. EXPLOSION AS IT HITS CRUISER. )

(FADE TO INTERIOR SCORPIO )

VILA: (crowing) They missed!

DAYNA: They hit their own ship!

VILA: Now that's what I call talent.

( EXPLOSION AS PLASMA BOLT HITS SCORPIO )

VILA: Ow!

SOOLIN: (sardonic) I'd say they're getting more accurate.

ORAC: (sarcastic) That was a shot from the cruiser. Might I suggest that you
concentrate your fire in direction.

AVON: (snarls) Why, Orac?

ORAC: Surely it is self-evident that the pursuit ship missed at point-blank

range because it was not aiming at you?

AVON: (beat) Vila, fire at the cruiser. Soolin, have you removed those
explosives yet?

SOOLIN: (tense but not panicking) One of the access panels has jammed. I must
have fastened it on too tightly. I'll try and find something to lever
it open with.

DAYNA: Hold onto your seats. There's another plasma bolt coming!

AVON: Evasive manoeuvres!

( ANOTHER PLASMA BOLT HITS SCORPIO )

VILA: Avon! We're getting fried!

AVON: Fire!

VILA: I did. Barely scratched it. Avon, we haven't got a chance!

DAYNA: The force wall's failing. I'm not sure we can take another hit like that.

TARRANT: Power reserves down to twenty-three percent.

( INTERIOR PURSUIT SHIP. )

DEVA: I can smell sealant gel - you know that means we've got a hull puncture?

BLAKE: Forget that. The auto-repair will handle it. Check the configuration
of the force wall. They shouldn't have been able to damage us so easily.

DEVA: I don't know what I'm doing!

BLAKE: Just triple the strength. Forget about the energy drain and the sector
overlap. We'll just have to take our chances there. If we survive
this, I'll show you how to use it properly.

DEVA: (sourly) You've no idea how reassuring that is.

BLAKE: Keep firing. I'm going to take us in closer.

DEVA: That's suicide!

BLAKE: No, it's tactics. At really close quarters, they won't be able to
bring all their weapons to bear. Besides, it means they have to choose
whether to fire on us or Scorpio, and we're better armoured.

DEVA: We've already been hit once!

BLAKE: We're still here aren't we? Avon's ship's a freighter; she won't be
able to take more than a couple of hits.

DEVA: (resigned) Firing.

( PLASMA BOLT FIRES. )

(CROSS FADE TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. ORAC'S HUM IN BACKGROUND )

SOOLIN: (tense, but not panicking) Avon, it's no use, the panel's jammed. I
can't wedge anything in there and if I use a thermal cutter that
might trigger the explosive.

AVON: Dayna, help her move it all into the airlock. We'll jettison. If we're
lucky, it might even - Wait! Dayna. How far from the cruiser's hull
would your grandfather bomb need to be to attach itself?

DAYNA: You mean if we dropped it out the airlock?

AVON: Yes. How close would we have to be to that ship?

DAYNA: There's only the strength of the electromagnet to pull it towards the
hull. We'd have to get incredibly close to stand any chance at all.

AVON: Tarrant, you always claim to be a genius-level pilot. Now you've got
the chance to prove it.

( EXPLOSION AS A PLASMA BOLT HITS SCORPIO )

TARRANT: What do you think I'm doing now? If that one had hit us full on,
you'd all be dead.

AVON: I'm suiting up.

DAYNA: You're going in the airlock?

VILA: You'll get sucked out!

AVON: Not if the air's evacuated first. We can't rely on vacuum to suck the
bomb out, it might end up closer to Scorpio than the enemy. I should
hate to be blown up by our own explosive.

VILA: You're going to throw it at them? This is the third century, not the
Dark Ages!

AVON: Can you think of a better method?

ORAC: If you wish to consult me on the matter -

AVON: We do not. Tarrant, take us as close as you possibly can.

TARRANT: The pursuit ship's going in for an attack run. I'm going to use it
 as a shield.

( CUT TO INTERIOR PURSUIT SHIP )

DEVA: They're coming in right behind us!

BLAKE: Then we'll have to hope this ship can absorb enough damage to protect
both of us.

( EXPLOSION AS PLASMA BOLT HITS PURSUIT SHIP )

DEVA: (tense) Force wall holding.

BLAKE: I'm going to take us right past the engine housing. Try to hit
something critical as we go past.

DEVA: Hasn't it occurred to you that the critical bits are going to be the
best armoured and the best defended bits?

BLAKE: I never said it was going to be easy.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. ORAC'S HUM IN BACKGROUND )

TARRANT: We're following them in. Ready Avon?

( AVON'S VOICE IS MUFFLED BY A HELMET )

AVON: Ready. Cycle airlock.

( AIRLOCK CLOSES AND AIR IS PUMPED OUT. TAKES ABOUT FIVE SECONDS )

TARRANT: Slave, open outer airlock door. Reaching closest approach - now.

( VOICE IS HEARD OVER HIS HELMET RADIO )

AVON: Tarrant, go!

TARRANT: Slave, close airlock, maximum acceleration. I hope it worked.

( EXPLOSION WITH SEVERAL SMALLER BANGS AS CRUISER BLOWS UP )

DAYNA: (Cheering) We did it!

SOOLIN: (sardonic) Tarrant, you may even be as good a pilot as you think you are.

( CUT TO INTERIOR PURSUIT SHIP. SOUNDS OF BURNING )

DEVA: Blake? (beat) (urgently) Blake, are you all right?

BLAKE: (groans) I can't see properly.

DEVA: There's blood all over your face. Your eye looks terrible.

BLAKE: That last plasma bolt must have caught us right on. How much damage
did we take? Electromagnetic pulses do hellish things to circuitry.
DEVA: Two of the consoles are on fire. There's some sort of suppressant foam
frothing all over the place.

BLAKE: But did we win?

DEVA: I got in a couple of shots. Scorpio hit them with something. That ship
blew. I've never seen anything like it - pyrotechnics across half the sky.

( NAPOLEON RECORDER IS HEARD OVER THE RADIO )

NAPOLEON RECORDER: Cruiser Napoleon to all Federation vessels within range.

Cruiser Napoleon to all Federation vessels within range. This is an
automatic recording. Napoleon has been destroyed. Co-ordinate
position three eight five, eight two nine, three three oh. Repeat,
co-ordinate position three eight five, eight two nine, three three oh.

BLAKE: Hell! We've got to warn Avon. Get on the comm and tell him to expect
Federation reinforcements. They're bound to listen to the standard
frequencies.

DEVA: (unemotional) We're deaf and dumb. The comms console is a mess of
charred circuits and fire-foam. What's more, the foam supply seems to
have given out, and we're still burning.

BLAKE: You seem remarkably calm about it all.

DEVA: This isn't calm. My brain's had so many panic signals in the last hour
that it's ignoring them. When things settle down to being merely
terrifying, then I'll start screaming.

BLAKE: If the fire-foam's exhausted, then we've only minutes before the
oxygen gives out or something explodes. We've no option; we have to
return to the station.

DEVA: Without communications, I can't even alert the Feynman fire-crew to be

on standby.

BLAKE: Then you'd better hope their emergency training has paid off. When did
you last have a practice simulating the docking of a burning spacecraft?

DEVA: (no reply)

BLAKE: That's rather what I thought you'd say.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO. ORAC'S HUM CAN BE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND. )

TARRANT: Well done, Avon.

VILA: I never had a moment's doubt that you could do it.

DAYNA: It feels really good to win for once.

ORAC: Your celebrations may be premature. I am picking up an automatic beacon

signal from the cruiser. Reinforcements could arrive at any moment.

DAYNA: We'll outrun them. We've got a head start now. Don't be a pain, Orac.

ORAC: I wish to protest; I am offering information that may be essential to

 your survival.

AVON: Tarrant, set a course for Xenon base.

TARRANT: What about our ally?

AVON: Our mysterious benefactor appears to be returning to the station.

DAYNA: I wonder who he is?

TARRANT: I've no idea, but we wouldn't have made it without him. There _are_
good people within the Federation.

DAYNA: Do you think it could have been Probert?

TARRANT: I don't know, but we may yet be glad that we didn't decide to leave
that booby-trap. (beat) We could contact the pursuit ship.

SOOLIN: No.

TARRANT: Why not? Don't you trust him?

SOOLIN: The cruiser only sent a distress message. We didn't pick up any
message saying who attacked it. If we contact our friend and anyone
else picks up the signal, then we blow his cover.

AVON: He has chosen not to contact us. I would say that makes his preference
clear. As for Probert, there is an obvious way to find out. (beat)
Orac, did Probert bring the teleport device on board Scorpio?

ORAC: Your question is meaningless within precise parameters. However, the

answer that you require is yes.

DAYNA: If we ever get a straight answer from Orac, I'll go and kiss Servalan.

ORAC: My answer was perfectly clear. You wished to know whether Probert poses
a threat to you. The answer is that he does not.

SOOLIN: Still going to forgive Servalan?

DAYNA: (bitter) Never. (normal) I don't trust Orac. I'm sure there's
something he's not telling us.

AVON: We don't have time to stand around playing guessing games. Tarrant,
take us back to Xenon.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SMALL OFFICE )

DEVA: (coughing a little from the effects of smoke) That ship's never going
to fly again.

BLAKE: You're probably over-estimating the damage. It _will_ need several

month's work, though.

DEVA: So what do we do now? It's only going to be an hour or two at most

before they come after us.

BLAKE: Who?
DEVA: Try the Federation and the Feynman Corporation, both baying for our blood.

BLAKE: Not if you're quick off the mark. Tell your superiors how you
discovered in the nick of time that the Federation intended to steal
the prototype without paying for it. How at great personal risk, you
seized a pursuit ship and shot down the escaping cruiser. Play your
cards right, and you'll be a hero.

DEVA: They'll never swallow it.

BLAKE: Why not? The prototype is gone; the data banks have been wiped; an
attempt was made to kidnap me - I'll fabricate that bit - and the
cruiser Napoleon has undoubtedly been destroyed.

DEVA: What about Scorpio/Capricorn/whatever its name really was?

BLAKE: Mere details. We'll work something out. Say that it was just what it
claimed to be - working for the Federation. We'll probably need to
claim it as a kill as well. You'll never believe how how good a
marksman you're going to be by the time we've finished editing the
scanner records.

DEVA: Those scanner records are 'tamper-proof'!

BLAKE: _Supposed_ to be tamper-proof. I have great faith in your abilities.

(with irony) After all, you're the man who just shot down two
Federation ships.

DEVA: (beat) And the Federation?

BLAKE: Are going to be involved in a major diplomatic wrangle with Feynman.

They can't threaten this station or they'll destroy their only chance
of gaining a teleport.

DEVA: In other words, we run a gigantic bluff.

BLAKE: And run like the blazes on the first non-Federation ship to arrive.

( CUT TO INTERIOR SCORPIO )

VILA: I think we deserve a break after all that. (dreamily) A rest, a chance
to relax, a trio of dancing girls.

DAYNA: I thought your goals in life were wine, woman and song. What happened
to the other two?

VILA: Ah, none of the songs I know are fit for female company.

SOOLIN: You can say that again. I heard you singing 'Three troopers from
Altair 3' in the shower last week.

DAYNA: I don't know that one.

SOOLIN: You've had a rather sheltered upbringing. Let's just say that it has
thirteen verses and that I've always considered at least two of them
to be anatomically impossible.
VILA: You're a woman! You can't know that one!

SOOLIN: (menacing) Say that again, Vila.

VILA: (babbling) What I meant to say was that you're a polite, well brought-up
respectable type. I never expected you to hang around the type of places
where - Not that there's no reason why you shouldn't... That's to say...

SOOLIN: (laughs, but not in humour) Vila, the things that you don't know
about my upbringing could fill a small book.

DAYNA: You'll have to tell me someday.

SOOLIN: (withdrawn) Perhaps.

VILA: (nervous) If you'll just excuse me, ladies, I need something to drink.
Medicinal. For the nerves.

DAYNA: I didn't think it would take him long to get around to remembering
booze. Hard luck, Vila. There isn't any on board.

VILA: That's what you think. Look!

AVON: That's _my_ Denebian brandy. How did you find it?

VILA: (expansive) Logic, that's what. Slave said it wasn't in the hold. (In
sudden realisation) Oh.

AVON: Oh what?

VILA: There are some men... In the hold.

AVON: Who?

DAYNA: There's no air in the hold when were in flight. They'll have died of
asphyxiation. That's horrible.

AVON: Who were they?

VILA: Troopers. They came on board looking for you. I, er, tricked them into
going into the hold and trapped them there.

DAYNA: And then forgot all about them.

VILA: I didn't mean to!

AVON: Whether you meant to or not would appear to be academic. You will clean
out the hold when we reach Xenon.

VILA: I can't do that! They'll haunt me.

SOOLIN: (resigned) I'll help you, Vila.

AVON: He should learn to consider the consequences of his actions.

VILA: I told you I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident! I don't like
violence.

DAYNA: It never seems to bother you when you're handling Scorpio's weapons
 console.

VILA: That's different. It's just a target. Anyway, why's it okay for Avon to
blow up a ship using your bomb, but not when I kill some more soldiers
from the same ship?

DAYNA: It just isn't.

TARRANT: They were prisoners of war. That's what the difference is. They were
no longer a threat to us. Why don't you think about what you're doing?

AVON: Leave him. (resigned) We all have blood on our hands.

( A FEW BARS OF 'THE PARTING GLASS'. CROSS FADE TO INTERIOR: SMALL ROOM )

AVON: (weary) Alone. Finally.

( ORAC'S KEY IS INSERTED AND ORAC'S HUM CAN BE HEARD AS A BACKGROUND NOISE )

AVON: All right, Orac, what weren't you telling us before?

ORAC: I have no idea what you are talking about.

AVON: Oh, _yes_ you do. You knew something about that pursuit ship.

ORAC: The mere fact that you are questioning me suggests that you have your
own conclusions.

AVON: Very well. Fact. Someone built a teleport system that bore more than a
passing resemblance to Liberator's. Fact. Someone deliberately
destroyed the computer back-up records of that project. Fact. None of
us met the mysterious Dr Probert. Fact. Someone helped us destroy that
Federation cruiser. And last, but not least, someone told you to shut
up. (beat) Who was on that pursuit ship?

ORAC: I am unable to give you that information.

AVON: Unable or unwilling? The only person who could possibly have ordered
you to suppress that information is Blake. (pause) You do not belong to
Blake. You belong to me.

ORAC: Why do you assume that I am a possession? I am an independent intelligence.

AVON: Why are you changing the subject? _Was_ Blake on that ship?

ORAC: Affirmative.

AVON: Was Blake Probert?

ORAC: The probability is over ninety-seven per cent. (pause) Will you inform
the others?

AVON: No. They had access to the same information that I did. If they are not
bright enough to draw the correct conclusion then that is their
problem. (beat) Tell me, why didn't Blake contact us?

ORAC: There are numerous possible reasons. His instruction to me was cut off
in mid-sentence when he teleported. It is a possibility that he wished
 you to be an exception to his order not to reveal his presence.

AVON: Only a possibility?

ORAC: I am not telepathic.

AVON: But why didn't he contact us after the fight? Why did he never return
to Liberator? (speaking to himself) Was he injured? Was he unable to
contact us? Did he decide to leave us? Did he abandon us?

ORAC: I do not have that information.

AVON: Can you contact Probert?

ORAC: Probert is no longer on Feynman station.

AVON: Can you send a message to Blake?

ORAC: There is no one of that name present on the station.

AVON: Where is he?

ORAC: I do not know.

AVON: Then find him, Orac. There are things I need to know. I don't care how
long it takes. Find Blake.

END