The Dark Frontier (2) first---no, second date? LESLIE A night picnic on Reed's hill. I picked you a moonflower. Adrienne is surprised, but not entirely convinced. ADRIENNE What did Leslie give me when I was in the maternity ward giving birth to our son, Jeremy? LESLIE That's Justin! And it was a pink, stuffed bunny rabbit. I got it at the hospital gift store. (a beat) And you complained that I paid too much for it. Adrienne is stunned! She puts her hand to her mouth and reaches out with the other to lightly touch the woman's face. ADRIENNE Oh My God! Leslie! That's really you! LESLIE I have a hard time believing it myself, Adrienne. Believe me! Adrienne is on the verge of tears. ADRIENNE Oh Leslie!, Leslie! LESLIE Funny how things work out (ironic chuckle) I will still be able to use my own name. INT. WEBBER RANCH - LIVING ROOM -- DAY TITLE OVER: "Two Weeks Later" Leslie, wearing baggy gray COVERALLS, slouches on the couch. Adrienne sits next to her on an easy chair. ADRIENNE What did you find out about the surgery? LESLIE They won't touch me. Not for a year at least. They want to make sure that my decision is based upon a sound, logical, psychological need and not my initial masculine emotional reaction to regain my manhood. (a beat) Even then I will be a wimpy Eunuch with a female bone structure and DNA. Surgery can't change that. Hell, They are even trying to encourage me to keep this "perfectly healthy and intact body." And do nothing. ADRIENNE With all the advances in Genetic Engineering, you would think that they could change your DNA back. LESLIE An organism's DNA can only be changed or engineered at conception. Changing the Genetic code of a mature orginisim is impossible, at least according to Terran Science. ADRIENNE So what are you going to do? LESLIE I have at least a year to decide. I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it. Perhaps, by then, I can find Konstantin's machine. JUSTIN, 10, runs in. He freezes momentarily when he sees Leslie, turns away and talks to Adrienne. JUSTIN Mom! Jimmy Jackson wants to know if I can . . . ADRIENNE Justin, we've talked about this before, don't be rude to your father. JUSTIN You're not my father! You can't be my father! (a beat) Dad is a man! You're a . . . You're not! Justin runs away in tears. Leslie gets up to follow him. LESLIE Son! It's not like I had a choice! Adrienne holds Leslie back. ADRIENNE Let him be, Leslie. He has to learn to deal with this as much as you do. Leslie slumps in her chair and puts her face in her hands LESLIE Oh Damn! What am I going to do? I can't live like this. Adrienne puts her hand on Leslie's shoulder. ADRIENNE Don't be like that, Leslie. Didn't I tell you that I would teach you all you need to know? You are still a Space Command officer, act like it. You were the best. You still are, only you don't know it yet. Adrienne reaches over and pushes Leslie's knees together. ADRIENNE (continuing) You still have a lot to learn about being a woman, but I'll fix that. In a few weeks you will be able to become part of the world again. EXT. LANDING PAD -- DAY TITLE OVER: "THREE MONTHS LATER" The small shuttlecraft waits on the pad. Leslie wears the women's version a tailored, dark blue, Space Command officer's uniform. The four gold STRIPES on her sleeve denote her rank. At five foot ten, her boots boost her height to nearly six feet. She looks every inch an officer. Although she is quite attractive, wearing her hair in a tight 'military style' bun and the lightly applied pale makeup, give her somewhat of a "severe" look. Adrienne stands next to Leslie, facing her. Leslie holds her arm. Justin stands at a distance and stares. LESLIE Thank you for your help Adrienne. I don't know what I would have done without you. I will sign the papers. I can't expect you to live with me like this. You need a man and Justin needs a real father. ADRIENNE I know. . . I'm so sorry. . . I can't . . . LESLIE I understand. You cannot love a woman any more than I can love a man, and I shouldn't expect you to. ADRIENNE I do still love you, Leslie, but not as . . . She backs away and changes the subject. ADRIENNE (cont) Good luck with the Review Board. And don't let them push you around. You are the best, Leslie, remember that. LESLIE Thanks, Adrienne, Goodbye. Leslie climbs aboard her shuttle and the craft takes off. Adrienne hugs Justin as they watch it fly away. INT. ADMIRAL SIMMONS'S OFFICE -- DAY A small, but richly furnished office. WHACK! Leslie angrily SLAMS her fist on the admiral's desk, nearly spilling his coffee. LESLIE (shouts) Damn it! What do you mean I can't have my command back! ADMIRAL SIMMONS, a white haired man in his 60s, sits behind his desk. SIMMONS Now Leslie, you know as well as I do that regulations do not permit women the supreme command of a ship. LESLIE But I am a qualified and experienced fleet captain! I have the same mind that I always had!. You yourself self once said that I was your best man! The Admiral looks down at his desk. SIMMONS I know it and you know it Webber, but your DNA says otherwise. LESLIE Wasn't this issue settled two hundred years ago?! As long as the Woman can do the Job . . . SIMMONS I don't make the rules, Webber. That is the job of the regulatory board. And there are just as many women as men on it.--- They have refused to make any exceptions, even in your case. (a beat) We no longer live in an idealistic world, Webber. Fashions in thought and ideas change just as much as fashions in clothing. Sure, women and men are considered as equals in society, but Women and Men are also different.-Not inferior or superior, but different. Studies indicate that crews do not respond as quickly and some men are intimidated by women in command. These differences were taken into account when the command structure was organized. LESLIE We both know that those studies were pure bullshit! SIMMONS I agree, but my hands are tied in this matter. Women can hold any position in space command except ship's Captain. I can offer you first officers position on the Icarius. As you know, this is practically a co-captain position. Regulations require that a ship be commanded by a man--woman team. LESLIE Yes, Admiral, but it is not the same. The Male member of the team always has the final word on all command decisions. SIMMONS That is true, but first officer is the best position I can offer you. LESLIE If that is the case, I hereby resign my commission, effective immediately! SIMMONS I will not accept your resignation, Webber. Not now anyway. I have just received a communiqué from fleet HQ. It seems that your own first officer, Commander Connor has been located. She is in the Fleet hospital at Nema two. LESLIE My God! That's a mental facility! What did they do to her? Is she all right? SIMMONS I don't know any details, Webber. I want you to escort her home. Then we can consider the matter of your resignation. EXT. SPACE A Large "ANTARIES & IRINDI", Transport lumbers by. INT. TRANSPORT SHIP - LESLIE'S CABIN. A small Spartanly furnished room. Leslie lies on the cot, still in uniform, watching imagery a COM SCREEN. Someone KNOCKs at the door. Leslie opens it and sees CAPTAIN ANDERSON,(60's), the ships captain. LESLIE Hello, Captain Anderson. ANDERSON Captain Webber? I just wanted to inform you that our shuttle can drop you off at Nema Two in Three hours. LESLIE Thanks. Anderson turns to walk away, but changes his mind, before Leslie closes the door. ANDERSON No captain I have ever known would ever be content in life and not be on the bridge of his own ship. Have you given any thought to what you will be doing in civilian life? LESLIE I've not given it much thought actually. Perhaps a position on a passenger liner. ANDERSON No offense, but with the raider situation, the liners and even most of the transport companies have adopted the military model for their officer placements. (a beat) A & I, Transport Company would hire you though. We don't care if you are a woman. I could see to it. I owe you a favor. LESLIE I really do appreciate the offer, but being Captain of a slow transport ferry would be quite a letdown from having once commanded a real starship. ANDERSON A & I owns a dismantling yard on the moon of Hobart's Planet at Aphra. From time to time, various companies, and even the government send their old or damaged ships there to be broken down for parts. It is quite possible that you might be able to find a repairable ship there for yourself. (a beat) Two years ago, you saved this ship and its cargo. The company would never have survived the loss if you hadn't saved it when you did. I am sure that A & I would be willing to at least give you a "junker" and the means to repair it out of gratitude. LESLIE But that was my job. No gratitude is necessary. ANDERSON Think about it anyway, Captain. I can get you a ship if you need one. EXT. NEMA TWO -- DAY A shuttle touches down on a rooftop-landing pad. INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR -- DAY TITLE OVER: "Terran Space Command Hospital Three" Leslie walks with Dr. Gershom, 50s. LESLIE How did this happen? What did they do to her? DR. GERSHOM I don't know what her captors did, exactly. Certain neuron channels have been burnt out. She has no emotional responses or feelings whatsoever, but she appears normal in all other respects. LESLIE How does it affect her personality? Can she still function? DR. GERSHOM I suppose she can still function if someone keeps a close eye on her. She seems to put all of her confidence in her logic, which may be only as good as her data. She trusts only herself and, I feel, she will do anything, and I mean anything, she thinks she has to do to achieve her goals. These traits can be a very dangerous combination, especially in a combat situation. (a beat) It is for those reasons that I am recommending her discharge from service on medical grounds. INT. MELISSA CONNOR'S ROOM -- DAY A hospital room of the time. Melissa, clothed in a Space Command uniform sits on the bed. She watches a COM SCREEN suspended from a bracket on the wall. Leslie cautiously approaches her, but stops at the last moment as she looks into Melissa's apathetic eyes. LESLIE Oh Melissa! Poor Melissa! What have they done to you? Leslie turns away so Melissa does not see her tears. MELISSA Leslie, don't feel sorry for me. It is not as bad as you think. I am still here. My mind, that which makes me ME. Has not been affected or diminished in any way. If anything, I have become enhanced. LESLIE How can you say that! You will never know joy, affection or --- love again! MELISSA But I also will not know fear, hate or anger. I do not worry anymore. My feelings no longer get in the way of that which makes me most human--my mind! LESLIE They have reduced you to a machine! A friggin' machine! Leslie turns away towards the wall. She thinks for a moment, then in an explosion of anger, WHACK! She hits the wall with the side of her fist. LESLIE Goddamn it! That tears it! I don't care anymore if I AM a woman. I'll get my people back! I'll hunt that bastard, Konstantin, down and personally kill him for this and everything else. I swear! MELISSA From what I read on the com, you have resigned your commission. And you don't have a ship. LESLIE I can get a ship. . . I think. MELISSA You will also need a crew. You could use my help and I can use yours. Are you willing to take me with you? LESLIE Yes, Melissa, you can come with me. I don't care what Dr. Gershom thinks, I still consider you my friend. EXT. SPACE - NEAR MOON OF 'HOBART'S PLANET' TITLE OVER: "Two Weeks later" A small "SHUTTLE" SHIP detaches itself from the "FERRY CRAFT" and descends towards the moon's surface. The entire surface of the moon is one big JUNKYARD. Spacecraft parts litter the surface. Several large dismantling gantries loom in the background. The Shuttle attaches itself to the airlock on the top of a low building. INT. PASSENGER STATION -- DAY From the air lock, Still wearing their skin tight PRESSURE SUITS, Leslie and Melissa descend down a metal spiral stairway. The station is small and empty. They are the only passengers. ASHLEY BAINBRIDGE, 35, a black man of medium height and build, awaits them at the bottom of the steps. He turns, revealing that the entire upper right half of his skull is made of a shinny metal. Its smooth surface is interrupted only by several small BLINKING LIGHTS and a few SLOTS for plugs and circuit cards. Webber blinks in mild shock for a second, but regains her composure. BAINBRIDGE Welcome, Ladies! Ashley Bainbridge at your service. LESLIE (extends her hand) Leslie Webber, and this is my colleague, Melissa Connor BAINBRIDGE (shakes their hands) Yes, there is nothing like the presence of a couple of lovely creatures such as yourselves to brighten up the otherwise dreary confines of my little world. Bainbridge takes notice of Melissa who seems to 'look through' him. BAINBRIDGE (continuing) Miss Webber, is there something I should know about your companion? LESLIE The Syndicate took away her emotions. It's. . . MELISSA I can speak for myself, Leslie. BAINBRIDGE No need to elaborate, as you can see, I too have had my own unfortunate encounters with the Syndicate. Luckily, through the miracle of electronic bio chips, The doctors were able to rebuild the parts of my brain that were damaged in the beating. I have since added a few upgrades of my own. LESLIE I take it that Captain Anderson has informed you why we are here. BAINBRIDGE Yes, he thinks that I might be able to find you a small starship. But quite frankly, all I can offer you are pieces. This is a dismantling yard after all. INT. BAINBRIDGE'S 'OFFICE'-- DAY A small, dark room with a centrally located "control console" that sprouts several small screens from brackets, and a large com screen on the wall. Webber and Connor stand near Bainbridge, seated at the control panel. LESLIE You mean to say that we are the only people on this moon? BAINBRIDGE Yes. The gantries are all automatic and I control them from here. The 'lifting ships', that carry off the parts to other locations in the yard, are also remotely controlled. Believe it or not, this is entirely a one-man operation. LESLIE So are we going to have to build our own starship from the ground up? BAINBRIDGE That is our only option. Any ship they bring in here is beyond repair. I will set up gantry two for the project. LESLIE As to design, we will need something small enough for a small crew to operate, but large enough to carry enough weaponry to fend off the biggest syndicate raider or enforcer ships. BAINBRIDGE What we can actually build will depend upon what parts we have available. Bainbridge looks at the COM SCREEN near his desk, and presses his fingers along different parts of the graphics. A list comes up. BAINBRIDGE Yes, I think that we may be able to put something together. LESLIE What have you got for the primary weapons array? BAINBRIDGE We don't have enough point-fives for a forward quad array, so I'll substitute a one- point-five meter photon cannon I've salvaged from a battle cruiser turret. LESLIE Damn! At close range, a one point five can cut through a level five force shield. BAINBRIDGE (thoughtfully) Leslie, if I may call you that, a good weapons platform is one thing, but do you really want to be able to kick some Syndicate ass? LESLIE What have you got in mind? INT. SMALL SHUTTLE CRAFT -- DAY Bainbridge straps himself into a seat between Leslie and Melissa. LESLIE So Bainbridge, you are a shuttle pilot too? Leslie watches in awe as he pulls a small plug-in CARD from a SLOT IN HIS HEAD and replaces it with ANOTHER. BAINBRIDGE I am now. There are some advantages of having a head half full of silicon. With the right card I can become a Chemist, musician, pilot, you name it. EXT. ABOVE MOON"S SURFACE -- DAY The craft takes off and flies to another part of the junkyard. INT. SHUTTLECRAFT -DAY Bainbridge points to the view screen. BAINBRIDGE There it is ladies, your ace in the hole. A large tube like object, some 50 feet in diameter and about 300 feet long appears on the screen. MELISSA Leslie, it's a QUELL tube!
Copyright © 2001 Thomas M Ray |