Graynose, ruminating, finds a seat in the first row of the council room. Deep-green ivy grows upon the wooden latticework fastened to a large picture window: stars and a portion of the orange-red sun are visible through the slats and leaves. Seated within the wood-panelled enclosure are twenty-seven three-star Seniors: four with red stars, four with green stars and nineteen with blue stars. The atmosphere is grim. Two seats in the second row remain empty.
On Fleischwerk hinges, the door swings wide; Lo-Cheun enters, his cool face utterly inscrutable. The laceration in his Fleischwerk arm and his amputated fingers have been replaced with new gray tissue of a noticeably darker tint. He walks toward one of the two empty seats and sits. The door shuts.
Graynose looks sympathetically at Lo-Cheun.
GRAYNOSE
I’m sorry about Neredth. If
there’s anything I can do...just
let me know.
LO-CHEUN
There isn’t.
Graynose nods and sits back in his seat.
ELYSABETH’S VOICE
Speaker Thakani has arrived.
The door swings open. The polyracial fifty-three-year-old woman enters and walks before the Seniors.
54.
THAKANI
I’ve reviewed the memorandums.
Would anyone care to speak on the
proposal before we vote?
GEOFFRIES, a Bluebranch Senior of forty-nine years with a skin-colored latex patch over his right eye, flicks his index finger and CLEARS his throat. Thakani recognizes him; he stands.
GEOFFRIES
(English Accent)
At this point, the significant
issue is
haven’t found a place to even
known hostile life forms- has
clarified one thing: for now, life
on the open plain is not a viable
option. To build a settlement in a world with a daily 140-degree
temperature swing, we need to first find shelter: shelter that is above the water level
Geoffries points to Thakani and nods.
GEOFFRIES (CONT'D)
I am in one-hundred-percent
agreement with Thakani’s proposal:
we need to explore the mountains
and we need to do these
explorations within the safety of
enclosed flyers.
Geoffries sits; two of the Bios shake their heads. Thakani observes the gathering.
THAKANI
Those in favor of vehicular
mountain expeditions, raise your
hands.
Twenty-six hands go up; two of the Bios abstain.
THAKANI (CONT'D)
Designate a pilot, a Bio and a
Bullet to each outfit. We start in two days.
55.
Titlecard: One Option-1-Standard Day Later EXT. ORBIT OF OPTION-1 - HOUR TWENTY-SEVEN (OPTION-1-STANDARD)
Five HANDYMAN units (manned spheres from which jut manifold tools) magnetically adhere to the rim of a collapsed dome on Elysabeth’s lower torso. Two apply welding torches to twisted metal; the others pull at a damaged plate with three-pronged pincers.
INT. CLEAR-DOMED FORREST PRESERVE - SAME
The dome is filled with myriad trees, bushes and plants from Earth. Above the three-thousand coniferous and deciduous pillars is a hemispherical dome admitting a view of the stars and Option-1.
One hundred-and-fifty feet in the air, suspended on ninety metal wires at the equator of the room, runs a circular catwalk. Fifty-three COUPLES and a few lone strollers walk the brown, foam-covered walkway; Sven and Mlissa are among them.
The tall, athletic twenty-two-year-old woman stops and leans against the outer balustrade, her blue-highlighted black hair catching the starlight. She looks up at the (slowly moving) planet outside.
Sven stops, a foot ahead of her.
MLISSA
What time do you descend? Are you
scared? Who’s in your crew?
SVEN
7:00 ES; a little bit scared; me
and Abacus and the brilliant guy
who stepped on that bladder.
Kenneth, I think.
Mlissa walks beside Sven, leans to the front rail and looks down at the Earth trees planted below.
MLISSA
Did you watch your transmissions
yet?
56.
SVEN
No.
Mlissa turns to face Sven; there is concern behind her bright eyes.
MLISSA
Don’t you think...don’t you think
you should?
SVEN
What? In case I get eaten?
MLISSA
(angry)
Don’t say that!
Mlissa looks away, a little embarrassed by the virulence of her reaction.
MLISSA (CONT'D)
Don’t say that, please. It’s
just...aren’t you curious to see
them? I’ve watched mine nine times already. You...you don’t like your parents?
Sven stares at Mlissa; she looks openly, guilelessly into his eyes.
SVEN
You and everyone aboard
for years that you were going, but
not me: I was forced aboard by my
father. Yet...what I wanted-
always- was just a life of my own,
away from him and his massive
achievements.
Sven squeezes the foam-covered railing.
SVEN (CONT'D)
But here I am-- another component
made and installed by Jan
Bjorlsson.
Mlissa’s mouth opens in surprise.
SVEN (CONT'D)
Yeah, I’m his son.
57.
MLISSA
That’s why you don’t watch the
transmissions? You hate him?
SVEN
It’s...it’s more complicated than
that. I never even got to say
goodbye to my mother.
Sven tilts his head back; the stars are captured in his moist eyes. Mlissa rests her head upon his shoulder and hugs him.