Terra Novus, Ep. 8 - Revenge

DJ: And now for our feature presentation of TERRA NOVUS: and original radio drama Created and presented by SCAD Radio Dramas (Scattered).

SFX: Intro theme.
dj: last week on terra novus...
Sfx: Clicks last part in and sparks stop. Communications grid warms up and comes online.

Dylan: (grunts) There we go.

Sfx: Shifting through static, channels until Graham’s voice can be heard. Start a interesting, double-crossing theme.

Graham: (Statically and scratchy over the radio) This is Graham, calling the NSS Exodus. Do you copy?

Dylan: (no echo now) Graham? Why do you have a beard? What’s going on? And more importantly why are you calling me from the engine room.

Graham: (Statically and scratchy over the radio) Dylan, Dylan is that you. It’s been so long.

Dylan: Yes it’s me stupid. I just sent you downstairs to repair the engine with the new parts we got.

Graham: (Statically and scratchy over the radio) Okay, Dylan. Listen to me very carefully. The Graham that is on your ship is not me. He is an imposter, a shape-shifter.

Sfx: plot thickens theme.

Dylan: What? What ware you trying to pull?

Sfx: Start eerie music, we can hear, quietly and in memory, the scene happening from script three where he is copied, in the background.

Graham: (Statically and scratchy over the radio) Please, Dylan. When I was outside repairing the ship on Neb-Kinar, the Kodukai captured me, somehow stole my DNA, my memories, my knowledge and then shape-shifted into someone that looked like me - but it’s not me! I’ve been held prisoner this whole time by the Kodukai, I saw your ship come down and I escaped, hoping I could reach one of you in time.

Dylan: Oh my God, Graham! What do I..

Graham: (Statically and scratchy over the radio) Listen, you have to get as far away from him as you can, he’s planning to-

Sfx: Music peeks on a bad note. A tranquilizer gun fires. A dart hits Dylan.

Dylan: Nguh! (Sighs as passes out)

Sfx: Her body hits the floor.

Graham: (Statically and scratchy over the radio) Dylan? Dylan!!

Sfx: The fake graham walks up to the communications station.

Graham (transforming into alien voice): I didn’t stay undercover on this ship all this time just to have you go ruin it now, Graham!

Sfx: Plot thickens theme.

Graham: Pat-mok!

SFX: Cliffhanger ending theme.

Dj: And now for the continuation of terra novus. Episode eight.

Sfx: Evil music building.

Pat-mok: That’s quite enough, Graham. We wouldn’t want her to go telling everyone my little secret, now would we? But then again you’ve already told her too much to have me let her live,
(pause) at least for a while. And thanks to this transmission I’ve been able to track your present location and relay it to a few of my fellow brethren, whom I believe are looking of you.

Sfx: Alien voices can be heard over the radio getting closer to Graham.

Pat-mok: Or should I say found you.

Graham: Struggles, you won’t get away with this Pat-mok.

Pat-mok: I already have. (Take him away) Take him away.

Alien on radio: Yes sir.

Sfx: The aliens hit him over the head and knock him out.

Graham: Ngh.

Sfx: Music gets into short jumps like jaws music. The signal goes static and then Pat-mok turns it off.

Pat-mok: And now to take you, my lovely, to see the doctor.

Sfx: Morphs back into Graham.

Graham (as his voice goes from alien to normal): We do have to make ourselves presentable, now don’t we?

Sfx: Transition music.

GRAHAM: Doc, you gota’ help her.

LIAM: What happened?

GRAHAM: I just found her like this, you gotta do something, right away.

LIAM: Here, give her to me.

Sfx: Hands her over, and Liam sets her on the doctors table. Start a mischievous double crossing dark theme.

LIAM: Would you get that bottle of pills from the top shelf. They’re in the red bottle with the white top. Make sure not to get them confused with the white bottle with the red top.

GRAHAM: Why, what are those?

LIAM: Oh those are pain killers - she’s allergic to them.

GRAHAM: (Mockingly innocent.) Really, now we wouldn’t want to give her those, would we?

LIAM: No, no we wouldn’t. Now quickly hand me the pills, right away and do be careful - they look dreadfully similar.

GRAHAM: Here you- oops.

Sfx: Bottle hits the ground pills go every where. Terrifying music notes cue with pills falling.

GRAHAM: (mockingly sarcastic) Oh clumsy me, I’m all thumbs today.

LIAM: But how do we know which ones are the right pills to give her?

Sfx: Evil, tension, pressure music.

GRAHAM: Oh you should be able to get it Doc, they have the initials of the medicine inscribed right on them - see.

LIAM: Oh, well, ah...

GRAHAM: What’s wrong, don’t you know which one it is now. All you have to do is... oh, I’m sorry. Do you-

Sfx: We can hear a heart beating faintly as it gets faster and faster.

LIAM: (Stammering and panting) no, I... I know which one it is. I can see it right there, I can (pause, scoffs) I can read it.

GRAHAM: Good, I mean if I didn’t know better I’d think you were illiterate. (Whew) good thing I was wrong though. Well, quick doctor, I think she needs treatment fast, she looks like she’s getting worse. Quick doctor, do something quick.

LIAM: I- I’m trying! Just give me a second!

GRAHAM: Come on, she’s fading fast! Which one?

LIAM: There’s got to be over a hundred pills here and they all look the same!

GRAHAM: But they only say two different things on them. Here.

Sfx: Picks up one of each pill.

GRAHAM: Here, I’ve got one of each, now all you have to do is read them and tell me which one.

LIAM: I.. (Stammers) isn’t Aurora back yet. Aren’t any of the others back yet. I.. cant you, cant you read them?

GRAHAM: Oh I can, but I don’t know what they mean. Can’t you doctor, can’t you read them? Please you pick one, I insist.

LIAM: Okay, okay.. The one on the.. Left. No right. Okay, left.

GRAHAM: Are you sure? We wouldn’t want a mix up.

LIAM:(Mumbles angry to self) okay it’s the left, I’m sure of it. Give it here.

Sfx: Hands it to him.

GRAHAM: Here you go, “doctor.”

Sfx: Dylan slurps the water down with the pill.

LIAM: Okay, she’s taken the medicine.

GRAHAM: So now what?

Sfx: Eerie music.

LIAM: Now we wait until she wakes up to see the results.

Sfx: Starts walking out, door opens.

GRAHAM: (Under his breath) If she wakes up at all.

LIAM: What was that?

GRAHAM: Oh nothing, just talking to myself.

SFX: Door shuts, transition music. A surveyor skiff flies closer and closer, then stops. Shuts down, people get off and run to he ship where the door opens and the others return. We can hear footsteps coming in and then the door shuts behind them.

Graham: Aurora, you found them.

Aurora: Yes. We found this surveying skiff and used it to get back as quickly as we could we have important news - but first, how’s Dylan?

Liam: I’ve treated her. She’s in medical, resting.

Graham: And how about you guys, what did all you discover.

Liam: Nothing we couldn’t have found out ourselves, if you hadn’t killed that Kodukai?

Sfx: Plot thickens theme. Tension ensues.

Morris: Wait, wait, wait. You killed a Kodukai?

Graham: He shot Dylan, I didn’t have a choice.

Liam: To kill someone in the heat of battle is one thing, but you were standing over him with a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. What was he saying to you anyway?

Graham: None of your damn business, Doc!

Sound fx: Pushes him, Liam goes stumbling backwards.

Liam: Hey!

Graham: At least I was trying help her before something happened, not like you doctors – waiting for people to get hurt so they can come to you. I was trying to prevent it, not just salvage what was left after they were done pulverizing her.

Sfx: Pushes him again, both go at one another but are held back by other crew members.

Liam: Hey, I would never... (struggles) yeah, yeah. Big man, Mr. “My gun is jammed” - I checked it and there was nothing, “nothing” wrong with it. So don’t act like such a hero bec-

Sfx: Music peaks and then cuts off.

Morris: All right, all right. Enough already. If you both would have been more careful you wouldn’t have run into that Kodukai in the first place.

Graham: He was guarding the communications tower that had the parts we needed.

Liam: He had already killed the terra-former guard that should have been at the post, we had no way of knowing he was -

Morris: Okay, okay! Whatever the story, the bottom line is - you guys did your job and got the parts, but you got Dylan shot in the process. (Pause) Now my team, on the other hand, was able to find out some very interesting news and NOT get one of our crew members shot while doing it. So unless either one of you have something constructive to add, I suggest you listen up!
Now we all know that this whole project has been kept under wraps to falsely boost the economy back on earth, and you guys ran into the “Kodukai intruders” – but what you didn’t know was that they are not newcomers to this planet at all, but rather natives.

Sfx: plot thickens theme. Dark reminiscent theme.

Morris: That’s right, an indigenous species pushed out by IGSTA’s terraforming project. Just like the Pilgrims and Indians, IGSTA tried to quickly and quietly exterminate all of them, and make it appear as though they had landed on a completely uninhabited planet, making it fair game to claim as ours - to change how we saw fit. So of course, the planned mass-genocide didn’t go completely as planned and left a few stragglers who left - fleeing to the nearby planet of Neb-ki-nar - that’s we ran into them there, and why they were so hostile towards us. They’ve vowed to return to their home, this planet, and take it back.

Liam: And now they have?

Morris: And in greater numbers, and strength. They plan revenge on all humans, and that’s not just limited to those on the Terraforming project - (pause) but on Earth as well.

Sfx: Plot thickens theme.

Aurora: But how, were so far from earth it would take the Kodukai weeks to make the journey to earth - even in hyperspace. And even if they knew the location, an army of that size couldn’t slip by undetected for that long of a flight through space.

Isaac: Unless they don’t fly.

Aurora: But then how would they -

Morris: A jump gate, otherwise known as a junction or - a large device capable of creating a wormhole allowing its travelers to quickly travel between it and another gate.

Aurora: But that would mean there would have to be a jump gate on e-

Morris: Earth. Yes.

Sfx: Plot thickens theme.

Morris: The original astronauts, who surveyed this planet, stole the technology from the Kodukai when they were pillaging their colonies and then reverse engineered it. Then they sent the plans to earth, where a counterpart was built. That is how they’ve been able to transport the mass amounts of materials and supplies needed for terraforming the planet in such a short amount of time.

Liam: Bastards!

Sfx: music changes to a heroic reminiscent theme.

Isaac: We have to tell them.

Graham: Who?

Isaac: Everyone on earth.

Liam: Tell them what, that their…

Isaac: That their government is hiding the fact that they’ve already found Terra Novus, that they’ve committed mass genocide on an intergalactic level, that they paid the crew aboard the Vanguard out there to die, and kill us if we came looking. And most of all, that they are covering it up so that they can make more money, use the extra tax dollars to fund their “secret project” and then sell tickets only to the highest bidder. This isn’t a vacation in Hawaii, this is our future that they’re doing this with. This planet is the only hope any of us have of living on, as a species. And if we can’t get past the petty war-profiteering, percentage-guaranteed backstabbing so common among earthlings, then everyone left on earth are all going to die down there.

Isaac: This new discovery should be for everyone, and with the jump gate I don’t see how they could justify saying it cost them money to transport us here. So everyone should be able to go.

Liam: But you’ll create a panic, mass hysteria.

Isaac: They deserve to know the truth. No more lies!

Aurora: We came out here to find the planet Terra-Novus, and we found it. And don’t think I’ve forgotten that you two had the same sick plan that IGSTA had, auctioning off the location to the highest bidder. You two are in it for the money, just like they are! You don’t care if it’s new money, American money, rubbles, yen, laundered money, earned money or even blood money – you came out here to try and turn a buck.

Morris: It might have started out that way, but after seeing what I’ve seen I don’t think I could--

Isaac: Oh yes you could, you’re so good a lying to us. Putting things off, so you don’t have to face up to them. My father wanted it to be free, he was a true explorer.

Morris: He was the only one of his kind on that ship! And it got him killed.

Sfx: Start sad reminiscent theme.

Isaac: Maybe it did, and it’s rare that you get an honest person working for the common good. Everyone’s out to get theirs, it’s the American way – well I’ll tell you something, if you haven’t looked around lately there’s not too many of us left out there. Our people, our animals, our resources and most of all our planet is dying. And if we can’t grow beyond our trivial differences and work together to get off this boat - we’re all going to go down with it.

LIAM: But.. How can you blame them with how the economy is down there, they have nothing left, I have nothing. I had to take this job just to survive, to keep my family off the streets.

Sfx: start changing toward a more heroic slow-moving theme.

Isaac: But you don’t have to be a slave to that system. You have a chance to change things here, change it all. If we keep fighting amongst our selves, keep going to war, humans fighting humans, were not going to live to see the end of this planet. When some other species finally does discover us, we’ll be that odd self-contained species that was too caught up in fighting itself that we forgot to fight for ourselves. We can cure cancer, and genetically alter our foods, clone animals and explore the deep reaches of space - but we can’t survive our own human nature. (Pause) We might not be able to change it yet, we haven’t been able to do it so far, but the least we can do is give our civilization more time to learn how.

MORRIS: That’s great Isaac, but I wasn’t done telling you what we’d found out.

Isaac: Oh.

Sfx: cut music out.

Morris: Remember our “missing” nuclear core?

Isaac: Yeah.

Morris: And the whole reason this class of space ship was made illegal? Well it happened; the Kodukai purposely stole it and modified it into a bomb, and their ready to use it in their war against the terraforming colony.

Sfx: Plot thickens theme. Start alien military theme.

Morris: And they have a massive army ready to guard their weapon and ensure its success. Their infantry and spies have already penetrated the colony’s defenses and taken over their some of their key buildings. That’s why you ran into one.

Liam: So what’s stopping them from using the bomb?

Morris: Nothing now. They’ve secured their position and are ready to open the jump gate from Neb-ki-nar to here. It could be any minute now.

Liam: What do we do? Things couldn’t get any worse.

Aurora: Looks like you spoke too soon. Sorry to interrupt captain, but were being hailed – it looks like it’s Osotica, the bounty hunter.

Sfx: start tense threatening action theme.

Liam: But how did he find us, I thought we removed the tracking beacon.

MORRIS: We did, I was sure of it. Gail took it, unless.

Isaac: Unless what?

Sfx: music cuts out to high pitched strings – anticipation.

Morris: Put him on.

Sfx: Shifting through static until on channel.

Sfx: Alien sounds and screams come through the radio.

Morris: Unless she used it, used it to lure the Bounty Hunter and take his ship.

Sfx: Music kicks back up as if they are doomed.

Aliens and Gail: You left us to die, you might have left us behind but we will make sure you will never forget us now!

Aurora: I stopped Dylan from opening the door. I’m the-

Liam: Aurora what are you doing?

Aurora: I’m the one you want.

Gail: You, you are the one who turned me into this, this --- thing. Now I will make you pay for it.

Morris: You chose to go out for that station. You disobeyed the order.

Sfx: in memory, from episode 6. Increase reverb. Music cues a reminiscent theme.

Liam: Aliens! I knew something was following us.

Morris: none like I’ve ever seen. It’s just one more reason to get back to the ship, now common.

Dylan: No. we need to repair the communications, it cant be more than half a mile now.

Morris: Not at the risk of my crew’s lives.

Gail: We can’t turn back now, not when were so close. They looks slow enough, I’ll bet we can outrun them.

Aurora: You might be able to out run them, but you wont make it back before sunrise.

GAIL: You all think im just someone who criticizes everyone else. That i’m here in someone else’s place, but you never looked at who I really am.

AURORA: Now’s not the time, we can talk about this once were on the ship. Now common, they’re closing in around us.

GAIL: im trying to tell you I was on the track team in college. i could run the quarter mile in -

MORRIS: This is not a discussion, I’m going to clear a path on three, and I want everyone back to the ship. One, two

Dylan: Three!

Morris: gail?! Get back here, you heard the-

Gail: Just make that path, I’ll meet you back at the ship.

(Cut to)

Dylan: There?!

Morris: What, what are you pointing at!

Dylan: It gail, she’s got it.

GAIL (getting louder as she comes out of the distance) (out of breath): I got it, I got the part guys. Wait for me.
SFX: aliens Yell as they take notice of her.

GAIL (trying to fight them off): Hey, get off of me. Get off of me!

SFX: aliens bites her and scream, as they tear open her suit.

Gail: oww. Ahhh!! help me! Get these things off of me.

Dylan: gail!

Isaac: No, Dylan. It was her choice to go back for it

Dylan: but they’re tearing her suit open, she’ll be completely unprotected from the radiation when the sun rises.

ISSAAC: we cant save her now. We have about 30 seconds to get everyone we can onto that ship and shut the doors or were all going to die, now common. You can save yourself or join her.

Sfx: they run from the ground onto the ship.

Morris: Common everyone on so I can shut the door, I cant hold them off much longer.

Sfx: Everyone runs on and sits. Morris keeps firing as the door shuts.

Morris: viewing shields! We’ve got to cover the ships windows before the sun rises or the radiation will penetrate the ship.

Sfx: Large blast doors start slowly closing.

(Cut to)

Sfx: sits and straps in, engines start firing up. The beings can still be quietly heard moaning and screaming. The ship starts to shake.

Morris: What was that?

Dylan: They’re right out side, they’re clawing at the ship

Isaac: they’re trying to get in.

Gail: (screaming and banging on the door) wait! Wait for me! I made it, im here.
Let me on, I have the part. Hey guys its me! Please!!

Isaac: What are you doing?

Dylan: Im opening the door, im gonna let her on.

Isaac: No, don’t. youl let them on too.

Dylan: No, ive got to, they’re killing her out there.

Aurora: No. the doors stay shut, the radio active sun of this planet has almost fully risen which means it’s at maximum power. It could kill all of us. I’m not letting that happen to my crew, to my baby.

Morris: me neither.

Dylan: So what you’re just going to let her die out there.

Isaac: She was already dead the moment she made her decision.

Dylan: Oh no, its happening.

Sfx: Screams get painful and louder outside as it sounds like flesh is burning and bubbling.

Gail: Let me, oonnn—iiiyyeee!!!!

Sfx: her voice gets distorted and changes as she mutates.

Isaac: They’re changing, its mutating them.

Dylan: Its killing them! GAIL!!!

Gail: Let me on, Dylan please! Isaac, I saved your life!! Just let me---( then her voice gets too distorted to recognize or understand)

Dylan (crying): That could have been me out there you bastard. would you have left me? Would you have left me if I would have went with her?

Aurora: I would have left anyone stupid enough to disobey an order. im not putting this crew in jeopardy like that again for one of you guy’s stupid mistakes. I have to do what’s best for the group, not individuals.

Dylan: cries and sobs.

Sfx: (End flashback)

Morris: You did this to yourself. There’s no one here to blame but yourself, Gail!

Gail: (Pause, growls quietly and then screams freakishly.) We must avenge the fallen, we must have revenge, we must destroy you!

Sfx: channel cuts out to static.

Aurora: Well it looks like reasoning didn’t work, now did it?

Liam: No.

Isaac: What do we do then?

Morris: What do we do about the bomb, the war!

AURORA: It’s our nuclear core their using as a weapon, it’s our responsibility. But it’s my responsibility for closing the door on Gail.

Isaac: And saving all of us!

Aurora: I know what I have to do.

Sfx: start theme (maybe like the childlike theme when she was born but more triumphant/heroic and sad.)

Aurora: Minerva, I’m sorry we couldn’t have spent more time together. Be strong, I love you my child. Take care of her for me, Liam.

Minerva: (coos.)

Morris: Wait, Aurora –

Isaac: Wait, where are you going?

Sfx: Spins a hatch open which creaks as if it is rusted and old.

Aurora: I’m the one they want. I’m going to go teach them to be careful what they wish for.

Liam: No. don’t!

Sfx: Slams shuts creaky hatch and spins the lock shut from the other side, like on a submarine. Plot development theme. Music becomes more and more tense leading up to the end.

Liam: Wait! Aurora! Open the door!

Sfx: Bangs on door, and strain to open it.

Morris: (Grunts and strains trying to open the door. Eventually sighs.) I can’t get it open, it won’t budge. She must have jammed the lock with something.

Isaac: Where’s she going?

Morris: I think she’s trying to knock out two bird’s with one stone.

Liam: She’s taken the surveyor skiff you guys used to get back. She’s hailing them.

Morris: Put them on.

Sfx: Static shifting through channels until it comes on clear.

Aurora: Alright Gail, if it’s me you want. Come and get me!

Gail: screams, agreeing!

SFX: Cliffhanger ending theme.

DJ: Join us next week for the exciting continuation of Terra Novus every week at (show time) every (show day of the week) night here on SCAD RADIO.

This episode featured the talents of
Writer: _________
And featuring the voices of (actors say their name): ________
Music and Sound FX by: __________
Mixed by:_______
This has been a presentation of SCAD Radio Dramas, tune in every week at (show time) every (show day of the week) night here on SCAD RADIO.