Terra Novus, Ep. 9 - Selfless

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 novous...

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 reason didn’t work, did it?

Liam: No.

Isaac: What do we do then?

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

AURORA: Its our nuclear core their using as a weapon, its 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 triumphant sad theme)

Aurora: 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.

Baby: coos.

Morris: Wait, Aurora –

Isaac: Wait, where are you going?

Sfx: Spins a hatch open and opens a creaky door.

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 hatch shut from the other side, like on a submarine.
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 taking the surveyor pod. 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!

Dj: And now for the continuation of terra novus. Episode 9.

Isaac: Look the jump gate is opening.

Sfx: jump gate creates a wormwhole and establishes a connection to the other planet, it becomes windy.

Morris: Oh my god, look. Through the jumpgate, I can see the whole Kodukai army. And look there, I can see the Bounty Hunter’s ship coming down between Aurora and the jump gate, they are going to try to head her off.

Isaac: If she makes it fast enough, I think she’s probably going to try to get the Kodukai to follow her through the wormhole and then crash her skiff into their jumpgate on the other side before the kodukai can get their bomb through.

Liam: But how will she get back?

Isaac: That’s just it, (sighs) she won’t.

Sfx: Plot thickens theme. We can hear the skiff outside power up and fly off.

Graham: (Under his breath) she must not be allowed to stop them, they have to get that bomb through, we must succeed and take our planet back. (With a hint of alien voice) I must stop them.

Liam: (Swallows hard) Well. Com’on, would someone help me here, if we can’t stop her let’s at least give her some cover fire.

Sfx: arms and turns turret online - use sound effects from episodes 3. Buckle in.

Graham: (Mischievously) I’ll help.

Sfx: music is action packed but off, evil, double-crossing. The other turret load and comes online. Buckle in.

Liam: Lock and load!

Sfx: Liam’s laser cannons start firing and then Graham’s joins in.

Liam: What are you doing Graham, you’re going to hit her?

Sfx: Laser blasts narrowly zip by.

Isaac: That one almost hit her.

Graham: (Sarcastically) Oh no, I forgot to sight in the laser turrets, they’re a little off. I barley had time to repair them since the Bounty hunter took them out the first time.

Sfx: plot development theme.

Liam: Well than adjust for it, you idiot.

Graham: I’m trying.

Liam: (enraged and obviously taking his anger out with his shooting) Are you, or are you just hoping you do bad enough she ends up just like Dylan.

Graham: (Calm) Oh don’t exaggerate. And even if I did hit her you would thank me because it means you would get your mistress back.

Liam: Mistress?! (Breathes in angrily) Alright Graham lets do some exaggerating?

Sfx: Liam throws off his headset and turns off his turret and runs toward Graham. He punches him across the jaw. Start desperate emotional action music.

Graham: spitting blood. Ungh!

Liam: Get over here you double crossing bastard.

SFX: Picks up by his shirt and continues to pummel him as the gun continues to fire randomly ricocheting and hitting different objects.

Morris (over the intercom): Just what the hell is going on up there?

Liam: The pill bottle, the recon mission, ever since Neb-kinar you’ve been foiling our plans every step of the way and at the risk of our crews’ lives. And I for one am not going to sit around and watch you get another one of our crew members...

Sfx: A final punch send Graham spinning, causing his turret to swing around while firing. One of the shots hits Aurora’s ship. It starts to go down. Desperate music starts.

Morris: (over the intercom) They hit her, you idiots you got the wrong one!

Isaac: (over the intercom) I think she can still make it.

Morris: (over the intercom) Come on Aurora. You can do it... pull up, pull up.

SFX: plane continues to dive bomb but stays aloft, music turns to heroic enduring tragic theme.

Morris: How’s she keeping that thing flying?

Isaac: I don’t know but she’s doing it. She’s doing it and she’s going to make it, look.

Sfx: The ship sputtering and engine failing, flames raging on the ship and parts falling off.
Music is particularly emotional, beautiful.

Morris: Go.. go.

SFX: Music peaks as she flies through the wormhole, the bounty hunter’s ship fallows and then she pulls up just in time to crash into the jumpgate unit on the other side. A massive explosion is created and a shockwave is sent out, the wormhole closes and all becomes silent. After a few seconds we hear sad echoes of the previous theme, but sad now.

Isaac: She did it, She did it!

SFX: Liam hears the explosion and stops punching Graham.

Liam: (Panting) She’s gone...

SFX: Liam drops Graham, who groans as he slumps to the floor bloodily. Mournful theme.

Morris: She... She did it. (Scoffs) I mean she really pulled it off. She saved us all.

Isaac: Yes she did.

Morris: (Scoffs) a girl. Who’d of thought.

Sfx: Change to heroic memorial theme.

Isaac: Yes, Aurora was a woman. But she was also a pilot.

Morris: One hell of a pilot, I’ve never seen anyone pull off something like what she just did. (Pauses) I owe her more respect than I ever showed her.

Isaac: You owe her your life.

Morris: I know. (Swallows hard, and thoughtfully pauses) I know.

Sfx: Transition music. Fade in slowly on Dylan breathing, slowly her breathing gets harder, the music gets more dangerous, her breathing gets more restricted, until it gets to the point that she wakes up gasping for air. The sound of a heartbeat gets louder and faster. She desperately claws her way out of bed and frantically knocks over medical supplies stumbling to the door barefoot. She grunts with every step on her left leg. She agonizingly gets to the door and opens it – coming out to the crew.

Dylan: (As best she can, whispering and weak) Help me.

Sfx: Music is high, freaky, on strings and in wrong notes.

Graham: You’re awake.

Dylan: (Scared and panic breathing). You’re not G...

Graham: (Mockingly) I’m not what? What? I’m sorry I didn’t catch that. - What’s wrong, not feeling so good?

Sfx: Liam comes running over.

Liam: Out of the way grease monkey. Dylan, Dylan what’s wrong. Why are you pointing at Graham?

Dylan: (struggles to get a word out but ends up just coughing and gasping for air).

Liam: You can’t breathe? But why would... You?!

Sfx: Morris walks up. Start a manipulative evil theme.

Morris: What’s going on here? What’s wrong with Dylan. God, Graham you look like hell, which side of that laser turret were you on?

Graham: It’s Liam sir. He’s trying to sabotage the mission. First he shot down Aurora’s ship, I tried to stop him but he beat me down. Then he gave Dylan pills he knew she was allergic to, I was there.

Liam: What!? I.. You shot down Aurora’s ship.

Graham: I was giving her cover fire just fine until you came over and started hitting me, causing me to lose control of my turret.

Sfx: Music gets tense, fast paced.

Morris: Is this true Liam? Did you..

Liam: (Stammering) No, I mean.. I didn’t mean to.. He started it, he was trying to -

Dylan: Breathing gets worse. She begins to choke.

Dylan: (in her head, increase reverb) Morris, Graham did it. He did everything, don’t listen to him. He’s an alien imposter. Liam’s innocent.

Sfx: (Flash back sequence from episode 7, increase reverb)
Dylan: Just pull out the old fuse.

Sfx: Pulls out old fuse.

Dylan: And then put in the new one

Sfx: Puts in new fuse

Dylan: And this extra part to ensure their compatibility.

Sfx: Clicks last part in and sparks stop. Communications grid warms up and comes online.

Dylan: There we go.

Sfx: Shifting through static, channels until Graham’s voice can be heard.

Graham: (Statically and scratchy over the intercom) This is Graham ________ calling the NSS Vanguard do you copy?

Dylan: Graham? Why do you have a beard, What’s going on? And more importantly why are you calling me from the engine room.

Graham: 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: Okay, Dylan. Listen to me very carefully. The Graham that is on your ship is not me. He is an imposter, a shape-shifter.


Dylan: What? What ware you trying to pull?

Sfx: Start eerie music

Graham: Please, Dylan. When I was outside repairing the ship on _____ the Kodukai captured me, somehow stole my DNA, my memories, my knowledge and then shape-shifted into someone that looked like me but its 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: Listen, you have to get as far away from him as you can, he’s planning to-

Sfx: Music peeks. A tranquilizer gun fires. A dart hits Dylan.
Dylan: Nguh! (Sighs as passes out)

Sfx: Her body hits the floor.

Graham: Dylan? Dylan!!

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

Graham: Jurkal!

sfx: (end flash back sequence)

Morris: Can’t we get her to sick bay and do something?

Graham: No, wait. He gave her the wrong medication, I think he’s trying to kill her sir. Don’t put her back in the hands of that monster!

Liam: Monster! You’re the one who..

Morris: Liam!

Sfx: music cuts out.

Liam: What?

Morris: Did you?

Sfx: music comes in sad for Liam. It’s tragic how he is being betrayed, this man is turning the whole crew against him.

Liam: Well.. I - if he hadn’t spilled the pills all over the place I wouldn’t have had a hard time trying to figure out which one was which.

Morris: Don’t they have some sort of symbol you could recognize, a letter to differentiate them from -

Graham: He’s illiterate sir, He can’t read of write. Not even to save her life.

Sfx: start sad plot point theme.

Morris: What’s this, an illiterate doctor? In charge of my crew’s safety.

Liam: I can too, I was.. Learning.

Morris: Learning?

Liam: (breathing faster) I–

Morris: Save it. Lock him in the barracks until we have more time to question him.

Dylan: (in her head) The barracks? But he’s the...

Dylan: (In her head) No! Liam, tell them. Wait, even you don’t know that he’s a shape shifter. No one but I do but I can’t tell anyone... I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe!

Dylan: (coughing, gasping, choking! Faints)

SFX: music gets concerned for her. Dylan falls to the floor unconscious.

Liam: Dylan!

Morris: Get him in the barracks before he gets someone else hurt.

Graham: It would be my pleasure.

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.