Leviathan (Pt. 3)

CHAPTER 4: TULIV

LEVIATHAN COCKPIT

The crew are waiting for them to arrive on Tuliv

SIMON

“How are you feeling?”

ALEX

“What do you mean?”

SIMON

“Seeing Kiara. I saw you get angry.”

ALEX

“I really don’t want to talk about that right now.”

SIMON

“That’s fine. I jus-“

They are interrupted by the nearby comm beeping

Six small fighters are engaging the Leviathan in combat

EVELYN

“Finally. Some action!”

VANESSA

“Let’s blast them into dust!”

Evelyn and Vanessa operate the laser cannons and land every shot eliminating the fighters with ease

ALEX (COMM TO WEAPON CONTROL)

“Well done. Both of you.”

SIMON

“Good thing too, because we’re still not operating well. Our shields are still damaged.”

RENEE

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

The crew assembles on the bridge

BRIDGE

RENEE

“Okay. Here’s what we know about Tuliv.”

She pulls up the planetary display

RENEE (CON’D)

“It’s a military planet. Those ships were bearing the Federation insignia. Their scans likely scanned and registered our ship as a smuggler class vessel.”

SIMON

“Well shit.”

EVELYN

“Actually. Not exactly…”

VANESSA

“They most likely scanned it and registered it enough to warrant a scout fleet which we destroyed.”

ALEX

“Which was awesome by the way.”

EVELYN

“The speed and accuracy at which we shot the fighters, most likely means that they didn’t have time to send a report back to the base.”

SIMON

“Which means?”

VANESSA

“Two things. First, The Leviathan isn’t registered as a smuggler vessel yet which is good. Also, it means that in a matter of minutes, they are probably going to send another wave. But this time with a frigate, which we will not be able to handle.”

ALEX

“I’ll start our approach immediately.”

EVELYN

“You can’t. Not yet. Vanessa and I will be able to hack into their system enough so that we can bypass the scanners and land in an undisclosed location. But we have to synchronize it.”

RENEE

“Also, with the weapons deal, I should be able to get the tools I need to fully restore the ship as well as add projection tech.”

SIMON

“Projection tech?”

RENEE

“It’s relatively new tech that allows ships to project their surroundings, allowing them to appear invisible. Since the shades are blending into their surroundings, not only is it incredibly pricey but it’s also only available on military planets.”

ALEX

“How much would that run?”

RENEE

“Around 15,000 credits. And the rest of the tools would be around 15,000. So, we’d be only looking at having 5,000 for crew expenses.”

ALEX

“I don’t want to leave anyone out in the cold. Would you guys be fine with the ship upgrades? Then maybe when we’re on the planet I can swipe nearby coordinates for a smuggler vessel or something so we can get more credits.”

No one in the crew disagrees

ALEX (CON’D)

“Perfect. I’ll start the approach. Eve, Vanessa. Let me know the moment you two are ready.”

The crew successfully work together in order to land the ship

TULIV SURFACE

RENEE

“I scanned the area. I see a shop for the tools.”

ALEX

“Simon and I will sneak into the military base. They should have some spare suits.”

RENEE LEAVES THE SHIP AS DOES ALEX AND SIMON

Alex and Simon explore the planet until they come across the military base

ALEX AND SIMON FINALLY FIND THE BASE

TULIV MILITARY BASE

Once inside, Alex and Simon find two unused uniforms and quickly changes

ALEX

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

The two disguise as military soldiers and make their way through the base when they come across a group in the kitchen

JACK COOPER

“Hope you guys enjoy! I made eggs.”

The soldiers eat and praise Jack on his cooking

SIMON (WHISPERING TO ALEX)

“I think we could use a chef.”

JUSTIN BOWERS

“You really outdid yourself this time Jack!”

Alex and Simon watch Justin and the chef until they are able to have a moment alone with both of them

ALEX

“How do you guys like it here?”

JUSTIN

“Best base ever. Better than being stationed on Yulen. That place is a desert.”

JACK

“I miss the fringes of space more. That’s where I feel more at home.”

JUSTIN

“You know if you leave, I’d just follow you.”

The two have a moment

Simon looks at Alex and catches him staring back at him and quickly looks away

SIMON

“We have a ship named The Leviathan and we’d love for you two to come aboard.”

JUSTIN

“That’s treason.”

JACK

“Not for me. I’m scheduled to go to another planet anyway. So, if someone were to change my status to M.I.A…”

ALEX

“We have two skilled hackers on our team.”

JUSTIN

“If Jack is in, then so am I.”

Alex sends a message to Evelyn and Vanessa and they quickly hack into the military’s recruitment list and rearrange things

ALEX

“Looks like you both have gotten confused for someone else. Your name is cleared in the system.”

JACK

“They are about to do a military training exercise. Even I have to be present for that. If anyone is missing the commander will notice.”

JUSTIN

“Yeah. She’s pissed because at the last planet she visited at, two of the students at the academy went AWOL.”

ALEX

“Let me guess. Kiara.”

JUSTIN

“Yeah…she’s pissed.”

SIMON

“This should be fun…”

ALEX, SIMON, JACK, AND JUSTIN GO TO ATTEND THE MILITARY EXERCISE

RENEE ARRIVES AT THE PLANET’S MAIN SHIP SHOP

SHIP SHAPE

VENDOR

“Welcome to Ship Shape. How may I service you today?”

RENEE

“Can I get hull patching supplies, projector installation, and panel repair?”

VENDOR

“Your total comes to 28,730 credits.”

Renee transfers the credits

VENDOR (CON’D)

“Thank you for your service. Have a good rest of your day.”

RENEE

“Oh, I will…”

RENEE LEAVES THE SHOP FOR THE SHIP

MILITARY EXERCISE

KIARA

“Is anyone unclear on what the exercise entails?”

UNIT 1 (UNISON)

“No, ma’am.”

UNIT 2 (UNISON)

“No, ma’am.”

UNIT 3 (UNISON)

“No, ma’am.”

Unit 3 is Alex, Simon, and Justin. Jack is on the sidelines preparing a special meal for after

Each unit runs through the exercise until the sun starts to set

KIARA

“Well done. All of you. I expect you all up bright and early tomorrow to run this again. I will not be here but Clayton will be here. He is my second in command and you will treat him like you treat me. Got it?!”

UNIT 1 (UNISON)

“Understood.”

UNIT 2 (UNISON)

“Understood.”

UNIT 3 (UNISON)

“Understood.”

Each unit breaks off to eat

Alex, Simon, Justin, and Jack don’t eat

Jack put a sleeping concoction in the meal

All the soldiers are passed out

ALEX, SIMON, JUSTIN, AND JACK ALL LEAVE FOR THE SHIP

ALL THE CREW IS ASSEMBLED

THE LEVIATHAN

RENEE

“Perfect. You guys made it! I’m just now finishing the final touches on the projector installation. I was able to remove the repurposed escape pod and patch up that hull. I was also able to restore shields.”

EVELYN

“With the whole package and me and Vanessa, we should be ready to take on a dreadnaught if it came down to that!”

VANESSA

“Actually, that would be ill advised. Dreadnaught class ships are far better suited for smaller class ships that are able to weave in and out of their laser cannons and able to attack their weak points.”

ALEX

“I missed you guys.”

The crew board and wait for Renee to finish her installation

CHAPTER 5: THE ESCAPE POD

LEVIATHAN COCKPIT

SIMON

“So…you know Clayton?”

Alex is a bit stunned by the question

ALEX

“Huh?”

SIMON

“I saw how you reacted when his name was mentioned…”

ALEX

“Oh yeah. He…he was you.”

Simon looks down hurt by the comment

SIMON

“Oh…I…I…see.”

ALEX

“Not like that. It’s not that I’m saying you’re replaceable. It’s just that he was my second in command. I thought he died.”

SIMON

“So? What happened?”

ALEX

“I had a full crew. Much like this one now, and we were attacked by The Eclipse. Kiara’s protocol is to recruit those she can and kill those she can’t. So, we were waiting to be judged.”

ALEX (CON’D)

“They fired on the engines first, then launched their repurposed escape pods to board my ship. If the pods are manually called back, they do virtually no damage to the ship. But since I had to board one to escape, it left a huge gaping hole.”

ALEX (CON’D)

“They took all of us one-by-one. It was just me and Clayton left. There were two guards that were able to restrain us and we were being taken to the brig for judgement. He grabbed a thermal detonator and I managed to slip free and run to the nearest escape pod. It was set for boarding so it launched into my ship and I had to land. I don’t know how I escaped to be honest.”

SIMON

“I’m so sorry. That sounds…distressful to say the least.”

ALEX

“Now looking at where I am. I don’t know how I escaped it all.”

SIMON

“Wait a minute. Did you say that the escape pods can be hailed back?”

ALEX

“Yeah. That’s what they’re designed for. When they board they are meant to take the crew with them.”

SIMON

“Would it be possible for it to have a tracker?”

ALEX

“I mean…technically I suppose. But that would highly be unlikely due to the fact that our ship hasn’t been attacked.”

SIMON

“But somehow we always happen to run into Kiara?”

ALEX (COMM TO WEAPONS CONTROL)

“Eve, Vanessa?”

EVELYN (COMM TO COCKPIT)

“Yeah, boss?”

ALEX (COMM TO WEAPONS CONTROL)

“How accurate is the tracking for the escape pods on a dreadnaught class?”

VANESSA (COMM TO COCKPIT)

“Extremely accurate. Like pinpointable.”

ALEX (COMM TO RENEE)

“Hurry up and finish and get inside as soon as you can.”

RENEE (COMM TO COCKPIT)

“I just finished. Why?”

Shouting is heard and three battalions are charging at The Leviathan

The removed escape pod is seen sitting inches away from the ship

Renee runs inside

Alex and Simon quickly start up the engines and take off as they’re being shot at by the battalion

ALEX

“We have to jump to a system. Any system.”

SIMON

“I…I can’t. The controls are locked. I can’t do anything.”

The Leviathan grinds to a halt

The Eclipse is seen going broadside to The Leviathan

The comms start beeping

KIARA (COMM TO COCKPIT)

“Did you really think that I didn’t recognize you? Or that Clayton wouldn’t?”

ALEX (COMM TO ECLIPSE)

“Maybe I was just hoping.”

KIARA (COMM TO COCKPIT)

“It doesn’t matter. I may not be able to register your ship into the Federation’s database. But you’re mine now. Board the escape pod alone and enter docking module seven. I will allow the rest of your crew to escape alive. You have five minutes to comply and say your goodbyes.”

SIMON

“Fuck that. We aren’t going to leave you.”

ALEX

“We can’t go toe-to-toe with that ship.”

RENEE

“Actually…maybe we can…I made a little detour while on the planet and…there’s a reason why I wasn’t able to give you any credits back.”

She reveals sticky remote bombs

EVELYN

“I happen to have the schematics of The Eclipse. If we could sneak on board too, we’d be able to plant the bombs and rescue you. We’d have to jump to lightspeed almost immediately thought after.”

ALEX

“The escape pods could only fit three at most. And you would certainly be spotted.”

VANESSA

“Actually…I installed an escape double override as an emergency precaution…”

SIMON

“What does that do?”

VANESSA

“When one escape pod launches, a second one will launch to link up with it. It’s usually disabled because once linked it becomes one giant escape pod. However, in this situation it’s perfect.”

JUSTIN

“Would they spot the size difference?”

EVELYN

“Most likely not. They have a dreadnaught class. Even if we doubled up, they most likely think that we couldn’t do any real damage.”

ALEX

“Let’s do it. I’ll go in escape pod one solo. Then Justin, Renee, and Evelyn you three go in escape pod two and Vanessa you activate the program.”

SIMON

“What? No. I’m going.”

ALEX

“No. I can’t afford to lose you too. Also, if something happens you’re second best qualified to pilot this ship.”

SIMON

“Come on. Ther- “

ALEX

“Is no time for arguing since if I don’t launch in the next ninety seconds, we’re all gonna get blown to bits.”

ALEX LEAVES FOR ESCAPE POD ONE

EVELYN

“Take my place.”

SIMON

“What?”

EVELYN

“Take my place in escape pod two. I’ll transfer the schematics to you. Plant the bombs, rescue your fella and get back in one piece.”

Simon pauses to mull it over and agrees

SIMON, JUSTIN, AND RENEE BOARD ESCAPE POD TWO

ALEX ARRIVES ON THE ECLIPSE FOLLOWED BY SIMON, JUSTIN, AND RENEE