PRELUDE TO ATHENA: THE CASUALTIES OF WAR PART 2

PRELUDE TO ATHENA: THE CASUALTIES OF WAR PART 2 ALEX BAMFORD FADE IN: EXT-EMERALD CITY-DAY (Note: No dialogue is heard. Any sound effects are heavily muffled) WE SLOWLY FADE IN TO THE SOUND OF THREE SHOTS GOING OF AND WE THEN SEE AL ON THE FLOOR WITH A HUGE SCORCH MARK IN HIS CHEST UP TO HIS NECK. EVE AND BELLE SCRAMBLE TO AL. JACK HAS SUCCESSFULLY TACKLED HARAKA BUT STARES IN SHOCK AT AL’S STILL BODY. HARAKA RETREATS AS ROLAND SHOOTS AT HIM AND HE’S FOLLOWED BY SURVIVING MEMBERS OF HIS ARMY. THE RENEGADES CROWD AROUND AL AS HE HAS DIFFICULTY BREATHING. THE CAMERA IS NOW ABOVE AL LOOKING DOWN. FADE TO: EXT-PALACE HOSPITAL-NIGHT EVERYTHING EXCEPT AL FADES INTO A HOSPITAL ROOM WITH WIRES ATTACHED TO HIM. WITH EVE, SANDRA AND ROLAND SURROUNDING HIS BED WHILE JACK AND BELLE STAND AGAINST A WINDOW. THE PRINCESS ENTERS AND WALKS TO THE COUPLE. PRINCESS: How is he? JACK: Don’t know yet. He can barely breath. He has barely any lungs left. BELLE: What’s the casualty result? PRINCESS: Three hundred and seventy six out of twenty two hundred. Not as bad is people say. Though not acceptable at all. JACK: Any loss of life is not acceptable. HE WALKS AWAY AS HIS GIRLFRIEND AND THE PRINCESS LOOK ON CONCERNED AND UPSET. BOTH TURN TO LOOK BACK AT AL, STILL WHEEZING. CUT TO: SNOWY MOUNTAINS-NIGHT THE SEVEN REMAINING SURVIVORS OF HARAKA’S TEAM CRASH IN A FROZEN TUNNEL EXHAUSTED AS HARAKA STANDS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TUNNEL COMMUNICATING WITH THE MONARCH STILL ONBOARD HE SHIP. HARAKA: My battalion is massacred. My troops dwindled down to seven. And you sat on your ass while my men fought and died as your orders. CUT TO: MONARCH ROYAL SHIP BRIDGE-DAY THE MONARCH SHIP HAS REMAINED ABOVE THE CITY EVEN AFTER THE BATTLE. THE MONARCH WATCHES FROM THE WINDOW ON THE THE BRIDGE. MONARCH: I did nothing. You’re the one who screwed up your own plan. Caused your own loses. None of it’s my problem. HARAKA: (over comlink) You gave your blessing! CUT TO: SNOWY MOUNTAINS-NIGHT HARAKA: You’re no Monarch! You’re a fraud! You’re a slut for power! CUT TO: MONARCH ROYAL SHIP BRIDGE-DAY MONARCH: You’re insults are worse than a child first swear word. You failed in your assault. You’re an embarrassment to the Republic. SHE SNAPS HER FINGERS AND THE COMM LINE SWITCHES OFF. CUT TO: SNOWY MOUNTAINS-NIGHT HARAKA, NOW NOTICEABLY FURIOUS, CRUSHES THE COMMUNICATOR AND THROWS IT DOWN THE TUNNEL AND HIS SOLDIERS DUCK NOT TO BE HIT WITH THE DEBRIS. CUT TO: EXT-EMERALD CITY-DAY THE MONARCHS SHIP FLIES AWAY WITH THE SOUND OF A SONIC BOOM. CUT TO: EXT-HOSPITAL-DAY FROM THE HOSPITAL WINDOW, JACK SEE’S HIS MOTHER FLY AWAY. CUT TO: INT-HOSPITAL-DAY HE TURNS AWAY FROM THE WINDOW AND SEE’S BELLE RUNNING TOWARDS HIM. WHEN SHE MEETS HIM, SHE GIVES HER BOYFRIEND A SAD LOOK AND HE RETURNS WITH A “SHOW ME” LOOK. SHE PULLS HIM AWAY BY THE HAND. CUT TO: HOSPITAL ROOM. THE COUPLE ENTER WITH EACH MEMBER OF THE RENEGADES LOOKING SAD AND SOME IN TEARS. THE CAMERA PANS ROUND SHOWING THE HOSPITAL BED AND A WHITE SHEET COVERING A BODY. AL IS DEAD. JACK FACE TURNS FROM SAD TO ANGER. JACK: Son of a….. HE SWINGS HIS FIST ATTHE WALL CUT TO: INT-AMELIA COCKPIT. HIS SWING FINISHES AS HIS FIST AGAINST THE COCKPIT OF HIS “FAMILY’S” (THE RENEGADES) SHIP, DENTING THE WALL. JACK: (continued) BITCH!!!!!! THE CREW ARE SCATTERED AROUND THE COCKPIT PIT. STILL IN A BIT OF SHOCK AFTER AL’S DEATH. ROLAND: (to Jack) Why was the kid even in the area of your battle? BELLE: I ordered him there. Only to watch and not to engage. JACK: He went for my sword. Shot by my weapon. He’s dead because of me. SANDRA: If we weren’t all busy defending the city…… ROLAND: (to Belle) What do you mean you ordered him there? BELLE: I thought it was best, Rol. Sometims you gotta do what you gotta do. It was a split second decision. ROLLAND: Well your split second decision may just be the reason for all these casualties. Everyone looks at Rolland and Belle in shock, they have never seen cracks like these appear amongst the group until now. BELLE: You better watch what your saying, wouldn't want you to overstep the line there, Rolland. Belle square's up to Rolland. JACK: Guys! For Christ's sake. Look around you. Do you really think petty blaming games are appropriate here? Do you really think that singling someone out and shaming them for the, the mess out there is gonna solve anything? Belle and Rolland look sheepishly at each other, and Belle back's off a little. JACK: (put's one hand on Belle's shoulder, and the other on Rolland's shoulder) Right now, in this moment, we need to stick together. If not for our own sanity, for the hundreds of people that are fearing their lives out there. The hundreds of people who need their prayers answered. We cannot afford to fall apart when the world out there is falling apart around us. BELLE: Sorry Jack. Sorry guys.(Stick's her hand out to Rolland, who hesitates for a second, and then pulls her in for a hug) MISSOURI TAPS A CONSOLE TO GET EVERYONES ATTENTION. MISSOURI: Jack is right guys. His death is no ones fault. Haraka killed our friend. We need to take him out. THERE’S A PAUSE EVE: Does anyone know where he went after the battle? LUCY WALKS IN, HOLDING A PADD AND TRYING TO KEEP HERSELF TOGETHER. LUCY: He went north. Where? i don’t know. I’m running continuous scans. JACK: Then we take it in shifts. Lucy, you take first shift watching the sensor scans for the next 4 hours. I’ll be next. Everyone else get some shut eye. (takes Belle’s hand and they both walk out) It’s been long ass day. EVERYONE WATCHES THEIR LEADERS LEAVE THE COCKPIT, AND SLOWLY, ONE BY ONE FOLLOW. FADE TO: AMELIA COCKPIT LUCY IS LEANED BACK IN HER CHAIR WATCHING THE SCANS, FIGHTING TO STAY AWAKE. FADE TO: AMELIA MED BAY EVE IS GOING THROUGH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, SPLITTING THEM DOWN FOR THE WOUNDED ON THE PLANET. SHE THEN BREAKS DOWN. FADE TO: AMELIA GYM BOTH ROLAND AND MISSOURI ARE WORKING OUT IN THE GYM. BOTH TRYING TO USE THE GYM TO PASS THE GRIEVING PERIOD. FADE TO: AMEILIA ENGINE ROOM. SANDRA IS WORKING ON THE ENGINES. JUST TO PASS THE TIME. FADE TO: AMELIA CREW QUARTERS. JACK SIT ON THE EDGE OF THE BED WITH BELLE FAST ASLEEP. HE GET’S AND WALKS OUT OF HIS QUARTERS, PUTTING ON HIS JACKET. CUT TO: AMELIA COCKPIT JACK WALKS IN TO SEE LUCY LEANT BACK IN HER CHAIR, ASLEEP. JACK: Hey Lucy! SHE THEN SNAPS AWAKE AND FALLS OFF HER CHAIR IN AN UNCEREMONIOUS BACKFLIP. SHE LANDS IN A HEAP CAUSING JACK TO LAUGH OUT LOUD. JACK: (pulling himself together) Anything on the scans? LUCY: (holding her back) No, nothing. Damn, that actually hurt. JACK: (chuckles) Go get some meds then get some sleep. My turn on watch. LUCY NODS AND WALKS OUT WITH JACK CHUCKLING AS SHE LEAVES. HE HEADS TO THE CONSOLE AND IMMEDIATELY IT STARTS BEEPING. THE SCANS HAVE FOUND HARAKA AND HIS TEAM. HE IMMEDIATELY GETS UP. CUT TO: AMELIA CREW QUARTERS. WE SEE FROM INSIDE A LOCKER JACK IS FULLY ARMOURED AND IS RUMMAGING THROUGH THE LOCKER AND EVENTUALLY FINDS WHAT HE’S LOOKING FOR AND HE TURNS BACK TO BELLE, STILL ASLEEP. HE KISSES HER ON THE HEAD. JACK: You know what to do. HE WALKS OUT OF FRAME AND BELLE GETS COMFORTABLE AGAIN. CUT TO: EXT-AMELIA-NIGHT OUTSIDE THE SHIP, THE “GIBSON” DISCONNECTS FROM “AMELIA” AND FLIES OFF. CUT TO: AMELIA COCKPIT LUCY WALKS BACK IN. LUCY: Hey Jack! You here? I forgot my coffee. SHE NOTICES THE SCAN AND “GIBSONS” LOCATION BROADCASTING BACK TO “AMELIA”. IT TAKES HER A SECOND TO REALISE WHATS HAPPENING. LUCY: Oh for fu…….. CUT TO: INT-ICE CAVE-DAY SIX OF HARAKA’S SOLDIERS ALL WALK AROIND THE TUNNEL MOVING EQUIPMENT FROM A CRASHED ROYAL DROPSHIP. SOLDIER 1: Finally! It’s warming up in here. SOLDIER 2: Hey guys, can someone explain to me how it can get 25 degrees C and still stay frozen up here? HEAVY FOOTSTEPS ARE HEARD AS ALL SOLDIERS TURN TO SEE JACK WALKING TOWARDS THEM. FULLY ARMOURED UP BUT SWORD STILL IN IT’S HOISTER. JACK: I have come for Haraka and him alone. (Draws two rifles. one in each hand) Stand down and be spared. ALL SIX SOLDIERS DRAW WEAPONS. HOWEVER BEFORE ANY FIRE A SHOT, THEY’RE BLASTED BACK AS JACK SHOOTS THREW THEM, DETERMINED TO GET TO HARAKA. CUT TO: SNOWY MOUNTAINS-DAY HARAKA STANDS ON THE CLIFF, LOOKING OUT OF THE SNOWY PLAIN. ONE OF HIS SOLDIERS, REGUMA, APPROACHES FROM BEHIND. REGUMA: So our almighty Monarch left us here? HARAKA: Yes. Leaving us here is my punishment for the failure of the battle. However the plan is to use the resources in the dropship to plan a counter attack. REGUMA: Why not use the dropship to leave and prove ourselves? HARAKA: Like when parents disown a child, we now on our own. JACK’S VOICE COMES OVER HARAKA’S AND REGUMA’S COMMS. JACK: (over comms) Haraka. I am here. CUT TO: INT-ICE CAVE-DAY JACK IS STANDING OVER ONE OF THE DEAD SOLDIERS, HOLDING SAID SOLDIERS WRIST AND USING THEIR COMM AND A RIFLE IN THE OTHER. JACK: (continued) At your location. Come and face me. CUT TO: SNOWY MOUNTAINS-DAY REGUMA IS SURPRISED THAT JACK IS HERE, THOUGH HARAKA IS NOT. REGUMA: How did he find he find us?! HARAKA: It doesn’t matter. (switches on his comm) Hear this! CUT TO: INT-ICE CAVE-DAY THE SOLDIERS LAY OUT DEAD ALONG THE TUNNEL FLOOR AND JACK JUST WALKS PAST THEM HEADING STRAIGHT FOR HIS OPPONENT. HARAKA’S VOICE IS HEARD THROUGH ALL THE COMMS. HARAKA: (continued, over comms) Anyone still alive who engages Jack Ledford, will answer to me. CUT TO: AMELIA CREW QUARTERS. EVERYONE IS CROWDED AROUND BELLE, SITTING ON THE BED, FULLY CLOTHED. ROLAND: He did what!!! BELLE: He’s a knight. He has an honour code to follow. He’s taking Al’s death as his responsibility as he was killed with his shield cannon. EVE: A weapon he didn’t take with him! SHE POINTS TO IT HANGING ON THE WALL. BELLE: I know. SANDRA: So what’s the plan? ROLAND: We need a good one. BELLE IMMEDIATLY LOOKS TO LUCY. BELLE: How fast can you get us north? LUCY: Very. We’re on a spacecraft remember. SHE TILTS HER HEAD AND SMIRKS. CUT TO: EXT-SNOWY MOUNTAINS-DAY ONE OF THE CLIFF FACES EXPLODES AND JACK WALKS OUT, LOOKING AT HARAKA. REGUMA CHARGES AT JACK WHO IS SHOT AND TUMBLES OFF THE MOUNTAINSIDE. JACK THEN THROWS THE BLASTER OFF THE SIDE. HARAKA: You’ve got balls coming here on your own Jack. Though you don’t know whether or not you’ll walk away from this. JACK: I hold no illusion of walking away alive from this battle Haraka. Though i will know I have avenged a friend. By removing your head. HE DRAWS HIS SWORD READY TO FIGHT. HARAKA JUST LAUGHS. HARAKA Highly unlikely, Ledford. As I am infused with years worth of training. JACK: Either I walk away from this., or you do. BOTH STAND READY TO COMBAT. HARAKA DRAWS HIS OWN SWORD AND CHARGES AT JACK AS HIS OPPONENT DOES THE SAME. BOTH CLASH AND FIGHT FURIOUSLY AND QUICK. HARAKA IS KNOCKED BACK AS JACK TRIES TO FINISH HIM. HE TAKES A SWING AT JACK AGAIN AND MISSES. THE CAMERA PANS UP AWAY FROM THE BATTLE TOWARDS THE SUN. THE WORDS “TO BE CONCLUDED” FADE IN OVER THE SUN. FADE OUT THE END PRELUDE TO ATHENA CONCLUDES IN: HONOUR TO THE END