The Lycron Scripts

By Erik Pleasance

The original stories of the Lycron Federation written for a proposed television series in 1974. The pilot and first two series scripts are presented, introducing the primary characters in the series as well as a fair overview of the difficulties that they will face in upcoming episodes. The three show a fairly representative sampling of the depth of story matter available for the projected series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martian Publishing
• Release date: Feb 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301827411

Book preview

THE LYCRON SCRIPTS

By William A. Jonson II

and

Erik Pleasance

MARTIAN PUBLISHING

Copyright 2013 by Martian Publishing Company

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

No portion of this volume may

be reproduced in any format

without the express written

permission of the copyright holder.

This is a work of fiction.

Any resemblance to persons or

organizations, living or extinct,

is entirely coincidental.

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA

Registration No. 153822

INTRODUCTION

This trio was written in 1974 for a proposed science fiction television series. The first item, Check, Check, Checkmate was written as the pilot film, the other two, Someone Out There Hates Me and My Angry Friends were written as the first two episodes for the proposed series.

On re-reading these three, I cannot help but feel they sound extremely dated, and perhaps more than just a little cheesy. But with almost forty years of perspective, I suppose there are many scripts of the era that would seem a bit cheesy.

Today, though, I hope they can be classified as kitschy.

And as I doubt any one of these three tales is something I feel comfortable in translating directly into novel form - without some major re-writing - this may be the only form these tales ever see the light of day.

I hope you enjoy them, if nothing more than academic interest, or to compare to the other Lycron tales that will be forthcoming.

Erik Pleasance, December 2012

Check, Check, Checkmate!

a Lycron Series script

INTRODUCTION

FADE IN

INT. FEDERATION COUNCIL CHAMBER

Council members are seated along the table from ZARGRANTIAN OSSOS, Senior Security Coordinator, at one end, to the Commanders: TURNER, NOSBERG, SHAFER, FLAKKER, TRAKK, BLYER, ZINGIN, KORSEY, and CATON, to the other end of the table where sits BEETHEN CAMASHAW, Senior Commander. Behind ZARGRANTIAN is the Lycron Emblem and behind BEETHEN is the Federation Emblem. To BEETHEN'S left is a map of the space regions adjacent to Lycron and is covered with different colored lights representing stellar systems and their current Alert Status; fleet placements are also represented on this board with lights. The Council discusses some matter while opening credits fill the screen over the scene and the theme fills the soundtrack; the discussion cannot be heard. Action freezes at the end of the credits. CLOSE-SHOT of BEETHEN; computer printout is overlaid on image word-by-word and a voice synchronizes with print-out:

COMPUTER

(electronic monotone)

Beethen Camashaw… Senior Commander… age: 222 years starlight… height: 1.9 meters… weight 95.5 kilograms… hair: black… eyes: brown… marks of identification: none… born on Uatera-V, planet of Vapool… graduated Military School and Federation Academy in top 1% of class, earning the Academy Grand Citation… worked in Ministry of Freight Imports and Exports on Uatera-VI, planet of Rulnt, as Lieutenant Status I… promoted to Department of Commercial Transport as Lieutenant Status II… assigned charge of survey and exploration of Ternossian Bodies as Captain Status I… promoted to Captain Status II and assigned command of the vessel Stelker… promoted then to Senior Commander and given command of the vessel Teran… interested in cultural and evolutionary cycles of civilizations, past and present; interested also in athletics…

Start of action.

BEETHEN

(matter of fact)

… if we decided to build new exploration vessels at this point we'll be forced into a position of minimizing Security to balance our current budget.

A red light begins to blink on the Interstellar Map to the left of BEETHEN.

BEETHEN

I think it best at this time…

A loud buzzer interrupts the meeting.

BEETHEN

(frustrated)

Damn!

ZARGRANTIAN punches a button on the communications speaker in front of him.

ZARGRANTIAN

(urgently)

Security Status read-out!

COMPUTER

(electric monotone)

Type of interbulence: interplanetary… cause: unknown… location of interbulence: planetary bodies x-16 and z-14 of B-16-M System, commonly referred to as 'Section 19', in sector thirteen of quadrant two…

BEETHEN punches a button on the communications speaker in front of him.

BEETHEN

(into speaker, urgently)

Fleet Command, notify all ships in Section 19: Red Alert!

He stands and quickly scans the seated members.

BEETHEN

Commanders Caton, Korsey, Zingin, Blyer, and Trakk: standard battle procedures. The rest of you: man your stations at Yellow Alert. Let's move!

The room empties, everyone leaving in an orderly hurry.

INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE OF COUNCIL CHAMBERS

BEETHEN and ZARGRANTIAN are hurrying along corridor.

ZARGRANTIAN

(disgusted)

Well, I guarantee you one thing, it's not the inhabitants of the planets causing this unless they've evolved beyond the stone age overnight.

BEETHEN

As someone once told me: in Section 19, anything's possible.

ZARGRANTIAN

That sounds like something I would say.

BEETHEN

(smiling)

You did.

ZARGRANTIAN stops at a door, it opens, he turns and nods to BEETHEN, who returns the nod, still smiling. ZARGRANTIAN goes through the door and BEETHEN continues down the corridor.

DISSOLVE

END OF INTRODUCTION

COMMERCIAL

ACT I

FADE IN

INT. THE BRIDGE OF THE VESSEL UATERA.

On bridge is CMDR. VUCH ZINGIN (Commanding Officer), V-ADM. JEAN KNOBBY ITINIS (Liaison), CAPT. PURDEE KIMTHOUS (Helmsman), LT. RUMELL ANDRES (Security Officer), and LT. STEF WADKER (Communications Officer). All are working diligently at their stations around the bridge. A viewscreen in the front of the room is filled with an image of stars moving, indicating the ship is in motion through space.

PURDEE

(hesitantly)

Vessel, 6.9 million kilometers away; it's not one of ours, sir.

VUCH

Can you tell whose it is?

PURDEE

No, sir, I can't.

VUCH

Lt. Wadker, hail that ship for identification and their purpose for being in the area. Helmsman, let's close the gap. Knobby, put the crew on battle stations.

WADKER

(somewhat urgent)

They're not responding, sir.

VUCH

Keep hailing.

PURDEE

(alarmed)

They've just increased their screens, sir.

VUCH

(calmly)

Blazer banks, level one. I think we can expect…

The ship rocks with a jolt; the viewscreen shows a flash of light.

PURDEE

We've been hit, sir. Starboard bow; no damage.

VUCH

(snappy to PURDEE)

Lock them in with tractor beams. We don't want them going anywhere. Wadker, notify the Teran that we're in battle.

WADKER

Yes, sir.

The ship rocks with a jolt; the viewscreen shows a flash of light.

EXT. THE UATERA IN SPACE

Beams of force jab between it and the enemy vessel causing the defensive screens to flare.

INT. THE BRIDGE OF THE VESSEL UATERA

VUCH

Increase blazer intensity to level two; continue firing.

The ship rocks with a jolt; the viewscreen shows a flash of light.

PURDEE

Starboard bow screen weakening, sir. Emergency power is shorting.

VUCH

Wadker, get engineering to correct it immediately. Helmsman, what's their distance?

PURDEE

1.7 million kilometers, sir.

VUCH

Let's knock on their door and get acquainted. Increase tractor pull to one kilometer.

EXT. THE UATERA AND THE OTHER VESSEL

They zoom toward one another as beams of force continue to cause increasing flare-ups of the defensive screens.

INT. THE BRIDGE OF THE VESSEL UATERA

PURDEE

(excited)

Their screens are weakening, sir.

VUCH

Very well done. Neutralize their screens and hold fire. Let's see what they're going to do.

EXT. THE UATERA AND THE OTHER VESSEL IN SPACE.

Beams of force from the Uatera cause the other's screens to flare-up ina blinding flash and go dead.

INT. THE BRIDGE OF THE VESSEL UATERA

PURDEE

Screens neutralized, sir.

WADKER

(consulting a computer read-out on screen)

Sir, that's a Bix Empire vessel; a new one. Model number 147M5.

VUCH

(slightly amused)

Ah-ha! Open a channel and let's see what the slave traders are up to these days.

PURDEE

Sir, they're attempting to break free from the tractor beam. I'm compensating the difference in pull.

VUCH

Good, continue.

WADKER

(disappointed)

No response, sir.

VUCH

Well, keep trying. They've got to answer sometime.

RUMELL

(smiling)

Yeah, they can't go anywhere.

PURDEE

Commander, I think you better take a look at this. We're getting an abnormal energy reading from that vessel.

VUCH walks over to the helm console. The viewscreen shows a bright flash, an explosion. The Uatera shakes.

PURDEE

(astonished)

They've self-destructed, sir.

VUCH

(puzzled)

That's odd…

WADKER

Engineering reports no damage except to the tractor beam. Seems it pulled in