"Disaster"
ACT FOUR
SMASH CUT TO INT. SICKBAY-SPACE
WOLFE is in sickbay, there’s a long jagged cut down the side of his face. NERI is waving a dermal regenerator over it. WOLFE winces.
NERI
Hold still or this is going to take a lot longer.
SOPRIN and another NURSE are on the other side of the room helping other Marines with their injuries.
NERI (to SOPRIN)
Why are you surprised? He’s a pig, they’re all pigs.
WOLFE (a little insulted)
Present company excluded I assume?
NERI
Did I say “present company excluded”? (roughly turns WOLFE’S head in the other direction) All men are pigs. Some of them are nicer or more apologetic about it, but they’re all pigs.
SOPRIN, now wielding her own dermal regenerator, passes it across her patient’s chest.
SOPRIN
I have no objection to his behavior, he is human and he desires sexual contact. Because I am no longer his wife, I have relinquished the right to object by my own free will. But I had hoped he would be less…obvious.
NURSE
Honey, I don’t know how to tell you this but the human species is full of some obvious mother fuckers.
NERI and the nurses start cackling and howling. SOPRIN doesn’t get the joke. The laughing dies down as SARA and FROST enter the room.
SARA
Give me good news about the riot, is it contained?
WOLFE
Contained? Yes. Over? No. It’s only getting worse until we have some kind of solution to the space problem.
SARA
Believe me, we’re working on it.
WOLFE
You mean the super transporter?
FROST
Actually, we’re on Plan B right now.
WOLFE
Which is?
CUT TO INT. TRANSPORTER PAD 2-SPACE
MUKET stands with his head held high in front of ZIRAL and her fellow Bajorans. They’re standing in front of MUKET’S modified transporter, a normal transporter with all sorts of wires and generator’s running into it. A row of portable hard drives have been attached to the pattern buffer.
MUKET
No.
One of the Bajorans, a big guy, starts poking MUKET in the chest.
BIG BAJORAN
Now you listen to me, spoon head, we need that generator.
MUKET (politely)
I’m sorry but I can’t allow you to take it, I need that generator to power the new proton assembly system-
The Bajoran pushes MUKET aside and starts yanking parts out of the generator. There’s a shower of sparks as a live cable hits the deck, but the Bajoran keeps pulling out cable.
ZIRAL looks over at MUKET who seems defeated. She feels just a little guilty.
ZIRAL
I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but this is our best option.
MUKET
Then I’m sorry it’s going to fail.
ZIRAL (angry)
By the prophets, you just want to build your machine this has nothing to do with the refugees.
MUKET shrugs.
MUKET
I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t true. I do want to build the machine, at this point just to prove it can be done, but I also believe it’s the only thing that’s going to work.
ZIRAL and the Bajoran’s walk away disgusted.
MUKET (shouting after them)
There was bowing on the secondary hull.
CUT TO INT. READY ROOM-SPACE
SARA walks in to find CAPTAIN JERK sitting behind her desk. There’s a heavy sigh, caught red handed.
SARA (big fake smile)
Captain, I’m glad we finally have the chance to-
CAPTAIN JERK
Save it.
CAPTAIN JERK stands up and gets right in SARA’S face, she continues to smile and play the obedient commander.
CAPTAIN JERK
I decided to beam over here because clearly that was the only way I was going get to actually talk to you.
SARA
I’ve been very busy.
CAPTAIN JERK
You’ve been avoiding me.
SARA
Not at all-
CAPTAIN JERK
What are your plans for the other refugees?
SARA
We have several options we’re examining, sir.
CAPTAIN JERK folds his arms over his chest; he’s clearly not buying any of this.
CAPTAIN JERK
What options specifically?
SARA
(pause) We discovered a large vessel grounded on the planet’s surface, my engineering team is working on using it as a temporary location for the refugees.
CAPTAIN JERK
Does your chief engineer have a status report on the vessel’s capabilities?
SARA pauses again, she can’t lie directly…
SARA
My chief believes the Bajoran crew is more then capable of doing that on their own. I have sent down my First Officer to asses-
CAPTAIN JERK
This is a crisis situation, Commander, and you’re letting your officers “delegate”?
SARA has just about had enough with this guy.
SARA
Captain, I understand your desire to adhere to Starfleet regulations, however I feel you’re strongly overestimating my respect for the chain of command.
CAPTAIN JERK
I beg your pardon-
SARA (glaring)
This is the Tars Tavik, Captain, the normal rules don’t apply and when I’ve got a tough situation in front of me I let my officers do what ever it takes to get the job done. Now if you feel like telling me how to command my ship, that’s your right as a superior officer. However, when you’re done yelling and screaming, remember that you get to leave this godforsaken pit in space and I get to stay. So I will do the job however the fuck I choose.
CAPTAIN JERK
This is insubordination.
SARA
Maybe so, if you want to file a complaint you can do it with Admiral Kelly. Say hi for me, she was the maid of honor at my wedding.
SARA walks out of the ready room, leaving CAPTAIN JERK in stunned silence.
FADE TO REFUGEE CRASH SITE-NIGHT
Work lights and portable power tools are everywhere. The Bajoran engineers are crawling all over the ugly brown wreck of a ship. The BIG BAJORAN and ZIRAL are supervising the analysis of the ship.
BIG BAJORAN
{Bajoran} I still can’t believe the Federation allows Cardassians into their Starfleet. Their ships must stink of used scales and Kanar.
ZIRAL
{Bajoran} They let us in, I suppose they have to let anyone else in, too.
BIG BAJORAN
{Bajoran} What’s next? A Vorta?
FROST is walking up from behind them, holding a piece of the dead ship’s hull. He looks angry.
FROST
I’m not sure if this is some kind of Bajoran practical joke, but I don’t find it funny.
He tosses the hull fragment on the ground.
FROST
It won’t make atmosphere, probably wouldn’t even make it off the ground.
ZIRAL and the BIG BAJORAN stare at him.
ZIRAL
We haven’t even started examining it yet!
FROST
I don’t have to. (he points to the hull fragment) That thing is riddled with micro fractures all along the secondary hull.
ZIRAL
Micro fractures can be repaired, if you were an engineer you’d know that.
FROST
I was an engineer, during the Cardassian Wars, that’s how I know that the bowing on the hull-
ZIRAL
Bowing?
FROST (nods)
Bowing.
CUT TO EXT. IN ORBIT-SPACE
The storm now dwarfs the planet and the two ships in orbit around it. The first few pieces of dirty space snow shatter across the Nelson’s hull.
CUT TO INT. TRANSPORTER PAD 2-SPACE
The Bajorans, lead by ZIRAL, enter the transporter room. MUKET is trying to repair his machine; he looks over his shoulder at them, glares, and goes back to work. The BIG BAJORAN grits his teeth and places the generator in front of him. MUKET looks at it, then looks at him.
MUKET (harsh)
Install it.
It’s an order. The Bajoran grimaces for a second, and then goes about his work. The other Bajorans start repairing the machine and MUKET tries to leave. ZIRAL stops him.
ZIRAL
How did you know?
MUKET looks annoyed for a moment, then sighs and acts like the bigger man.
MUKET
I knew because I take the time to know these things. I do happen to know what I’m doing. (makes eye contact with ZIRAL) I realize I’m a little eccentric but if I tell you something won’t fly, then in my expert opinion it won’t fly.
ZIRAL, feeling a little ashamed, joins her colleagues in fixing the machine. MUKET leaves the room.
CUT TO INT. HALLWAY-SPACE
WALSH and DECKER are handing out field rations to hungry refugees, hundreds of people are sitting along the wall of the hallway and Starfleet personnel have to push to one side to distribute blankets and food.
DECKER (to refugee)
Yes, I know they taste terrible but we don’t have replicators yet. (to WALSH) So she knows about you and Callahan?
WALSH
She’s got a hotline to my brain, how could she not?
DECKER
You mean that mating thing?
WALSH nods.
DECKER
Shouldn’t you get that fixed or something?
WALSH
I don’t know, I suppose. We’ve never really talked about it.
DECKER
Why the hell not?
WALSH
Because we don’t really talk at all. She’ll walk into the room, suddenly we’re fighting.
DECKER
Why’d you get divorced?
WALSH
Because we were always fighting.
DECKER
I see…so you’re divorced, always fighting and you’re playing doctor with another woman.
WALSH
What’s your point?
DECKER reaches up and knocks on WALSH’S forehead like Biff Tanner (“Hello, McFly!”)
DECKER
Get the bond severed, dumbass!
WALSH has a cutting response ready but the ship shakes and the lights dim for a moment. The ship shakes again and now WALSH and DECKER are in motion.
Long, uncut shot of WALSH and DECKER running like mad men through the crowded hallways of the Nelson. The finally reach the turbo lift and jump inside.
CUT TO-INT. NELSON BRIDGE- SPACE
The turbo lift doors open on a chaotic bridge with a panicking crew watching large chunks of dirt ice strike the ship’s hull. SARA and FROST are trying to get some level of control over the crew.
DECKER and WALSH take their positions. More shaking.
SARA
So nice of you to join us gentlemen! (to TACTICAL) go to red alert (to DECKER) Helm to quarter impulse, try to get us away from the big stuff.
TACTICAL
Should I raise Shields?
SARA
Not yet, we need to start transporting people off that rock. Speaking of which, (taps comm) Mr. Muket, give me good news.
CUT TO-INT. TRANSPORTER PAD 2- SPACE
MUKET taps a console, putting the finishing touches on his programming. The Bajorans look anxious, they’re sorry they were jerks but that doesn’t mean they think this is going to work.
MUKET
Almost…
SARA (over comm)
Today, Mr. Muket!
The console beeps and MUKET smiles.
MUKET
Ready for transport.
CUT TO INT. REFUGEE TUNNELS-NIGHT
JIMENEZ, WOLFE, and PROVIX are standing near a large group of about twenty five refugees, CALLAHAN and other Marines are each standing near their own groups. The planet is shaking and cracking around them.
WOLFE
Group 1 for beam up!
The refugees begin to dematerialize, the vanish. WOLFE looks impressed.
CUT TO INT. TRANSPORTER PAD 2-SPACE
ZIRAL looks at the pattern buffer read out.
ZIRAL
I’ve got them.
MUKET smiles again, taps a button on the console.
MUKET
Nelson to Away Team, prepare for the rest of them.
CUT TO REFUGEE TUNNELS-NIGHT
All of the other refugees fade and disappear, leaving just the Marines.
Tight on WOLFE.
WOLFE (nervous)
Okay, now when you beam us up…please don’t use the scary, untested experimental transporter, just use the regular one.
MUKET (over comm)
If you insist.
CUT TO INT. NELSON BRIDGE- SPACE
More shaking, SARA can barely stay on her feet. FROST has his console over his chair.
FROST
The pattern buffer just received all one hundred signals.
SARA
Thank god, beam up our own people and contact the Cherokee. Tell her to make for Starbase 234 at best possible speed. (to DECKER) Full impulse, get us the hell out of here.
DECKER (relieved)
Yes, sir!
CUT TO EXT. IN SIDE THE STORM-SPACE
The Nelson and the Cherokee maneuver in and around massive chunks of asteroid and space ice. Micro rocks bounce across the shields. The Nelson charges ahead through the storm with the Cherokee right behind her.
TIGHT on a huge chunk of rock breaking off it’s parent, then hurling towards the Cherokee. The shields do nothing against the fast moving rock piece and it smashes into the Cherokee and breaks off one of it’s nacelles.
It’s dead in space, at the mercy of the storm.
Continue on to ACT FIVE...