Buck Rogers in the 26th Century 



Episode 120x "The Seeker of the Searcher" 
Written by: Erin Weinstock 


I don't hold any of the copyrights in this story, and this story was 
made without profit. 

This story was written in the memory of Jane Forgey. 

Teaser: 

Cut to: 

ext: Launch Pad: (Episode 11) 

Woman Two or Raycor: "This isn't Earth. This is a planet we made to 
resemble Earth; it's over eighty thousand light years away from any 
alien settlement and well past where any species from Earth has ever 
traveled..." 

Cut to: 

ext: Space: (Episode 2) 

The new Z-87 is heading away from the Sunfall. Fox's Z-87 can be seen 
heading after it. 

V.O. Fox: "Guys I know you said stay with the ship, but this doesn't 
seem right. I'm going after this unknown eagle." 

Cut to: 

int: Huer's Office: (Episode 8) 

Huer: "That attack is something I'm sure their media will milk for ages 
to come. The term "Unknown Eagle" was coined due to attacks that up 
until now have only been on Earth ships. And even then, only Earth ships 
carrying Humans. We don't know where these ships come from, or who's in 
control of them." 

Cut to: 

int: locker Janus: (Episode 17) 

Fox: "Doctor Huer wasn't the Director of the Defense Directorate back 
when this was built, Asimov was." 

Buck: "Heard of Asimov once before. A real old war horse right?" Buck is 
now once more standing before the time machine. 

Cut camera to Buck standing before the camera looking past it. Fox: "A 
retired war horse; the Defense Directorate hasn't seen or heard from the 
man in years." 

Cut to: 

int: Holographic Training Simulator: (Episode 16) 

Huer: "True, but you were told to keep your actions on that mission 
low-key, which is a fact you failed at miserably. [ beat ] You even took 
Twiki along!" 

Buck: "I didn't ask the robot to join me, he decided to come on his 
own!" 

Huer starts walking towards the airlock door and Buck follows him in 
turn. Huer: "Buck, I'm sorry but I can't have you doing any work for the 
Defense Directorate till I can clean up the political mess you helped 
make on your last mission." 

Cut to: 

int: Huer's Office: (Episode 8) 

Huer: "All of our ships have known for ages not to enter the Altaira 
Galaxy." 

Aleekeyta: "But you've still sent ships." 

Huer: "No, the Defense Directorate has not sent any ships. The only 
Earth ships that have gone out that way are ships that are independent 
of any Directorate. To what I've heard they've just been single 
passenger ships and research ones, some of them even loaded for bear." 

Cut to: 

ext: Defense Directorate / shuttle park: (Episode 4) 

V.O. Huer as he's walking towards the entrance to the interior of the 
Defense Directorate: "I must sit down with him at some point, have a 
talk with him man to man. I just have to get eye to eye with Buck, for 
his good and maybe for my own." 

Cut to: 

int: Bar: 

This is the same bar we last saw back in Episode 13. Buck and Huer have 
just entered; Huer is in the lead towards the bar stools. 

Huer: "Buck, it will be my treat." 

Buck: "Sure, but I never figured." 

Huer sits down at a bar stool. Huer: "There's more to life than work you 
know?" 

Buck takes a stool beside Huer. Cont: "We've never really talked, I want 
to get to know you." 

Buck: "Well what do you want to know?" 

Huer to the Bartender: "Two beers please." Huer returns his attention to 
Buck, Cont: "You were saying?" 

Buck: "What do you want to know about me?" 

Huer: "All I really know about you is what I know from your work file 
and what others have told me." Huer settles into his seat more. Cont: 
"I've had a few talks with Rick, but due to having heard you say the 
history files are wrong on a few points I'm not sure I can trust 
everything Rick says." 

The Bartender places two glasses of beer in front of Huer and Buck. Buck 
to the Bartender: "Thank you." Huer raises his glass in appreciation to 
the barkeep and takes a drink. 

Buck: "I grew up mostly in Minnesota with my dad Frank and my mother 
Heather; I had a brother named Ben who years later married a woman named 
-." 

The camera cuts on to some guys who look like the wrong sort to mess 
with watching Buck and Huer. David: "The old one looks like a light 
weight, wanna take bets?" Buck: "Tammy; towards the end of high school 
he talked me into joining to Air Force. This didn't last long but Jenny 
then talked me back in years later [ beat ] and again." 

Jacob: "What's the Air Force?" 

Huer: "This Air Force, it was a lot like the Defense Directorate right?" 

Buck: "The Defense Directorate is bigger, much, much bigger." 

Trent: "Ten on the old man." 

Huer: "Why did you flip in and out of the Air Force that way?" 

Buck: "Doctor Huer, you really don't want to hear about the first time [ 
beat ] and the second, I got forced." 

David, Trent and Jacob look to each other and all at once: "Fifty we can 
get what we want." 

The trio gets up and moves over to Buck and Huer. Buck looks to Trent as 
he puts a hand on his shoulder; Huer is looking at his drink. 

Trent: "Want a better seat? We need a couple more players for a game we 
want to play." 

Buck to Huer: "Doctor?" 

Huer still looking at the drink: "What kind of game?" 

David: "Mushroom." 

Huer now looks to David, Huer: "What's Mushroom?" 

David: "It's a drinking game, the winner is king of the bar if he wins." 

Huer looking to Buck: "What the hell?" 

Buck and Huer get up and the trio leads them over to the table they were 
at earlier. 

As they all sit down, David pulls a deck of cards out of a pocket and 
puts them on the table. Trent yelling towards the Bartender: "Two 
pitchers please, one here and one on stand by." 

Jacob holds up a card for Buck and Huer to see. Jacob: "Everybody gets 
an even amount of cards." 

Jacob divides the cards between everybody. David sets a glass in the 
middle of the table and sets one of his cards on top of it. 

Jacob: "We go around the table, each of us places one of our cards 
around the card already on the glass. The loser is the one who makes all 
the cards fall; the winner is the one who placed the card on before the 
winner. But in the mean time as each card is placed on the cup we ask 
the card layer a question he must answer and the card layer also has to 
take a drink." 

Buck: "You think you could handle this Doctor?" 

Huer refills his glass, takes a drink and lays a card on the card 
already stacked. Huer, turning to Jacob: "Ask." 

Cut to: 

int: Huer's Office: 

Huer is at his desk with his head on it. 

Theopolis: "Doctor Huer, are you all right?" 

Huer not lifting his head: "In five to six hours I will be." 

Theopolis: "Are you sick?" 

Huer: "I can't remember last night." 

Theopolis: "Then the news I have for you should refresh your memory." 

Huer: "Tell it." 

Theopolis: "The triple capacity shuttle you ordered to Palso Heights has 
arrived, but the supplies and weapons won't arrive there till tomorrow." 

Huer shoots his head up from his desk with a look of sudden horror. 

End Teaser 

Pre-Credits: 

Beginning of Act One: 

int: Buck's Bedroom: 

Buck is passed out on his bed on top of its covers wearing yesterday's 
clothes when ... 

Loud knocking can be heard, along with V.O. Huer: "Buck!? Buck, please 
let me in, we need to talk, it's urgent!" 

Buck moans and picks himself off the bed. 

Cut to: 

int: Buck's Living Room: 

Buck is coming towards the door. 

V.O. Huer: "If you're not awake I need you to wake up now!" 

Buck pushes a button on the door's access panel. Buck: "Doctor Huer [ 
beat ] you can come in now." 

Huer rushes through the door and runs into Buck who stumbles backwards. 

Huer: "Sorry Buck." 

Buck just waves Huer off and goes to his couch to sit down. Buck: "I'm 
not awake yet, what's the emergency?" 

Huer sits down with Buck on the couch. Huer: "What do you remember about 
last night?" 

Buck: "Getting really drunk." 

Huer: "Besides that." 

Buck: "Playing a game of Mushroom [ beat ] that resulted in us getting 
really drunk." 

Huer: "Do you remember when I made that deal with those guys about the 
ship?" 

Buck: "I remember that, that was neat, they're going to find that lost 
ship thanks to you." 

Huer: "Buck, you can't tell anyone about those men, what I gave them and 
their hunt for the Searcher with it." 

Buck: "Why not?" 

Huer takes in a deep breath. Huer: "It could cost me my job." 

Buck: "How so?" 

Huer: "I funded them with money and supplies from the Defense 
Directorate. Their hunt for the Searcher isn't business of the Defense 
Directorate. These facts can and most likely will get me fired." 

Buck: "Just tell them you made a mistake and get everything back." 

Huer: "I can't do that." 

Buck: "Bad pickle." 

Huer: "What?" 

Buck: "Bad situation." 

Huer: "I can't take back what I've given them [ beat ] they might tell 
others what I did [ beat ] job still lost!" 

Huer settles into the couch more. Cont: "I need you and maybe one other 
to contain the situation." 

Buck turns to Huer and speaking slowly: "What are you saying?" 

Huer: "I need you to join them in their mission to find the Searcher, 
make sure they keep things under wraps." 

Buck: "It's into the Altaira Galaxy." 

Huer: "You can take someone with you, but don't reveal to them where the 
supplies came from unless necessary." 

Cut to: 

ext: Field: 

Buck and Wilma are standing together looking forward. 

Wilma: "They've painted it." 

Buck: "Camouflage." 

Wilma turning to Buck, Wilma: "In outer space." 

Buck turning to Wilma, Buck: "It will be fun." 

Wilma: "To the Altaira Galaxy." 

They start walking forward. 

The camera pans to being behind them as they continue walking towards 
the triple capacity Defense Directorate ship mentioned earlier. What it 
looks like is, picture a Defense Directorate shuttle only with its 
ridges very faded out into the body, larger and more windows. 

Cut to: 

int: Storage: 

David, Trent and two others we'll come to know as Sam and Zack are 
loading crates into the ship. As Jacob watches them working he works on 
a checklist. When this scene starts Buck and Wilma have just walked in 
here. 

Jacob: "What are you doing here, Rogers?" 

Buck to Wilma: "Wilma, you find your place here, I need to have a talk 
with him." Buck points to Jacob. 

Wilma watches Buck for a few moments as he heads towards Jacob before 
heading elsewhere in the ship. Cont: "Jacob, we need to talk." 

Jacob: "It's my ship now." 

Buck: "I know that, I'm just here to make sure nothing bad comes of that 
fact." 

Jacob: "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Buck: "How many people know about this mission of yours and this ship?" 

Jacob: "Many know of the quest we have to find the Searcher, Rogers. But 
only my friends here know where this ship came from. We even painted it 
so people wouldn't look at it and automatically think of your 
Directorate." 

Buck: "And both Wilma and I are staying with you to ensure it stays that 
way." 

Jacob: "What if I don't want either of you to stay on board?" He says 
drawing a blaster on Buck. 

Buck draws out a blaster on Jacob as he says: "This used to be a Defense 
Directorate shuttle, Jacob. And as the result of that I know the ship 
inside and out; this information can be used to either a good or bad 
purpose, know what I mean?" 

Jacob withdraws his gun, Jacob: "I understand." 

Buck withdraws his gun now as Jacob puts out a hand for shaking. Cont: 
"Welcome on board the Seeker, Rogers." 

Buck stakes Jacob's hand. 

Cut to: 

int: Wilma's Room: 

We're at a window seeing outer space and stars streak by it. After a 
beat the camera pulls back to show Wilma staring out it. Her belongings 
that she brought, along with a mat for her, are on the floor by her. 

Buck walks into camera view and Wilma turns to him. Wilma: "Flat out, 
Buck, tell me why we're "really" here." 

Buck: "I promised Doctor Huer I wouldn't say." 

Wilma: "I understand the need to follow orders but that doesn't make me 
feel any better about this." 

Wilma walks up to Buck and speaking softly, Cont: "I don't trust these 
people, this crew." 

Wilma looks down, Cont: "There's just something wrong about it all." 

Buck lifts her head up, Buck: "Do you why we're out here?" 

Wilma: "You know I don't, [ beat ] to ensure this ship doesn't do 
anything it shouldn't to spoil the Defense Directorate's name?" 

Buck: "And?" 

Wilma: "You'll tell me now?" 

Buck stops touching Wilma's chin. Buck: "A ship named the Searcher, a 
research ship armed in case of the unknown, the unwanted unknown, set 
out ten years ago to locate planets in the Altaira Galaxy rich in 
minerals to be mined like gold, silver, barberite and therbidian 
crystal. [ beat ] No one has had contact with the ship since shortly 
after it started its mission. We're here to help find it." 

Wilma: "That's what Huer didn't what you to tell me?" 

Buck: "No, but it does clarify some of this, doesn't it?" 

Wilma: "A little, but I still don't like it that the full picture can't 
be told to me." 

Buck: "Doctor's orders, Wilma." 

Cut to: 

int: Outside Wilma's Room: 

Sam is at Wilma's door with his ear pressed up to it. After a beat he 
turns his head away to Trent who's by him. Note the whole time they're 
talking in this scene it's at just a whisper of sound. 

Trent: "Well?" 

Sam: "He won't trust her and the fact he's a fighter I don't trust him. 
There must be a reason they're here that isn't being talked about." 

Trent: "Any idea what that could be?" 

Sam: "No, but I think we should stop him before he does whatever it is 
he plans to do." 

Trent: "And what about her?" 

Sam smiles widely. 

Trent: "You let me have her first, then you get her." 

Sam: "How soon?" 

Trent: "When he's alone; I don't want her to see it." 

Sam knocks on the door; his voice returns to normal volume. Sam: "Hey, 
Rogers could you come out here a moment?" 

A beat and nothing happens Sam takes on an inpatient look. 

Cont: "Rogers, come out!" 

Trent hits Sam's head into the door. 

Buck pops his head out, Buck: "Yes?" 

Trent: "Sam wasn't using his head right, we need to talk alone." 

End of Act One: 

Beginning of Act Two: 

int: Outside Wilma's Room: 

This scene is the same as we last saw it with Buck, Trent and Sam. 

Trent: "Rogers, you're knowing these ships in and out, [ beat ] we need 
your help." 

Buck: "I lied." 

Trent: "What!?" 

Buck: "I only came here for that first reason I told about." 

Trent: "Why you!" Trent reaches for the door to strangle Buck. 

Buck quickly moves his head back into the door. 

Cut to: 

int: Wilma's Room: 

Wilma: "Is something wrong?" 

Buck: "Made a mistake by telling them." Buck turns to Wilma, Cont: "I 
lied about knowing this ship inside and out." 

Wilma: "Well why would you ever tell them such a thing to begin with. 
Knowing the ship." 

Buck: "He pointed a blaster at me and we needed to stay on the ship." 

Wilma: "Let me handle this." 

Cut to: 

int: Outside Wilma's Room: 

Sam's gone but Jacob is still there and he has a blaster trained on 
Wilma's door. 

Wilma steps out of her door and sees the gun. Wilma: "Fine greeting." 

Trent: "I want Rogers out here." 

Wilma: "You're not the only one here armed with one of those. I came out 
to help you with your ship, I DO know a few things about Defense 
Directorate ships and Buck and I will be working together. Put down your 
gun." She says that last sentence very sternly. 

Trent: "You aren't lying to me too, are ya?" 

Wilma: "I helped to design the Z-87 Wolf fighters; it shouldn't be hard 
to arm this ship if you have the right tools and oxygen suits." 

Trent lowers the gun giving her a dirty look and leaves camera view. 
V.O. Trent: "Follow me." 

Wilma turning towards the door: "You can come out now." 

Buck comes out from the door, Buck: "I could have handled him." 

Wilma: "Sure you could have," she says as they start to move in the 
direction Trent went. 

Buck gives a half grin and follows Wilma off camera. 

Cut to: 

int: Storage: 

The camera is on a pile of weapons and parts for installing them to the 
ship. After a beat the camera pans up to Buck and Wilma; Trent and Zack 
are in the background. 

Buck: "I think this will more than do." 

Wilma: "Buck do you know of any Human who ever came out of the Altaira 
Galaxy alive?" 

Buck: "No." He turns backwards towards Trent, Cont: "Planning to take 
down every unknown eagle there is?" 

Trent: "Get to work." 

Wilma bends down to lift up a part. Wilma: "This needs to be installed 
onto the end of the underside of your left wing." 

Wilma points to different part on the floor. Cont: "Buck, we're going to 
need that part for it too." 

Buck bends down to get it, Wilma whispering: "Where did you meet these 
people?" 

Buck: "In a bar." 

Cut to: 

int: Outside Airlock: 

The camera is close in on Buck and Wilma who have their backs to each 
other and also have started putting on the spacesuits over their normal 
clothes. 

Wilma: "I've never known you to be a drinker." 

Buck: "It wasn't my idea to go there." 

Wilma pulls the suit on herself nearly full and Zack comes up behind her 
and she tries to zip up her back. 

Cut camera to Wilma's back as her fingers try with the zipper. Suddenly 
Zack grabs the zipper and starts running it up her back along with his 
other hand with one finger pressing her back moving up as if guiding the 
other hand. 

Zack: "I can do that for you." 

Wilma tries to turn around to him but he stops her. Wilma: "Get off!" 

Buck turns to Zack and Wilma and takes on an angry look. 

Buck forces Zack away from Wilma. Buck: "Don't touch her." 

Zack: "Touch me and when you go out that airlock it won't be in a 
spacesuit." 

Zack makes a smile and a kiss face to Wilma. Trent crosses his arms; 
Buck balls up a fist. 

Cont: "The same goes for you if it's in the wrong way." 

Buck hits Zack and Zack stumbles backwards. 

Cont: "You dung head, what is she yours or something?!" 

Buck: "Don't touch her." 

Zack with both hands picks up one of the larger weapons from the floor. 
It's meant to be used on the ship. 

He then looks around on it for how to work it. 

Buck laughs. 

Zack sets it aside then pile drives into Buck's gut. 

Trent to Wilma as Buck and Zack fight: "My bet's on Zack." 

Wilma gives Trent a mean look. 

David walks into the scene. 

David notes what's going on and fires a blaster close by the Zack and 
Buck. David: "Break it up!" 

Buck and Zack stop fighting at noticing what David has done. 

Cont: "What happened here?" 

Zack: "Nothing." 

Buck: "He tried to touch her." 

David turns to Wilma, looking to her to confirm this. 

Wilma shakes her head yes. 

David turns back to Buck and Zack. David: "Zack." David turns to Trent, 
Cont: "Trent, can either of you install the weapons?" 

Trent: "I can build hand weapons." 

David: "We're going to be in the Altaira Galaxy soon; learn fast how to 
install them into the ship without the Defense Directorate here." 

Zack: "Dave!" 

David: "Since you can't get along with them in this work, I want you to 
work alone. It will be on your head if something happens to us now." 

Wilma to David: "Sir um, Captain? I think that would be highly unwise." 

David: "They'll work hard, they'll get it done, is that understood?" 

Wilma: "Clearly." 

David: "Defense Directorate babe and Buck, I think both of you should 
know I don't want you here. One cabin for the two of you for the rest of 
this mission and I don't want to see either of you for that matter as 
well." 

Buck and Wilma look at each other. Wilma: "I have the larger room, we'll 
stay in mine." 

Buck and Wilma then leave the camera view together. 

Cut to: 

int: Outside Wilma's Room: 

As Buck and Wilma are about to enter, Buck: "We're all going to die." 

Wilma: "In full Buck, I want you to tell me now why we're here." 

Wilma disappears into the door followed by Buck. 

Cut to: 

int: Outside Airlock: 

David, Zack and Trent are still here as before. 

Trent to David: "I wanted him alone." 

David: "For what?" 

Trent: "For his death." 

David: "There's no call for that, not for some little fight." 

Zack: "Rogers can't be trusted, Dave; he and that woman work for the 
Defense Directorate. They're not exactly on our side." 

Trent: "He's hiding something." 

David: "If and when we find the Searcher, when we get its data, 
depending on how they act will determine whether or not I let you kill 
him." 

Zack: "What about what's to be done with the woman? I'd like to have 
her." 

David: "And I'd like you to start on installing the weapons." 

Zack starts putting on a spacesuit, glaring at David as Trent does 
nothing. 

Cont: "BOTH." 

Trent grabs a spacesuit in quick movement. 

David leaves the scene. 

Zack to Trent as he finishes putting on his suit: "It doesn't have to be 
Rogers; I don't care who it is but before this mission is over I will be 
shooting someone." 

Trent starts putting on his suit, Trent: "I have your back on that man." 

Zack smiles and Trent right back at him. 

End of Act Two: 

Beginning of Act Three: 

ext: Space: 

The camera is off a small distance from the Seeker. We can see two 
people in spacesuits: crouching on a wing, working on its internal 
hardware with a weapon to be installed. Note the ship is moving. 

V.O. Wilma: "They should have taken care of adding the insulations back 
on Earth. It's insane to do that kind of work out here." 

The camera starts to move in on the ship more. V.O. Buck: "Wilma, I'm 
not sure if you've noticed this by now, but these aren't the most sane 
of people." 

The camera pans on to Trent's face before the glass of his helmet and we 
see a deep look of concentration on it. 

The camera then cuts to him working on the hardware and wires. He's 
holding one green wire in one hand and has just picked up another green 
wire in the other hand. 

Trent turns to Zack who's holding a 26th century style walkie-talkie to 
him. Trent: "Try it now," as he touches the two green wires together. 

The weapon being worked on fires a shot. Zack shouts in happy excitement 
at the fact. 

Happily, Cont: "It worked!" 

V.O. Jacob: "Now solder it all up, we might need it working soon." 

Trent: "We'll get started." 

Zack puts the walkie-talkie into a pocket; as he does so he hits a 
button on it that turns it off. 

Zack looks around. 

Cont: "What?" 

Zack: "I don't see anything but stars." 

Tent starts soldering the wires. Trent: "I think they're more of a myth 
than a reality; come on Zack, "space birds that attack ships"?" 

Zack: "But the Searcher and all those others?" 

Trent now starts working on the hardware around the wires of the weapon, 
fixing everything in place. Trent: "Nobody knows what happened to the 
Searcher or the others. [ beat ] My bet is it was the Draconians before 
anyone knew they controlled the pirate ships." 

Zack stands up and looks forward (side POV); he puts a hand near his 
eyes. Zack: "I see something." 

Trent, not looking: "Zack, you're imagining things." 

Zack: "No, I'm not, look." 

Trent turns to Zack and then looks in the direction he's looking in. 

The camera holds on their looks before cutting to... 

Space, but in the distance we can see a planet with lack of true detail 
due to how far away it is. 

The camera cuts back on to Zack and Trent. Trent: "Just some little 
planet." 

Trent turns to Zack. Cont: "I don't think it's going to attack us." 

Trent finishes working on the weapon and Zack after a beat says: "Trent, 
[ beat ] I think we should get inside." 

Trent: "What a dumb, Zack of course we have to get back inside. We still 
need to get the supplies to work on the other wing." 

In the zero-g environment Zack tries to quickly move to the airlock to 
get back in the ship. Trent, noticing Zack's behavior: "It's no big 
rush." 

Zack makes it inside. 

Trent looks towards where Zack was looking. 

Cut camera on to Trent's helmet as terror starts to fill his face 
smoothly as in his helmet's glass we see an unknown eagle coming at him 
fast out of the distance ahead of him. 

Cut camera on to Trent as the unknown eagle's talons quickly come 
towards him and in a flash spike him through carrying him off the wing. 

Cut to: 

int: Outside Airlock: 

Zack is coming into the ship from the airlock in panic. As fast as he 
can he clicks the latches of his helmet to take it off, drops it and 
runs off camera. 

Cut to: 

int: Main Cabin: 

David and Jacob are at the controls; in the background we can see Zack 
running forward in the hallway before the main cabin. Zack: "They're 
here! We need to leave now!" 

David turns towards Zack who has just now made it to the cabin. David: 
"Who's here?" 

Zack: "The eagles are here!" 

Jacob: "Where's Trent?" 

Zack takes on a look of horror then pushes past David and Jacob to try 
and take a good look towards out the side of the window. 

After a beat Zack leaves being by the window with a melancholy look on 
his face. Cont: "He's still working out there?" 

Zack sinks down on the dash. 

David: "Get off of that and go out there to help him." 

Zack: "I can't help him now." He says softly. 

David: "Why not?" 

Zack: "He's dead." 

David and Jacob quickly look out the window how Zack was. 

Cut to: 

int: Wilma (and now Buck's) Room: 

Buck is standing and Wilma is sitting cross-legged on the floor. 

Wilma looking cheery: "I cross my heart and hope to die, I won't tell 
anyone Buck." 

Buck starts coming down to the floor to Wilma, when at the sound of 
weapon fire from outside he stops in his tracks. 

Buck straightens back up again and takes on a puzzled look. 

The weapon can be heard firing again. 

Wilma gets up and takes on a serious look. 

Buck: "More weapons tests?" 

Wilma starts heading for the window when... 

We hear a massive scrapping of metal and the lights flicker for a beat. 

Wilma: "Not a weapons test." 

Buck: "Strew his orders we need to get out of here." 

Buck and Wilma head for the door. 

Cut to: 

int: Storage: 

Buck and Wilma head in here in a rush as we hear more gunfire from 
outside. 

Cont: "I'm certain when we were in here earlier I saw a few other 
spacesuits! We need to make sure everyone gets one on!" 

Wilma: "Why!?" 

Buck starts going through storage crates quickly looking for the suits. 
Buck: "In case -!" He's cut off by a loud metal ripping sound that makes 
the room shift right. 

Cont: "Wilma, eagles can rip apart whole ships! Remember how the Daffo 
looked?!" 

Wilma joins in helping Buck in his search. Wilma: "It was 
depressurized." 

Buck holds up a suit from a crate. Buck: "Found 'em." 

Buck grabs out as much as he can hold; Wilma without being asked pulls 
out the rest. 

They run off camera. 

Cut to: 

int: Main Cabin: 

The camera is close on David and Jacob. 

David: "I think we lost a wing in that last attack, I'm having trouble 
controlling movement!" 

Jacob is holding a box in his hands that has controls on it for firing; 
a few wires extend from it to the ship. Jacob works the controls for 
firing and we hear the blasts sound off. 

Cut to: 

ext: Space: 

The camera is on the weapon we saw installed in the wing earlier: it's 
firing off into space. 

Cut camera to an unknown eagle making a turn-a-round for an attack. As 
it moves we see the gunfire go through it. 

Cut to: 

int: Main Cabin: 

The camera is close up on Jacob as Buck hands a spacesuit right in front 
of him. 

Jacob turning to Buck: "Get that out of my face, I don't need it!" 

Buck: "This is a fight we can't win! If we lose atmosphere you'll need 
it!" 

David looks to Buck and Wilma, David: "What the hell are you guys doing 
here?!" 

Wilma: "Trying to save your lives!" 

Buck points towards the window, Buck: "We need to get to that planet!" 

David: "We're missing a wing!" 

End of Act Three: 

Beginning of Act Four: 

ext: Throm / Cliff: 

In the foreground we see the back of a girl's head, that happens to be 
covered in light gray feathers with black at their tips; the feathers on 
the sides of her head push backwards into tufts that curve upwards 
lightly. The wind blows at her gently, pushing the feathers as she looks 
out at a burning wreckage that is so far away we can't tell yet that 
it's the Seeker. The wind is also blowing its smoke, but the fire 
doesn't seem to be melting the cracked ice ground it's sitting on in a 
shallow sea. 

The camera cuts to in front of her face: she looks to be 10 or 11 years 
ago. She scrunches her face in concentration; her feathers puff lightly 
and the ones on her eyebrows tighten. 

She looks down. 

Cut camera to a front view of the cliff; we see it's a long drop to the 
ground below. Moving all the way up the wall of rock and ice we see a 
long stairway and one home, seated on a lower cliff near the steps. It's 
a dome in shape and it has designs in big bold earth color prints all 
over it. 

Cut camera to the ground of the icy sea; after a beat, feet land on it, 
barely rocking the ice. 

Cut camera to the girl looking back up towards the top of the rock face 
she was just on, smiling; she's a Tangata manu and that jump was nothing 
to her. 

Cut to: 

ext: Seeker: 

The ship has been wrecked and if anyone is alive within it, it will look 
to be a miracle. The camera smoothly pans around this scene as we take 
in the sight and its crew unconscious, wearing the spacesuits Buck and 
Wilma had insisted on: the suits look tattered and dirty. After a beat 
... 

The camera pans to the Tangata manu girl staring at this, she can't see 
the bodies from where she is. 

She moves around the wreck and picks up to then only quickly drop a 
piece of hot metal. 

She gets some of the ice water in her hands and swashes it on the metal 
and it hisses at being cooled. 

Cut camera into the wreckage as Zack opens his eyes and slowly moves 
them towards the sound off camera. 

The camera now cuts back to the girl as she picks up another piece of 
metal that she's recently cooled. 

She turns her head to the sound of footsteps moving on the wreckage. 

Zack comes into view with a firearm in hand. She looks at him puzzled. 

He shoots her, blasting her backwards. 

In a montage we see the rest of the crew quickly up their eyes up as a 
second shot is fired off camera. 

Cut camera to the girl weakly lying on the ground, her eyes distant 
looking up into the shadow above her. 

Cut camera to Zack standing over her casting shadow, smiling with the 
gun still in hand, and after a beat Buck quickly comes into view decking 
him hard and fast. 

Cut camera to Zack and Buck standing. Zack: "What the hell is wrong with 
you!?" 

Buck: "Why!? Why'd you do it?! She's a little girl!" 

Zack: "She's a freak." 

Buck tries to take the gun from Zack who refuses to let go. 

Buck tries harder and with both hands gets him to let go; he then throws 
it off away from the wreckage. At the same time Wilma and Sam come into 
view. 

Turning to Wilma and Sam, Buck: "Do either of you have medical 
training?" 

Sam shakes his head no. Wilma: "What happened?" She says going over to 
Buck and looking at the girl. 

Buck bends down to the girl, Buck: "He shot her, no reason was behind 
it." 

Talking to the girl, Cont: "Is it OK to move you?" 

The girl weakly shakes her head yes. 

Buck gently picky her up, Cont: "Are there any places nearby that could 
treat you?" 

Girl, still in the same tone as before: "Town." 

Buck: "Where's that?" 

The girl moves eyes to the side indicating the direction, then she turns 
them back to Buck. 

Cut to: 

ext: Throm / Cliff: 

Buck's carrying the girl, followed by Wilma, and the rest of the Seeker 
crew come into view from having climbed up the stairs carved into the 
rock face. They take a beat to take in the sight off camera. 

The camera pans to the sight before them and we see more Tangata manu 
and the type of building we saw earlier on the cliff. Some of them stare 
at the crew and Buck with the girl, others go about their business not 
noticing them at all. One of them, a man with white feathers black 
tipped and tan floating over the white, comes towards them enraged. 

Cut camera to close to Buck with the girl as the enraged Tangata manu 
comes up to him. Dad: "You beast! Give me back my child!" 

Buck slowly hands over the girl as to not cause her further harm. Buck: 
"She's wounded." 

The Dad swiftly pans his view across the crew and Buck. Dad: "Thanks to 
Humans!" 

Buck: "I didn't do -." 

Dad: "You won't do anything more, I'll see you die for this!" 

Another Tangata manu walks up and speaks to the Dad: "But remember, 
first a trial, you'll be breaking the law otherwise."

Cut to: 

ext: Town: 

It's nighttime, but the sky and the land are lit by the glow of the 
moon. The camera is focused on a home that's rather large. 

V.O. Robin: "I don't want you feeding them." 

V.O. Chanticleer: "Just one." 

V.O. Robin: "Which one?" 

V.O. Chanticleer: "The one who held Lark." 

int: Home: 

Chanticleer, who looks to be in her mid-teens, holds a tray with a 
little food on it standing near Robin who's much older than her. The 
room they're in appears to be a social room and bedroom at the same 
time, books line its walls and there's a curving stairwell leading 
downwards from it. 

Robin: "Only him, and not all of it." 

Chanticleer: "Thank you." 

Robin: "Why do you want to do this? We don't owe them anything?" 

Cut to: 

int: Basement: 

The whole of the Seeker's crew has their hands and feet bound together. 
Chanticleer is untying Buck's hands and has the tray of food beside him. 

Chanticleer: "I don't believe you're all bad." 

Buck: "So you believe us?" 

Chanticleer finishes untying his hands. Chanticleer: "The woman and you 
don't act like the others." 

David: "We're here you know!" 

Chanticleer looks to David and then back to Buck. Chanticleer: "You can 
be trusted right?" She hands the tray to Buck which he takes. 

Buck: "You can, but I'd like to share this with them if you don't mind?" 
Buck scoots over to Wilma, putting down the tray before doing so that 
once at her he bends over to it and brings it to her. 

Chanticleer: "You can't untie her hands or the others." 

Buck: "But you said you trusted -." 

Chanticleer gets up and starts walking towards the stairwell leading up, 
all the while looking at him. Chanticleer: "Not until you've been 
tried." 

Wilma: "Will the judge be fair?" 

Chanticleer looks down due to not wanting to answer, looks back at them, 
then heads up the stairs. 

Cut to: 

ext: Town / Court Circle: 

The camera is behind a dome building cut into a crescent shape facing 
away from us. There's a crowd in front of the building that has the crew 
of the Seeker up front and in center of it; guards stand to their sides 
to keep them in place. The camera pans to the crew. 

Cut camera to a full frontal scene of the crew. Guard One: "Presenting 
the colony of Throm's high Judge -" 

Cut camera onto a curtain in the center of the crescent shape with a 
platform in front of it and a podium. We see a Tangata manu in his early 
40's with white feathers and the same spotted look tipping them. The 
feathers wisping off to the side of his head look ragged like he's been 
through a lot in life; he looks respectable. He walks proudly to the 
podium with a cold look of his face directed towards the crowd. Cont: 
"Hawk." 

End Of Act Four. 

To be Continued ... 

Roll Credits.