Buck Rogers in the 25th Century s02e13 Episode Script
The Dorian Secret
[Man.]
Please proceed aft to the passenger cabin, ladies and gentlemen: Welcome aboard: Baggage can be stowed Welcome aboard: This way, please: [Woman On Speaker.]
Welcome to the Omega Solaris Space Terminal: Would all passengers please proceed on board: [Gasps.]
We will be leaving shortly: Please proceed on board: Thank you: Welcome to the Omega Solaris Space Terminal: Would all passengers please proceed on board: Wait! Please wait! - Help me, please: - Halt! Prepare to launch: Launching: - Are you all right? - I think so: Those were Dorian security men, weren't they? - How did you know that? - The masks: I've heard the Dorians are mutants, and they keep themselves disguised that way: - Why were they after you? - Please - Please don't ask me any questions: - Okay: Where is this shuttle going? We're headed back for the Earth ship Searcher: We've been picking up survivors of the volcanic eruptions on Avernus: - The space terminal was acting as a temporary evacuation center: - Where will you take them? To a new colony on the planet Ceneus: Please: Isn't there some way I can go with you? For the time being, consider yourself a survivor: Thank you: [Man Narrating.]
In the year 1987, NASA launched the last of America's deep space probes: Aboard this compact starship, a lone astronaut, Captain William "Buck'"Rogers, was to experience cosmic forces beyond all comprehension: In a freak mishap, his life-support systems were frozen: : : By temperatures beyond imagination: Ranger 3 was blown out of its planned trajectory: : : Into an orbit 1,000 times more vast, an orbit which was to return Buck Rogers to Earth: : : Take any seat in the cabin you wish, ladies and gentlemen: This way, please: Hello: Welcome aboard: [Chattering.]
Hello: I'm Colonel Deering: I'll be your liaison between the passengers and the ship's command while you're here: Hello, Colonel: I'm Darel and this is my husband, Joham: Hi: Nice to meet you, Colonel: Very nice to meet you as well: If you need any help, let me know: Thank you: Thank you very much: So you're not settling on Ceneus, huh? No: I fly freighters out of Rigel and Clomax 4: I meet my ship on Ceneus: I see: What about you, my friend? What line of work are you in? The best: Maximum return on minimum investment: Uh, perhaps we could: : : Start a game: Well, well: A gambler: Actually, a little bit of everything: : : That doesn't involve too much labor: Prestidigitation is my latest interest: Presto! Care to make a bet on what I can change it into? [Laughs.]
I'm, uh, not a betting man: Are you comfortable? Is there anything I can do for you? We're fine: Thank you: Okay: Buck, is something wrong? I don't know, Wilma: I don't know: I'll, uh I'll talk to you later, okay? [Chattering.]
Excellent chicken: Do you have any more? [Laughing.]
[Chattering Continues.]
Beautiful: I didn't know you were there: I'm sorry: I didn't mean to startle you: My name is Buck Rogers: You never told me yours: I'm called: : : Elifa: Elifa, hi: Some view, isn't it? I never tire of looking at it: It's beautiful: Elifa, I don't know why the Dorians were chasing you, but Well, if you've got a problem, I'm more than happy to listen: Does my staying on board depend upon telling you my problems? No, no: Of course not: It's just that sometimes talking about a problem is the first step to solving it: And sometimes, Captain, talking about your problems just makes them worse: Find out anything? No: No: Whatever is bothering her, she seems to want to handle it on her own: [Man On Speaker.]
Emergency:! Emergency:! All personnel, report to duty stations:! Reading? Our instruments indicate no forward velocity, Admiral: What? Why, that's preposterous! Joham, what is it? We don't seem to be moving: What is that? [Chattering.]
Activate the vid-screen: There was no sign of it on the scanners: They must be using a cloaking device: Energize defense shields: The defense shields aren't functioning: I am Koldar, Supreme Leader of the Dorians of Cygnius: Your defense shields have been disabled: I am in pursuit of a murderess who has take refuge aboard your ship: You will give me the Dorian woman, Asteria: A Dorian woman? Dorians are mutants, always wear masks: Everyone here is human: [Koldar.]
When the woman is in my custody, your ship will be released: Dear God, Syla: He's holding us captive: It's got to be the girl who ran on board the shuttle when we were loading up the last of the survivors: There was a gang of Dorian thugs chasing her, so I let her on board: I concurred with Buck's decision, Admiral: The Dorians are a harsh people: One cannot tell what they would've done to the girl once they caught her: Is the woman a Dorian? She wasn't wearing a mask, but that doesn't prove anything: Listen to me, Koldar: I am Admiral Ephraim Asimov: Interference with a peaceful vessel in open space: : : Is a violation of the laws governing interstellar navigation: It is tantamount to piracy: It is not piracy to seek justice! I will not permit a known murderess under sentence of death to escape punishment: Any complaint you have against her will have to be taken up in the forum of interplanetary courts: Unlike Dorians, we have a quaint custom called due process of law: Legal niceties do not interest me: I have anticipated your attitude and have the means to alter it: Proceed with first phase thermal intervention: [Chattering.]
What's happening? It's getting hot in here: Have the cooling circuits failed? The cooling circuits are functioning perfectly: It's obvious they have some way of changing our cabin temperature: [Koldar.]
I have increased the cabin temperature of your vessel to scale plus 7:5: But an ancient law of physics demands that for every action: : : There is an equal and opposite reaction: Inverse charge: They've also got some way to lower our temperature: [Sighs.]
Scale is minus 3:8 and dropping: I shall continue to alter the cabin temperature of your vessel until you give me the woman: That is all! Father: Consider this: The girl has managed to board the Earth ship Searcher: She's undoubtedly on her way out of the star system in effect, banishment: Surely this is punishment enough: Are you forgetting she killed your brother? Merely exiling herself from the Dorian race: : : Hardly constitutes punishment enough! Well, it looks like we've got a criminal in our midst: A Dorian criminal: But how can that be? No one here's wearing a mask: I don't know: But mask or no mask, it seems that our first order of business is finding out who she is! I say every woman in this cabin should give an account of herself: It's the only way we can find out who There it is! There it is! I can see it! That's a Dorian ship all right: They've changed it again: It's getting hot: Captain, what do you propose to do about this? How are we gonna get ourselves out of this force field? What Koldar is doing is in violation of every law: : : Governing the conduct of interstellar navigation: - He won't get away with it: - Well, he seems to be getting away with it right now! The ship is stopped: We're alternately freezing and frying: And all because some alien criminal has taken refuge on this ship: He's right, you know: She's a Dorian: What business of ours is it what they do with her? I say we send her back to her own kind! That's right! [All Agreeing.]
[Buck.]
Quiet down, all of you:! No passenger on this ship is gonna be handed over to armed aliens: : : Who have broken every interplanetary law by stopping us: Now, I suggest you all return to your seats: : : And try to make yourselves as comfortable as possible: : : Until we can resolve this crisis: Cabin temperature just went to scale plus nine, sir: [Sighs.]
How long can we take this heat, Doctor? What? Well, in my opinion, our bodies can't withstand temperatures: : : In excess of scale 8:2 for a sustained period of time: [Sighs.]
Crichton, Crichton, would you be so kind, my boy? Are you listening? Listen: Be good enough to provide a vector analysis: : : Of relevant temperature data for me, would you, please? Extrapolation from current temperature data: : : Indicates all mammalian life-forms aboard vessel: : : Will attain metabolic stasis by 1600 hours: : : If the present scale is maintained: Am I mistaken, Doctor, or did he just say: : : That we have less than eight hours to live? Yes, Admiral: I'm afraid that's precisely what he said: Well, if the Dorians change to another cold cycle, that one will probably freeze us solid: All I'm saying is that we have a right to know who it is! Aren't you curious? Doesn't anybody even care? Captain Rogers already covered this, Rand: Why don't you just sit down and relax: Oh, my young friend here seems to think I should relax, huh? Well, I don't relax so well when I'm in a blast furnace cooking in my own juices! You don't think so well either: What's that supposed to mean? Look: There are at least a dozen women in this cabin: Sojust how do you propose to discover who's the guilty party? Laser mind probe? Hypnosis? The rack? What I propose is that we question every woman here! Find out who she is: : : And what she was doing before she boarded this ship: And what do we do if we find her? Turn her over to the Dorians ourselves? Well, why not? Why should we suffer and die for something that doesn't even concern us? Let the Dorians settle their own affairs! And it doesn't really matter whether the woman is guilty or not, just so long as you save your own skin! We can start with you: Do I look like a Dorian to you, mister? How would I know? Nobody knows what a Dorian looks like! They always wear masks! Well, then why don't you just leave me alone: : : And look for somebody that has a mask on! I say that all the women here should tell us who they are: : : And what they're doing aboard this ship: That's enough! Nobody's appointed you spokesman for the group: That's right: Not a soul: Fine! Just fine! Is that how you all feel? [All.]
Yes! Well, good! We can all sit here and bake to death! For all we know, she's the one: Or them: Maybe it's one of them: We left our home on Avernus yesterday! [Shudders.]
We've never seen a Dorian: Lots of people can vouch for us: Cleis, we don't owe him any explanation: I think we've got to stop attacking each other: We are in this thing together, and we're going to have to stick together in order to get out of it: Noble words, my friend: Noble words: But are you ready to sacrifice your wife and your unborn child: : : For a murderer? Again! They've done it again! There are thermal blankets in the ship's stores: Those of you who require further insulation: : : May go forward and draw them: [Man.]
It's about time:! It is likely to get much colder: [Man.]
I'm freezing to death: [Woman.]
If it gets any colder, we're done: [Chattering Continues.]
You need more protection than that: Come: I will escort you to the ship's stores: I'll be all right: I do not think so: You should come with me: I said I'd Perhaps you're right: Thank you, Hawk: I think it's time you ended your mysterious lady act: What are you going to do? Turn me over to Koldar? Are you the Dorian he's looking for? When I saw you looking at your reflection in the viewport, it was as though you'd never seen your own face before: That's because you've always worn a mask, isn't it? You know the customs of my people, Captain: The mask is never removed in front of others, and there are no mirrors or reflecting surfaces allowed on my planet: My people have observed this custom for centuries: Ever since the neutrino wars with Rigel changed us forever, leaving us a race of mutants: Mutants? You're one of the most attractive women I've ever seen: There's an old Earth saying: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:" Such things are relative, Captain: What is it exactly that Koldar thinks you've done? What does it matter? He'll have his way: He always does: He's trying to fry us again: The temperature's practically at scale plus 10: Look: You've got to tell me why Koldar wants you: Lives are at stake! He thinks I killed his son: Did you? Of course not: I loved him: Two days ago, I went to see Chosan: There's a place an escarpment in the hills where we met: But when I found him, he'd been hurt: Terribly hurt: He stumbled toward me, bleeding, and then: : : He lost his footing: : : And fell from the escarpment, even as I tried to hold him: And as I was running for help, I learned that others had already found Chosan's body and and wanted me for the murder: As somebody who makes his living from others' weaknesses, I've been coming to a conclusion: Such as? Starting a game, my friend: Starting a game: What game? You've heard about the Dorians having a dislike for mirrors? The girl never had a chance to tell her side of the story: Now, Koldar just might listen to one of us: And he just might not: You're quite right indeed, Admiral: He might not: The Dorians are stubborn, proud people: They've isolated themselves from other races in the galaxy for so many centuries: : : That very little is known about them: Hence the old saying, of course: "Dark as a Dorian secret:" Yeah: But at this point, we have no other choice: Wilma, switch on the vid-com: Koldar, this is Captain Buck Rogers on board the Searcher: I do not speak with junior officers: Where is your admiral? The admiral is in charge of this vessel: I am in command of this mission: Our interference will cease when you surrender the woman: We're not prepared to surrender anyone: How do we even know she's guilty? The woman's guilt is not in doubt, Captain: Do you have evidence? Buck: That would be the business of the Dorians of Cygnius, not yours: It became our business the moment you stopped this ship: I demand to come on board and examine your evidence: That is out of the question: What's the matter, Koldar? Are you afraid that if an outsider learns the details of the case, the entire galaxy will know that the Dorians are a race of primitives a race that condemns people to death without even a trial? You may come aboard, Captain: By the time you leave, neither you nor anyone else: : : Will have cause to doubt Dorian justice: Wonderful! Our valiant captain gets the Dorians even angrier! A little more of his help, and we'll all be dead for sure! Why don't you just shut your mouth: I don't see you helping matters any: How long do you intend to keep this up, Captain? What are you trying to say, Rand? What I'm trying to say is, the only way we're going to get out of this alive: : : Is to give the Dorians what they want: Some of us here believe you know who the woman is: I already told you, Rand: No passenger on board this ship is gonna be handed over to anybody: [Man On Speaker.]
Prepare for docking amidships: Prepare for docking amidships: I'm Captain Buck Rogers: I've been granted an audience with Koldar: I am Demeter: Koldar is my father: Then it was your brother who was killed: Asteria says she's innocent of your brother's death: - I believe her: - I wish it could be proven so: My father asks that I show you something: If you'll come with me, please: I invite your attention to the viewscan you're about to see, Captain: It was taken on a routine patrol by one of our security ships: : : On the day my brother died: Enlarge detail: More detail: I'd like to see that again: [Panting, Gasping.]
Too Too hot: I'm burning up: It's going to be all right: Captain Rogers is talking to them: They'll let us go: We're gonna die, aren't we? No: No: Of course not: Yes: Yes: We're all gonna die: No: All of us! It's gonna be all right: [Sobbing.]
Cleis, it's all all right: Folks, I think it's time to look on the bright side here, lighten up the mood with a little entertainment: My name is Chronus, and I like to think I bring a little joy with me when I travel: - For instance - [Gasps, Sighs.]
Sleight of hand tricks at a time like this? Some people are hard to please: [Laughs.]
A fan for the lady: Perhaps others, more in need: A breath of air for each of the ladies: Indeed, all true believers in Chronus, the prestidigitator, may have a fan of her own: See how a little levity changes things? It draws us all closer together: Well, what have we here? A lady allergic to her own reflection: All right, Dorian! Take a look! Let the woman go! Let her go! Seems we've found our pigeon:! Look in the mirror! What is it you Dorians see looking in mirrors? Is it you see nothing at all? I said let her go:! [Rand.]
Here's your Dorian criminal:! Is what they're saying true? I've committed no crime: I swear: She weaseled her way aboard this ship and jeopardized our lives! She has no right to be here! So what do we do? Draw and quarter her? No: Of course not: We simply put her into the emergency air lock and let the Dorians take her away: [Gasps.]
You must be out of your mind! Look at it this way: It's simply a matter of odds: If the girl stays aboard, then we all die, including her: But if the girl goes over to the Dorians, then she may or may not die, but the rest of us definitely live: I say we vote! Yes: Vote: Cleis, you don't know what you're saying: You have no idea what you're doing: You may go: I understand your disillusionment, Captain: It's always painful to believe in someone, and then find that belief to have been misplaced: [Sighs.]
I still don't think she did it: The viewscan itself was ambiguous: Depending on how you look at it, it could either be a young woman pushing a man to his death: : : Or struggling desperately to keep him from falling: I admit it could be read that way by one who believed in her innocence as you do, Captain: It's a persuasive argument I could use on my father: With Asteria's life at stake, you never thought to argue that with your father before? Well Well, my father is a difficult man to talk to: Asteria says she loved your brother: Were you aware of that? Is this an interrogation, Captain? Were you and your brother close? Yes, we were: But exactly what does that question mean? If you were close, you would've been aware of any arguments between Asteria and your brother any argument serious enough to cause her to kill him: I asked my father to banish Asteria, not execute her! I have done my best to see she was not unduly punished! What do you mean by "unduly punished"? The Dorians are noted for their rigid justice a life for a life: Is there something about your brother's death: : : You're keeping to yourself for some reason? [Door Opens.]
Sir, your father is ready to receive the Terran in five minutes: Very well: Captain: [Sighs.]
We just hit scale plus 10: Still no word from Buck: Well, give him time: Give him time: You'd better check on the passengers: See how they're holding up: Anybody who thinks we should turn the girl over, step forward! Hand her over? He can't be serious: He sounded serious to me: You'd better get down there: Hawk: Well, what's the matter with you? If you think we should turn her over, step forward! [Shuddering.]
Cleis: This is murder they're committing: How can you be a party to it? Do you wanna die? Darel, we have to think about the baby: - Majority rules: Let's go: - You're not doing this, Rand! Out of my way, pilot! [Gasps.]
This is Searcher calling the Dorian ship: The girl you want is in the emergency air lock: It's locked: Stand back: I tried I tried to stop them: I don't know who I feel sorrier for that poor girl you just condemned to death: : : Or all of you: Father, I present Captain Buck Rogers of the Earth ship Searcher: Now that you have seen the evidence of the woman's guilt, Captain, neither you nor anyone aboard your vessel: : : Will have cause to question Dorian justice: Koldar, you have judged and sentenced the woman: : : Without even hearing what she has to say: You've held dozens of innocent people on a peaceful vessel hostage: : : And subjected them to extraordinary cruelty: You call that justice? I don't think you or any Dorian has any idea of what justice is: Under ordinary circumstances, Captain, such an outburst would merit swift and certain punishment: But in view of recent developments, I shall overlook your impertinence: The other passengers voted: Return the Earth ship to its normal temperature: It's getting cooler: It is! Yeah! It is getting cooler! I told you if we gave them back the girl, everything would be all right: Engage the videocom: I want the humans aboard the Earth ship to witness these proceedings, that they may know what we do here is nothing more than simple justice: Koldar, the judiciary of every civilized race in the galaxy: : : Bars those having a conflict of interest from sitting in judgment: Can you decide the fate of your own son's accused killer: : : And call thatjustice? These entire proceedings will be nothing but a sham: : : Unless her fate is decided by someone who has no vested interest in the outcome: Very well, Captain: Do any of you find my judgment unjust? Do any of you find my interpretation of the evidence unfair or illogical? If so, step forward without fear of censure or disfavor: And you Do you find my judgment cruel or unjust, Demeter? I would have preferred her punishment to be banishment, Father, but it is your judgment: My judgment is the judgment of one man, Captain: But as you can see, its wisdom is recognized by all: The woman will be executed according to custom: : : After the proper formalities have been observed: Ah, yes: Ah, yes: The proper formalities: How could I possibly have forgotten those? It does make it easier, doesn't it, Koldar? Nothing like a little ritual to soothe a guilty conscience: Return him to his ship! Halt! If you're gonna execute this girl, I suggest you do it now: Or is that a little more justice than you can stomach, Koldar? Maybe it is easier to have some executioner back on Cygnius do your dirty work for you: Very well, Captain: You shall see justice swift and sure! Prepare the prisoner for execution! No:! This can't be happening:! Somebody, somebody stop them! It's-It's not possible: Surely they're not going to kill her right there: That's Barbaric? Prepare to execute sentence: We shall spare the sensitivities of those who cooperated with us: Disengage the videocom: Now you shall see that I do not shrink from the consequences of my judgment: They turned it off! : Perhaps you are disappointed you cannot see the execution you so desperately wanted: Carry out the execution! No! Stop! You mustn't: What is the meaning of this? Asteria did not kill Chosan: Then who did? It was an accident: We quarreled, struggled: Chosan fell and struck his head: I never dreamed Asteria would be accused of his death: : : Until you saw him fall to his death in the viewscan: And to the very end, of even you bringing her back to Cygnius, l-I felt you might let her go: Release the woman: You knew I could not let her die: Why? Why did you lie to me? If it was indeed an accident, as you say, why did you not come forward with the truth? Because I was frightened: Frightened of what you would do, of what you would say: But most of all, Father, I was frightened of your sense of justice: You fear me that much? As much as those who did not dare to speak against your judgment: Why did you quarrel with Chosan? He would go into the hills above the city to meet Asteria: There they would violate our custom: Are you telling me that when your brother met with Asteria: : : They would remove their masks? Yes: I felt it intolerable: : : That a future leader of our people should behave in such a way: And on that terrible morning, we came to blows: After Chosan fell, he lay there, not moving: I thought he was dead, so I ran away: Had I the courage to remove his mask, I might have seen he was still alive and brought him help: But I couldn't bring myself to do it, so: : : Because of this wretched custom of hiding behind masks, I caused my brother's death:! But now I see that a race of people blindly subservient to a custom: : : Is not a race of people at all, but a race of slaves! I'm sorry, Asteria: I shall never wear a mask again! I don't understand: He's as handsome as Asteria is beautiful: How could this custom of wearing masks have led to this tragedy? What is this secret that you people refuse to talk about? In centuries past, tens of thousands of our people were driven to suicide, unable to face the horrors of their mutancy: To save our race from extinction, it was decided that no Dorian: : : Would ever look upon the face of another Dorian or appear without his mask: But now, perhaps my son is right: Perhaps the time has come: : : For us to find a new way to live with an ancient curse: Perhaps the Dorian secret exacts too high a price: : : From those it was intended to protect: Show him! Show him what we are! I am your leader: Do as I command! Remove your masks, now! Imagine Imagine, Captain, what it is like to live in a world: : : Where every face you see is a mirror image of your own: Madness! - It's Asteria:! - She's all right! Thank God: [Rand.]
I still say we did the right thing: The girl's a Dorian: We had a right to send her back to her own kind: Is that so? In a few days, you're gonna be landing on a new planet: It's a beautiful, unblemished world: If at least some of you learned something from what happened today, it has a chance of remaining that way: There's an old-fashioned saying: "Learn from the past and look to the future:" In my day, people never quite got the hang of it: I hope you have better luck:
Please proceed aft to the passenger cabin, ladies and gentlemen: Welcome aboard: Baggage can be stowed Welcome aboard: This way, please: [Woman On Speaker.]
Welcome to the Omega Solaris Space Terminal: Would all passengers please proceed on board: [Gasps.]
We will be leaving shortly: Please proceed on board: Thank you: Welcome to the Omega Solaris Space Terminal: Would all passengers please proceed on board: Wait! Please wait! - Help me, please: - Halt! Prepare to launch: Launching: - Are you all right? - I think so: Those were Dorian security men, weren't they? - How did you know that? - The masks: I've heard the Dorians are mutants, and they keep themselves disguised that way: - Why were they after you? - Please - Please don't ask me any questions: - Okay: Where is this shuttle going? We're headed back for the Earth ship Searcher: We've been picking up survivors of the volcanic eruptions on Avernus: - The space terminal was acting as a temporary evacuation center: - Where will you take them? To a new colony on the planet Ceneus: Please: Isn't there some way I can go with you? For the time being, consider yourself a survivor: Thank you: [Man Narrating.]
In the year 1987, NASA launched the last of America's deep space probes: Aboard this compact starship, a lone astronaut, Captain William "Buck'"Rogers, was to experience cosmic forces beyond all comprehension: In a freak mishap, his life-support systems were frozen: : : By temperatures beyond imagination: Ranger 3 was blown out of its planned trajectory: : : Into an orbit 1,000 times more vast, an orbit which was to return Buck Rogers to Earth: : : Take any seat in the cabin you wish, ladies and gentlemen: This way, please: Hello: Welcome aboard: [Chattering.]
Hello: I'm Colonel Deering: I'll be your liaison between the passengers and the ship's command while you're here: Hello, Colonel: I'm Darel and this is my husband, Joham: Hi: Nice to meet you, Colonel: Very nice to meet you as well: If you need any help, let me know: Thank you: Thank you very much: So you're not settling on Ceneus, huh? No: I fly freighters out of Rigel and Clomax 4: I meet my ship on Ceneus: I see: What about you, my friend? What line of work are you in? The best: Maximum return on minimum investment: Uh, perhaps we could: : : Start a game: Well, well: A gambler: Actually, a little bit of everything: : : That doesn't involve too much labor: Prestidigitation is my latest interest: Presto! Care to make a bet on what I can change it into? [Laughs.]
I'm, uh, not a betting man: Are you comfortable? Is there anything I can do for you? We're fine: Thank you: Okay: Buck, is something wrong? I don't know, Wilma: I don't know: I'll, uh I'll talk to you later, okay? [Chattering.]
Excellent chicken: Do you have any more? [Laughing.]
[Chattering Continues.]
Beautiful: I didn't know you were there: I'm sorry: I didn't mean to startle you: My name is Buck Rogers: You never told me yours: I'm called: : : Elifa: Elifa, hi: Some view, isn't it? I never tire of looking at it: It's beautiful: Elifa, I don't know why the Dorians were chasing you, but Well, if you've got a problem, I'm more than happy to listen: Does my staying on board depend upon telling you my problems? No, no: Of course not: It's just that sometimes talking about a problem is the first step to solving it: And sometimes, Captain, talking about your problems just makes them worse: Find out anything? No: No: Whatever is bothering her, she seems to want to handle it on her own: [Man On Speaker.]
Emergency:! Emergency:! All personnel, report to duty stations:! Reading? Our instruments indicate no forward velocity, Admiral: What? Why, that's preposterous! Joham, what is it? We don't seem to be moving: What is that? [Chattering.]
Activate the vid-screen: There was no sign of it on the scanners: They must be using a cloaking device: Energize defense shields: The defense shields aren't functioning: I am Koldar, Supreme Leader of the Dorians of Cygnius: Your defense shields have been disabled: I am in pursuit of a murderess who has take refuge aboard your ship: You will give me the Dorian woman, Asteria: A Dorian woman? Dorians are mutants, always wear masks: Everyone here is human: [Koldar.]
When the woman is in my custody, your ship will be released: Dear God, Syla: He's holding us captive: It's got to be the girl who ran on board the shuttle when we were loading up the last of the survivors: There was a gang of Dorian thugs chasing her, so I let her on board: I concurred with Buck's decision, Admiral: The Dorians are a harsh people: One cannot tell what they would've done to the girl once they caught her: Is the woman a Dorian? She wasn't wearing a mask, but that doesn't prove anything: Listen to me, Koldar: I am Admiral Ephraim Asimov: Interference with a peaceful vessel in open space: : : Is a violation of the laws governing interstellar navigation: It is tantamount to piracy: It is not piracy to seek justice! I will not permit a known murderess under sentence of death to escape punishment: Any complaint you have against her will have to be taken up in the forum of interplanetary courts: Unlike Dorians, we have a quaint custom called due process of law: Legal niceties do not interest me: I have anticipated your attitude and have the means to alter it: Proceed with first phase thermal intervention: [Chattering.]
What's happening? It's getting hot in here: Have the cooling circuits failed? The cooling circuits are functioning perfectly: It's obvious they have some way of changing our cabin temperature: [Koldar.]
I have increased the cabin temperature of your vessel to scale plus 7:5: But an ancient law of physics demands that for every action: : : There is an equal and opposite reaction: Inverse charge: They've also got some way to lower our temperature: [Sighs.]
Scale is minus 3:8 and dropping: I shall continue to alter the cabin temperature of your vessel until you give me the woman: That is all! Father: Consider this: The girl has managed to board the Earth ship Searcher: She's undoubtedly on her way out of the star system in effect, banishment: Surely this is punishment enough: Are you forgetting she killed your brother? Merely exiling herself from the Dorian race: : : Hardly constitutes punishment enough! Well, it looks like we've got a criminal in our midst: A Dorian criminal: But how can that be? No one here's wearing a mask: I don't know: But mask or no mask, it seems that our first order of business is finding out who she is! I say every woman in this cabin should give an account of herself: It's the only way we can find out who There it is! There it is! I can see it! That's a Dorian ship all right: They've changed it again: It's getting hot: Captain, what do you propose to do about this? How are we gonna get ourselves out of this force field? What Koldar is doing is in violation of every law: : : Governing the conduct of interstellar navigation: - He won't get away with it: - Well, he seems to be getting away with it right now! The ship is stopped: We're alternately freezing and frying: And all because some alien criminal has taken refuge on this ship: He's right, you know: She's a Dorian: What business of ours is it what they do with her? I say we send her back to her own kind! That's right! [All Agreeing.]
[Buck.]
Quiet down, all of you:! No passenger on this ship is gonna be handed over to armed aliens: : : Who have broken every interplanetary law by stopping us: Now, I suggest you all return to your seats: : : And try to make yourselves as comfortable as possible: : : Until we can resolve this crisis: Cabin temperature just went to scale plus nine, sir: [Sighs.]
How long can we take this heat, Doctor? What? Well, in my opinion, our bodies can't withstand temperatures: : : In excess of scale 8:2 for a sustained period of time: [Sighs.]
Crichton, Crichton, would you be so kind, my boy? Are you listening? Listen: Be good enough to provide a vector analysis: : : Of relevant temperature data for me, would you, please? Extrapolation from current temperature data: : : Indicates all mammalian life-forms aboard vessel: : : Will attain metabolic stasis by 1600 hours: : : If the present scale is maintained: Am I mistaken, Doctor, or did he just say: : : That we have less than eight hours to live? Yes, Admiral: I'm afraid that's precisely what he said: Well, if the Dorians change to another cold cycle, that one will probably freeze us solid: All I'm saying is that we have a right to know who it is! Aren't you curious? Doesn't anybody even care? Captain Rogers already covered this, Rand: Why don't you just sit down and relax: Oh, my young friend here seems to think I should relax, huh? Well, I don't relax so well when I'm in a blast furnace cooking in my own juices! You don't think so well either: What's that supposed to mean? Look: There are at least a dozen women in this cabin: Sojust how do you propose to discover who's the guilty party? Laser mind probe? Hypnosis? The rack? What I propose is that we question every woman here! Find out who she is: : : And what she was doing before she boarded this ship: And what do we do if we find her? Turn her over to the Dorians ourselves? Well, why not? Why should we suffer and die for something that doesn't even concern us? Let the Dorians settle their own affairs! And it doesn't really matter whether the woman is guilty or not, just so long as you save your own skin! We can start with you: Do I look like a Dorian to you, mister? How would I know? Nobody knows what a Dorian looks like! They always wear masks! Well, then why don't you just leave me alone: : : And look for somebody that has a mask on! I say that all the women here should tell us who they are: : : And what they're doing aboard this ship: That's enough! Nobody's appointed you spokesman for the group: That's right: Not a soul: Fine! Just fine! Is that how you all feel? [All.]
Yes! Well, good! We can all sit here and bake to death! For all we know, she's the one: Or them: Maybe it's one of them: We left our home on Avernus yesterday! [Shudders.]
We've never seen a Dorian: Lots of people can vouch for us: Cleis, we don't owe him any explanation: I think we've got to stop attacking each other: We are in this thing together, and we're going to have to stick together in order to get out of it: Noble words, my friend: Noble words: But are you ready to sacrifice your wife and your unborn child: : : For a murderer? Again! They've done it again! There are thermal blankets in the ship's stores: Those of you who require further insulation: : : May go forward and draw them: [Man.]
It's about time:! It is likely to get much colder: [Man.]
I'm freezing to death: [Woman.]
If it gets any colder, we're done: [Chattering Continues.]
You need more protection than that: Come: I will escort you to the ship's stores: I'll be all right: I do not think so: You should come with me: I said I'd Perhaps you're right: Thank you, Hawk: I think it's time you ended your mysterious lady act: What are you going to do? Turn me over to Koldar? Are you the Dorian he's looking for? When I saw you looking at your reflection in the viewport, it was as though you'd never seen your own face before: That's because you've always worn a mask, isn't it? You know the customs of my people, Captain: The mask is never removed in front of others, and there are no mirrors or reflecting surfaces allowed on my planet: My people have observed this custom for centuries: Ever since the neutrino wars with Rigel changed us forever, leaving us a race of mutants: Mutants? You're one of the most attractive women I've ever seen: There's an old Earth saying: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:" Such things are relative, Captain: What is it exactly that Koldar thinks you've done? What does it matter? He'll have his way: He always does: He's trying to fry us again: The temperature's practically at scale plus 10: Look: You've got to tell me why Koldar wants you: Lives are at stake! He thinks I killed his son: Did you? Of course not: I loved him: Two days ago, I went to see Chosan: There's a place an escarpment in the hills where we met: But when I found him, he'd been hurt: Terribly hurt: He stumbled toward me, bleeding, and then: : : He lost his footing: : : And fell from the escarpment, even as I tried to hold him: And as I was running for help, I learned that others had already found Chosan's body and and wanted me for the murder: As somebody who makes his living from others' weaknesses, I've been coming to a conclusion: Such as? Starting a game, my friend: Starting a game: What game? You've heard about the Dorians having a dislike for mirrors? The girl never had a chance to tell her side of the story: Now, Koldar just might listen to one of us: And he just might not: You're quite right indeed, Admiral: He might not: The Dorians are stubborn, proud people: They've isolated themselves from other races in the galaxy for so many centuries: : : That very little is known about them: Hence the old saying, of course: "Dark as a Dorian secret:" Yeah: But at this point, we have no other choice: Wilma, switch on the vid-com: Koldar, this is Captain Buck Rogers on board the Searcher: I do not speak with junior officers: Where is your admiral? The admiral is in charge of this vessel: I am in command of this mission: Our interference will cease when you surrender the woman: We're not prepared to surrender anyone: How do we even know she's guilty? The woman's guilt is not in doubt, Captain: Do you have evidence? Buck: That would be the business of the Dorians of Cygnius, not yours: It became our business the moment you stopped this ship: I demand to come on board and examine your evidence: That is out of the question: What's the matter, Koldar? Are you afraid that if an outsider learns the details of the case, the entire galaxy will know that the Dorians are a race of primitives a race that condemns people to death without even a trial? You may come aboard, Captain: By the time you leave, neither you nor anyone else: : : Will have cause to doubt Dorian justice: Wonderful! Our valiant captain gets the Dorians even angrier! A little more of his help, and we'll all be dead for sure! Why don't you just shut your mouth: I don't see you helping matters any: How long do you intend to keep this up, Captain? What are you trying to say, Rand? What I'm trying to say is, the only way we're going to get out of this alive: : : Is to give the Dorians what they want: Some of us here believe you know who the woman is: I already told you, Rand: No passenger on board this ship is gonna be handed over to anybody: [Man On Speaker.]
Prepare for docking amidships: Prepare for docking amidships: I'm Captain Buck Rogers: I've been granted an audience with Koldar: I am Demeter: Koldar is my father: Then it was your brother who was killed: Asteria says she's innocent of your brother's death: - I believe her: - I wish it could be proven so: My father asks that I show you something: If you'll come with me, please: I invite your attention to the viewscan you're about to see, Captain: It was taken on a routine patrol by one of our security ships: : : On the day my brother died: Enlarge detail: More detail: I'd like to see that again: [Panting, Gasping.]
Too Too hot: I'm burning up: It's going to be all right: Captain Rogers is talking to them: They'll let us go: We're gonna die, aren't we? No: No: Of course not: Yes: Yes: We're all gonna die: No: All of us! It's gonna be all right: [Sobbing.]
Cleis, it's all all right: Folks, I think it's time to look on the bright side here, lighten up the mood with a little entertainment: My name is Chronus, and I like to think I bring a little joy with me when I travel: - For instance - [Gasps, Sighs.]
Sleight of hand tricks at a time like this? Some people are hard to please: [Laughs.]
A fan for the lady: Perhaps others, more in need: A breath of air for each of the ladies: Indeed, all true believers in Chronus, the prestidigitator, may have a fan of her own: See how a little levity changes things? It draws us all closer together: Well, what have we here? A lady allergic to her own reflection: All right, Dorian! Take a look! Let the woman go! Let her go! Seems we've found our pigeon:! Look in the mirror! What is it you Dorians see looking in mirrors? Is it you see nothing at all? I said let her go:! [Rand.]
Here's your Dorian criminal:! Is what they're saying true? I've committed no crime: I swear: She weaseled her way aboard this ship and jeopardized our lives! She has no right to be here! So what do we do? Draw and quarter her? No: Of course not: We simply put her into the emergency air lock and let the Dorians take her away: [Gasps.]
You must be out of your mind! Look at it this way: It's simply a matter of odds: If the girl stays aboard, then we all die, including her: But if the girl goes over to the Dorians, then she may or may not die, but the rest of us definitely live: I say we vote! Yes: Vote: Cleis, you don't know what you're saying: You have no idea what you're doing: You may go: I understand your disillusionment, Captain: It's always painful to believe in someone, and then find that belief to have been misplaced: [Sighs.]
I still don't think she did it: The viewscan itself was ambiguous: Depending on how you look at it, it could either be a young woman pushing a man to his death: : : Or struggling desperately to keep him from falling: I admit it could be read that way by one who believed in her innocence as you do, Captain: It's a persuasive argument I could use on my father: With Asteria's life at stake, you never thought to argue that with your father before? Well Well, my father is a difficult man to talk to: Asteria says she loved your brother: Were you aware of that? Is this an interrogation, Captain? Were you and your brother close? Yes, we were: But exactly what does that question mean? If you were close, you would've been aware of any arguments between Asteria and your brother any argument serious enough to cause her to kill him: I asked my father to banish Asteria, not execute her! I have done my best to see she was not unduly punished! What do you mean by "unduly punished"? The Dorians are noted for their rigid justice a life for a life: Is there something about your brother's death: : : You're keeping to yourself for some reason? [Door Opens.]
Sir, your father is ready to receive the Terran in five minutes: Very well: Captain: [Sighs.]
We just hit scale plus 10: Still no word from Buck: Well, give him time: Give him time: You'd better check on the passengers: See how they're holding up: Anybody who thinks we should turn the girl over, step forward! Hand her over? He can't be serious: He sounded serious to me: You'd better get down there: Hawk: Well, what's the matter with you? If you think we should turn her over, step forward! [Shuddering.]
Cleis: This is murder they're committing: How can you be a party to it? Do you wanna die? Darel, we have to think about the baby: - Majority rules: Let's go: - You're not doing this, Rand! Out of my way, pilot! [Gasps.]
This is Searcher calling the Dorian ship: The girl you want is in the emergency air lock: It's locked: Stand back: I tried I tried to stop them: I don't know who I feel sorrier for that poor girl you just condemned to death: : : Or all of you: Father, I present Captain Buck Rogers of the Earth ship Searcher: Now that you have seen the evidence of the woman's guilt, Captain, neither you nor anyone aboard your vessel: : : Will have cause to question Dorian justice: Koldar, you have judged and sentenced the woman: : : Without even hearing what she has to say: You've held dozens of innocent people on a peaceful vessel hostage: : : And subjected them to extraordinary cruelty: You call that justice? I don't think you or any Dorian has any idea of what justice is: Under ordinary circumstances, Captain, such an outburst would merit swift and certain punishment: But in view of recent developments, I shall overlook your impertinence: The other passengers voted: Return the Earth ship to its normal temperature: It's getting cooler: It is! Yeah! It is getting cooler! I told you if we gave them back the girl, everything would be all right: Engage the videocom: I want the humans aboard the Earth ship to witness these proceedings, that they may know what we do here is nothing more than simple justice: Koldar, the judiciary of every civilized race in the galaxy: : : Bars those having a conflict of interest from sitting in judgment: Can you decide the fate of your own son's accused killer: : : And call thatjustice? These entire proceedings will be nothing but a sham: : : Unless her fate is decided by someone who has no vested interest in the outcome: Very well, Captain: Do any of you find my judgment unjust? Do any of you find my interpretation of the evidence unfair or illogical? If so, step forward without fear of censure or disfavor: And you Do you find my judgment cruel or unjust, Demeter? I would have preferred her punishment to be banishment, Father, but it is your judgment: My judgment is the judgment of one man, Captain: But as you can see, its wisdom is recognized by all: The woman will be executed according to custom: : : After the proper formalities have been observed: Ah, yes: Ah, yes: The proper formalities: How could I possibly have forgotten those? It does make it easier, doesn't it, Koldar? Nothing like a little ritual to soothe a guilty conscience: Return him to his ship! Halt! If you're gonna execute this girl, I suggest you do it now: Or is that a little more justice than you can stomach, Koldar? Maybe it is easier to have some executioner back on Cygnius do your dirty work for you: Very well, Captain: You shall see justice swift and sure! Prepare the prisoner for execution! No:! This can't be happening:! Somebody, somebody stop them! It's-It's not possible: Surely they're not going to kill her right there: That's Barbaric? Prepare to execute sentence: We shall spare the sensitivities of those who cooperated with us: Disengage the videocom: Now you shall see that I do not shrink from the consequences of my judgment: They turned it off! : Perhaps you are disappointed you cannot see the execution you so desperately wanted: Carry out the execution! No! Stop! You mustn't: What is the meaning of this? Asteria did not kill Chosan: Then who did? It was an accident: We quarreled, struggled: Chosan fell and struck his head: I never dreamed Asteria would be accused of his death: : : Until you saw him fall to his death in the viewscan: And to the very end, of even you bringing her back to Cygnius, l-I felt you might let her go: Release the woman: You knew I could not let her die: Why? Why did you lie to me? If it was indeed an accident, as you say, why did you not come forward with the truth? Because I was frightened: Frightened of what you would do, of what you would say: But most of all, Father, I was frightened of your sense of justice: You fear me that much? As much as those who did not dare to speak against your judgment: Why did you quarrel with Chosan? He would go into the hills above the city to meet Asteria: There they would violate our custom: Are you telling me that when your brother met with Asteria: : : They would remove their masks? Yes: I felt it intolerable: : : That a future leader of our people should behave in such a way: And on that terrible morning, we came to blows: After Chosan fell, he lay there, not moving: I thought he was dead, so I ran away: Had I the courage to remove his mask, I might have seen he was still alive and brought him help: But I couldn't bring myself to do it, so: : : Because of this wretched custom of hiding behind masks, I caused my brother's death:! But now I see that a race of people blindly subservient to a custom: : : Is not a race of people at all, but a race of slaves! I'm sorry, Asteria: I shall never wear a mask again! I don't understand: He's as handsome as Asteria is beautiful: How could this custom of wearing masks have led to this tragedy? What is this secret that you people refuse to talk about? In centuries past, tens of thousands of our people were driven to suicide, unable to face the horrors of their mutancy: To save our race from extinction, it was decided that no Dorian: : : Would ever look upon the face of another Dorian or appear without his mask: But now, perhaps my son is right: Perhaps the time has come: : : For us to find a new way to live with an ancient curse: Perhaps the Dorian secret exacts too high a price: : : From those it was intended to protect: Show him! Show him what we are! I am your leader: Do as I command! Remove your masks, now! Imagine Imagine, Captain, what it is like to live in a world: : : Where every face you see is a mirror image of your own: Madness! - It's Asteria:! - She's all right! Thank God: [Rand.]
I still say we did the right thing: The girl's a Dorian: We had a right to send her back to her own kind: Is that so? In a few days, you're gonna be landing on a new planet: It's a beautiful, unblemished world: If at least some of you learned something from what happened today, it has a chance of remaining that way: There's an old-fashioned saying: "Learn from the past and look to the future:" In my day, people never quite got the hang of it: I hope you have better luck: