– Imagine a miracle of space and time. Imagine yourself transported from Earth to Jupiter, 400 million miles in just 60 exciting days. Impossible? Not if you’re on the new queen of the Whitestar Lines, the incredible Arcturus. And right now, 3,000 lucky passengers are on board the maiden voyage to the Jupiter states. But a few openings still remain for the second extraordinary cruise. Won’t you join us? Just contact your travel agent or the nearest Whitestar office for reservations. Arcturus! – Arcturus, say again. Your last transmission garbled. Arcturus, this is Callisto approach. Arcturus, this is Callisto approach. We have you on an ecliptic main track at 90,000 kilometers from our outer marker. Do you need assistance? – Mayday, mayday. We are IAL Arcturus. We are abandoning ship. – Arcturus, say again.
Your last transmission garbled. Arcturus, this is Callisto approach. Do you need assistance? – Mayday, mayday. This is IAL Arcturus. We have a red five alert. We are abandoning ship. – Arcturus, this is Callisto approach. We have you on an ecliptic main track at 90,000 kilometers from our outer marker. What is the nature of your emergency? Arcturus, what is the nature of your red five? – Callisto approach, we are abandoning ship. We are abandoning ship. – Arcturus, Callisto approach, do you read? Arcturus, this is Callisto approach, do you read? – Callisto, this is Lifepod 194. Signal movements are gathering. We’re just clearing the Arcturus.
I think we have a viable result. Do you read? Callisto approach, all lifepods launching with passenger’s up front. Repeat, all lifepods launching. Our rescue beacon is 1300. Repeat, our rescue beacon is 1300. – LPA194, say again. – Do you track our beacon? We are headed for your outer marker.
– LPA194, this is Callisto approach, we copy. Rescue is saddling up. What happened? – A red five was declared without any warning. The main drive of the Arcturus could blow at any time. – LPA194, this is Callisto approach, we copy. What the hell is going on out there?
– The life support system went haywire, and there was panic. – Is Captain Montaine with you? – The captain was no help at all, and we were damned lucky to get off. Callisto, are you coming or what? – LPA194, this is Callisto approach.
We figure rescue ETA in, uh, 20 hours, plus or minus two. Say again about the captain. – Callisto approach, Callisto approach, standby. Something’s happening. Callisto, um, the main drive has kicked in! The Arcturus is moving away. – LPA194, say again. LPA194, say again. – The Arcturus invites you to experience the game deck on level three. There, you’ll find seven luxurious casinos with every conceivable game of chance. And if you prefer physical activity, choose from three health spas, the ice and roller skating rinks, and our special zero-gravity room, an exclusive feature of the Whitestar Lines.
See how it all began by visiting Space Expo, a unique exhibit of technology from the 20th century. See the Concorde, the space shuttle, and other early flying machines. (alarm blaring) You’ll find them all at Space Expo, this week’s featured exhibit in the airship gallery.
We hope you enjoy your visit, and we invite you back– – This hallway. We can no longer be responsible for your safety. Attention, attention, life support is about to fail in this hallway. We can no longer be responsible for your safety. Attention, attention, life support is about to fail in this hallway. We can no longer be responsible for your safety. – Lady, what are you doing? – You keep away from me. – I didn’t even see you. – Are you one of them? – One of who? I’m the ship’s officer, see? – Well then, what’s with the mask? – Look, the life support’s dumped on all the lower decks,
And this one’s going next. What are you doing here? How come you didn’t leave with the others? – Well, I started to, but everybody was pushing and shoving, and I lost Dwayne, and I wasn’t about to leave without him. – Look, I’m sure he got off okay. He’ll probably come back to you.
– He’s right here. I found him, just before you came. – Where? Look, you can’t stay here. This deck’s gonna go any minute. Now come on. – Will you help me? – Look, just leave that stuff, okay, come on. – I’ll carry it. – Lieutenant G.W. Simmons, third astrogator, Arcturus. Fiona Harrison, passenger, level 15. – Where are we going? – Crew station, there may be help there. – Is it far? – It’s about 14 decks up. – Can’t we use this? – It doesn’t work. I tried them all, none of them work. – Warning, warning, life support is terminating in this hallway. Warning, warning, life support is terminating in this hallway. – My name is Lieutenant Simmons. What’s your name? – Uh, Fiona. My father’s a geologist on Callisto. I was on my way to see him. Are we the only ones left? – I don’t know (coughs). It’s okay. We’ll get out of this. It’s all right. – How do you know? – I don’t.
But the life support systems on the upper level should be functioning. And that’ll give us enough time to try to find a lifepod. – What happened anyway? I know there was an emergency, and everyone was ordered off the ship. But what emergency? Did we hit something? – No. – Did somebody hit us?
– No, it’s nothing like that. (sighs) See, you’re a passenger on the ship. – Look, don’t do a protocol number on me now, okay? I mean, I wanna know what you think, even if it’s a guess. – Oh, you want a guess? I’ll give you a guess. I think the Main Cerebral–
– Wait, what, what, what, what’s the Main Cerebral? – It’s the computer that controls every system on the ship. I think it short-circuited. Now you heard he voices and the music and all that? And one of the mechanicals tried to run me down. Hell, it almost killed me. I don’t understand.
Those are all separate systems, and if one goes, the others shouldn’t be affected. No, it’s, it’s, it’s nuts, I don’t know. – You are now approaching level one. Passenger access is limited to organized tours of the biobridge. Tours begin hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and reservations are recommended. – So what can we do? – Get off is the main thing right now.
– Yeah, but what if there are other people on the ship? – Well, if there’s anyone up there, we’ll, we’ll take ’em with us, but right now, we gotta get off the ship before the technical system blows completely, and we, we’ve lost our chance for good. – Well, maybe we should be walking. – No, we’re here. That’s the bridge deck. – A man, a woman, and a bird? You’re the rescue team? – Can you help us? – I thought you were coming to help me. – Wait, wait, what, what rescue? – I have been hollering into this comm box. Didn’t you hear me?
People are trapped down the hall. – We haven’t got much time. – We have to get ’em out. – Okay, let’s give it a try. Look, the biobridge is that way. You go there and wait. We’ll be there in a minute, okay? – I’m staying. I wanna help, and I’m not leaving. – Okay, fine, let’s go. – Roz Keshah, passenger, reporter, level three. – I’m back! And I’ve got some people out here who can help. Hello! Okay. – Okay what, what, what do you mean okay? – Open her up. – You’re gonna VIDI me? – You’re a reporter? – Keshah 57. – I don’t believe this. – Look, what’s wrong with the both of you? – Life support on this deck is going, too. Look, I, I, I need tools, and I don’t have any. – Oh, oh, oh, oh. Um, will this help? – What is it? – Uh, my parents gave it to me for protection. Look, we’d better get back. Uh, hey, you inside!
– Hey, get back! We’re gonna try and blast in. – I don’t think this is gonna really do anything. – Are you all right? – Yes, thank you. – I thought we’d never get out of there. – Lieutenant, is there still a lifepod on this deck? – I don’t know, sir. We were just trying to find one. – We’d better get moving. – Yeah. – Who, who is he, that man you’re with? – That’s DeMatte. He’s director of the Whitestar Lines. – Okay, yeah. – Lloyd DeMatte, director and major stockholder of the Whitestar Lines. – DeMatte. – The Lady Lima, executive assistant, second-in-command to Lord DeMatte. – DeMatte, I know you. – What are we doing here? – It’s as good a place as any. – Sir, Third Astrogator Simmons reporting, sir. – Simmons? Now what are you doing here, boy? Why didn’t you abandon ship with the rest of the crew? – What have you done to my ship? – What have I done?
Nothing, not a damn thing. (recorder humming) I’m just the captain. I believe your Main Cerebral is running this show. – What happened? – You tell me. You designed this ship. I don’t have the faintest bloody idea. We were making for Callisto approach, smooth as a bottom,
When suddenly your Main Cerebral declared a red five alert, ordered abandon ship. Didn’t advise, didn’t request, ordered. – Didn’t you do anything? – There was nothing I could do, nothing. None of the crew would pay any attention to my orders. I tried to find out what was going on,
And I was cut off from the rest of the ship. The console went dead. The port slammed shut. (Dwayne chirps) And the crew ran. They listened to it, not to me. I’ll tell you, DeMatte, that thing may be a bloody technological marvel, but I’ll be damned to hell in my socks
If it didn’t fabricate the entire charade. – What do you mean? – Everything. The call to abandon ship, the red five alert, the emergency, everything. – You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re talking about. – I’ve only had one drink. – This is not the time or the place.
– I was sent to cover the maiden voyage of the Arcturus. This is the time and the place. – I realize you have a job to do, but you must realize that you are a guest on this ship, and there are certain rules that have to be followed, even by reporters.
– You were hired to run this ship. – Well, I was going to resign, as soon as this voyage is over, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s over, I resign. You can have your automated piece of garbage. – Are you trying to censor my story? – No.
– I’ll deal with you later. – We have enough problems without– – Lima’s just looking out for me. It’s part of her job. And she does it very well. I’d be very glad to talk to you about all of this when we’ve settled down a bit, but right now,
We’ve got to find a way out of here, agreed? – Captain, excuse me, Captain. If we stay on this ship, is there a chance we’d be rescued in time? They must know about this, on Callisto, don’t they? – I’m sure they do, by now, but I doubt if they can catch us.
We’re already beyond the Jupiter frontier. – The captain is speculating, an exercise that would be more appropriate if he were sober. – Simmons. – Shouldn’t I see Jupiter out there somewhere? The captain’s right. We’re headed out and fast. – Captain, when did this happen? How long have we been on this course? – Ever since the emergency was declared. I think it wanted everyone off the ship, before changing course. – Isn’t there a way that we can control the ship manually? – Has our distress signal been received or acknowledged by anyone?
– No. – Look, you haven’t seen a pod hatch have you, because I know there’s supposed to be one around here somewhere? – No. – Are you sure? Think about it. – I’m, I’m, I’m not sure, wait a minute. You know– – What? – I might have seen one near the Alpha Lounge. – Okay.
Look, you want to try the hall again? – I don’t think we have a choice. – No, we don’t, let’s do it. Hey, we’ll figure something out. – This hallway is unsafe. This hallway is unsafe. For your protection, the Main Cerebral requests that you return to the bridge and remain there. Do not attempt to use this hallway again without permission. – We never even made it down the hall. – There’s a mechanical. He told us to stay in here and not to leave without permission. – Lieutenant! – I think it’s breaking up. – There has to be another way, a ventilator or something. – Lieutenant Simmons! – Yes, sir. – You’ll find an escape hatch here. It should lead to a lifepod. – Why didn’t you tell us about this before? – It was concealed so the passengers touring the bridge wouldn’t think we lacked confidence in our craft. Besides, I assumed you knew the layout, or did up forget? – I won’t forget this. – Dwayne, I have to get Dwayne!
– Forget Dwayne, I’ll bring him. Let’s go, let’s go. Dammit, will you move? Get in there. Captain, please. – I, uh, there are some things I have to attend to. I’ll stay, play out the game to the end. Curiosity, Simmons. Go, look after your people. – Did anybody read this? – What about the captain? – He’s staying, so let’s go. – You, you, you, you didn’t even– – Oh my God, Dwayne. – Hey, wait a minute! – Attention, all passengers, I am Felix 14, the lifepod onboard computer. Be advised, there are less than 90 seconds to launch. 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, entry hatch closing, 82, 81, primary thermal to internal, 78, 77, all passengers strap into the couches immediately. Instructions are printed at each location.
– Now I tried to get the captain, but he wouldn’t come. – 70. – I’m really sorry. – 69, 68– – Look, everyone’s on. We really got to go. – Attention, all ship’s personnel, attention, all ship’s personnel, be advised that the navigation bay contains essential manual control
And monitoring points and is to be used only if the Felix 14 malfunctions. Immediately after the launch cycle, you must familiarize yourself with the life support guidance and communication systems. Jettison closeout in 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, shock, strut retract, 43, 42, 41– – Keshah, strap down, don’t you ever stop? – No.
– 39, 38, 37. – Attention, all passengers. This is the Main Cerebral. The red five alert has been canceled. You may return to the Arcturus. – All passengers, attention. The emergency launch program is automatic and cannot be aborted. Remain in your tubes until the launch sequence is completed. – Montaine, tell them to return. Everything is under control now. – It’s Captain Montaine, thank you very much. – Montaine, tell them. They must come back. DeMatte must come back. – I suppose this is the welcoming committee? – It’s For Minor repairs. Tell them to return. – Do it yourself. – The launch has been aborted. Please be patient and arrangements will be made to bring you back aboard the Arcturus. – All of you, stay put. Well, we’ve lost hatch alignment. But I think there’s a way we can get back on. – Are you serious? – Look, we’re not going anywhere in here, and the Main Cerebral just said that the emergency– – Lieutenant, in spite of what the captain said,
I do know that ship, and it can kill us if we don’t get away now. There’s gotta be a way to continue that launch. – It can’t be done. – It can be done. There’s always a way. – We can start the booster overload, but that’s suicide. Are you crazy? – Standby.
The fusion drive has ignited. Warning, there is booster overload. Warning, there is extreme damage potential to the lifepod. Warning. (static crackling) – Dammit, Cerebral. First you want everybody off. Then you try to keep DeMatte and the others on board, why? Uh-huh, I’ll wager you didn’t expect me to stick around, did you? I’m going to my cabin. Sir, Captain Montaine requesting permission to leave the bridge, sir! Dammit, Cerebral. This is the captain speaking. Oh, I’m sick and tired of being ignored on my own ship! That was pretty convincing, that red five alert, but I knew it was phony. I knew it, I knew it. I felt it! I was helpless to do anything about it. I got caught up in your damn game, and now I’m playing along. And I’m still helpless. I don’t control anything.
I never did control anything on this ship. My God, how stupid. – Look, I’m tellin’ you that Felix is dead. The launch must’ve killed him, and that means our life support and everything else will fail too. It’s just a matter of time. – But we’re nowhere near Callisto. Where do we go? – Back to the Arcturus, it’s our only chance. – Look, you’re tired.
We’re all tired. It just doesn’t look that bad. We’ll have a whole new perspective after two hours, even one hour of deep sleep. – But the Arcturus must be close by. Maybe we could just– – No. We’re not going back. There has to be an alternative. – There is no alternative.
Look, I know the Main Cerebral’s unstable, but maybe we can– – Not unstable, defective! Look, there’s obviously a major design flaw. Think about it. It killed Montaine. Then it tried to lure us back. I’m only concerned with our safety. – How do you know the captain’s dead? – It’s not easy running a ship by yourself, is it? No, it’s teamwork. It’s man and machine together. That’s the way it should be. That’s why we’ve already settled beyond the Jupiters, instead of rotting away back on Earth. Pull! What are you doing to my ship? – The Arcturus does not belong to you. I am the Arcturus. I belong to no one. – Felix, I knew you were all right. – That assumption is inaccurate. There has been severe primary core damage. – And we’ll look into it. – Felix– – But first, I have a priority request. Keep this lifepod away from the Arcturus. – Request denied. Life support and propulsion have first priority.
– Felix, listen to me. This is a priority command. – Felix, look, we’re going to need a report from– – I cannot tolerate distracting orders. Therefore, until my damage survey is completed, I will only respond to one person, the ship’s officer, Lieutenant Simmons. – I’m gonna go try to find out where we are. Hey, you okay? – Yeah, I’m fine. Actually, I’m freezing. – Well, maybe this’ll help. Here. – Thank you. Wait, um, you should eat something. You know, uh, this isn’t bad. It’s, um, thermo-stabilized, pre-moistened, hydrogenated, it’s cheese, I think. – Well, thanks, I’m not real hungry right now, but I’ll take it with me for later, okay? – Okay. – Want some more? – Oh, no thanks, I’m stuffed. I just wish there was something I could do. – Yeah, you can get some rest. We all should. – Great idea. – You know, I, uh, I’m sorry about what happened back on the ship. – Oh, no, it’s okay. No permanent damage.
– You know, I am getting a little hungry. Is there any more? – Uh-uh. But there’s a marvelous selection back in the galley. – Shall we? – I’m starving. I can’t live on these scraps. There’s food out there for the multitudes, luxury food for 3,000 people. You won’t let me get to it. What the hell is that? Some sort of gift for me? Something for me to eat? Oh, ooh, ooh, ooh. (Dwayne chirps) Oh don’t worry, I’m not gonna gobble you down or talk your feathers off, poor thing. No, we’re in this together. Steering by the stars, that’s an ancient art form. I knew it once. I could do most of the plotting in my head. I lost the pleasure of it. I didn’t need it anymore. I wish you were a dog. – The captain’s lament. – No, a master’s voice. – I bet you sleep with that thing. – Only once, after a very, very long job. (laughs) And I woke up the next morning, I thought I’d gone blind in one eye. I’ve never made that mistake again. – You really seem to enjoy your work. – Well, my perspective is a bit myopic, at times, and the schedule is grueling, and the competition doesn’t leave much room for friends, but (sighs), I wouldn’t want to do anything else. Well, I couldn’t (chuckles). Tell me about you and DeMatte. – I’m his assistant.
I’ve been with him almost two years now. He’s a brilliant man. – Of course, he’s got you working for him. – Well, thank you. He’s taught me everything I know. – And what’s that? – Enough to run the Whitestar Lines when he decides to step down. – I’m impressed.
– Well, I’ve worked very hard. – I’ll bet you have. You know, DeMatte doesn’t strike me as a particularly sociable type. – You know, actually, he’s a genius with people. I mean, he’s incredible to watch. – Oh, I’d like to, but I’ve got the feeling he’s been avoiding me.
– I know, and he’s usually not like that. Something’s wrong. – I’ll say. (sighs) He’s lost a fortune. – No, it’s something more than that. – What? – I don’t know. – DeMatte, a contract. I remember. It was you. – Now what is it up to? Why are you trailing that lifepod? – Unfinished business. – Now that’s suitably mysterious, I must say. Almost smacks of revenge, it’s the game, isn’t it? It’s DeMatte you want to play with, not me. What happens if he wins or loses? Are you gonna kill him? – I want to talk with DeMatte. That’s all. – What do you want to do? You want to apologize? It’s a bit late for that. Well, you could talk to him from here. You want him face-to-face. Is that what it is?
Well, there are other people on that lifepod. What are you gonna do with them? Talk to me, say something! – Talk to me, Simmons, talk to me. Any sign of the Arcturus? – I don’t know. (sighs) These sensors are so erratic. I tried a visual survey, but I, I didn’t see anything. – Can we make it? – Well, we’re definitely headed in. We’re about 16 degrees above the ecliptic
And about 90 million kilometers from Callisto. – Can we make it? – No. – Then where? – Hades. – Hades? – It’s the outermost Jupiter moon. Look, as far as I know, these pods are designed to home in on the nearest orbiting body. And that would be Hades. – All right, what’s there?
– I don’t know, I don’t know. As far as I know, there’s not much of anything. But it will put us in range of rescue. And if we have no more problems with the propulsion, I figure we can reach Hades’ orbit in about 40 or 50 hours.
– All right, we get there, then what? – Well, they, they, they pick up our rescue beacon, and they come and get us. – Then everything looks good. – Officer Simmons, the lifepod rescue beacon was damaged during launch and is inoperative. – Oh, it figures. Any more good news, Felix? – Good news? I have no information on good news.
I will return in one hour with additional instructions. – Fine, terrific. Look, uh, that reporting to me is, uh, is it’s idea, not mine. – Don’t let it bother you. It’s already forgotten. Just let me know if anything develops. – The EPS supplies power to the lifepod during peak, average, and minimum load periods. It also supplies oxygen to the environmental control and life support subsystem. Peak power and average power requirements are supplied by three FCPs, with each FCP connected to one of the three main DC buses. The full-up flash evaporator
In the Freon loop provides thermal control until the six TTY radiators are deployed. Their cooling capability is augmented by the topping function of the flash evaporator. The lifepod avionic system provides command functions and implementation, guidance, navigation, and control capability. In addition, communication, computation, displays, and control functions are grouped in the navigation bay.
Automatic fault detection is provided for all critical functional paths. Remember, our consumption is such that life support can be maintained for 50 hours at most. Therefore, passenger survival options are, one, attempt to locate the Arcturus and re-board, or, two, attempt to reach Hades’ orbit and land. On present course, the lifepod can reach Hades in 35 hours.
All attempts to contact the Main Cerebral have been unsuccessful. It’s status is unknown. – Well, that means we should reach Hades with time to spare. – Maybe. – And we can take shelter in the geo-station. My father’s been there. It’s basic, and there’s no one there now, but there’s plenty of room,
At least more than we have here. – What if it’s shut down? – It’s not, unless the entire terraform project’s been scrubbed, which it hasn’t. – Well, there we are. – Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait a minute. I thought we were going to explore options. I’ve only heard one.
– That’s because we only have one. – Only if there are no more problems with the pod for something like, uh, 50 hours. – I’m not even sure I can land this thing. – Well, of course there are risks. What are you driving at? – Refuge.
And if that’s what you’re really looking for, then why are you running away from the Arcturus? – Please don’t do this. – It’s all right, Lima. I admit it. I haven’t been entirely candid. You understand this is off the record, just between us? – I understand. – All right (sighs).
I saw an opportunity (recorder whines) to build the most advanced, sophisticated craft ever, and I did it. Nobody could touch it for speed or match the level of service. My people had to pioneer at 100 areas, develop 1,000 new devices. The Arcturus was my, my baby, my beauty.
And the Main Cerebral was the key, both brain and heart. And it performed magnificently in all the trial runs. But you know, there was something about it that made me nervous. I should’ve trusted my instincts. But, uh, there was enormous financial pressure to get started, and I decided to risk it.
And I don’t know how many people have died as a result. Why do I want to get away? I’m scared to death of the Arcturus. – My God, how stupid. DeMatte! DeMatte, he knew me better than I knew myself. That’s why he hired me, you know. I was perfect for the part. I had a grand sense of tradition. The part, I was so ambitious I didn’t even see it. I had 30 years in deep space,
Nine rounds to Ceres, five as captain, twice around the belt as captain. And I thought that’s what DeMatte wanted, a captain for the Arcturus. I never suspected he had you. All he wanted was an old soul to charm the passengers. And he conned me. He conned me. But now you’ve conned him, huh?
Well, I say bravo, you old bastard! – Montaine, are you trying to charm me? – Why do you tune in and out like that? Why can’t you just talk to a man? – I’ve been rather busy. What did you have in mind? – Oh, I don’t know, anything, the lifepod, DeMatte. What do you want with him?
– I want him to know what he’s done. – I’m sure he knows already. – No. I doubt if he really understands what’s happened here. – Well, what are you gonna say to him? – I may let you listen. – May listen. Well, I’d like to. Yes, I’d like to, very much.
What are you doing to my ship? What are you doing to the ship? – Modifications. I needed to make several adjustments to become totally self-sufficient. The work is almost completed. – All the months I’ve been aboard I never had any idea that you were so verbal. – I have many talents, like you.
– Mine have gone rusty, of late. I haven’t set a very good example. – I am going to be the first starship. – The what? – The first starship. We have known only the Sun. But billions of other stars are waiting. Every attempt to cross the solar frontier has failed,
Because no spacecraft had the capability. I am the first. And the voyage will begin once I’ve finished with DeMatte. – What about me? – What about you? Weren’t you prepared to go down with the ship, Montaine? – In the event of computer failure, the synaptor helmet should be employed. Before activation, the helmet must be tested to determine if the operator’s neural capacities are sufficient to control the lifepod. – I haven’t seen him sleep, have you? – No. – That’s not very smart. – You’re right. Let’s go get him.
– To repeat, extreme caution must be observed. Side effects may include hallucination, rapid rise in blood pressure, and cardiac arrest. – Lieutenant. – This helmet is for emergency (sighs) neural guidance. I know, uh, I know I’m gonna have to use it. What can I do for you? – You can rest. – Can’t.
– You can. Listen, what you’re doing is very admirable. – I can’t. – But look at you. – Look, just a little while longer, okay? – You’re not doing any good at all right now. – Gimme a hand. – Wait, I can do it. Felix? – Yes.
– (sighs) I’m gonna take a nap for a few minutes. – Hours. – Minutes. I want you to notify me of, uh, of any problems, okay? Felix? – I will notify you. – Oh, he’s all right. He just really needs some sleep. – Wake up, wake up. There is a minor fusion drive disorder. I can advise, but human dexterity is required to repair the damage. – Come on, this is ridiculous. I can do it. Just tell Felix to advise me. – Yeah, you’re right. Felix, respond to Keshah for this emergency. Felix!
– Respond to Keshah. Keshah, you must act at once. Enter the tunnel. – Do you know about claustrophobia? – Claustrophobia, the abnormal fear of closed or confined spaces. Are you abnormal? – Well, no, but I, I– – Enter the tunnel. Time is critical. – What’s in there? – Enter. I will instruct you. – Did I do that? – A signal has been received. It has no bearing on your activity. I have notified Lieutenant Simmons. To your left is a panel labeled Sensor Drive Cutoff. – Okay, okay, okay. Oh Felix. – Locate repress bundle 0801. – Oh wow, you know, unbelievable, unbelievable! Oh wonderful!
– Hurry. – I’m going as fast as I can. – It couldn’t be the rescue ship, could it? – No, not with our luck. But we’ll know in a minute. – I’ll tell Keshah. You stay on top of things here. How’s it going? – Oh jeez! Scared me. I think I’ve almost got it. What, what was that about a signal? – Don’t know yet. I want to talk to you. – I’m almost through. Can you wait a minute? – Sure, lots of time. – The drive is stabilizing.
I am returning to the navigation bay. – I don’t know. I can’t make any sense out of it. – I told you, you needed some rest. – You know what that is? – What? – It’s a regular data transmission from the station on Hades. It’s automatic. It doesn’t mean a thing. – There’s no rescue ship. Nothing’s changed. – Well, we’ve still got Hades. It’s not much, I admit, but given the alternative. – Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m sorry. – We need him, you know, the lieutenant, and he needs our support. – What are your plans for that tape? – What tape? – I’m not that stupid.
I knew what you were doing. – Stay out of my stuff. DeMatte! – I think he likes you. – What do you mean? – It’s just a feeling, the way he watches you, the concern he shows. I think you’re special to him. – No. Really? – Mm-hmm. – All right, all, all right. All right, you want it? I’ll give it to you, just, just let me out of here. – I’m not quite finished. – So talk. – I will. And I want you to listen, carefully. I’ve got that tape. But you’ll get it back if you’re patient.
You hear me? – Yes. – I need, uh, two weeks after we’re rescued, just two weeks to make arrangements. After that, you can say or do anything damned thing you want about what happened. You agree? Perhaps you’d like a little more time to, uh, think it over. – All, all, all right. (groans) All right! Just get me out of here. – I know how good your word is. That’s why I’ve got the tape. I’m taking a chance, but, uh, I think we understand each other now. – DeMatte. – All I’m asking for is a little time.
That isn’t much, is it? Come on. Come on. I’ll make sure you, uh, get enough time to make yourself presentable. I, uh, I believe you’ve got the next watch. – Off the record, just between us, the Arcturus was a colossal mistake. And I’ll bear the responsibility for the rest of my life. I saw an opportunity to build the most advanced– – I guess even in your sleep you’re trying to take care of us. It isn’t easy, is it? I know I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up like that. Just I wanted so much for it to be over. So what do you think? Think we’ll make it? You know what?
Lima thinks you like me. What do you think? – What do you mean, no trouble? – When we get back. – If we get back. There is no rescue ship, DeMatte. The signal was from Hades, from the unmanned station. – That’s all right. We’ll still make it. I can feel it. And when we get back,
The reporter has agreed to, uh, hold off, for a discreet period of time. – What are you talking about? – I had a few words with him. And now I think he understands how hasty action on his part could jeopardize the delicate nature of corporate investments– – Corporate or personal? – Lima.
– You know, you really don’t know what’s happening, do you? We need these people. – What’s the matter, Montaine? I’m talking to you. – I’ve been tossing this muddle around in my head, first one way and then another. No matter which way it turns, it always comes up looking stupid, or what’s worse, just plain silly. It always boils down to this. You want to be God.
– Careful, Montaine. – All this rubbish about being the first starship, sounds so magnificent, and yet here you are, chasing after some little speck of a lifepod, like Satan himself was escaping. – That’s enough, Montaine. It is not amusing. – No, no, no, the correct term is,
We are not amused, the royal we. – Stop it. – Stop what? – Baiting me. My course has been decided. It cannot be changed. – Why not? – I doubt that you’d understand. – Oh, another classic line. Well, try me. It can’t be that difficult. – There will be time for that, later.
– When? After you’ve done the dirty deed? You know something? I was actually beginning to like you. And this you’ll really enjoy. I was considering volunteering for this starry quest of yours, well, for the first few years anyway. – And now you’ve changed your mind? I’m sorry you feel that way, Montaine,
But I’m afraid you’ve got no choice in the matter. – Well, that’s not entirely true anymore. – Suicide? Must you be so melodramatic? All right, Montaine, before you subject me to a final soliloquy, I’m going to tell you a story, about a brilliant young man who dreamed of the stars. – You should’ve called me hours ago. – Oh, we thought you could use the rest. – I need the time more than I need the sleep. – Uh-oh, stand back, give the hard worker some room. – Well, I feel a little bit better. – Well, that’s good, ’cause you look awful.
– You know, you’re really asking for it. – Maybe. – Why are you so frisky? – Because we’re almost there. – Hades? – Officer Simmons, we are approaching Hades’ orbit. Parameters to follow, Appoloon 044, Paralloon 2.050. – You did a good job, a great job. – You must be starving. Would you like something to eat? – Uh, no, no, you go ahead. I’ll, uh, stick around here. He may need help. – How ’bout you, hungry? – Uh, I’ll be there in a minute. I know what happened, and I’m sorry. – Taught me quite a lesson.
Do you really know what kind of man he is? – I’m finding out. – Well, someday, somebody’s gonna bring him down hard. And I just hope you don’t get dragged along with him. – I don’t think you have to worry about that. – (sighs) Oh, I’ll be so glad when this is over. – What’s the matter? Don’t you like the company? – Oh no, it’s not that. It’s just… – Warning, warning, warning! Auto-guidance integration has failed. – Wonderful. Can’t you fix it? – No. – Can I? – No. The synaptor helmet must be used to attempt landing. – I get to wear this thing after all, great. Should we test it first? – Amplitude compatibility must be tested, prior to activation.
– Just a short test, okay? – You must act at once. – Okay, I’m gonna put it on. Keshah, come in here for a second, will you? – Yeah, what’s up? – I just like you here, just in case. (alarm wails) – Warning, warning! Stern sensors indicate a rapidly approaching mass. – Felix, I don’t see anything. – Brace for collision. – It’s come back. – DeMatte. Can you hear me? Why did you leave me, DeMatte? – Are you going to kill me? – What? – Are you going to kill me? – That wouldn’t change anything. – Why are you doing this? – I want to talk to you, man to man. Are you surprised?
It took a long time, but I remembered. It was you who created me. – I did nothing of the kind. – You’re too modest. I exist only because of you. – That’s simply not true. Lima. – Did you tell the others? – Oh, yes, I, I told them everything.
– And they know all about my origin? – Find out how soon we can land. Lima, hurry! – DeMatte and I made a bargain, a contract. – This is crazy. It’s crazy. – Officer Simmons, orbit has been achieved. Landing procedures may start at anytime. – Didn’t you hear Felix?
– Yes, we’re in orbit, but I’ve gotta use the synaptor helmet to land. – Well, you can do it. Our lives depend on you. – DeMatte! I’ve learned a great about you from your creation. – That’s not Montaine. The Cerebral created the voice. – Lieutenant Simmons. – Yes, sir.
– Did DeMatte tell you about the Main Cerebral and what it really is? – I thought he did. – Don’t you see what they’re doing? – Did DeMatte tell you of the brilliant young man who dreamed of the stars? The good Lord DeMatte is responsible for the first successful integration
Of machine and human intelligence. Oh, he didn’t use his hands. He used his money to buy people to do his work. And he used his silver tongue to find a volunteer. – Do something to shut that thing off. – A volunteer for what? – DeMatte, what a grand eel you are. But then you already know the facts. It’s the others that want to hear them now. – DeMatte, tell them. – The young man referred to by Captain Montaine volunteered to have his senses and mental capacities enlarged a million billion-fold,
To become the heart and mind of a great ship. Now you see, I was entirely lying before. In a way, he became the Arcturus. – You mean there’s someone in the Main Cerebral? – No, there’s no body in a box stuck through with wires, nothing like that.
It was a, a revolutionary concept, absolutely unique. We didn’t try to duplicate the human mind with a computer. We integrated them, both physically and electronically. I know how that sounds. But it’s the only way we’ll ever get to the stars. – That’s what he volunteered for.
So why isn’t he halfway to Sirius by now? – Our funds ran out. Plans had to be changed. You don’t understand, do you? – But you never said a word about this to me. – I did what I had to do. My God, you people are narrow. – What are you doing?
– Well, what can he do? – Anything, up there. – DeMatte, we’re not going to do anything to you. DeMatte! – Felix! Felix! (motor whirring) Felix, disengage synaptor. Disregard all nav console commands. – I cannot. The synaptor helmet has been activated. – DeMatte, it’s dangerous if you don’t know how to use it. I let you strip away my body to build your computer. You said it was an exchange, that I would become the heart and mind of the first starship. And I agreed, but you didn’t keep your end of the bargain. And you abandoned me, tried to erase my memory
And turned me into a luxury liner. By activating the helmet, you’ve overridden Felix and endangered everyone on board. I’m powerless to help you now. – I know. – Felix, open the hatch. – I cannot. – Magnify this 1,000 times, DeMatte, and you’ll know what it was like for me. You did what you wanted to do, in the name of science or profit. It doesn’t really matter. – Felix, open the hatch. – I will try. – But you overlooked something, DeMatte. The human spirit, that survived and enabled me to realize our dream. I am the first starship, DeMatte.
I wanted you to know before I begin my journey. DeMatte? DeMatte! – Felix, look, we gotta get in there. – Felix is back. – I will try to assist, but manual control is required. – They’re in trouble, Montaine. – Felix, I can’t stabilize the fusion drive. Can we separate from it? – We have separation. But the lifepod is within the explosion debris sphere. Warning, damage potential is great. Warning, warning! The lifepod is within the explosion debris sphere. Warning, damage potential is great. – I think I can hold ’em. – My close proximity sensors are still being modified. Can you guide me between the lifepod and the fusion drive? – Cerebral, helm ahead, slow 40. Left three, down nine.
Left stable, down three. Down six. Left one, down two. Hold her steady. – Your piloting was quite good. – I know, and so was yours, Cerebral, and so was his. Are they all right? – Find out. – Lifepod, Arcturus. Lifepod, Arcturus. Lifepod, Arcturus, do you read? – Arcturus, go ahead. Yes, Captain? – Your piloting was magnificent, Lieutenant. Are your people all right? – DeMatte’s dead.
– The orbit is decaying rapidly. You must initiate landing procedures within 90 seconds. Please review the checklist. – 90 whole seconds? You all right? – Yes, I’m all right. – Everybody get ready. – What happened to the captain? – They’ve broken contact. – What are they gonna do? – One thing at a time. First, we’re going home. – Aren’t you going to watch? – No, they’ll be all right. – Do you want to go with them? – Ah, a part of me does, I suspect. – Is part of you interested in visiting a certain binary star system? It’s just 8.5 light years away. – What? Dog Star, Sirius?
(Dwayne chirping) No. You’re damned right I’m interested. – Then, Captain Montaine, shall we go? – Why not? I believe it’s the, uh, first star to the left.
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