"25.000" "Mysterious voice:" "They must come to us." "They must come." "They must." "Blake." "Jenna." "Sorry to wake you, but I think you should get down here." "What's wrong?" "Our speed's increasing." "Can't you compensate?" "It's not an external influence, it's us." "The primary drive is accelerating." "All right." "I'm on my way." "Well?" "Speed standard by three and building." "How quickly?" "If it continues like this it will be off the scale in about twelve minutes." "Zen says the automatic repair service should have it under control by then though." "Seems to be a malfunction in the PN overrides." "Zen, estimated repair time?" "Eleven point three zero two minutes." "Whew!" "That's cutting it a bit fine." "What caused the malfunction?" "The malfunction was deliberately induced." "Deliberately induced?" "Cally!" "Cally, what do you think of the outfit?" "Cally?" "Speed standard by four and building." " Avon?" " Yes." "I need you on the flight deck." "I'm busy." "NOW, Avon." "Zen, how are the repairs going?" "They are proceeding on schedule." "What caused the malfunction?" "Well?" "Involvement is not permitted." "If the ship's blown up, lofty disinterest won't save you." "Speed standard by five and building." "Forward detectors on maximum." "Full scan." "Abort course programs." "Key all navigation systems to anticipate potential collisions and neutralise." "Confirmed." "Avon." " All right!" " If it was all right, I wouldn't need you here." "Our leader seems a bit piqued." " What are you doing?" " A little private research." "Which are the forward detector links?" " What?" "Oh, those two there." " Why do you want to know that?" "I'm interested in your work." "Yes." "Well, I suppose I'd better go and see what it is that Blake wants." "What exactly are you accusing me of?" "I'm asking if your researches have included the PN overrides." "I haven't been anywhere near them." "Speed standard by six and rising." "There is a partial malfunction on the forward detectors." "[ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE]" "Forward detectors are now dysfunctional." "Navigation computers have switched to theoretical projections." "Now we're blind as well." "But who?" " Cally." " What?" "It's Cally." "Warn Gan and Vila." "Gan." "Respond please." "Yes, Jenna What is it?" "I should regret the necessity to kill you." "Why are you doing this Cally?" "They must come." "Move back to the flight deck." "Look at the burns on her hand." "She must be in agony." "I will kill you if you do not obey." "Speed standard by seven." "Speed seems to be increasing by." "So it was you." "Must you invite death?" "Navigation computers can't cope with a change of course." "We're running blind." "Don't move." "Jenna's right, Cally." "This ship's out of control." "We're as good as dead now Zen, what's our speed?" "Standard by eight point six five." "If you're trying to steal the ship, there are other ways." "You're not Cally, are you?" "They must come to us." "They must." "They must They must come." "Whoever you are, it's over." "Thank you, Jenna." "What was all that about?" " Better keep her sedated." " And locked up or dumped." " You should never have brought her on the ship." " And where have you been hiding?" "All I said was "what do you think of the outfit?"" "Repair monitors report explosive device attached to primary power channel." "Where?" "Hold three, access duct seven." "Can the automatics neutralise it?" " No." " Why not?" "There is no damage." "Computer logic." "Until the bomb explodes there is nothing for the repair system to repair." "Zen, can you reprogram the automatics?" "Pre-emptive interference in crew activity is forbidden." "Oh, he'll clear up after us, but he won't stop us making a mess." "You made this mess." " We're all in it, Avon." " Yes, aren't we." " You better lock her in." " I will." " Anything on the detector scanners?" " Not a thing." "Speed's up to standard by ten." "Drive repairs, how long?" "One point two five minutes." "Can you stop us then?" "If we don't hit something first." "Forward detectors?" "Repair monitors are assessing the damage." "A bomb was all we needed." "Be careful of that thing." "If the light goes out you've got about 3 seconds." "Look out!" "[EXPLOSION]" "Major disruption of primary power channel." "All systems switched to auxiliary power." "All drive units are dysfunctional." "Thank you." "Why?" "Automatic reaction." "I'm as surprised as you are." "I'm not surprised." "We must make ready." "We must make ready." "Ready." "Ready." "Ready." "They approach, drawing closer." "Closer." "Closer." "We must make ready." "It wasn't what she was doing." "It was the way she was." "If you looked into her eyes it wasn't her looking back at you." " Avon says that's because she's an alien." " Everyone's an alien to him." "He's certainly more at home with machines." "The navigation computers have completed a theoretical projection of Liberator's position." " And?" " This star system is largely uncharted." "Marvellous." "We're not sure where we are, but if they were sure they wouldn't know where it was anyway." "Repairs to the primary power channel are complete." "All drive units are now fully functional." "Reduce speed to standard by point five." "Reverse primaries." "Speed now standard by point five." "Put up navigation projection." "Circles indicate projected planets." "Positions are unconfirmed." "Well, put up our estimated position." "That's too close to something we can't see." "And we're not sure is there." "What about the detectors?" "Partial malfunction is still not traced." "Repair monitors are in phase two reassessment." "Gan, see if there's anything you can do to help Avon." "Tell him we need those detectors now." "Right." "Hull sensors indicate a major gravitational field within Liberator's ambit." "Jenna, compensate the gravitational drift." " Our speed's dropping." " Field drag?" "Field strength's only three point five." "It must be something else." "Limited range forward vision is available should you require it." " Why couldn't you tell us that before?" " Put up forward vision." "What is it?" "Meteorite dust?" "Strands like that?" "Look, there's more of it." "It's rubbing across the hull." " And it's getting thicker." " It's like a spider's web." " Some spider." " That's what's pulling our speed down." "Increase power to compensate." "It's getting worse all the time." "If there is a planet there we should be close enough to get signals now." "Vila, go and see how Cally is, will you?" " Must I?" " It's not catching." " It brought my head out in lumps." " Get a move on." "All right, I'm going." " Nothing wrong with that." " What are you trying to do?" "Bypass the detector comp and use another of the systems to receive the signal." "Can it be done?" "Of course." "It's just a matter of finding the link." "Some of this technology is a little more advanced to that which I'm used." "I'm having to guess at some of it." "What about the automatic repair system?" "Oh, it'll do the job." "Eventually." "It's very methodical." "It starts at the beginning and it works its way through." "It's slow." "You should appreciate that problem." "No, that wasn't the one." "It'll take days to repair that." "On any ordinary computer system." "But this isn't any ordinary computer system." "A malfunction of that size would register on the auto repair." "It should cut in in about five seconds." "Watch." "It will be cutting in about now." "That is fantastic." "Yes, isn't it?" "As a matter of fact it is." "We could make a fortune with it if it wasn't for Blake." "In what way?" "There's always a market for technology like this." "I don't think Blake would agree to that." "There will come a time when he won't be making the decisions." "Cally!" "It's all right." "She doesn't remember a thing." " How did I burn my hand?" " It was an accident." "Look, we're very close to a planet but we don't know what it is." "I can't find any transmission sources." "Will you please run the checks for me?" "Sensors indicate increasing density of silica based organic material adhering to the hull." " About spider's webs." " Hmmm, what about them?" "They're used for trapping food." "Anything?" "I've tried all recognised systems but there's nothing." "No transmissions of any kind." "We'll move out." "Go back the way we came." "Without detectors?" "Blind backtracking is a good way to run into pursuit ships." "We've no choice." "If we get clear then we can outrun them...if necessary." "Sensors register increasing gravitational influence." "Field strength now eight point six." "We're moving closer into the planet." "Vila, I want a new course." "Locate the centre of that gravitational field." "I want an attitude that takes us directly away from it." "Right." "Jenna, stand by to bring her round." "How much reserve power is there Jenna?" "Jenna?" "What's wrong?" "What is the matter with her?" "I don't know." "Vila, give me a hand." "We'll take her to her quarters." "We have waited for your coming for many years." "Welcome." "It pleases us that you are here." "Who are you?" "We will meet shortly and then we shall answer all your questions." "For now, it is only important that you understand the danger of your situation." "Danger?" "Your ship is trapped." "You cannot free yourselves." "We can free ourselves at any time we wish." "You underestimate the power of our ship." "On the contrary." "You overestimate it." "We have examined your ship most carefully through our daughter Cally." "You would require to sustain your maximum power for 160 hours to break out of orbit." "Your energy cells would be exhausted in less than a hundred." "Gravitational attraction would draw you back to your present position before your cells would be recharged." "If we are trapped, then by whom?" "We do have some influence on your safety in that it is within our power to release you from the web." "That we can and will do in return for assistance from you." "What do you want from us?" "In a few moments we will transmit a homing signal It will give you a precise landing position." "We will talk again when you have landed." "Listen." "It has left her." "Blake, that could've been one of the Lost." "Well, don't be mystical, Cally." "Explain!" "It is the legend of my people." "They were cast out." "Unfit to share the soul of Auronar." "[HOMING SIGNAL BEEP]" "Yes, it is a beacon signal." " Get a fix on it." " Are you going down?" "Not if I can help it." "I don't like the sound of anything I heard." "Let's try to pull her out of here." "Ready to go about?" "Jenna?" "Are you all right now?" "Yes." "Of course I am." "Yes." "Vila is the course set?" "Uh, on the panel now." "Lock onto it, Jenna." "She's responding very slowly." "Coming round." "That's it." "Locked onto course." "Right." "Give it all we've got." "Full thrust." "Coming up." "Full power." " Speed?" " Standard by one half." "Cut in the auxiliaries." "That's helped at bit." "We're now up to standard by one and one half and building but slowly." " Vila." " Yes?" "It's time to use the neutron blasters." "At last." "I've been looking forward to this." "Take it easy." "It might blow us all up." "See if you can blast a hole through that web." "Fire." "[ALARM]" "Neutron flare shield has not been activated." "Which one's that?" "Activate the neutron flare shield!" "Confirmed." "Blasters are cleared for firing." "[NEUTRON BLAST]" "I did it!" "We're picking up speed." "All right, now keep it going." "It's closing up." "We're getting drag again." "We're slowing down." "Fire again, Vila." "[NEUTRON BLAST]" "Power banks one and two now exhausted." "Energy drain exceeds recharge capacity." "Every time I blast a hole in it, it just knits up again." "How long can we sustain this rate of power loss, Zen?" "Standard drive plus auxiliaries can be sustained for ninety hours." "Each neutronic discharge reduces that capacity by three hours." "How much distance have we covered?" "One hundred spacials." "We're not going to make it." "All power off." "All off." "What will you do?" " We don't have much choice." " We're drifting in again." "Let her go Cally, get an exact fix on that beacon." "Tell Avon to stand by I'm going to have to teleport down." "Vila, I want an atmosphere and gravity check." "There is little time left." "They will come to us, but it must be soon." "There is little time left." "They will come to us, but it must be soon." "There is little time left." "Soon." "Soon." " Set?" " Ready." " I must come with you." " No." " But you can trust me." " Really?" "I know we can." "Whatever's down there can control you." "It's already demonstrated that." " I was unprepared." " So were we." "It's better that you stay here." "If I call for backup, get down there fast." "We'll be ready." "Gan, keep an eye on Cally." "What if something should happen to you and we can't get you back?" "Then all you have to do is get everybody else out of this mess." "All right, put me down." "[TELEPORT WHINE]" "Keep back." "Help us." "Help us please." "Come inside." "There are more of them in the compound." "You are hurt." "Come, I will treat the wound." "Why did you kill him?" "He was no threat." "One of them obviously was." "But don't worry, it was only a Decima." "You were lucky." "It could have been much worse." "We've had groups of more than 50 of them in this area." "Can you close your hand?" "The tendons are not cut." "What is it?" "Don't be alarmed." "It's a simple enzyme culture." "Tissue regeneration will take only a few moments." "I'm sorry this happened." "The Decimas are becoming a problem." "When we have full power again we will reduce their numbers." "He was asking for help." "Don't waste your sympathy." "They want help to destroy us." "Stupid they may be, but they know that our power is diminished." "That we are at our most vulnerable." "There only hope for a future is to wipe us out." "They've made several full scale assaults on the lab." "They can't do too much harm of course." "Their weapons are too primitive." "But they are a threat." "And they will have to be suppressed." "There, you see it's dead." "That is astonishing!" "A useful technique for small wounds." "I've never seen anything like it before." "Our mission has specialised in tissue creation and regenerative processes." "Among other things." "I am Novara and this is my sister Geela." "Blake." "We are happy to see you." "We thought your ship would land." "How did you come here?" "We have a teleportation process." "Fascinating!" "Perhaps you would explain it to us." "I thought you had already examined our ship." "Not all of it." "You used Cally to sabotage us and force us to come here." "Would you have come otherwise?" "Perhaps." "In that case, we apologise." "You communicated with us through another member of my crew." "A simple mental process known to the ancients." "We have developed and refined it." "It is more reliable than mechanical transmissions." "You said you have a way to free us from the web." "That is correct." "We created "the web' as you call it." "What is it?" "It is a silica based life form." "A mutation not unlike fungus." "Its spores germinate rapidly and it has enormous tensile strength." "It can trap and hold the most powerful ship." "What's it for?" "It was a line of research, which got out of control." "Then how do I release my ship?" "We developed a fungicide that can be projected by a beam." "It will clear a corridor through the web." "You will be able to move freely." "However, that is where the problem lies." "The problem is both yours and ours." "And so presumably the reason why you brought us here." "Let us show you." "Come." "You recognise this?" "Power cells?" "Flutonic power cells." "As you can see from the registers one of them is totally exhausted." "The other almost so." "And you have no means of recharging them." "No." "When we have used what remains, our life support systems will fail and we will die." "But, perhaps more significant from your point of view, we do not have enough power to project the fungicide." "So you want me to provide fully charged energy cells." "And in return we provide clear passage out of orbit." "I don't know that we have this type of cell." "I dare say we have something that can be adapted." "Then you agree?" "[SHOUTING]" "Dwarves?" "Decimas." "The attack was a diversion so they could move their dead." "Stupid creatures." "Taking of life seems to affect them." "Almost as if they had emotions." "The changes in them are astonishing." "Earlier generations showed no indication of aggression." "Are you going to contact your ship?" " Blake." " Cally." "Tell Avon I need two fully charged flutonic power cells." "I will tell him." " Call me when he's ready to bring them down." " Understood." "Ask him what's happening down there." "No, he's gone." "He didn't sound as if he was in trouble." "He'd have found a way of letting us know if he was." "But the Lost have great power." "Why would they need these cells then?" "I'll go and tell Avon." "Flutonic power cells?" "The detector malfunction has been rectified." "Full function on all systems is now available." "Run immediate navigation check and pinpoint our position, then a maximum range orbital scan." "Detectors indicate unidentified craft at extreme range." "Put them on the screen." "There they are." "Pursuit ships." "Don't they ever give up?" "Zen, are they coming this way?" "If they maintain present course and speed they will pass at a range not exceeding two million spacials." "Their detectors will pick us up at that distance." "That's too close." "Shall I tell Blake?" " There's nothing he can do till we're out of the web." " But he should be told." "If he's bargaining it will weaken his position." "You're very practical." "Complete." "The beam is now aligned to your ship." "When we have full power this control will project a ray that will clear a route through the web." "It will take three hours to close in again." "Should be enough time." "What was the original purpose of the project?" "Genetic engineering." "The main aims were to halt the aging process in humans." "To find a way to maintain continuous life." "Immortality." "And to create a new species of animal." "Creatures designed to perform simple menial tasks." "Animal machines that cost nothing to produce and little to maintain." "Experiments like that have been banned for centuries." "Which is why we had to establish our laboratory on an uninhabited planet." "Were any of these creatures made?" "Yes." "We engineered an efficient four function animal." "Using the same basic genetic form we then increased it to ten functions." "The Decimas." "You made the Decimas?" "The prototypes." "They breed naturally, but a mutant strain has become dominant." "They seem capable of thought." "They exhibit primitive emotions, weaknesses we thought we had eradicated." "They will all have to be eliminated so that we can be certain the mutant strain is destroyed." "They're intelligent, living creatures." "You can't just wipe them out." "We gave them life." "We have the right to take it from them." "Please don't concern yourself." "They're simply laboratory constructed animals as are we." "You?" "You are made?" "We were genetically engineered, allowed to grow to maturity, then our aging processes were stopped." "We have no lives of our own." "We are simply flesh and blood creatures operated by our creators." "Ha ha ha." "You seem confused my friend." "We had intended not to meet with you." "However, you will be leaving us shortly." "No harm can come from your knowing us." "Geela will bring you." "Come with us, please." "[COMMUNICATOR CHIME]" " Blake." " Avon." "You ready?" "One of the flutonic power cells is fully charged." "The other will be ready in precisely two minutes." "Get them down here as soon as you can." "There's something else." "The detector banks are now fully functional." "They've located the pursuit ships and they're coming this way." "Have everybody standing by." "We'll move out as soon as we're both back on board." "Good." "I'm sorry." "You must excuse me I have not spoken with these lips in a long time." "My name is Saymon." "That is the name by which this body was once known." "I am a corporate identity." "We exist through this body." "We?" "We were from Auron." "There were six of us when we set off on this project." "Unfortunately, our knowledge was not far enough advanced then to eliminate death." "But we did possess the power to keep alive our thoughts and ideas." "The bodies reverted but the minds lived on." "Cally's people." "The Auronar." "Yes." "We were from the Auronar but not of them as Cally is." "That's why you were able to control her." "That is why we had to control her." "She would not have accepted us freely." "You are the only one of the six that is left?" "Mechanical aids sustain this body." "Through it all six of us continue to live." "Our combined mental powers generate Geela and Novara to carry out all our experiments." "They have no life of their own?" "None." "If our life support should fail, they would simply wither away." "Thanks to you and your energy cells that will not occur." "So that all I have spoken to them about, all they have told me, that was you talking, not them?" "Correct." "And did you mean what you said?" "You're going to destroy the Decimas?" "It would have been wiser to have done so before they became so numerous." "But to discharge a lethal level of radiation required more power than we had available." "But the cells I'm providing will give you that power?" "Of course." "No." "I can't let that happen." "Without that power you cannot escape the web." "Then we must come to a new understanding." "You won't get those cells until we do." "Avon stay on board until you hear from me." "This is Vila." "Don't teleport Avon until I say so." "I just did." "I put him down about ten seconds ago." "He'll be in the compound now." "If the Decimas reach him, he'll be in danger." "Those power cells must be protected." "I don't give a damn about your power cells." "There's a friend of mine out there." "We will help." "You take that side." "You take that side." "And I'll go straight on." "I've been looking for you." "What's going on?" "Let's get under cover first." "Got the cells?" "What do you think these are, field rations?" "There's a problem." "If we let them have those, they'll use them to wipe out an entire race of creatures, people, here." "If it concerns you, don't give them the cells." "No, there's more." "They've got a carrier beam, which projects a fungicide, which will clear a way through the web for us." "It doesn't work without this power." "Ah well, if it's between the creatures and us there's no argument." "Even your irrational conscience should be able to cope with that." "What do you want to do?" "Hold off long enough to make a deal." "You're going to have to be quick, Blake." "Those pursuit ships are coming this way." "I'll hide these cells." "They can have them when they agree to our terms." "What ARE our terms?" "They can use lethal radiation to kill everything out here." "If they allow us to destroy the radiation equipment at least the Decimas will have some form of chance." "Why should they agree?" "They need the power." "They can't survive without it." "Neither can we." "I'll bear that in mind." "Don't worry." "I'll remind you." "Let's get back inside quickly." "Where are the cells?" "He didn't bring them." "We'll get them when we've talked." "You are lying." "You will get them when you agree to our terms." "Put your weapon down." "Do it!" "You." "Now, the cells." "I didn't bring them." "Minimum power." "A full charge would cut you in half." "Understand." "Your lives are totally unimportant to us." "All right." "Quickly." "The cells." " I will irradiate." " No!" "Novara." "[SHRIEKING]" "Right, that's the beam." "These are what you wanted to protect?" " They're fighting for their lives." " Who isn't?" "Aaaarrhhhh." "Look." "He did it." "We're free." "Not yet." "Let's get out of here." "Blake." "We're ready." "Bring us up." "Aaaarrhhhh." "Navigation computer to evasive action strategy." "Key course and speed to optimum escape probability." "Basically, lose them, Zen." "Confirmed." " One thing they proved back there." " What?" "Biological machines will never replace the real thing." "They're far too unpredictable." "At least the Decimas stand a chance now." "You can't separate living creatures." "Being alive involves them together." "I couldn't agree with you less." "It's a fact of life." "Zen, when we've lost the pursuit ships, resume course for Centero." "Confirmed." "I'll tell you a fact of life, Blake." "Change is inevitable." "Why else would we fight, Avon?"