"Operation Vega" "by Friedrich Dürrenmatt" "Translated by:" "Italo Chiusano" "Characters in order of appearance:" "The Excellencies" "The Minister of Stellar Affairs:" "Aldo Giuffre" "The Minister of War Ottorino Guerrini" "Minister of Extraterrestrial Territories Michele Malaspina" "The Under-Secretary of Venusian Affairs Raoul Consonni" "The Military" "Colonel Rox:" "Attilio Ortolani" "Captain Lef:" "Pietro Privitera" "The Venusians" "Sim:" "Gastone Moschin Pers:" "Attilio Duse" "Irene:" "Lia Angeleri Borst:" "Arnoldo Foa" "The Speaker:" "Umberto Ceriani The Voice:" "Mario Morelli" "Sets" "Costumes" "Music and electronic effects" "Lighting" "Studio assistant" "Produced by" "Directed by Vittorio Cottafavi" "With your permission, Mr. President of the Free Confederate States..." "I will present as you asked me, a report of my journey aboard the spacecraft Vega..." "The negotiations of Excellency Horace Gorg, and all the recordings of the conversations." "Let's start with a summary of what happened at the beginning of our trip." "Your first trip into space?" " Yes, the first one!" "It's really stupid today when small children travel to the moon ...or make a trip to Mars." "Today our dreams have come true." "I love Earth too much and dream too little." "Outside our planet, there is no climate which is at least bearable." "In fact, Excellency." "Excellency!" "And you're the Captain?" "At your command." "If I can be of any use." "Don't be so nice to people like me." "To Ministers of Stellar Affairs one shouldn't be so nice." "How strange, Captain." "Dr. Manner is at your disposal." "Thanks." "May I fasten your seat belt." "Your welcome." "Is everything alright, Excellency." "I'm quite excited." "Excellency, would you like something." "No, thanks, it doesn't matter." "Red light, 20 seconds left." "It's a shame that we must leave, I wanted to go fishing this morning." "Still 10 seconds." "Take off!" "The Earth is left behind, Manner." "Is the pressure tolerable?" "Yes, yes." "It's OK." "It's increasing.." "It's strange when you experience it for the first time." "Breathe calmly!" "I'll try." "The spaceship must accelerate to a speed of 36,000 kilometres per hour." "Manner, you're the President's personal doctor?" "Only on trips." "I accompanied him to Mars." "I understand." "And he decided that you have to accompany me to Venus?" "It's a great honour for me, Excellency." "Yes." "The yellow light." "Now the pressure of the acceleration is at maximum." "I feel it." "Green light." "We have reached the necessary speed." "We have left Earthly gravity behind." "Here we are!" "It's a distance of 8,000 kilometres from earth." "Rather high." "May I unfasten you?" " You're welcome..." "We now have artificial gravity." "That's much better." "Earth is beautiful, isn't it?" " Indeed." "A proximal shield." "What a pity that it is false." "False, Excellency?" "Its inhabitants do not always tell the truth." "Colonel Rox, Excellency." "Colonel Camillo Rox?" " Yes, Excellency." "You are the one who attacked the Red Atoll one year ago." "Exactly, Excellency." "And three years ago the raid on Base XZ 15?" "Excellency, you have a good memory." "It's only my profession, Colonel Rox." "Ah, you are here, Gorg." "One bang and you are in space." "I was also enthusiastic when it was my first time 40 years ago." "Space travel has become convenient." "Recently I met an old guy whose great-grandfather had experienced the pioneer times." "The poor things floated like angels and at the moment of take-off were squashed flat." "They had neither artificial gravity nor any kind of protection against the acceleration." "Such primitive people." "You can see Earth." "An impressing globe." "A panorama, Gorg." "So, you from the Ministry of Stellar Affairs can learn what it means to have a wide horizon." "Now:" "A recording of the conference held aboard the Vega three days later with all Ministers present and presided over by Horace Gorg." "Gentlemen, first of all..." "I'll give you a short survey." "We must be sure about what we want and what we must do." "Since 1945... we've had no world war." "A period of 310 years." "There was a period of partial conflicts:" "This war, that war, whatever the names of them were." "Now a new world war has become unavoidable, as terrible as it may be for a Minister of Stellar Affairs to admit it." "The world has had 300 years to prepare." "Diplomacy has come to its limits, the Cold War can't be extended." "Peace is impossible." "The necessity to wage war is greater than the fear of it." "The free allied Continental States oppose Moruvia and its allies." "The two forces are almost equally powerful." "Almost." "This is the sad reason why these members of the Free Confederate States find themselves here, on the spaceship Vega." "Now I want to give the floor to the Minster for Extraterrestrial Territories." "Excellencies, gentlemen..." "Our situation isn't completely favourable." "The moon is lost..." "A loss which, personally, I feel more sorry for than Borg." "The treaty with Stux, responsible for the loss of that side which faces Earth and its living conditions so hostile to human nature make it unfortunately, impossible to attack the Moruvian moon fortresses." "We should never have signed the Stux treaty." "I must remind Minister of War Cos that he also had no idea when I... had to sign the treaty which I profoundly deplore." "There was no alternative policy and we weren't prepared, sufficiently, for any solution other than politics." "I ask the Minister for Extraterrestrial Territories to continue" "Excellencies, gentlemen." "Mars is neutral and too powerful to be forced to support either us or Moruvia." "So only Venus remains." "I ask to give the floor to the Under-secretary for Venusian Affairs." "You're welcome." "I give the floor to the Under-secretary of Venusian Affairs." "Excellencies, I think it's important that the members of the government here have an idea of the situation on Venus." "The climate of the planet is a disaster." "It finds itself rather like the Earth was about 150 million years ago." "Venus isn't appropriate for normal human settlement." "So that both Moruvia and our allies have withdrawn their commissioners." "I've heard a different version." "To be precise, Excellency Gorg, both our and the Moruvian commissioners were denied return back to Earth." "So that we and Moruvia... neglected... that is omitted, in fact... there is a possibility of sending others." "What was the name of our last commissioner?" "Borst." "When did he resign?" "10 years ago." "Why didn't he return?" "We don't know." "Go on." "Mr. Under-secretary." "Excellencies, gentlemen..." "Even if Venus isn't appropriate for settlement, it's useful in a certain way." "Both we and Moruvia and its allies have been using Venus as a penal colony for 200 years and we are still using it exclusively for this purpose." "Our spacecrafts discharge the prisoners and then leave without getting in touch with them." "So, are the prisoners free?" "Free on Venus." "For Earth they're dead." "And the political situation?" "The political situation?" " Yes." "Unknown." "The number of inhabitants?" "Unknown." "How many have we sent up?" " 30,000 per year." "And Moruvia?" "I don't know." "I don't understand why we need a Department for Venusian Affairs when we know nothing about this planet." "It's the duty of this department to organize the prisoner transports." "What happens later is of no concern for the department." "Important only that they don't escape." "What kind of prisoners do we send to Venus?" "Morally inferior human material." "Criminals and then mainly people who support subversive ideas and must be expatriated for security reasons" "And who do the Moruvians send to Venus?" "Morally inferior humans." "Criminals and people who support subversive ideas and must be expatriated for security reasons" "Very good, thanks." "Now I ask the Minister of War to inform us about his aims." "It's simple." "We must convince the scum up there for a war against Moruvia and its allies." "From a strategic point of view, Venus has the advantage that it's cloud layer makes it impossible to watch its surface." "An attack can be prepared secretly." "On Earth that is impossible as both we and the Moruvians have satellites we use to watch each other." "I estimate the population of Venus at 2 million." "For an attack at Moruvia with atomic and hydrogen bombs" "I'd need... 200,000 men." "Spacecrafts and bombs we can produce ourselves on Venus." "with a few scientists." "And are there such scientists at hand?" " Yes, a few aboard." "With which Venusian delegates do we negotiate?" "With a certain Pers." "Do we know anything about this gentleman?" "He's a killer." "Fine." "Then with a certain Sim." "And what do we know about him?" "He was born on Venus and son of a noted subversive." "Even better." "Finally with one named Pres, about whom we know nothing." "Gentlemen..." "Our mission was decided by the President." "to our surprise." "In a sense rather hurriedly, as it evidently seems that at the moment, about Venus, we know practically nothing." "I've been put in charge of leading this mission." "Our task to tell the truth, is somewhat difficult." "At this moment we don't know what the representatives of this planet require," "or how to negotiate with them..." "If we'll find a dictatorship or a parliamentary system like ours." "In fact, the situation... is serious." "We must dare everything, is - good luck!" "if we don't want to lose everything and so, it only remains to wish every success... to Operation Vega." "Before I come to the events on Venus," "I reproduce two conversations of Excellency Gorg." "First he talked to me while watching Venus, as big as the moon, but even more luminous." "shining in the vastness of space, threatening... white." "When do we arrive, Manner?" "In six hours, Excellency." "Six hours left, until your mission begins." "My mission, Excellency?" "The President has commissioned you to watch over me." "He's afraid I could stay on Venus like our commissioners." "I don't understand, Excellency." "You're a member of the Secret Service." "Excellency!" "You have in your bag one of those micro-cameras with which you can record conversations." "I don't know..." " But I know, Manner." "As an agent of the Secret Service it's clear you aren't allowed to admit you're one of them." "Let's not talk of it." "We both know... what's at stake." "The second conversation was with Colonel Rox, shortly before our arrival." "It was difficult to record as I didn't wish to arouse suspicion, so it shows some interference." "One question, Colonel Rox." "Excellency?" "Base XZ 15, three years ago." "You attacked it with spacecraft Daneb?" "Exactly." "And Red Atoll last year, with spacecraft Altair?" " Correct." "Then I think I remember evident that the destruction was total." "And both spacecrafts were... camouflaged as passenger ships?" "Strategy, Excellency." "Certainly." "This is the spacecraft Vega." "I don't claim to be an expert but..." "Altair, Deneb and Vega are the names of the summer stars, aren't they?" "And..." "Aren't they also the names of one and the same ship?" "Your Excellency is very perspicacious." "It's only my profession..." "You're a dangerous man, Rox." "A soldier." "Exactly." "And aboard." "On the President's request." "With some... bombs like on the last two campaigns?" "Wouldn't know what for, Excellency.." "To support the proposal we have for the inhabitants of Venus." "I can't give you an answer, Excellency." " You aren't supposed to, Rox." "The inhabitants of Venus expect a peaceful ship." "We've promised to come without weapons." "I was surprised when I noticed that you were aboard, Colonel Rox, but as Minister of the Free States." "I can't allow myself to think about that any longer." "There's nothing more awkward than a diplomat whose right hand knows what his left hand does." "Fasten your safety belts, fasten your safety belts." "The Vega is entering the atmosphere of Venus." "Let's forget our conversation, Colonel Rox." "Of course, Excellency." "Let's hope that you'll never have to remind me." "I certainly won't do it." "Fasten your safety belts, fasten your safety belts." "Referring to the following recording" "I wish to remind you, Mr. President, that you asked me for a detailed report on Venus." "Our impression of Venus when we arrived is difficult to describe and doesn't correspond with the images we have of this planet on Earth." "We arrived at the specified point not far from the North Pole, at the coast of Newton Island." "Of course, those features we'd learnt about the surface of Venus were all there the gigantism of the flora, the horizon full of volcanoes, but it wasn't that which was terrible." "It was the suffocating heat, the humidity of the air, the ever present earthquakes, which move, change, destroy and newly create..." "The light which is unearthly, strange and difficult to describe." "The sky is without a sun, an oppressive and permanently billowy mash of clouds, roared through by enormous hurricanes, of a glittering silver as if a deadly fire raged behind a curtain of steam and rain... an impression reinforced by electrical discharges in the atmosphere." "On arrival we watched kilometre-sized ball lightnings... which rattled through gigantic jungles of horsetails and ferns." "The ground wavered, trembled." "The virgin jungle was behind us, fantastic, dripping with moisture... before us an expanse of gleaming, red sand and then confused and roaring... an ocean." "We had expected a huge crowd of people, a solemn act of state." "Excellency Gorg held a scrap of paper containing an outline of his speech, but all we saw were two men, in threadbare clothes, consisting only of shirts and trousers." "They approached hesitantly... from the beach." "My name is Sim." "Horace Gorg." "Mr. Pers" "His Excellency, the Minister of War," "His Excellency, the Minister for Extraterrestrial Territories, my most important colleagues." "Pleased to meet you." "Mr. Sim, Mr. Pers." "The moment in which we set foot on Venus is for us not without greatness;" "not without emotion do we find ourselves on this strange ground of an other planet." "The Free Confederate States of Earth, whose representatives we are, know that the ideals... that the ideals to which we subordinate and by which we live... can also be found on Venus, even if... in a different form." "And so we can declare with no ulterior motive, that we have come here but because of a spontaneous resolution, according to good old Thomas Eliot... in his immortal work, that illuminates the conscious in that world..." "His Excellency cut short his wonderful speech." "We were urged to quickly reach the negotiation ship, which was a kind of primitive submarine." "We were soaked to the skin." "It was quite a surprise." "We had thought to negotiate in a city or a country house." "I now reproduce part of the first meeting with the delegates of Venus, which took place under terrible conditions." "The commission of Free Confederate States was cooped up like sardines in the submersible, which was vehemently thrown back and forth by the waves." "I welcome the Commission of Free Confederate States to our ship." "Please excuse the absence of Mr. Pers." "He has to steer the ship." "The proposals we have to offer are very important." "Isn't there someone other than Mr. Pers who can steer the negotiation ship?" "There's no other." "Gentlemen, I propose we negotiate in the capital of Venus." "We don't have a capital." "Then a large town." "There are no towns." "At least a place on the mainland." "There is no mainland." "The ground isn't safe enough for any buildings." "We all live on ships." "Then I ask to wait for better weather." "The weather on Venus never improves." "There are always thunderstorms on Venus." "And this is just a small one." "I believe you know a lot about us, but we... know very little about the situation..." "on Venus." "May I ask in which way the present delegates are related to the government and what's their power of attorney." "We have no government." "What do you mean?" " As I told you." "Mr. Pers!" " His Excellency, Minister of Extraterrestrial Territories." "Mr. Pers..." "If I understand Mr. Sim correctly," "Venus does not have a permanent government, but only a council or a parliament which acts in a really democratic way according to the will of the people." "We have nothing like that." "But there must be someone who governs Venus." "Venus is big and we are small." "It is cruel." "We have to fight if we want to survive." "We have no time for politics." "Mr. Sim." " His Excellency the Minister of War." "You call yourself a delegate of Venus." " I am a delegate." "Then somebody must have empowered you." "Yes, I did." "So you acted on your own behalf when you contacted us." "It was you contacted us." "We received your radio message by accident." "We wanted to contact neighbours and heard Earth." "So you were tempted to pretend to be a delegate of Venus." "We are delegates." "It's our duty to negotiate with you after receiving your message." "Nobody can deny a task, even if he accidentally stumbles across it and doesn't like it." "No, that's too complicated for me." "So someone else would have negotiated with us if he had received our message!" " Of course." "And would claim to be a delegate?" " Yes, he would have been." "Maddening." "Mr. Pers..." "Is the population of Venus informed about our arrival?" "We have informed the next ship." "And?" " We will tell them what we have discussed." "And if we sign a treaty?" " We will also tell them." "And will the population of Venus respect that treaty?" "Yes, because we are the delegates." "Is it possible to assemble the ships with the population?" "If it were necessary, yes." "But it isn't." "Gentlemen... as President of the mission of the Free Confederate States of Earth" "I confess I face a situation I didn't expect." "I propose that the here assembled members of our mission return to the spacecraft to discuss the situation." "We must decide from a legal point of view if we can negotiate with you, Mr. Sim and Mr. Pers." "Because on Venus we can find no legal state and no one who could act as legal entity to sign a treaty, if I, though no lawyer, express it correctly." "Therefore I think..." "The sixth recording." "Discussion aboard the Vega." "The spacecraft has again left the atmosphere of Venus and is thousand kilometres away from the planet." "One minute longer in this climate and I would have gone mad." "We should send the Moruvians up there." "I've never seen a stranger planet." "Unbearable." "When we left I saw an animal." "It looked like a chameleon but 50 metres length." " Indecent." "Venus seemed a quite reasonable planet." "Each time I talked about ideals, it thundered." "And to whom did you deliver the speech, Gorg?" "To two stupid fishermen or whatever those scoundrels are who received our radio messages in their leisure time and attracted a diplomatic mission of three secretaries to their lousy boat." "It took our scientists years to construct a machine with which one can contact Venus without letting the Moruvians know." "A ridiculous affair." "As Extraterrestrial Minister I've always been against this adventure." "A distressing affair." "A trip of 45 million kilometres for nothing." "Let's return to Earth." "One must give up a lost cause." "I'm impressed by Venus." "People are free up there." "I must warn you." "No government." "Everybody is able to be a delegate." "Astonishing!" "Awkward!" "It's always awkward to find an ideal fulfilled in reality." "I haven't discovered anything resembling an ideal there." "Is there anything more ideal in politics than not to need one." "You don't want to negotiate with those two scoundrels." "Our only chance, Minister of War." "Gorg, I don't understand you." "We must find allies." " On Venus we'll never find them." "Only on Venus." "That's what has been convincingly proved in our first meeting by the Minister of Extraterrestrial Territories" "One moment." "On the contrary I've always warned..." "Gentlemen, we shouldn't lose our heads or we'll lose them forever." "We have misunderstood the situation on Venus." "We didn't know what to expect, but we believed to find something similar to what we know from Earth." "Now it's different" "The inhabitants of this planet fight a cruel battle against nature." "They can have no other interest than to survive this fight, to stay alive at all cost even if life is bleak." "We aren't important to them, but could become so in that moment when we are able to arouse hope that there could be a change in their situation, and could enable them to make it." "You're optimistic." "We deal with human beings." "They don't differ too much from us and can be seduced as we are." "Do you want to offer them money?" " No..." "Something better:" "Power." "What's your plan?" "We accept Sim and Pers as delegates and since there's no government on Venus appoint them as governors." "We can't install a government out of nowhere." "From nowhere, yes." "But not without anything, Minister of War." "We support the government by power of the Free Confederate States of Earth." "I have to warn you." "Pers is a criminal." "How could we accept a government of criminals." "It wouldn't be the first time." "Secondly, we'll promise... all Venusians a return to Earth, when they've defeated the Moruvians with us." "Isn't that a bit too far?" "We must go too far if we wish to achieve a major target." "Where would they settle, for God's sake?" "I must warn you..." " Relax." "Any climate on Earth would be to them... a paradise." "Excellency." "What is it, Manner?" "And if the Venusians don't want to return?" " Why shouldn't they?" "Returning to Earth, Excellency." "Nonsense, Manner." "There's no hell you wouldn't like to leave." "Think of Borst." "He stayed." "And other commissioners, too." "Don't worry, young man." "I know Borst." "We studied together." "He was a dreamer with confused ideas." "Venus will have changed him completely." "You can be sure." "How glad he'll be to return to earth, along with us." "And so we returned." "The second arrival on Venus." "The rain is hot, the sand almost boiling." "The temperature is 50 degrees." "Coming aboard is a woman." "She is clothed like the men, without protection against the soaking rain." "Madame, please." "Are you Mr. Gorg?" " Certainly." "I am Irene." "You want to take us to Mr. Sim and Mr. Pers." "Sim and Pers can't come." " But we had an arrangement..." "They've seen a whale." "That's how we call these animals." "Though different from whales on Earth." "But you can eat them." "Most of the animals here just aren't edible." "It's important for us to hunt whales." "With all due respect for these edible whales, which I am responsible for as Extraterrestrial Minister..." "With whom do we negotiate now?" "With me." " With you?" "I am the new..." "the new..." "Plenipotentiary." "Yes, plenipotentiary." "Pers has told me everything." "We can negotiate in the hospital ship's canteen where I'm a nurse." "The doctor said it's OK." "But he said it shouldn't take too long." "The 8th recording." "The hospital ship's canteen." "Primitive." "Wet all over." "The nurse left us alone to assist the sick." "Let's return to Earth." " I did warn you." "Your plan failed, Gorg." " Really, why?" "You appointed Sim and Pers governors and now they're hunting whales." "Never has a diplomatic mission been insulted like this." "They're making fun of us in this stinking canteen." "If it wasn't for the Moruvians, we'd declare war on those fellows." "We have earthly pride, haven't we." "Gentlemen..." "I must say that our plan was not like this." "Excellency Gorg..." "Does this mean you wish to appoint this nurse as governor of Venus?" "Naturally." "That's impossible!" "A game is only lost when you cease to play it." "Gorg, I confess this is too complicated for me." "I don't understand politics anymore." "One can only understand the politics of fools, dear Minister of War." "Where is that moaning from, Manner?" " I think it's a birth, Excellency." "That's why Irene has vanished." "We must negotiate among women in childbirth." "And in this heat." "Gentlemen..." "I've brought along my husband." "He's deaf and dumb." "A malady which often occurs here." "He's going to eat some soup, we have no other room." "Of course." "Well then..." "What do you want to tell us?" "As leader of our mission..." "I'm delighted to communicate that the Free Confederate States of Earth accept you officially as plenipotentiary and so as head of state of Venus." "No..." "I don't understand." "Yes..." "Well..." "We completely honour the fact that the inhabitants of Venus don't need a government isolated as they are from the rest of the solar system." "As the Free Confederate States of Earth politically acknowledge Venus a formal government is necessary." "The Plenipotentiary of Venus is therefore identical with its government." "I'm a nurse." "I don't understand a word of what you're saying." "That's not necessary." "This is only a diplomatic formality, which allows us the possibility of signing treaties with the inhabitants of Venus." "Well... if you like." "I'm head of state." "Well, I propose a solemn state ceremony." "We'll gather as many Venusians as possible." "But why?" "In order to appoint you head of state." " That's just what you've done." "It must be done publicly." "Besides, the Venusians have a right to know they have a government now, which is internationally acknowledged." "I'm convinced that Mars too will acknowledge Venus." "Nobody is interested in that." " My dear lady!" "I'm governor of Venus only according to you." "You've appointed me our representative." "By chance it was me, as I had an afternoon off." "Tomorrow there'll be another." "If they've got the time." "I've already said, the whale hunting has begun." "One cannot change a government every day." "You need a government on Venus, we don't." "A vicious circle." "And this heat!" "This sultry, eerie heat!" "What do you really want?" "My dear lady..." "Don't call me your dear lady all the time!" "I'm Irene." "Irene!" "You have to defend freedom!" "Why?" "My dear lady!" "Next door there's an amputation and we have no anaesthetics." "Not at all." "This heat!" "I can't stand it!" "Irene, the question why freedom has to be defended is certainly not a question..." "on this happy planet." "concerning its political situation, but is without doubt on our planet, and will become also on Venus... if the powers win which are threatening freedom." "Since the speech of His Excellency in which he explained to the nurse our point of view, is seriously damaged partly by the amputation and partly by its faulty recording," "I continue with the following negotiations immediately." "Exactly." "Our point of view, our wishes and our offer should be obvious." "So you wish us to take part in a war against Moruvia?" "Exactly." "We aren't threatened by Moruvia." "I have to ask you a question, Irene." "Ask away." " Are you by chance..." "Moruvian?" "Yes, indeed, I was deported six years ago." "Without doubt because of sublime ideals of freedom, humanity..." " For that..." "No, because I was a streetwalker." "My dear woman..." " You forget that I'm head of state." "Dear lady." "Once again I promise that the Venusians will be allowed to return to Earth, if they fight for us in this war." "We don't want to return." "Dear lady, don't forget that you speak in the name of everyone now." "I can understand that you have personal reasons for not returning to Earth." "But there are people here who were exiled because on Earth they had fought for freedom, for a life in dignity:" "Those will want to return." "I don't know anybody who wants to return." "This heat..." "This heat..." "The Minister for Extraterrestrial Territories has fainted." "Examine him, Doctor Manner." "We must return to the spacecraft." "His life is in danger." "I can't stand it either, Gorg." "I'm sweating like hell and you are pale." "Very well, Cos." "We'll leave." "Nurse Irene," "I hope the Venusians will be informed of my offer?" "If you wish." " Yes, I wish." "It seems that you don't understand the importance of our mission." "We will return to our spacecraft and tomorrow... we will... return." "We don't know with whom we will negotiate then." "But we must know with certainty that our offer has been made to all the Venusians." "If you wish." "I wish." "In the cabin of His Excellency aboard the Vega, 1,500 kilometres away from Venus." "Now an injection of calcium." "How is the Minister?" "Poorly." "And the Minister for War?" " Even worse than him." "And the Under-secretary for Venus had a stroke during the flight." "I'm sorry." "What's his situation like?" "Desperate." "And me?" "Protein disorder." "Not for the first time." "I'm not happy with the blood test." "Doesn't matter." " Increased temperature." "Because of all the trouble, Manner." " The Minister of War." "At first we negotiated with a murderer... and the son of a subversive." "Then with a streetwalker who we appointed head of state." "I wonder who we'll negotiate with next time." "I guess with a road sweeper, a sex killer." "No, we should look for other negotiators." "There are only isolated ships, floating on the oceans and we can't find them." "By radio?" " Nobody answers." "What makes me so angry is that nobody is interested in us." "Colonel Rox." " Very good." "Excellency..." "What do you want, Colonel Rox?" "Your Excellency knows well." "You have come to remind me of our conversation." "Of course, Excellency." "How many missiles do we have aboard, Colonel?" "How many missiles do we have, Colonel?" "Ten." "By order of the President of the Free Confederate States." "By order of the President." "I know it's unpleasant." "Many times, Gorg, You've talked about ideals." "In fact you could simply send an Under-secretary with an ultimatum to them." "I'll go, Minister of War." "With Manner alone." "His Excellency and I were guided by the deaf and dumb husband of Irene to the hospital ship's canteen, where in the dank gloom a 50 year old man awaited us." "Very thin." "It is very difficult to welcome you, Gorg." "You're on a very sad mission." "You are..." " Borst." "We studied together at university." "You have changed." " Quite." "We read Plato and Kant together." " Exactly." "I should have known you were responsible for everything." "I'm responsible for nothing." "You were our commissioner." "You refused to return to Earth and certainly chose so voluntarily." "Maybe to take power for yourself." "Nonsense." "I've become a doctor and this is my break." "Now I'm the plenipotentiary and will talk to you." "The Venusian commissioner?" " He's hunting whales." "Have you got a cigarette?" " Manner." "I haven't smoked for ten years." "I'm curious what it tastes like." "A light?" " Thanks." "Are you informed?" "Sure." "Irene told me everything." "Nice, you appointed her head of state." "We call her Excellency all the time." "Have the others been informed?" "We sent messages to the ships if anybody wanted to return." "Their answer?" "Nobody." "I'm tired, Borst." "I have to sit down." "I guess you've got a protein disorder and increased temperature." "It happened to us all when we arrived." "None of you wants to return." "That's how it is." "I can't understand it." "You're from Earth." "That's why you don't understand." "But you too are from the Earth." " We've forgotten that." "But you can't live here." " We can." "Then it must be a terrible life." " Terrible, but a real life." "What do you mean by that?" "What would I be on Earth?" "A diplomat." "And Irene?" "A streetwalker." "Many would be criminals or idealists, persecuted by the state." "And now?" "And now you can see, I'm a doctor." "And you operate without anaesthetics." "This cigarette doesn't taste anymore." "It's got wet and is only smouldering." "Excuse me, I'm thirsty." "Here." "That's boiled water." "That damned light in the portholes, lemon yellow, the stinking steam of this air makes me dizzy." "There's no other air, only the light changes." "Lemon yellow, sometimes like glistening silver, often the colour of the red sand." "I know." "We must produce everything on our own." "Tools, clothes, ships, radios, weapons against the giant animals." "We lack everything." "Experience." "Knowledge." "Trust in the ground which is moving permanently." "No medication:" "Plants, fruits we don't know, most of them poisonous." "You've to get used to the water." "It tastes terrible." "You can drink it." "What have you got in exchange for Earth?" "Steaming oceans, red hot continents, scorching deserts." "A sky that always roars." "Which knowledge have you got?" "Human beings are precious and their lives are a grace." "Ridiculous." "On Earth we've known that a long time." "And you live that way?" "And you?" "Venus forces us to live according to our knowledge." "That's the difference." "If we don't help each other here..." "We die." "That's why you didn't return." "That's it." " And you betrayed Earth." "I deserted." "Into a hell which is for you a paradise." "If we returned we would have to kill." "because for you helping and killing is the same thing." "We can't kill any more." "We have to be reasonable." "You also are in danger." "If the Moruvians defeat us, they'll come here." "We aren't afraid." "Your estimation of the political situation is wrong." "You forget that we are a penal colony." "Mankind is beginning to fight... for the best places and precious property... not for the landfill which belongs to all." "You only need us like horses for your carriages of war." "As soon as war is over even that reason is missing." "You can send us here, but you can't make us return to Earth." "You've no power to order us." "You kicked us out of humanity." "Only Venus is more terrible than you." "Whoever arrives here has to obey Venus whatever their position is." "There is only one freedom, that of Venus." "The freedom to snuff it." "The freedom to do what is right and to do what's necessary." "On Earth we couldn't do that." "Me included." "Earth is too beautiful." "Too rich." "Its opportunities are too many." "It causes inequality." "On Earth poverty is a shame." "Only here poverty is natural." "Only fear is in abundance, fear of your riches, fear of your wrong life." "Fear of this paradise... which is a hell." "I must tell you the truth, Borst." "We've got bombs aboard." "Atomic bombs?" "Hydrogen bombs." "With a cobalt shell?" " With a cobalt shell." "I thought so." " I didn't know." "It was on the President's command." "I was surprised when I found out about it yesterday." "I believe you." "It's awkward, of course." "But we're in a desperate situation." "You can't imagine how sorry I am." "Freedom and humanity will finally triumph." "Naturally." "We are simply forced to take desperate measures." "Of course." " I'm really sorry." "You will bomb us if we don't help you?" " We have no choice." "We can't stop you." " Then you're lost." "Many of us." "Others will escape." "We warned all the ships when you arrived." "Before we lived closely together, but now we live spread across the planet." "You guessed it all." "Like you, we've lived on Earth." "I must go." "You will need some rest, when you return to Earth." "Go to Switzerland..." "To Engadin." "I spent my last summer there, 15 years ago." "I'll never forget how blue the sky was." "But, I'm afraid..." "The political situation..." " Of course, your political situation." "I'd quite forgotten." "You've got family on Earth." "Your wife and two sons." "have you a message for them?" "No!" "Farewell." " Die well is what you mean." "My hospital ship won't escape your bombs." " Borst." "Irene's husband will take you back." "We won't use the bombs, of course." "It was only to threaten you." "As we can't force you, it would only be senseless cruelty." "You have my word." " I don't believe you." "I'm not a butcher." " But a man of the Earth." "You can't avoid actions once under-way." "Borst, I promise..." " You'll break your promise." "Your mission has failed." "You still pity me." "But when you return to your ship, your pity will vanish and your mistrust will awaken." "Your enemies could come to us and sign a treaty with us." "You know that's impossible, that we would treat them like you." "But in your certainty is an atom of fear that we could ally with your enemies." "And because of this atom of doubt which eats at your certainty, you'll let fall your bombs." "Even with no justification... and you'll hit only the innocent." "And so we'll die." "You're my friend, Borst." "I can't kill a friend." "It's easy to kill if you don't see your victim." "And you won't see me die." "You say that as if it were easy to die." "All necessary things are easy." "And the most necessary and natural thing on this planet is death." "It is everywhere, at all times." "Too much heat." "Too much radiation." "Worms are everywhere which penetrate our skin and our organs." "Bacteria which poison our blood, viruses which destroy our cells." "We aren't afraid of your bombs, Gorg." "Because we live in the midst of death and had to learn not to fear it." "You're impregnable..." "In your fortress made of poverty and familiarity with death." "Go now." "I admire you, Borst." "You're right and I'm wrong, I admit it." "That's very kind you." "What you told me... about your poverty and your continually endangered life," "moved me deeply" "You honour me." "If I wasn't a Minister of the Free Confederate States of Earth," "I would stay here with you." " Very noble of you." "But I can't abandon Earth, of course." " That's obvious." "It's tragic, that I'm not free." " You don't have to be sad." "We won't drop the bombs." "Let's talk no more of it." "I've given my word." "Goodbye." "The last recording." "Spaceship Vega is returning to Earth." "Excellency?" "Excellency?" "The negotiations failed, Colonel Rox." "Then shall I have the bombs dropped?" "No." "I've agreed not to." "I gave my word." "Excuse me, Excellency, but we are obligated to the President." "I know." "Excellency, the Moruvians could come and make a pact with Venus." "They won't, I'm certain." " Maybe." "But if they do?" "Can you rule it out absolutely?" "Not absolutely, no." "Then, in the name of the Free Confederate States" "I'll assume entire responsibility." "Your Excellency has to decide." "An order from the President." "I've given my word to a friend." "And now I kill him." "Do what you have to do, Colonel Rox." "I can't change the world." "Ready for take off." " Ready for take off." "Allow me to fasten your seatbelt." " You're welcome." "Everything OK, Excellency?" " Perfect." "Look at me." "Red light." "Take off in 20 seconds." "Failed." "And now 10 seconds." "Take off." "Manner!" " Excellency?" "The Moruvians could come and sign a treaty with them." "Exactly." "It's unlikely, but it could happen." "Unfortunately." "The bombs are ready." " Ready." "This possibility, as unlikely as it is, forces us to drop the bombs, doesn't it?" "Open the bomb bays." "Open." "We really have to be sure." "Of course, Excellency." "Drop bombs!" " Dropped." "How is the Minister of Extraterrestrial Territories?" "Much better." "And the Minister of War?" " Like before." "And I feel better, too." "Tomorrow there'll be a council of Ministers." "Politics continues." "The bombs have struck their target." "The effect?" "Unobservable." "But easily imaginable." "All this nausea." "This Venus is really terrible." "In fact, they're nothing but a bunch of criminals." "I'm sure that Borst wanted to ally with the Moruvians." "They simply tried to deceive us." "I think the same, Excellency." "Right." "Now they've dropped the bombs." "and very soon on Earth, too." "Fortunately, I've got a nuclear shelter." "Because of my office." "And then... a short holiday." "That's a Minister of Foreign Affairs in times of war." "I'll only have to give up fishing." "I'll read the classics." "Preferably Thomas Stearns Eliot." "He comforts me the most." "Manner..." "There's nothing more unhealthy... than exciting reading." "Your Excellency has coined a golden phrase." "Subtitles:" "Nitverstan/Tarantoga, Corvusalbus"