"Moonbase Alpha status report, 4O3 days after leaving Earth's orbit." "Dr Helena Russell recording." "For the sixth consecutive day, we've been travelling in an area where the stars are so close we're constantly in a blue light." "There are no patients in medical section, life-support systems are fine and the universe about us is incredibly peaceful." "Looks like a swarm of space bees!" "Every one with an atomic sting in its tail, maybe." " Range?" " 98O, OOO and closing." " Sensor reading?" " 53 unknown objects." "Dense, metallic." "Length, ten feet." "Unable to compute intention." " Course?" " Away from Alpha." "We have magnification." " Those are missiles!" " If they're passing, let 'em go." "Commander!" " They're turning!" " Red alert!" "Launch Eagle flights one and two!" "Prepare casualty reception." "Rescue units stand by." "Range closing, 18O... 16O..." "Raise defence shields." " 13O-11 O." "Arm main lasers." "At this closing speed we'll never get 'em all!" " Eagles on intercept." " Target!" "There are too many of them." "Some are bound to get through." " Range critical." " Prepare to fire!" " Commander!" "Target changing course!" " Hold fire!" " They're pulling away!" " No, they're locking into orbit." "Anything on armament?" "Sensors unable to probe the shell." " Detonation possibilities?" " Pressure, time-fuse or remote control." "I want a transporter Eagle ready for immediate lift-off." "Check them out." "We can't leave 5O missiles hanging over our heads." "Alan, bring us in close to that lead pair." "Tell Tony we'll take it from here." " Right." "I also want all other Eagles to return to base." "Tony, Eagle Four." "We'll maintain the mission from here." " Have the other Eagles clear the area." " Eagles 1 and 2, back to base." "Confirm, return to base." "Maya..." "Thank you." " Alongside now, Commander." " Stand by for depressurisation." "Standing by." "There's no uniform formation." "They're in clusters, two and three." "No evidence of electrical activity." "No heat emission." "Rocket motor propulsion." "Gas ports." " That means a guidance capacity." " No longer functioning." " Got anything, John?" " Not enough for an assessment." "For that, we're going to have to take a look inside." "I'm bringing one down." " Bringing one down?" "!" " Prepare one of the underground caves." "I wanna be as far from Command Centre as possible when we open it." "Let's take it home!" "You heard the man." "Rescue, Medical and Decontamination units to underground research area." "Hold those doors!" "Stand by." "We've safeguarded against the obvious dangers," "All the rest is guesswork." "Tony, I want you to hook us up to main computer." "We're gonna run every single test possible before we pierce this." "Fellas, suit up." "We're bringing it in." "All right." "Let's go." "Immediate relay." "Begin the scan." "What have you got?" "Theoretical possibilities about the construction." "But nothing of practical value in terms of piercing it." "Without opening it up, there's no data about any dangers." "We'll have to go in blind." "All right, we're gonna cut it with a laser." "Activate all safety precautions." " Cylinder pierced, Commander." " Let's take a look." "Moving parts." "There's some sort of mechanism inside." " Perhaps a detonation device?" " Computer reaction?" "No radiation increase, no bacteriological change," "Fill it with nitrogen." "Freeze that device." "Stay in there, Helena!" "You too, Mathias!" "Maya... are you all right?" "Commander..." "What is it?" "It's humanoid." "And we've just killed it." "Dr Russell..." "Start the defibrillator." " He's alive!" " Alive?" " Just barely." " That's impossible." "The liquid nitrogen should have frozen him to death." "He was already in deep freeze before we injected the container." "Cryobiology:" "The application of freezing techniques to live tissue." "He's fading." "Increase the voltage." "Is there any chance he'll make it?" "We still can't assess the effect of the explosion on him." "Tony, bring another one of those containers down." "Prepare Eagle for launch." " Any particular container?" " The twin of the one here." "Why get another one?" "We don't know how to unseal it!" "He can tell us how to open it." "Keep him alive!" "I'm a doctor, John." "I save life for the sake of saving life." "They know the secret of space travel." "Some day our survival may depend on that." "We know part of the answer." "There's a plastic membrane covering his entire body." "You can't see it it's as fine as tissue." "It's insulating his heart against the electrical stimulation." " He's fading again." " Double the voltage." " It'll kill him!" " Double it." "We have normal respiration." "Nurse..." "Cantar, my name is Cantar." "Cantar?" "My people..." "You must save my people..." " We will if you help us." " Have you sighted the others?" "Yes." "They're in orbit around our base." "You must recover them..." "immediately..." " Let him rest, John." " We've got to know." "How do we open those containers?" "They're not constructed..." "to withstand gravitational forces." "If they're left in orbit, they'll shatter..." "How do we open them without blowing them apart?" "To relieve the internal pressure... you must heat the capsule from the outside..." "Heat's seven points off maximum." "Kill it." "Zova." "She is my wife." "Those containers were in pairs." "In pairs, threes or fours, family groups." "It appealed to their sadistic sense of humour." "Whose sense of humour?" "Where are you from?" "I come from Golos, known to us as the Peace Planet." " You were invaded?" " No, we were cast out, exiled." "It was an internal struggle." "We were unarmed, helpless." "The others were few in number but ruthless." " Is she breathing?" " She'll be all right." "You are humane people." "You will save us all, I know that." "Out of the question." "Our facilities can't support any more." "It's impossible for us to bring those containers down." "In 36 of your hours, gravity will shatter those containers." "Can you stand by and let that happen?" "Can you, Commander?" "Dr Russell is in charge of life-support." "Helena, would you try to explain?" "We can't even permit any new births here on Alpha." "We can barely sustain the people we have." " You see, Cantar?" "We have no choice." " We can give you a choice." "Zova and myself, we can use our skills to increase your recycling capacity tenfold." "In 36 hours?" "If that's all the time we have, yes." "I'm sorry." "I can't take the chance." "You say you want to learn the secret of suspended animation in space travel?" "Bring them down, and I will give you the secret." "No." "Then, send us back!" "To die with our people." "John..." "Those are people out there, like you and me!" "They look like you and me." "That's all we know." "About their minds, their motives, we know nothing." "John, they're so young." "Must you always assume the worst?" "Yes, where the safety of Alpha is concerned." "Then what do we do?" "Abandon them and watch them die?" "When I was an astronaut cadet," "I was on a resupply mission to a Venus space station." "As we were preparing to dock, a computer diagnosis informed us that 14 of the scientists up there were sick, three already dead." "They had a disease unknown to Earth, against which we had no antidote." "My commander had to make a decision." "He couldn't bring that disease back to Earth." "We left those men to die." "John, this situation is entirely different." "These people are free of any sickness." "And if they can increase our life-support capacity... think what it can mean to us!" "Helena, they may have something our sensors can't detect." "My concern is the survival of this base." " Survival?" " Is survival all important?" "What sort of society abandons 5O innocent beings?" "We're concerned about our survival, of course, John, but at what price?" "You asked what sort of people they are." "What sort of people are we?" " Commander?" " Have Cantar come to my quarters immediately." " Thank you, John." " Don't thank me yet." "Dr Russell..." "Commander..." " John!" " What are you doing?" "Have you gone mad?" "I had to make sure our weapons were effective against them." "All right..." "Let's let them try to expand our life-support systems." "But I want security men on duty at all times." "OK." "L'll make sure they're never alone in Life-Support." "Don't look so worried he'll be all right." "He'll regain consciousness in an hour." "An hour?" "It's not such a long time and there'll be no ill effects." "Moonbase Alpha status report supplemental." "Dr Russell reporting." "Cantar and Zova have been working on life-support for 3O hours." "Other personnel are back on daily routine, doing their jobs when on duty, relaxing when off." "We're all grateful Commander Koenig showed compassion to the aliens." "There is once again a warm feeling of well-being on Moonbase Alpha." " Security, Life-Support." " Everything OK?" "Let me know of any changes." "Yes, sir." " Tony, I'll be with Dr Russell." " Right." "Maya, you would be the envy of every woman on Earth!" "To change your hair colour at will, the colour of your eyes to match your dress," "Take off a few pounds here, add an inch there." "To change your very form." "Wow!" " Helena, can I come in?" " Give me a minute, John." "I hope he likes it." "Are you quite sure about Commander Koenig's sense of humour?" "All right... which is it?" "You mean you can't tell?" "Well, of course, I can tell." "Maya can only hold that shape for one hour." "L'll just wait." " Why wait that long?" " What did you have in mind?" " Well?" " Well?" " Very simple." "Nothing to it." " Really?" "There was absolutely no difference." "I take back everything nice I've ever said about you, including that you're perceptive!" "Helena!" "I think you're needed in the research unit." "And Maya, back to your station." "Yes, Commander." "You're very talented that's terrific." "I'm glad you like it." "I was going to give it to you." " "Was"?" " No difference, huh?" "L'll see you in the recreation room." "Lift!" " Can't shift it." " Maya, get down here right away!" " Medical Section." " Emergency, Area B." " What happened?" " Circuit overload." " Life-support system." " Life-support?" " Is it working?" " We're making progress." "We won't know till the final test in the power section." "The power section's off limits." "Commander's orders." "L'll talk to him." "I'm sure he'll understand." "I must try again." " Doesn't the sound bother you?" " No." "It does mine." "L'll be out here." "Maya, the girder!" "OK, that's it!" "I don't understand." "It never happened before." " And it won't happen again!" " We have another casualty in here!" "Get those aliens out of Life-Support!" "Go!" " Final test." " Good luck." "Cantar!" "Stop!" "Commander's orders." "No one's to go in there." "Maya, wait, let's not explode like a couple of rockets." "Play it cool we don't want to panic them, OK?" "Maya!" "The door's jammed, Commander!" "Give me that!" "Mator!" "Exiles!" "A puny weapon against us, but it has its uses." "Destroy the system and in hours hundreds will be dead!" "Bring Ragnar here." "Tell him Cantar will destroy all life on Golos unless he comes." "Bring him!" "You look at me with surprise, Dr Russell." " Contempt." " You're like the people on Golos." "Crippled by your moral ideas of loyalty, gratitude and fair play!" "And you and Zova are free spirits, free to hate, threaten and kill!" "You're wasting your breath." "He doesn't even understand." " No!" "Let her speak!" " Yes!" "It amuses us!" "I see why you were exiled." "But why didn't they kill you?" "I have come as you wished, Cantar." " Ragnar!" "I want Ragnar!" " Ragnar is dead." "Long dead." "I am Mirella, chief councillor of Golos." " His daughter?" " His descendent." "Ragnar died over 3OO years ago." "Of course!" "Time on Golos continued while we floated frozen in space." "In Ragnar's time, you were cast out for crimes against our people." "Now you come back with weapons and threats of destruction!" " Are these your allies?" " We're his prisoners." "You can't hope to hold all of Golos to ransom forever!" "Two of us now but there will be more." "On Moonbase Alpha, we have the ideal platform to recover our people." "Commander Koenig won't let you." "Zova will make sure he does." " Activity in Life-Support." " Give me visual." "Commander Koenig, I think we should talk." "A simple arrangement:" "You recover our people, we return Helena and Tony." " You do know how to show gratitude." " Contact is possible." "Can I give him your answer?" "You're asking me to sell a whole planet into slavery?" "I won't do it." "You forget - we have Dr Russell." "And we have you!" "Stop!" "Well, Commander?" "All right." "Your life-support systems are now tuned to my mental processes." "I can destroy them by simple concentration." " And you would!" " If you give me cause." "We will recover the containers." "Begin preparations." "Yes, Commander." " You can't do it, Commander!" " You think I have a choice?" "The transfer process nearly blew our whole life-support power system." "Transferring 5O more people would inevitably destroy it!" " Launch recovery Eagles." " Yes, sir." " Ten miles, Commander." " All right, Alan." "Let us know when we're alongside." "Tell them - tell the people we are the new rulers of Golos." "Tell them, or I will destroy the main life plant!" "People of Golos..." "This is your chief councillor Mirella." " 3OO years ago..." " That protective membrane..." " Get his attention." "Divert him." " Right." "Those exiles have now returned." "Alongside, Commander." "All right." "Let's get ready." " Stand by for depressurisation." " Standing by." "We have no choice but to surrender to them." "Later, you'll suffer for this!" "Zova!" "The lifeline!" "He unhooked it!" "No, Zova!" "You'll die for what Koenig has done." "You're getting old, Cantar!" "I'm young!" "I was young when Ragnar was alive." " Time is running out, Cantar!" " Nothing's changed!" " You have changed." " No!" "You can't win!" "Your protective membrane is gone!" "It's pierced." "Look at yourself!" "You're no longer young, Cantar!" "You're ageing!" "Every second, you're ageing ten years!" "You're beginning to decay, Cantar!" "You're getting feeble!" "Your mind is slowing down!" "Your muscles won't respond!" "You're too feeble to fire that gun!" "Cantar, you're 3OO years old!" "Thank you." "On behalf of the millions on Golos." " Are you all right, Tony?" " Yeah, I'm fine." "What happened?" "L'll tell you when we get back to Alpha." "Can you help us get back to Alpha?" "I've double-checked the calculations." "The anti-gravity effect will return them to their original course." "Activate!" "Commander!" "A tremendous surge of energy from the Power Section." " What took you so long?" " Who said there was an emergency?" "If this was a military base, you'd be court-martialled." "Court-martialled?" "Court martial:" "Military trial for breach of discipline." " Me?" "!" " It's all over Alpha." "That switch you pulled on the Commander." "First rule of any chain of command, don't embarrass the man in charge!" "In your world, a kiss causes embarrassment?" "In yours too, since you had to change into another woman!" "It's more fun that way!" "Would you like to try?" "Go on, Tony." "I'm waiting, Tony!" " You've got a long wait!" "Ciao!" " Shallow - that's what you are!" "What does it matter what I look like on the outside?" "It's still me inside!" "Kiss me!" "Be known as a man of principle!" "I'd sooner be known as a man of taste!" "Oh, Tony!" "I bet there's a big, long story about how this happened..." "I didn't do it." "And you probably think I look better that way..." " l'll tell you what..." " What?" "Make me a pretty nose."