"27P, Comet Crommelin..." "The first comet discovered by a Japanese person in the 20th century." "While moving in a very long elliptical orbit, it revolves around the Solar System." "The cycle is 28 years." "The last time it approached Earth was in 2068." "And the next time will be in another 28 years." "I may not be able to see it with my own eyes a second time." "Loading of firing charge 7." "Transport container B371 on standby." "Loading of firing charge complete." "This is Midnight Bazooka." "Catapult launch is clear." "Moonbase 755, please respond." "Time to start countdown..." "This is Moonbase 755." "Time to start countdown..." "Our next launch is transport container B371 ." "1 0, 9, 8..." "Roger." "1 0, 9, 8... 7..." "Loading of firing charge complete." "3... 2... 1 ..." "Fire." "Launch successful." "Ventilate firing chamber." "Container B371 in flight and headed for moon orbit." "Course is normal." "Fly your ass to the moon." "Rick." "Don't forget to inform the moon base that the launch was a success." "Roger." "Moonbase 755, this is Midnight Bazooka..." "That was the last container." "Boss, one more unscheduled delivery was added this morning." "Oh, really?" "It should be arriving any minute now." "All right." "Soon as it gets here, load it in the catapult and we'll launch." "Aye-aye, sir!" "Finally a day off tomorrow!" "Boss!" "There's a call from Earth headquarters, with an emergency docking request." "Emergency docking request?" "What ship?" "Ship code 078962EK, the Flying Dutchman." "Before entering Earth's atmosphere, they want to get a tune-up." "Flying Dutchman?" "Never heard of it." "It's that "ghost ship"" "that suddenly appears once every 1 5 years." "Then I guess it's making its way back from Alpha Centauri?" "I wonder if their proton mining was successful." "If they were, it'll be the news story of the century!" "Returning home after 1 5 years." "That's pretty cool, y'know?" "Boss?" "Yeah." "Anyway, get the dock ready..." "The ship's a junk heap." "We may not have enough repair parts." "After fixing that last regular French delivery ship, we should've stocked up on old parts too." "You're telling me." "Willie and Todd, swap out the main nozzle later on." "OK, Skipper." "Earth's right in front of us, and we're drydocked." "Orders from headquarters." "What are you gonna do?" "Besides, our ship is rickety as an old rocking chair." "If we don't get her fixed up here, she'll fall apart entering the atmosphere." "I'll take care of the carburetor..." "The Flying Dutchman's loaded up with protons, isn't it?" "That's classified level 5 information." "No way to confirm it." "Yeah." "But being ordered to go to the trouble of performing maintenance on the ship right before it enters the atmosphere..." "I'd say there's no two ways about it." "Depending on the amount of their load, they could be heroes, y'know?" "Well, except for their captain, they seem like a ship of fools to me." "This is Alpha Centauri's second planet, Horn." "It looks like a barren wasteland..." "But around 2020, scientists discovered it was actually a treasure trove of natural resources." "On the first voyage over, a prospecting robot was brought along." "On the second, an enormous mining plant was built." "Now this, the third voyage, and we're finally able to bring back the yield." "Nine tons of liquefied protons, eh?" "I see." "Probably enough to provide electricity for the entire Earth for a decade." "And we'll keep coming back for more." "Here." "Let's toast to our reunion." "Congratulations." "You volunteered to put your life on the line and your efforts have finally come to fruition." "It's been 1 5 years, huh?" "I never would've thought you'd become the captain of the Midnight Bazooka, Dan." "Oh, I'm just drifting between space and the Earth." "Is this the excavation site on the planet Horn?" "Yep." "So how's Tokio?" "I bet he's all grown up now, huh?" "Tokio's dead." "He became a soldier." "Five years ago, in the African War, he died in combat." "Cut it out, after all this time..." "You chose space." "You abandoned me, and my son, and everything "family" long ago!" "And my wife died last year..." "Now I'm all alone again..." "That brings you up to date." "Dan..." "Do you still hate me?" "I'm a cruel woman." "Boss, the shuttle carrying that extra container is approaching." "We need you in the control room." "Roger." "I'm on my way." "You're not the one who's cruel..." "But maybe you've got an obligation to gaze at the cruelties of life." "Shuttle is approaching." "Loading gate is open." "Stand by to receive container B404." "Course normal." "Loading normal." "Receiving manipulators #3 and #4, under automatic control." "Container B404 approaching." "There's nothing more to talk about." "I've made up my mind." "You're going, no matter what?" "Yeah." "Boss..." "Boss!" "Hm?" "Container B404 has been housed safely." "Good." "Pass the message on to the control center on Earth." "Roger." "Mark, I'm going back to the captain's cabin for a while." "I'll leave the rest up to you here." "Understood." "What are you doing in here?" "!" "Did you forget, Skipper?" "Tonight, it's my turn!" "Put that thing down!" "It's dangerous!" "Get out of here!" "I recall ordering you to replace the nozzle!" "Don't be so uptight!" "Shut up!" "Now is not a good time!" "What's wrong?" "You're never like" "I'm not in the mood..." "Not here!" "What's gotten into her?" "!" "Hey, wait!" "So, seems like you and the captain spent some time together today." "Did you have a little fling with her too?" "Eh?" "Yeah?" "You don't gotta hide it." "In space, we all get lonely." "Men and women both, only thing we can do is get real friendly." "Am I right, brother?" "Come on, Hayes!" "If we don't hurry up here, the skipper's gonna have our hides!" "What are you standing around like a dumbass for?" "!" "Loading of firing charge 1 00%." "With this done, we'll have our day off tomorrow after all." "Transport container B404 on standby." "We almost lost it." "Too close for comfort." "Transport container B404 on standby." "Don't move!" "Just stay like that, nice and quiet." "Where's the captain?" "Numbers 5 and below, get the lid on the residential quarters." "If anybody puts up resistance, you've got permission to terminate 'em." "Nobody's armed." "What's the point of capturing a supply transport station like this?" "What are your demands?" "!" "Didn't he learn his lesson the first time?" "!" "What's wrong?" "!" "Did something happen?" "!" "The liquefied protons!" "Load one ton of liquefied protons into that container and fire it at the moon base?" "!" "Do you understand what you're saying?" "!" "Then they are carrying protons..." "There are over 300,000 people on the moon base." "You plan to massacre them?" "!" "On our continent, around that number dies of starvation every day!" "You send food and supplies to the moon, but why not to the starving people on Earth?" "!" "We lost in the African War five years ago, but it's not over yet." "We'll do whatever we have to in order to set things right." "We're going to take the leftover protons, of course." "Their military value is immeasurable." "They must be joking!" "We didn't lug the protons all the way back here for that!" "The moon has an emergency interceptor system..." "But even detonated from 10,000 kilometers away, liquefied protons have enough destructive force to wipe out the entire moon base." "Open up!" "Open the door!" "Open it!" "Open up!" "Dan, get out the emergency suits!" "Open the door!" "Back up, I'll burn through with the laser!" "Wait!" "Stop!" "The decompression signal!" "Crap!" "What happened?" "!" "Number 8, Number 9, respond!" "Answer me!" "Shit!" "Don't take your eyes off them!" "Skipper!" "Numbers 1 1 and under, head for the docking bay!" "What?" "!" "The main nozzle's completely detached?" "!" "They busted in while we were swapping it out..." "And I was out cold there for a while." "Goddamnit!" "If the main boosters can't fire up, we're paralyzed!" "There are just the four of us left on the Dutchman and our only real weapons are their two laser rifles and my hand laser..." "We're gonna aim the interstellar radar's antenna at the docking bay!" "What?" "You're thinking we can diffusely reflect the electrons from inside!" "Release the lock!" "Full power to the interstellar radar!" "Whoo-hoo!" "It's like deep-frying in a microwave!" "That's as far as you get!" "There's a detonating agent for liquefied protons and a large quantity of explosive charges on board the container we brought over." "That's enough explosive power to do some serious damage to the Midnight Bazooka, if ignited." "And I happen to have the detonator right here in my hand." "This ship isn't able to fly anywhere." "Detach the rear liquefied proton tank." "Focus your attack on the connecting section." "But whatever you do, don't hit the tank." "Fire!" "This is bad." "We have no control over the tank." "They're separating the protons from the ship!" "What are you two thinking of doing?" "!" "The same as you." "I love both of you." "What the hell are you doing?" "!" "If they're gonna get our cargo anyway, we'll manually open the release valve and spill the protons into space!" "Not you!" "There're only three weapons." "You gonna fight 'em with your fists?" "As captain, your first priority has to be the lives of your people and you know it." "How are just the three of you gonna fight?" "!" "Boss, we were able to turn the tables on our guards!" "Please give us instructions!" "Boss!" "Captain!" "Please give us your instructions!" "Mark, there's a bunch of explosive charges in container B404!" "I love you, Dan." "Load the catapult with propellant immediately and deep six 'em!" "Bastards!" "It took us blood, sweat and tears to get the protons here!" "You think we're just gonna roll over and let you steal them from us?" "!" "Hayes!" "Bastards!" "Maria, quickly!" "Willie!" "Go!" "Willie!" "Maria..." "Goddamnit!" "Freeze!" "Don't touch that valve." "Dan!" "Get outta here!" "Baby!" "Loading of firing charge complete." "3... 2... 1 ..." "Fire." "After the terrorists lost their leader, they surrendered easily and the majority of the protons were delivered safely to Earth." "Right now, I feel like I know how she feels." "I think this can be a form of love, too." "He said that...?" "Blood will always tell." "So next time will be another 1 5 years from now?" "13 of them will be spent inside a hibernation capsule." "Then you'll age just another two years..." "The same thing, over and over again, for 45 years already..." "You really are a cruel woman..." "Good luck..." "Stay alive, baby." "Good luck." "She embarks once again on her journey far into the darkness." "Like a comet that travels around a distant elliptical orbit..." "Like a memory, ever surfacing and then receding into the distance..." "Leaving me behind, alone..." "Good luck, Mother." "Waxing waning lying" "Light that makes me think of myself every time I look at it" "Yesterday I became a kind, good child, so why do you hurt me?" "Blue moon, don't take away the one that I love" "I feel longing as well as hate, this is ambivalent love" "Please, don't leave me alone, the one that I love" "Crazy silken night sky and ambivalent love" "If the blue moon that gives off faint light by my window is an illusion created by the dust fluttering in the sky, then if I wipe away the weakness and doubt that deceive my eyes, maybe we'll be able to forgive each other one more time" "Blue moon, don't take away the one that I love" "I feel longing as well as hate, this is ambivalent love" "I want to tell the one I love to come for me now, but I can't say it, ambivalent love" "Please, don't leave me alone, the one that I love" "Crazy silken night sky and ambivalent love" "I want to see you, but I can't" "I'm so overcome with these feelings that I can't sleep" "All night long..." "You were the one for me..." "I need to be with you." "You were the one for me..." "I need to be with you." "It has been 27 years since interstellar travel became possible for the human race." "The Great Advance, as it's called, opened the doorway to space beyond the Solar System." "To date, 18 star systems have been probed, and we have reached distances of as much as 90 light-years away." "Meanwhile, on Earth, the wounds of the previous Southern Hemisphere War remain unhealed." "A dark cloud covers the Earth, while the end of natural resources in the Solar System draws ever near." "This is the 22nd century." "What the human race needs most desperately are colonies, where interstellar trade for resources must happen as soon as possible." "Member Lange..." "Hyperspace travel takes its toll on an old man's body." "Odd that no one yet has succumbed to madness due to that awful sensation." "On the positive side, it lets us fly 21 light-years in 5 hours and 40 minutes." "Beta Hydri..." "The Beta star in the Hydrus constellation." "A G2IV-type fixed star of magnitude 2.8." "It has 1 5 planets, but our destination is the fifth one." "Ion!" "Alena!" "So you've finally tamed a Picard, huh?" "By using its habit of wandering around riding the wind and eating new leaves." "Do they have intelligence?" "Yeah." "Here, look." "They've got moldy stuff on nearly every square inch of their bodies, right?" "It's fungus that takes nourishment from the animal's waste products while breaking down moisture from the atmosphere and supplying the Picards with hydrogen and oxygen." "Then even without lungs, they can breathe." "And with the hydrogen, they can inflate themselves and fly anywhere." "Works out well." "It's symbiosis, life forms helping each other survive..." "On this planet, especially, there seem to be a lot of examples of that." "It's the same with the "Macbeth's Forests,"" "squirming in the high-pressure zones rich in carbon dioxide." "The forestry living on their backs provides oxygen..." "I can't wait to meet you without these helmets on." "We will be able to, soon." "The atmosphere investigation is nearly complete." "I'll see you here tomorrow." "Yes." "Did you have another date with Juliet..." "Romeo?" "It's no business of yours." "What do you think you're doing, Lieutenant Commander Beltin?" "When it comes to the exploitation of space, international relations have become a delicate matter." "These days, even on Earth, the usual frictions between nations are heating up." "It wouldn't take much for trivial troubles to develop into a war." "Your point being?" "A word of warning." "Don't meet that woman from the Eurasian Colony again!" "Forget it!" "It's only come to this because you soldiers have interfered with the development of space!" "If you want to have a war so badly, go back to Earth!" "Stripling..." "What's this about, Mother?" "!" "I'm forbidden from going out at night?" "!" "This is an office." "Watch your tongue." "Let me ask you a question." "Where do you go every night?" "I... go out to investigate the ecology of the plankton." "And exactly when did you become a biologist?" "Do you understand what a critical moment this is?" "!" "We kept the radicals in check and have finally managed to open up a dialogue." "Alena, before any strange rumors spread, stop meeting the American." "That's an order." "Cutting power to the μ drive." "Plasma propulsion standing by." "Entering the 5th planet's gravity in 24 hours." "Has contact been made with the 5th planet?" "It sounds like they're looking forward to the supplies." "For my part, I hope we're soon able to supply the Earth with resources." "Unfortunately, it seems like that's going to take some time." "What?" "!" "For the time being, we're not allowed to go out at night?" "!" "All stations have just received the message from the commander." "Why?" "!" "It's unfortunate for you two, but I guess it was a request from the military." "Son of a bitch!" "It was Beltin!" "I think the restriction will be lifted once the talks with the Eurasian Colony and the members of the U.N. mediation committee are over next week." "Next week?" "Ion!" "Don't be discouraged!" "Just do your best!" "Whether or not this planet can become colonized depends on your research!" "That warmonger!" "Alena..." "Ion, what's wrong?" "!" "What happened?" "!" "There must've been an accident!" "A sample of unknown fungus leaked out and infected the lab!" "What?" "!" "I'll be right there!" "No one else comes in here!" "We don't know anything yet about its effects on the human body, so..." "Ion, what is it?" "!" "Ion!" "That huge plateau, "Europa," is suitable for residential dwelling." "The only potential problem is the mold-like fungus propagating over nearly the entire area..." "I see." "So the whiteness is due to fungi, eh?" "That's the Eurasian Federation Colony." "You can see the American-Euro United Colony on the other side." "They've both been living here for four months now." "What's that balloon-like thing?" "It seems to be a creature evolved from a jellyfish or the like." "Normally, they live in flocks in the high-pressure zones of the atmosphere." "Commander, the United Nations Mediation Committee members have arrived." "So it appears." "What happened afterwards with the laboratory shield incident?" "We haven't been able to see inside yet." "But it appears that the colony escaped contamination." "Should this matter be kept from the members of the United Nations..." "Naturally!" "Not a word of this can be leaked outside." "Especially to the Eurasian Federation." "Welcome, Member Lange." "I'm Commander Kurt Mayer." "You must be tired from your long journey." "No, no, it was a comfortable trip." "This is Member Snaut." "I'm Snaut." "This starfish-like thing is a parasite that lives off of a species of coral, covering it like a suit of armor." "It's as hard as ceramic." "We had a hell of a time getting rid of them from this area." "Samples of mineral resources are over here." "I assure you, when it comes to colonization, you won't find a more abundant planet than this." "Come what may, our colony will do everything to..." "You can't go in there!" "At the moment, an unidentified fungus is being cultivated, you see." "Commander Medvedeva and Lieutenant Commander Guerin have declined to use common English, so I will interpret for them." "Regarding colonial expansion, the Eurasian Colony will make a proposal for a plan for the next five years." "First, all rampant fungi and other harmful organisms in the entire area known as Europa shall be eradicated." "This land must be secured for a giant granary and residential space." "The enormous store of buried groundwater under the continent's bedrock will be allocated for farmland." "There is a possibility that in the future, this groundwater could obstruct mineral mining operations." "Therefore, we have a plan to pump out the water and construct a giant lake to store it." "For location," "I think you'll agree the vast wetlands in the north would be best." "From there, many irrigation rivers can be drawn." "Perhaps we should call them, say, the Volga River, the Rhine River and so on..." "The "Rhine" River, eh?" "Sounds to me like a line-- a border." "Great rivers are symbols of borders!" "In other words, depending on how the rivers are drawn, territory can be split up however you wish!" "This planet is an unknown world." "Enacting large-scale reforms on its surface would have a considerable impact on its climate and ecosystem." "The area surrounding our colony lacks groundwater." "We need water!" "That has nothing to do with us." "If you refuse to cooperate with us..." "We'll have no choice but to begin terraforming on our own." "Even if..." "Even if we have to use force!" "Of all the high-handed...!" "We won't let you!" "Oh, excuse me." "It's time for me to take my heart medicine." "Anyway, it's impossible for one country to develop an entire planet alone." "Why don't we take a break, then hear this colony's proposal?" "Picard, where's Ion in this colony?" "Is that "heart medicine" effective, Member Lange?" "It's vintage 21 00 Bordeaux." "How could it not be effective?" "So we've got a dispute over water rights, eh?" "And this is the front line of the development of space!" "No matter where humans go, they always behave as they do on Earth." "We never change." "The United Nations sent mediators into a no-win situation..." "Eventually, it'll work out somehow." "That's always the way of it." "The human race as it stands is like a pathogen or a parasite." "After fully infesting our host, the Earth, we forge ahead into the cosmos." "Searching for a new host..." "Just like fungi spores borne on the wind..." "Don't you think?" "I don't know about that..." "I would say that thanks to our scientific advances, we put our stamp on space." "But perhaps that is the height of conceit." "Ion is calling for me?" "I apologize for calling you here in the middle of the night." "Here." "Ion is in here?" "Alena!" "That is your voice, isn't it?" "!" "Ion!" "Then you're safe!" "I was worried that something had happened to you." "Open this." "I can't." "Why not?" "Alena, calm down and listen carefully." "An unknown parasitic fungus lives in this world's air." "It's infected me." "So if I open that door now, you and the entire colony would..." "You're sick?" "You're in pain?" "It hurt at first, but the pain went away quickly." "I've been doing nothing but running tests on my body since... but I haven't found any abnormalities." "Then open the door!" "It doesn't have any effect on the human body, right?" "I'm not yet at the stage where I can state that unequivocally." "How long are you going to be shut up like this?" "It's like you're a test subject!" "It's going to be all right, Alena." "I'll prove that the fungus is harmless as soon as I can, and then I'll be out of here." "So don't worry." "If the military finds you here, there'll be trouble for both you and Ion, so for now, go back." "Come on." "Good night, Alena." "Ion..." "Ridiculous." "It's out of the question." "The Eurasian Colony has no intention of compromising." "We have to take preemptive action." "Before it's too late." "What is it?" "!" "What happened?" "Somebody's opened the airtight-shielded laboratory door!" "I just announced a Level 3 Shield!" "Just in case, break out the protective suits." "What's going on?" "An intruder?" "It must be them!" "Shit." "What happened?" "A test tube-cultured fungus spore leaked out and the contamination is spreading inside the colony." "Does the spore have a deleterious effect on the human body?" "Yes." "Apparently, there's already been at least one casualty in the laboratory." "Ion!" "Alena!" "Hmph." "Code 423GKQJ, request emergency attack." "The target is the American-Euro United Colony." "The entire colony has been contaminated by a dangerous fungus." "What are you doing?" "!" "Don't you understand?" "This is our chance." "With one stroke, we can wipe out this colony." "How dare you...?" "Rescind the order for that attack immediately!" "Hmph." "Bastard..." "Your method of dialogue is too slow!" "Now, hadn't you better stop your daughter?" "Ion!" "This is unbelievable..." "Confirming the order to terminate." "The target is..." "the American-Euro United Colony." "S-Sergei..." "Sterilize inside the shielding." "Can you hear me, Michael?" "!" "But..." "That's an order." "Sterilize inside the shielding!" "Don't move!" "Alena!" "Ion..." "Alena!" "Alena!" "Michael!" "You saw, didn't you?" "!" "This shield doesn't mean anything anymore!" "Open up!" "Open it!" "Michael!" "Michael!" "Are you listening to me?" "!" "Michael!" "Open the shield!" "Ion..." "You'll feel better in a few hours..." "In fact, you'll be surprised by how good it feels." "Alena!" "Mother..." "Our bombers are going to destroy this colony in a matter of minutes..." "Ion, the interceptor missiles..." "What?" "!" "If we do nothing, the colony will be annihilated..." "And right now, you're the only one who can move." "Annihilated..." "It didn't work at all..." "Ion... 15 more minutes 'til we reach the target." "Three Eurasian Colony bombers, approaching from 270 degrees." "Ten minutes to arrival." "One minute to interception range." "Bombers have entered interception range." "Ion." "I'm sorry, Alena." "I couldn't make myself push the missile launch button." "One minute to target." "Moving into attack formation." "Locked onto target." "Fire!" "Picards!" "Picards, get away!" "What the hell are these things?" "!" "Picard!" "In other words, while feeding on human sweat and waste products from the skin, the fungi exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide." "Not bad." "I'll never need to take another shower." "I think the reason we all feel so refreshed is the large amount of oxygen around our bodies." "One more thing." "It appears that breathing these spores stimulates the brain's pleasure center." "Let's forget about our former grievances, Lieutenant Commander Beltin." "We've made sacrifices, but from now on, I want to discuss things peacefully." "I couldn't agree more, Colonel Tatiana Medvedeva." "You can call me "Tanya."" "It looks like snow..." "They're all spores, spores traveling on the seasonal wind." "Aren't they beautiful?" "They certainly are..." "Ah, well." "Apparently, the fungus perishes when you leave the planet." "That's a relief." "We wouldn't have been able to return to Earth covered in that stuff." "Snaut..." "Yes?" "Did we conquer that planet?" "Or did it conquer us...?" "Waxing waning lying" "Light that makes me think of myself every time I look at it" "Yesterday I became a kind, good child, so why do you hurt me?" "Blue moon, don't take away the one that I love" "I feel longing as well as hate, this is ambivalent love" "Please, don't leave me alone, the one that I love" "Crazy silken night sky and ambivalent love" "If the blue moon that gives off faint light by my window is an illusion created by the dust fluttering in the sky, then if I wipe away the weakness and doubt that deceive my eyes, maybe we'll be able to forgive each other one more time" "Blue moon, don't take away the one that I love" "I feel longing as well as hate, this is ambivalent love" "I want to tell the one I love to come for me now, but I can't say it, ambivalent love" "Please, don't leave me alone, the one that I love" "Crazy silken night sky and ambivalent love" "I want to see you, but I can't" "I'm so overcome with these feelings that I can't sleep" "All night long..." "You were the one for me..." "I need to be with you." "You were the one for me..." "I need to be with you."