By Dennis Rowarr SCENE ONE A corridor, the Royal Complex, Aldebaran DRAKE DUCK, confronted by the male ALDEBARAN dressed in the uniform of a Stork-Trooper, suddenly finds himself surrounded on all sides by regular STORK-TROOPERS who have been hiding in the nooks and crannies of the corridor. All of them have their maser rifles pointed directly at DRAKE, thus making it impossible for him to take any action. DRAKE: (bewildered, to Aldebaran) How did you know I was coming to Aldebaran? ALDEBARAN: We didn't, but High Command had told us you got around, but this time you've seriously slipped up, haven't you? DRAKE: What do you mean? ALDEBARAN: (smiles sickly) Come on, Drake, it's a little obvious what you were up to, isn't it? (pacing around as he talks) You arrive on Aldebaran, knowing that the Heron Federation has since outlawed any form of matriarchy on the planet. You sneak into the royal complex, hoping to assassinate King Alan, and to use Aldebaran as a base for your terrorist activities with the backing of the females of this world! DRAKE: (aghast) What?! You talk some serious borselshit, pal! The ALDEBARAN spins around, giving DRAKE a firm slap around the face that is so hard that DRAKE is knocked from his feet. ALDEBARAN: That's Captain Todt to you, scum. (to Stork-Troopers) Put him in Cell Five. I'm sure they'll want to get acquainted before the final hour. Two of the STORK-TROOPERS drag DRAKE down the corridor, whilst the others return to their posts. One, however, takes his place alongside TODT. FIRST TROOPER: (throaty voice) Are you sure it's wise putting him in Cell Five, sir? TODT: What business is it of yours, sergeant? SERGEANT: Well, sir, they might get ideas. TODT: Let them. It's too late for them to use whatever ideas they have. They're as good as dead, sergeant. SCENE TWO Cell Five, Detention Block, beneath the Royal Palace, Aldebaran The STORK-TROOPERS throw DRAKE into the cell as though he were a ragdoll, before slamming the metal door shut behind them. The cell is perfectly square, poorly lit, and its reinforced metal walls are seeping with unidentifiable liquid. DRAKE gets to his feet, feeling the mark on his face where TODT slapped him. DRAKE: (mutters to himself) I hope you're enjoying all of this, Callan. VOICE: (middle-pitched, female voice) Who said that? DRAKE looks around, and sees a female ALDEBARAN stepping out from the darkness. She wears a lilac jumpsuit which has several holes in it as the result of excessive wear, and her sky-blue hair is messy and unwashed. Her left eye is covered by a silver-coloured eyepatch, whilst her right eye is sapphire in colour. Her entire body is covered in grey fur, with some signs of burning on her hands. ALDEBARAN: (peering at Drake) I know your face... Aren't you...? DRAKE: Duck. Drake Duck. ALDEBARAN: (nods) The Liberator of Genus. (pause) I don't suppose you know who I am. DRAKE: (shakes his head) No. The only Aldebarans I've met so far are you and Captain Todt, so I'm a little behind everyone else when it comes to faces. ALDEBARAN: Well, thanks to the frelling Federation, there's only a few people left on this world who know me. (turns to Drake) I am Princess Felicia, granddaughter of the High Artificer, and before the Federation took over this world, I was third in line to the throne! She kicks the wall, which vibrates with a loud clang. A STORK-TROOPER appears at the door, sticking his face close to the grating. SECOND TROOPER: Keep it down in there, you filthy scum! Your time'll come soon enough! He storms off, leaving DRAKE and FELICIA alone. FELICIA: (snarling) And so will yours, you winged vermin! DRAKE: Is that why they want to execute you, because you're a princess? FELICIA: (shaking head) No. When the Federation outlawed matriarchy, the positions of the sexes here on Aldebaran changed. The males we had kept suppressed for so long were now dominant, and the women were persecuted. I was a prominent figure in the Female Resistance for the rest of my life, hoping that Aldebaran would return to as it was once the Federation was expelled. (pause) Last week, our camp was ambushed, and I was captured. They tore out one of my eyes to get information out of me, and they left me here to rot until they were ready to have me shot. DRAKE: (pitifully) I'm sorry. FELICIA: No need. You're not to blame. I'm just sorry that I didn't join up with the main resistance movement on Aes when I was still free. DRAKE: (alertly) Aes? You know of it? FELICIA: (nods) Yes. We have a vessel here on Aldebaran that I still have access to despite my prisoner status. It requires the power of an artificer to activate its computer, but my piloting skills are a little... DRAKE, realising that the two now have a chance to escape, grabs FELICIA by the arms, looking her straight in the eye as he speaks firmly to the Aldebaran in a stern voice. DRAKE: Do you know if the ship is still there? FELICIA: Of course it is, but Todt and his men keep a close guard over it. Besides, these cells are impossible to escape from! DRAKE: (smiles) Don't be so sure. FELICIA silently frowns at this comment as DRAKE moves next to the door, concealing himself in shadow. DRAKE: (low voice) I want you to make as much noise as you possibly can. Do everything in your power to get the guard to notice you. FELICIA, now catching onto the idea, nods and begins to kick the wall and punch it with her fists, making a din loud enough to waken the dead. FELICIA: (shouting) FEDERATION SCUM! YOU CANNOT HOLD A DESCENDANT OF THE HIGH ARTIFICER! I SHALL HAVE MY REVENGE ON ALL OF YOU! Luckily for both of the inmates, the STORK-TROOPER promptly returns, less than amused at FELICIA's outburst. SECOND TROOPER: Shut up, you stupid whore! FELICIA: (to Trooper) Come in here and say that, you woman-hating pig! The STORK-TROOPER, disgusted that his misogyny has been compromised, promptly opens the cell door and marches inside. Before he can attack FELICIA, the STORK-TROOPER is suddenly overpowered by DRAKE, who leaps onto his back and knocks the STORK-TROOPER unconscious. FELICIA, pleased that all has gone well, strides over to the unconscious STORK- TROOPER and places her heeled boot over his beak. FELICIA: Not so tough now, are you? DRAKE: Later, princess. We have to get going before his pals come looking for him. Just follow my lead and we'll be on that ship of yours in no time. SCENE THREE An elevator, somewhere in the Royal Complex, Aldebaran Several STORK-TROOPERS are chatting idly amongst themselves whilst they are waiting for the elevator to take them down to the detention levels. THIRD TROOPER: ...and then the stupid bitch spat in my face! FOURTH TROOPER: (shakes his head) The women on this planet are real harpies, aren't they? THIRD TROOPER: I know. Still, I put her straight in the end. (thrusting his hips suggestively) Nothing a little body language didn't cure! They laugh between themselves as the elevator arrives. As the doors open, they see FELICIA, and immediately draw their weapons. However, DRAKE appears at her side, wearing the armour of a STORK-TROOPER, and covering FELICIA with his own maser rifle. THIRD TROOPER: (to Drake) And where is... (gesturing to Felicia) ...IT going? DRAKE: Captain Todt's orders. She's to be called for questioning. THIRD TROOPER: (relaxing) Oh, right. Carry on. They allow DRAKE and FELICIA to pass. FELICIA turns her head slightly towards DRAKE as they continue walking. FELICIA: (whispering) You should've shot them. DRAKE: (murmurs) If I did, the shots would've brought the entire palace down on us. SCENE FOUR Launchpads, somewhere in the Aldebaran Capitol, Aldebaran DRAKE and FELICIA are now hiding behind every object they can find to avoid exposure to the various STORK-TROOPERS marching back and forth. They finally stop as FELICIA points towards something on one of the launchpads. FELICIA: (low voice) That's it over there. DRAKE follows her finger, and sees a large spacecraft parked on the launchpad, and surrounded by a ring of STORK-TROOPERS. The main body of the ship resembles an upturned pyramid, although several large chemical exhausts to the rear of the craft act as a counterweight, stopping the craft from lying entirely on the ground, and a hatchway can be seen fully open on the exposed underside. In terms of size, its height alone is a little over 200ft. FELICIA: (continued) We call it the "Avenger". It had been constructed for use in the Toad Wars, but peace had already been made before we could get a chance to fly it, and King Alan has his hands tied down by the Federation. DRAKE: So it has never been used in the twenty years that it has rested there. FELICIA: Yes. DRAKE: And we've also no way of knowing if it'll fly or not. FELICIA: Shouldn't we be concentrating on how to actually reach it, first? DRAKE makes a brief glance around him, looking for something to use as a distraction. He notices a bent metal bar behind them, and picks it up gingerly, trying not to make too much noise. DRAKE: (sternly, to Felicia) When I give the word, run for that hatchway like the devil. If we get this wrong now, we could both be in serious trouble, and I'm not just talking about a slap on the wrist. He spies a large pile of metal crates lying near them. DRAKE throws the metal bar, and successfully knocks over the pile, which clangs noisily as it collapses. The STORK-TROOPERS, alarmed at this, all promptly rush over to the fallen pile. DRAKE: (whispering) Now! With the STORK-TROOPERS distracted, DRAKE and FELICIA spot their chance, and rush over to the hatchway and enter the bowels of the ship. SCENE FIVE Bridge, the Avenger, Aldebaran The bridge of the vessel is hexagonal in shape, with three corridors branching off from it. At the very centre of the bridge are seven white-leather seats, placed before seven small desks, all of which feature their own individual consoles. The chairs all face a wall that is dominated by a gigantic spell gem that is pink in colour and currently lies dormant. FELICIA and DRAKE both rush onto the bridge and collapse against the consoles, out of breath from their running. DRAKE: (panting) Did they have to make it so big? FELICIA: (wheezes) It was... supposed to be a flagship... we wanted it to look impressive. DRAKE notices the gigantic spell gem above them, and his eyes nearly pop out at the sight of it. DRAKE: (pointing at gem) What's that? FELICIA: An Aldebaran memory stone, built into the ship's computers. The idea was for us to run the ship with our powers should the controls ever malfunction. DRAKE: But as the controls are all still hooked up, you can't fly it off the planet. FELICIA: Well, that and my powers aren't as strong as they used to be. I can get the computer functioning, but that's it. (pause) Do you think you could go into the corridor for a few minutes? DRAKE: (nodding) Oh, yeah. I forgot I'm an outsider to you. He complies with FELICIA'S wish, and goes to keep watch in the corridor. FELICIA watches him go, and her spell gems glow softly as she raises her arms above her head. As if in response, the gigantic spell gem glows a warm pink colour, and the voice of the shipboard COMPUTER echoes noisily around her. The spell gem's glow pulsates in sync with the COMPUTER'S voice. COMPUTER: (female English accent) This is Diyana, primary shipboard computer for the Aldebaran Battleship "Avenger". Please speak into the audio-visual circuits for registering of voiceprint identification. FELICIA silently gestures for DRAKE to return, which he does. FELICIA: (whispers) Do as I do. (clearly, to DIYANA) I am Princess Felicia, granddaughter of the High Artificer of Aldebaran. DRAKE: (uneasily) Err... I am Drake Duck of Kanopis III. DIYANA: Voiceprints stored in memory banks. All orders from Princess Felicia and Drake Duck will now be obeyed. FELICIA: (a little more comfortable) Good, then prepare for immediate liftoff. DIYANA: Confirmed. SCENE SIX The launchpad, the Aldebaran Capitol, Aldebaran Almost immediately, the engines of the Avenger suddenly whine into life after twenty years of inactivity. The hatchway automatically closes, and the initial reaction of the STORK-TROOPERS is to fire against the ship's reinforced hull. FIFTH TROOPER: What the frell?! The chemical engines roar into life, shooting billows of black smoke across a wide area. With a groan of metal, the ship is soon airborne, and flies off as swiftly as a bird. SCENE SEVEN In orbit around Aldebaran, space The Avenger is seen leaving Aldebaran and shooting off out into space. Because such a scenario had not been foreseen, there is no resistance to the departure of the Avenger, allowing it easy passage out into space. It slows for a moment to correct its position, before turning so that it is facing away from the audience. DRAKE: (defiantly) Hold on, Dad! Here I come! The chemical engines flare up again, and the Avenger disappears into the blackness of space... TO BE CONTINUED...