"Forever After" By DJ Clawson First Draft - 2/3/01 Final Draft - 12/2/01 Edited by Rygar 4/11/09 SCENE 1 - SECTOR FOUR The Righteous Indignation is chasing a single toad cruiser through a deserted region of space. The two TOAD PILOTS are sweating. TOAD PILOT #1 They're gaining on us, sir! Over his shoulder are FRIX and FRAX, who are standing on the bridge behind him. FRIX Then speed up, you moron! FRAX Yeah, if we don't get this shipment to KOMPLEX, he said no toad TV for a week. And that's worse than getting caught by Bucky O'Hare. TOAD PILOT #2 This ship isn't meant to go so fast, sirs ... About the Righteous, CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE and FIRST MATE JENNY are in the piloting bay. BUCKY (over comm) Deadeye, can you take out their engines? GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK is in his gunning chair. DEADEYE 'Course I can, Cap'n! Deadeye fires on the cruiser, damaging it. Inside the toad cruiser, the warning lights are all going off, flashing the cabin with red light. Frix and Frax are dashing around with their hands in the air, barely missing crashing into each other. TOAD PILOT #1 Sir, our engines are disabled! We're dead in space. We have no choice but to abandon ship! FRIX No way! If we abandon ship, we'll lose the equipment! TOAD PILOT #2 We don't have a choice. FRAX We'll be captured by Bucky O'Hare. KOMPLEX will demote us! TOAD PILOT #2 We could try to land on a nearby planet. (types into the computer) The closest one is Toxus IV, an abandoned planet with an atmosphere. We could use the escape pods and land there, then send a message to the home world. TOAD PILOT #1 Wouldn't the Righteous just pursue us there? TOAD PILOT #2 Hey, either way, we shouldn't stay here ... The pilot is interrupted as the cruiser is rocked by another blast from Deadeye's cannons. TOAD PILOT #1 Sir, our life support is failing! FRIX Abandon ship! SCENE 2 - TOXUS IV Four escape pods expel themselves from the cruiser seconds before it is destroyed by the Righteous. The pods enter the atmosphere of Toxus IV, a large, barren wasteland of a planet, and crash into the dirt. After the dust settles, the toads climb out and swipe themselves off. Around them, they see mountains of brown and gray earth and craters. There is no sign of life anywhere. TOAD PILOT #1 I'll need a little while to get communications up ... Frix is listening, but Frax is distracted by the wall of earth marking the side of the closest mountain, which has an unnaturally brief and steep incline. It looks as if an arm of earth just exploded out from the crust of the planet. Frax spies something under the dirt and begins to brush it away. FRIX Great. We'll probably get demoted for this. Well, we'd better get our stories straight. Frax? Frix notes that Frax has wandered off. He spies him and hits him from behind. FRIX Pay attention! FRAX But look what I found! Frax has brushed away the dirt, revealing a door of some sort. It is made of similar stone to the mountain and is sealed shut. There are strange carvings on it and a picture of a large sun-like object covering most of it. FRAX Any idea what this is? Frix reaches into his tool belt and pulls out a scanner. FRIX No, but I'm getting some weird readings from this thing. SCENE 3 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Back on the Righteous, the crew has watched the pods land on Toxus IV. BUCKY Why are they landing there? That's an abandoned planet. Do they really think they could get away? JENNY Maybe they thought they could call for backup. BUCKY Then let's arrest them before the cavalry arrives. Jenny, take Bruiser and the Croaker and land ... As Bucky speaks, Jenny is piloting the Righteous into the orbit of the planet when the Righteous is hit by an invisible barrier and sent spinning out of control, away from the planet. BUCKY (after the ship stabilizes, into comm) Everyone OK? DEADEYE (over comm) Don't do that again, Cap'n. I just had lunch! In engineering, BRUISER and AFC BLINKY are working furiously at putting out a small fire. BLINKY (hitting comm) Situation under control, Captain. Back in piloting bay, Jenny checks over her sensors. JENNY Captain, there's some sort of field protecting the planet. My sensors can't recognize it. It's unlike anything we've ever seen before. BUCKY (into comm) Deadeye, fire your blasters towards the planet. DEADEYE Ye got it, Cap'n! Deadeye powers up his guns and fires them into the planet. Needless to say, they are reflected by the invisible shield, and the trajectory causes the rays to barely miss the Righteous. BUCKY OK, that's enough of that. JENNY Captain, I don't see how we're going to get onto this planet. BUCKY What about the toads? Are we just going to let them go? JENNY We'll have to find another ship. It's hopeless to be here. Bucky grumbles but relents. BUCKY Let's go. SCENE 4 - THE TOAD HOMEWORLD TOADBORG and the AIR MARSHAL are in a conference with KOMPLEX. KOMPLEX When can we expect the scientists to have the new accelerator ready? TOADBORG Unfortunately, it may be years before we develop accelerator technology comparable to the mammalian advances, much less mass produce them for our fleet. KOMPLEX There should be nothing to stand in the way of this project. You will ... As he speaks, a toad MESSENGER enters. Noticing that he's interrupted the conversation and that KOMPLEX is present, he shirks and salutes nervously. MESSENGER I ap-p-pologize, Oh Mighty KOMPLEX. I-I didn't ... TOADBORG State your business. MESSENGER T-There's news from Frix and F-Frax, sir. S-Something important ... The messenger hands Toadborg the datapad and hurries out of the room as if it's on fire. Toadborg inserts it into his chest and processes it for a moment before spitting the card back out. TOADBORG Interesting ... those two nuisances may have actually found something useful. AIR MARSHAL Frix and Frax? That's impossible. TOADBORG It seems they were being pursued by Bucky O'Hare when they sought refuge on the planet Toxus IV. But their scanners indicate they have found a source of strange and powerful energy on the planet. KOMPLEX What kind of energy? Energy useful to the Toad Empire? TOADBORG Perhaps. They need assistance in determining that. KOMPLEX This deserves further investigation. Nothing I know of could produce these kinds of energy fields. AIR MARSHAL But Toxus IV is uninhabited. It's been so for hundreds of years, at least -- so has most of Sector Four. KOMPLEX Toadborg, I want you to send a squadron to secure the planet and investigate this matter further. This should be done with the utmost secrecy, as to not attract mammalian attention. SCENE 5 - UAC HEADQUARTERS, GENUS A few days later. The captains of the fleet, including COMMANDER SIRIUS DOGSTAR and CAPTAIN MIMI LAFLEUR, are meeting with the Security Council. VICE CHAIRMAN GRIFF is speaking. GRIFF And finally, the planet Toxus IV. CHAIRMAN FRITZ WARNER, who has been sort of relaxed until this point, noticeably perks up. FRITZ Toxus IV? What about it? GRIFF Captain O'Hare, would you like to give your report? Bucky nods and stands. BUCKY Three days ago, my crew was pursuing a toad cruiser in Sector Four when they sought refuge on this planet. When we attempted to enter the planet's orbit, we were stopped by some kind of force field. MIMI You mean a warm-blooded force field, like on the koala planet? BUCKY No, it stopped all technology, including maser blasts. We concluded that there was no way to enter the planet and left the crew of the cruiser to pursue other ends in the area. GRIFF Since you first submitted the report, we've had a patrol satellite take closer pictures of the planet. Griff hits a button on the conference table, and the screen comes down and shows the surface of Toxus IV from above. The planet now has several buildings and small green objects that look vaguely like toads. GRIFF It seems the toads have set up some sort of base there. We're not sure exactly why -- there doesn't seem to be anything of note on the planet. They may be planning on using it as a refueling station or something. BUCKY Should we attempt to destroy it? Before Griff can speak, Fritz cuts in. FRITZ No. BUCKY (surprised) No? FRITZ No. The toads have had a strong foothold in Sector Four for years that we haven't been able to eliminate, and destroying one base on an abandoned planet is not really going to help when there are more important sectors in the aniverse to guard. MIMI (also cuts in) So this doesn't concern you? FRITZ Of course it concerns me. But there are more important matters to be taken care of right now. I recommend not giving it another thought. MIMI But ... FRITZ And I mean it. (to Griff) Anything else? GRIFF Uh ... no. You're dismissed, captains. With some clamor, the three captains exit the room while the Council turns back to other matters. As soon as the doors are closed behind them, Mimi speaks. MIMI OK, who thought that was a little strange? BUCKY What, the Chairman not being concerned with a planet of obvious interest? DOGSTAR He is a politician, Captain O'Hare. He has other things on his mind, as do we. MIMI I don't. BUCKY What are you recommending? Disobeying the Chairman and taking our ships to Toxus? We could be court-martialed. MIMI Look, we don't start our shifts again until tomorrow morning, right? That's plenty of time to get to Toxus for a little scouting mission. DOGSTAR I assure you, the Security Council would notice if the entire fleet decided to spend their day off on a toad-controlled planet. MIMI It doesn't have to be the whole fleet, Dogstar. BUCKY You mean just the three of us? That's crazy. We could be walking into a trap. MIMI What are you talking about? You love walking into traps. You do it all the time. BUCKY Yeah, but I do it with my crew behind me. MIMI They're all on call. We could reach them if we wanted to. DOGSTAR What if we disappear? And leave no trace? MIMI We'll leave our crews a note saying if we aren't back by midnight, they should go to Toxus and look for us. Look, we're not going to destroy any bases; we're just going to check it out. We can take that toad cruiser we confiscated last month. We'll look around, see why the toads *and* the Chairman are so interested in us not being interested in that planet, and head back before anyone knows we're gone. What could possibly ... BUCKY Don't jinx it. Please, just don't. SCENE 6 - TOXUS IV The barren planet is alive with activity, as slaves of the Toad Empire work at mining the mountain. Carts of gray stone are wheeled out by beavers as Toadborg and the Air Marshal watch. As they stand there, a MESSENGER runs up and salutes. MESSENGER Sir, we've found some sort of room inside the mountain. TOADBORG Is it safe to enter? MESSENGER Our geologists ensure us that it is. I think you should see this, sir. Our scanners are going off the wall in this place. Toadborg and the Air Marshal follow the messenger inside the cave. Once they are gone, three empty oil drums open, and the heads of the three UAC captains pop out. BUCKY This is such a bad idea. DOGSTAR I admit, the risks probably do outweigh the potential ... MIMI Oh, be quiet. I've had to listen to your complaints since we left Genus. Toadborg and the Air Marshal are here -- *something* must be going on. They duck back into their respective hiding places as they hear the sounds of toads groaning. From a landed cruiser, several toads have tied robes to a gigantic drilling device that has been mounted on a cart and they are dragging it in the direction of the newly created mine. Two of them are Frix and Frax. FRIX Ugh! Why can't Toadborg do this? FRAX Shut up and pull! Frix and Frax make it nearly to the mine shaft entrance when the ropes holding the drill in place suddenly snap, and an unforeseen force hurls it off the cart, crushing two toads. The others scream and run away as the drill rolls around, as if controlled by some force, chasing Frix and Frax with the threat of being run over. FRAX and FRAX Somebody stop that thing! Frix and Frax manage to climb to safety on a mining cart as the other toads and beaver slaves scatter. The drill stops, as if satisfied, then makes a sudden turn to the direction of the three oil drums. Bucky, Mimi, and Dogstar have to leap out, climbing up onto the roof of the makeshift equipment shack as the oil drums are crushed below them. BUCKY (drawing his blaster, mimicking Mimi) Ooh, nothing will go wrong ... MIMI Don't even start. They draw their weapons and are about to aim them at any toads who may have noticed their very obvious presence, but Dogstar sniffs and points in another direction. Up on the tower of a larger structure the toads have built is THORAS IGNATIUS, a humanoid old man in Nharnian robes. He is gesturing with his hand very strangely, and it is very clear that he is the one controlling the drill. MIMI Didn't I say this would be interesting? Mimi fires a blast at Thoras, but it bounces harmlessly off an invisible barrier between them and him. He doesn't seem concerned with their presence at all, seemingly melting away into the shadows. The three captains are about to attempt to follow when they hear Toadborg's voice. TOADBORG Yes, this is a most interesting planet indeed. Before anyone can respond, the poorly constructed shack falls out from under them, and they collapse on the ground, in a heap of equipment and weak wood. Bucky is the first on his feet, only to find himself surrounded by toads. They have officially been captured. SCENE 7 - INSIDE THE MOUNTAIN, TOXUS IV The toads have discovered a large chamber inside the mountain that has been meticulously carved out. It is roughly the size of the mouth of a toad mothership. The parameters of the floor form a perfect circle, in which a large and intricately carved circle of some sort has hewn into the stone. It is covered in strange and alien markings. Many toad scientists are running across it with scanners and archaeological equipment. Toadborg and the Air Marshal are watching a scientist study the center with a magnifying glass. The middle of the room has a small circle carved into it with a radius of about three feet, and inside it is a marking that resembles a sun, much like the marking on the outside of the cave. This central circle is immediately surrounded by eleven other circles with similar sun-like carvings. AIR MARSHAL So what about Bucky O'Hare and the others? TOADBORG If my suspicions are right, we may have found something more important than that pathetic rodent and his friends. AIR MARSHAL Then can I have the credit for capturing Bucky O'Hare? TOADBORG (annoyed) I don't care. If it shuts you up, yes. A SCIENTIST approaches them. SCIENTIST We've taken the readings you've requested, sir. TOADBORG And? SCIENTIST (looks at his clipboard) There's definitely some power center right beneath this room. It's unlike anything we've ever seen. From what we can tell by mass readings, the ground beneath us only extends a few feet before the power center throws off all of our readings. This stone seems to be the only thing separating us and the energy source. It's almost as if it's some sort of seal. TOADBORG You're a scientist, not a magician. How do we get this power? SCIENTIST Well, as I said, the ground isn't very deep. It should be fairly easy to drill. As he speaks, several toads enter, dragging the drill on the cart that has been recovered from Thoras's meddling. AIR MARSHAL Shouldn't we back away? TOADBORG I am Toadborg; I fear nothing. The Air Marshal takes the opportunity to cower behind some protection equipment as the various toads put on their goggles and place the drill's tip in the center of the room, over the central circle with the sun insignia. The drill takes a moment to fire up before sparks begin to fly and it does its business. The room begins to shake, and many of the toads cower in fear or look away. After several moments, the scientist looks at his watch and calls out for the drilling to halt. SCIENTIST That should be enough ... The smoke clears, and not a dent has been made in the ground. AIR MARSHAL OK, who saw *that* coming? TOADBORG Quiet. (to himself) I need something more powerful. Something that can cut through anything without destroying the chamber and collapsing the mountain on top of us. A bomb would cause immeasurable damage. I need something finer ... and we don't have anything like that. Maybe the mammals have something. I should ... The Air Marshal comes out from under his cover. AIR MARSHAL There are the mammalian weapons we recovered from the captains. TOADBORG I'm not talking about simple blasters, you fool. But the Air Marshal has already gone through the bag of weapons a toad guard has given him. AIR MARSHAL It's worth a try. I mean, what ... Out the bag, lying between Mimi and Bucky's blasters, is Bucky's lightsaber. AIR MARSHAL ... the frell is that? Toadborg looks interested in what the Air Marshal is saying for the first time this conversation. He reaches into the bag and picks up the lightsaber, activating its green rod of energy. TOADBORG I retract an earlier statement. The mammals are not unimportant -- they're very useful. SCENE 8 - TOAD CELL The three captains are lazily hanging around the makeshift prison the toads have devised in the shanty construction town outside the mountain. Dogstar is sitting on a box, meticulously brushing the dirt off his uniform. Bucky is leaning against the wall looking annoyed, and Mimi is pacing restlessly. BUCKY You know what I could be doing right now? I could be taking a bath, maybe catching up on a little paperwork ... (beat) Who'd have thought I'd ever miss paperwork? MIMI Oh, come on. It's not like you don't get captured by the toads every other week. This should be familiar territory. Bucky looks insulted. DOGSTAR Now, before we start this ... BUCKY I did *not* come here to be insulted. I came here on a personal request from who I *thought* was a competent captain ... MIMI You came here for the same reason I did: to stop the toads from doing whatever it is they're doing here. Or is a little scouting mission interesting enough for a glorious space captain? On to bigger and better things? BUCKY At least I came here because I was interested in what the *toads* were doing here, not to investigate some politician's discrepancies. Or are you helping him cover this up? Are you working for him now? MIMI (coldly) I make my own decisions, thank you very much. My relationship with Fritz has nothing to do with you. BUCKY "My relationship"? What relationship? Weren't you investigating him a few months ago? Don't tell me you've ... Bucky glances at her, and the look on Mimi's face confirms it. BUCKY Oh, Great Mother! He's sucked you in, too? It's like he feeds on people. He's just using you, Mimi. DOGSTAR Really, I think we should ... BUCKY (ignoring Dogstar and standing up) Since when are *you* on a first-name basis with Fritz Warner? Or am I running into "personal" territory? MIMI (really furious) I told you that wasn't any of your business! BUCKY (with equal malice) I don't know; you seem to make everyone else's business yours. I don't see why it can't be the same with me. Tell me -- is this whole "investigation" thing just an excuse to spend time with him? Do you only "investigate" him on dates? Before Dogstar can silence anybody, Mimi hits Bucky with a merciless right hook across the cheek, knocking him back into a pile of rubbish against the wall of their cell. Dogstar has to grab Mimi's fist from behind and restrain her from doing anything further as she stands over the collapsed hare. MIMI (baring her teeth) You take that back right now, Buckminster O'Hare ... DOGSTAR (with more force) Now, cut this out! This isn't getting us anywhere! Honestly, you two are acting like a pair of lovesick teenagers. Dogstar releases Mimi, who retracts her fist. Dogstar then helps Bucky up. DOGSTAR Now, in my day ... (gives them a look) And *don't* interrupt me -- in my day, we didn't have any of this nonsense. Granted, we didn't have a fleet either, but we were respectable nonetheless. Now, for whatever reasons, we have been captured by the enemy on a hostile planet in an abandoned sector, and it will be several hours before anyone realizes we're gone. Shouldn't we concentrate on *that* and not each other's personal lives? THORAS Well, I'm glad someone has some sense here. They all turn to around to the owner of the voice, who is standing on the other side of the bars that cover one side of their walled cell. Thoras is there, his lightsaber on his belt. The toad guard has apparently been disabled and is lying unconscious on the floor. It then occurs to them that they have no idea how long he's been there, and they rush to the bars. MIMI Are you going to let us out of here? We can help you stop the toads, if that's what you're here for. THORAS I'm quite aware of what you're capable of doing -- mainly, screwing everything up. (to Bucky) Why, oh why, did Thayli ever give your father a lightsaber? And Blessed Frith, why are *you* carrying it? A lightsaber is not a toy, you know. BUCKY The toads have it. THORAS Of that I am well aware. Hence my concern. Thoras places the keys he has retrieved from the guard in the keyhole and opens the cell door. THORAS Now, please leave this planet. MIMI We don't know what's going on. Our mission is not complete. BUCKY And I'm not leaving without that lightsaber. DOGSTAR Yes, Dad's legacy and all that. Thoras shakes his head, aggravated. THORAS Fine. I don't care. Dammit, I'm too old for this. Thoras leaves the room before they can exit. They arm themselves with the guard's weapons and exit the jail, only to find that Thoras has completely disappeared. In fact, the toad site is almost completely deserted -- most of the action seems to be coming from the cave leading into the mountain. There is a planet-shattering howl from inside the cave, and several toads come running out, nearly crashing into the captains. They are running from a shadowy figure emerging into the light from the darkness of the cave entrance -- it is another robed Nharnian-like KNIGHT, Thoras's apprentice. He is wielding his golden lightsaber and using it to deflect toad fire. There is still much strange noise coming from inside the cave. MIMI (to Bucky and Dogstar) You guys find out what Toadborg is doing. I'll take care of this guy. Bucky and Dogstar sort of give her a look and hurry into the cave. Meanwhile, the robed knight has taken care of the toads and is turning back to the cave when Mimi dashes in between the cave entrance and the knight. MIMI You're not getting away that easily. The robed knight doesn't look surprised, but he powers down his lightsaber. He doesn't seem interested in engaging Mimi and tries to move around her. MIMI (stops him) What did I just say? The knight shakes with frustration and taps her on the center of her chest. She is suddenly hurled back into the cave wall with an unseen force, and he moves to pass, unobstructed. MIMI Oh no you don't ... Without getting up, Mimi kicks him square in the shins with her heels. He drops to the ground, speaking for the first time beneath his metal mask. KNIGHT Son of a bitch ... Mimi is first to get up and tackles him as he attempts to stand again. He tries to get up, but she holds him down, accidentally nearly strangling him with his mask. KNIGHT G-d dammit, Mimi, I'm just trying to ... The knight hits a button on his neck, and the mask retracts. Beneath the mask is Fritz Warner. FRITZ (coughing) ... get ... past you ... Mimi releases Fritz's neck. MIMI Fritz! FRITZ Oh, come on. It wasn't that hard to figure out. MIMI What are you doing here? FRITZ I'm pinned to the ground, so at the moment, nothing. But I was originally trying to stop Toadborg from opening the seal. So get up! Mimi stands and offers Fritz a paw. Fritz stands up, limping a little, and shakes out his leg. FRITZ G-d, right in the shins. What is it with you and heels? MIMI Oh, shut up. At least I'm not running around in Nharnian garb trying to ... Mimi is interrupted by another wailing howl that is so sharp and loud, it causes both of them to cover their ears until it passes. FRITZ That is so bad. Fritz and Mimi hurry into the cave. SCENE 9 - INNER CHAMBER, TOXUS IV Dogstar and Bucky are the first to make it into the chamber, having a head start on Mimi and Fritz. They run in, only to be shaken by an earthquake that causes them to slip and nearly crash into the Air Marshal, who is running for cover. The room is in pieces, mainly of abandoned equipment and stalactites from the roof. Many of the toads are scattering or ducking for cover. In the center of the room, Toadborg is lying on the ground, apparently disabled in some fashion. Bucky's lightsaber is laying beside him. Thoras is kneeling in the direct center of the room, gently probing a small hole in the central circle that was clearly Toadborg's handiwork. It has only the width of a lightsaber blade -- about the radius of a quarter -- but a strange red light is coming out of it, shining on Thoras's face. AIR MARSHAL Get out of my way! The Air Marshal knocks aside Bucky and Dogstar, dropping the bag of weapons behind him as another strange howl shakes the room, apparently coming from beneath the floor. Bucky and Dogstar retrieve their maser blasters and fire them up, heading in Thoras's direction. THORAS Don't come any closer. We wouldn't want you to cause any more damage. BUCKY What's going on? THORAS My past sins have returned to haunt me. The seal has been broken. Ignoring Thoras's advice, Bucky attempts to one of the outer rings in the carvings, only to be stopped by a wall of fire that jumps up between him and Thoras. Thoras pays no attention, his mind clearly on other things. Dogstar helps Bucky on his feet as Fritz and Mimi enter. BUCKY Fritz, aren't you supposed to be on Genus ... (it suddenly occurs to him) What the frell are you doing here? What the frell is going on!? DOGSTAR Yes, I must admit, Chairman, seeing you here in uh, such a uniform is shocking ... BUCKY This doesn't make any sense! You sabotaged your own diplomacy meetings! You broke into your own office! MIMI Trust me, we already went through this on the way here. BUCKY IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! FRITZ (calmly) Someone please hit him. Mimi promptly smacks Bucky upside the head. Bucky seems to calm somewhat. FRITZ Thank you. MIMI Don't think *you're* getting off so easily ... But Fritz ignores Mimi and crosses the barrier into the center of the room, where the eleven circles surround the central circle. Thoras is standing up, apparently no longer interesting in inspecting the hole. Fritz looks down at the hole, and then back up at Thoras, who has a very distant, strangely calm look on his face. FRITZ *Shit*. THORAS For once, we agree. Thoras turns and, bundling his robes, glances casually over the disabled Toadborg. FRITZ Could we plug it or something? With a finger? I nominate Bucky. BUCKY Hey! FRITZ Hey, if it wasn't for your G-ddamn lightsaber, we wouldn't be in this mess. THORAS No, it's far too late for that. Thoras turns back to Fritz, and says something in a language incoherent to the UAC captains. Whatever he says seems to greatly disturb Fritz. FRITZ NO. No, that's not possible. Thoras gives a very strange smile and turns away. He seems to be waiting for something. There is a moment while everyone contemplates what they are about to say, and then there is another howl from below. Inches from where Fritz is standing, the central circle erupts in a flow of fire and dirt, and a long CREATURE emerges that seems half snake and half dragon. It has red scales and fierce teeth and eyes. It floats above the chamber, howling like an uncaged wild animal. The eruption knocks Fritz back to where the captains are standing. Toadborg, who has been disabled the entire time, seems to awaken and stands back up next to Thoras, seeming disoriented. TOADBORG My sensors ... they're ... (looks up) Oh, yes. BUCKY What the frell is that thing? FRITZ It's your fault, that's what it is. The creature, riding a cloud of fire and lightning, circles the room above them. Its massive dragon-like head seems to dive down to meet Thoras. It speaks in a creeping voice that has a jagged quality to it. CREATURE Dana Fri-mei. Don tel akan! MIMI (to Fritz) What'd he say? FRITZ "Good to see you again, Thoras Ignatius." (beat) And something about soul-eating. The second part was hard to catch. The creature howls and breaths fire into Thoras, barely missing Toadborg. Thoras puts his hands up with his palms facing the dragon, and as the fire reaches him, a yellow barrier appears, shielding him from the blast. The ordeal takes its toll on Thoras, who obviously has to put a lot of energy into producing the shield. The dragon's blast is unrelenting, and Thoras has to dig his sandaled heels into the stone to keep from being pushed back. He wavers only seconds before the fireball breaks through and hurls him across the room, into the stone wall, where he collapses. CREATURE (snidely) Fri-mei dar tana. Ende hen. The UAC captains look at Fritz, expecting a translation. FRITZ "Your old age has made you weak." Fritz runs over to Thoras to help him up, but Thoras shoos him away. THORAS Don't help me, you idiot! Stop him! Fritz has a look on his face that conveys, "And how am I supposed to do that?" He turns to the UAC captains. FRITZ You heard the man. Sic! BUCKY Hey, whoa whoa whoa. This is obviously a freaky Nharnian thing. I don't think we should get involved. DOGSTAR Yes, I do believe this is outside the range of our jurisdiction ... FRITZ (to self) What a bunch of wusses. Fritz powers up his lightsaber and steps into the center of the room, below where the creature is circling. He whistles to it, attracting its attention. Toadborg, who has been watching it, turns to Fritz and looks annoyed, but doesn't seem to recognize him. TOADBORG Don't interrupt me, mammal! Toadborg opens his front panel, and two small wires with hooks on the end fly out and implant themselves in the scales of the dragon. The red energy from the dragon immediately jumps down through the cable into Toadborg. FRITZ I wouldn't do that if I were you ... Before anyone can respond, the dragon hisses and pulls up its spiraling snake-like body, hurling Toadborg into the air and pulling him along like a dog on a leash. FRITZ There's a guy who just doesn't learn from his mistakes. While Fritz is watching the dragon, waiting for it to sweep down again in lightsaber range, Bucky takes a deep breath and leaps into the central circles, retrieving his lightsaber and powering up its green energy blade. He joins Fritz as they wait, side-by-side, for the dragon to sweep in between them. As it does, they both cut into the back of its head with their sabers, only making the smallest of cuts in its scales but thoroughly annoying the dragon. It roars and shakes them off, knocking them both backward in opposite directions. Bucky takes a hard fall and lands on the ground, only semi- conscious, his lightsaber's hilt rolling across the floor. Only Fritz is able to recover and get back on his feet fast enough to dodge the flames directed at him. The hilt of Bucky's lightsaber comes to a stop at Mimi's feet, and as Dogstar runs to pull the disoriented hare out of the fray, Mimi picks up the lightsaber and powers it up, waving the energy blade around experimentally. Meanwhile, Thoras has placed himself at the head of one of the eleven circles that surround the hole the dragon came out of, and is chanting in a strange language. Toadborg is still holding onto the dragon's tail with his cables, trying and failing to absorb energy. TOADBORG Need a ... more direct ... connection ... Toadborg extends his right arm and grabs onto the dragon's scales. The dragon howls and whips his tail around, releasing Toadborg's hold on it and hurling him into the roof of the cavern with his legs sticking out. Thoras's chanting is becoming louder. Fritz runs up to him. FRITZ What the hell are you doing? THORAS (annoyed) What does it look like I'm doing? FRITZ (as it dawns on him) Are you crazy? You don't have the kind of energy for that! As Fritz and Thoras are arguing, the flying dragon comes down for another swipe, only to be deflected from harming either one of them by Fritz's energy shield. It howls, and the trajectory knocks the creature against the cave wall, bringing down some of the roof onto the floor. Dogstar has to carry the highly disoriented Bucky out of the way, and Mimi has to deflect the rocks with Bucky's lightsaber from harming her. MIMI (to Dogstar) Any ideas? DOGSTAR (shouting over the noise) I'd ask the only two mammals who seem to know what's going on! Mimi turns to Fritz and Thoras, who are in a rather heated argument. MIMI Someone tell me what's going on! Fritz and Thoras glance at each other, and then at Bucky's lightsaber, which is in Mimi's paws. They seem to have an idea. FRITZ I'll attract its attention. When it comes down to eat me, strike it in its eye. MIMI Will that kill it? FRITZ No, but it should do something else. MIMI What if I miss? FRITZ Mimi, whenever we're in a soul-eating-dragon situation, *never* mention missing! Fritz steps a good distance from Thoras, who resumes his chanting, and whistles at the dragon. This seems to attract its attention, and it swoops down directly at Fritz, who holds up his powered-up lightsaber but doesn't move. The dragon is only inches from Fritz when Mimi strikes, imbedding the blade of Bucky's lightsaber deep in the dragon's orange eye. It howls, and the only way she is able to get it out is by powering down the blade and running off with the hilt. The dragon flies back up, circles in horror, and then dives down and disappears into the hole it came from. Aside from the howls of pain, the cave is silent. MIMI Is it over? FRITZ No. Now comes the hard part. Fritz tries to run to the circle of eleven rings where Thoras is standing but runs into a deflective shield and is knocked back. FRITZ Hey! I'm supposed to be part of this. THORAS Save your energy. You have other battles to fight. Thoras resumes his chanting. His body begins to grow a second skin of pure golden energy, which drops down into the other ten circles that surround the hole and highlights them. FRITZ (growing frantic) Thoras! This is not funny, Thoras! You can stop now! Mimi rushes to his side, powering down Bucky's lightsaber. MIMI What's going on? FRITZ (not really listening) Thoras! You have to let me help! Thoras ignores him and continues chanting. His body seems to grow transparent as the light grows brighter. MIMI Fritz ... FRITZ (hysterical) He can't do this; he's too old. He doesn't have the power anymore. Mimi reaches out to touch Fritz, but he jerks away and refuses to be consoled. FRITZ Thoras, stop it! Stop it now! You're freaking me out ... Bucky, who meanwhile has been gaining orientation, frees himself from Dogstar's grasp and seems to come to. BUCKY What's going on? MIMI Yeah, like they're gonna tell us. Fritz seems to be visibly flipping out. FRITZ Thoras ... Thoras, who has become barely visible as his energy drains into the seal, smiles calmly. THORAS You were a good apprentice. I wish you peace and serenity. The light around the seal is now too powerful to look at, and the four mammals have to look away as the room shakes. The dragon from beneath the room howls once more, and then there is a strange silence. Mimi, Dogstar, and Bucky blink and open their eyes. Thoras is gone. The eleven circles that ring what was once the dragon's hole glow faintly with energy. The hole he came out of is now sealed, with the symbol of the sun now restored. All that remains of the strange humanoid creature is the golden band he wore, which Fritz is now holding, standing in the circle. He looks dazed beyond comparison. Before anyone can find words to say, they hear the muffled sound of Toadborg, who is still buried in the ceiling. They all glance upward. TOADBORG Someone get me out of here! MIMI Think we should get him down? BUCKY Hell, no. Mimi hands Bucky his lightsaber, which he hooks back up to his utility belt. MIMI What are we going to do about ... But they look down, and Fritz has disappeared. MIMI Damnit, I wish he'd stop doing that. There are sounds of movement from outside the cave. DOGSTAR I propose a hasty retreat. MIMI Race you to the ship. They run off. The cave is silent until the Air Marshal, still cowering, enters behind some toad TROOPERS. Frix and Frax are just behind him. AIR MARSHAL Is it g-g-gone? TROOPER #1 Toadborg's up there, sir! The trooper points to Toadborg, whose legs are dangling. TOADBORG Air Marshal! Get me down from here! The toad troopers fire their blasters into the rocks that are holding Toadborg in place. He falls the height of the room and lands in a large crash on the floor, but he doesn't make a dent on the seal. No one seems eager to help him up, so he does so himself and approaches Frix and Frax. TOADBORG Next time you two find something you think is interesting ... FRIX AND FRAX Y-Yes, T-T-T-oadborg? TOADBORG Make sure you don't remember it! SCENE 10 - UAC HEADQUARTERS, GRNUS Haggard and exhausted, the three captains of the UAC fleet stumble into HQ. BUCKY OK, who wants to fill out *that* report? MIMI You know, technically, it wasn't an official mission, so we're not obligated to mention it. DOGSTAR We should probably say *something* ... BUCKY Oh, come on. I don't want to have to keep this to myself. MIMI We should at least speak to the Chairman first. They knock on the door to the Chairman's office. VOICE Come. Mimi opens the door and they walk in. Vice Chairman Griff is sitting at the desk, doing paperwork. GRIFF Oh, sorry. I'm just filling in for the Chairman. MIMI Where is he? GRIFF He's on his estate on Warren. Taking a week off. Death in the family, I believe. Bucky hits himself in the forehead. BUCKY We have to go to *Warren*? GRIFF If it's an official matter, you can leave it with me and I'll take care of it. MIMI It isn't an official matter. GRIFF Well, then it's your choice. It had better be important; he's in mourning. SCENE 11 - WARNER ESTATE, WARREN The Warner residence -- a sprawling mansion guarded by iron gates on the O'Hare lands -- is a quiet, reflective place. Several cars are parked outside the main gates. Behind them, a long stone path leads to the mansion. There is an intercom on the stone wall beside the gate, and Mimi pushes it as the three of them approach the mansion. KADAF WARNER, dressed in a nicer suit than usual but still mainly in black, approaches the gate. KADAF Are you guys gonna visit him or bother him? MIMI We want to speak to Fritz. KADAF This is a house of mourning. Either you pay a friendly visit or you don't get in. The captains glance at each other tiredly. MIMI (back to Kadaf) Friendly visit. Kadaf sort of smirks and opens the gate, escorting them inside. The house is filed with many people they don't know, obviously friends of Fritz or lesser members of the Warner clan. There seems to be food in platters everywhere, and people are eating and talking. FIRST MATE JONATHAN WEISSMAN is eating a bagel with his adopted father and Warner, GARFIELD KATZ. JONATHAN (looks up) What happened to you guys? MIMI Fritz didn't tell you? JONATHAN No. He hasn't said anything. BUCKY Maybe we should, uh ... go somewhere private? Jonathan looks at his father and excuses himself. They go into a room that is obviously Fritz's study. MIMI Are you in mourning? JONATHAN Me? No. You have to be an immediate relative to sit Shiva for a dead person. MIMI Good, I can strangle you. To his surprise, Mimi begins to strangle Jonathan and has to be pulled off by Dogstar and Bucky. MIMI Did you know about this? JONATHAN About what? MIMI You know, the whole ... (imitating lightsabers sounds) ... whoosh whoosh ... Nharnian thing? JONATHAN Hey come on, I'm not an idiot. He was making it really obvious. BUCKY Really obvious? Did I miss something? JONATHAN Think about it. We were on Nharnia. A very restricted planet, protected by knights. No one gets on or off without them knowing about it. We're the only party on Nharnia. Two knights show up, we know they're not Nharnian, and one of them's Thoras. So we know the other had to be someone in the group -- *our* group. And who had the height *and* is slim enough? Fritz was the tallest guy in our party who wasn't a baboon, other than Willy, and there was no reason for it to be Willy. MIMI But Fritz was under guard ... JONATHAN And *I* was guarding him. He wanted to go off and do his hero thing, and I wanted to take a nap. Personally, I didn't care if he ruined the negotiations with the Nharnians, which was the only real possibility that would be negative to us. I knew he wasn't going to go off and do something illegal. So we both did our own thing. MIMI Did you know about the break-in? JONATHAN No, I had no idea back then and when I figured it out, what was I supposed to do? He didn't do anything illegal -- he wasn't trespassing because it was his own office. If anything, he nearly stopped those burglars. (beat) OK, the guy's a bit of a nut job, but we've all got our wild sides. If anything, he saved us all on Nharnia. There are things I don't like about Fritz Warner, but this is not one of those things. MIMI You could have let me in on this. JONATHAN (rolls eyes) Yeah, the whole aniverse would know about it by now. BUCKY So what are we supposed to do? MIMI We don't *have* to file a report. We were off duty. BUCKY Great mother, is there anyone *not* in favor of covering this up? All eyes turn to Dogstar, who hasn't spoken. DOGSTAR Well now, despite our inherent duty to report all events of interest to the Security Council ... (beat, thinking) I don't see how they could benefit from this knowledge. JONATHAN This would really hit Fritz hard. MIMI You *hate* Fritz. JONATHAN Yes, but he's in mourning. I can't do anything bad to him. Jewish law and all that. (beat) Look, Thoras Ignatius is gone, OK? Fritz is gonna have a lot on his mind from now on. He has a lot of responsibilities now that Thoras is gone, and my understanding of the situation is that it was an early death. Fritz wasn't ready for him to go yet. BUCKY This was ... sort of caused by us. JONATHAN (wide-eyed) You guys killed Thoras? MIMI I think Toadborg broke some kind of seal with Bucky's lightsaber. JONATHAN Well, shit, that explains everything. BUCKY No, actually, it doesn't explain anything. Who was Thoras, anyway? What did he do? JONATHAN Thoras? I don't think I really understand what he did for a living, if that's what you mean. He was just sort of this guy who ran the Warners. MIMI So I take it you're not going to answer any of our questions? JONATHAN I don't think I'm qualified. MIMI And Fritz is in mourning. JONATHAN Yes. MIMI Who else would know what's going on? JONATHAN (sort of chuckles) Kadaf. But try all you want to get answers from him. There is a silence while everyone considers what is about to happen. MIMI OK, we should make some sort of agreement. BUCKY What kind of agreement? MIMI An agreement that what happened today stays in this room. BUCKY Can we vote? JONATHAN I think that's fair. MIMI OK. All for? Mimi and Jonathan raise their paws. MIMI All against? Bucky raises his paw. MIMI Abstaining? Dogstar raises his paw. JONATHAN The yeas have it. BUCKY Crap. MIMI Hey, it was fair and square. JONATHAN OK, then if you want to console Fritz or whatever, he's in the living room. Jonathan leaves the room, and they follow out and make their way through the sea of guests. Fritz is sitting on the couch, smoking a cigarette for the first time in years. He is in a dark suit, and he looks to be in a state of calm despair. He looks up and is surprised to see them. FRITZ Hey. DOGSTAR We apologize for your loss, Chairman Warner. FRITZ Yeah, well, life sucks like that. Kadaf is next to him, eating a bagel. KADAF Fritz, he hated your guts. FRITZ (tiredly) Don't dishonor the dead. KADAF Well, he *did*. FRITZ Kadaf ... Kadaf shuts up. FRITZ (back to the captains) Anyway, thanks for coming. I appreciate it. BUCKY Well, considering our last encounter was a little ... insane? FRITZ (doesn't seem all that concerned) Whatever. (beat) Oh, right. You probably want some kind of explanation. Thoras put a seal on something that was meant to stay sealed. Toadborg broke it. Thoras resealed it. What's the problem? No one seems eager to bother him further, while he's obviously so vulnerable but easily aggravated. FRITZ Is there anything else? They are silent. Mimi finally lets go of herself and embraces Fritz. He gives her an appreciative squeeze before releasing her. MIMI We should be going. They give him supportive smiles and leave, walking out of the mansion and onto the path leading to the front gates. Above them, night is setting on Warren, and there are eleven bright stars shining strangely in the sky. THE END