Bucky O' Hare In Retaliation By Andrew Norris SCENE ONE The Countryside, Genus The landscape is clustered with a creeping red plant that is slowly covering the lush green of the fields. The plant seems to originate from Capitol City, where several Martian UFO's are gathered. CAPTAIN SHIRLEY SQUIRREL is scanning the area from the safety of a gorge. Alongside her include LIEUTENANT DEREK BILLON, SECOND-LIEUTENANT FRANCIS REGINALD and various other Home-Guard soliders. BILLON: What can you see, Captain? SHIRLEY: It's quiet, Derek; and by the look of things, they're all gathering to their main craft. BILLON: You don't suppose they're preparing to invade the other planets, do you? SHIRLEY: Either that or they're going to go over this planet with a fine toothcomb for any pockets of resistance. REGINALD: Like us, you mean? SHIRLEY nods, but one of the soldiers, SGT. LINEN, calls out. LINEN: (Whispers) Get down! There's a patrol coming this way! They do so, and three Martian tripods march past, not seeing the gorge or the soldiers beneath them. The CENTURION robots inside communicate to one another as they walk. CENTURION #1: Queen Shimorr has ordered us to return to the Central UFO for briefing on our next assignment. CENTURION #2: Didn't she also say that one of us had to stand guard? CENTURION #1: So, which one of us ought to miss out? CENTURION #3: That would be me; I could use a break. He halts his tripod machine just short of the gorge, while the other two continue to the Capitol. The tripod towers over the silent troops below. REGINALD: (Whispering) Now what? If we try to get away, we'll be spotted. SHIRLEY: True, but I have a plan. We may not stand a chance against the Heat-Rays, but there are other means of attack. LINEN: You mean, blow him up somehow? SHIRLEY: Yes, like a fat man, the tripods' driver can't see his feet. SCENE TWO Meeting Hall, Warren FLEET ADMIRAL RYGAR BLADE is addressing the officers of the .S.P.A.C.E. In attendance are, BUCKY, JENNY, MIMI, DOGSTAR, COLONEL RAUL MEW, ADMIRAL HUDSON, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ROSS WASHER and their crews. RYGAR: My fellow officers, we are facing a hard time. The Occultas Galaxy can no longer be of help to us, and the Mammal Empire has collapsed before it even began. Our last hope to rid ourselves of the Martians will be a full frontal assault on their HQ along with our allies from Warren. The officers mutter in agreement. BUCKY: With all due respect, sir, don't you think the Martians will have anticipated such an act? DOGSTAR: Bucky has a point, Admiral. They could've set up space-mines all around the planet! RYGAR: Maybe so, and your points are valid, but I doubt they'll have come all this way to land on one specific planet. RAUL: I also wish to point out that the Martians invaded my planet in the past. It could be that they plan to conquer the Aniverse just as the Toads plan to. MIMI: (Angrily) And we have just been pushed out of the way so they can grab their hands on our homes! WASHER: From what information we can gather, the Martians are still consolidating power on Genus, and are examining Quanta to see if it can be of any use. DOGSTAR: (Mutters) Why couldn't they just land there? RYGAR: We are recieving help from the Warren Marines, as they are the only ones available for assistance. Our victory depends entirely on your actions in this last bid for freedom. MIMI: And what does Fritz say about all of this? RYGAR: (Pauses) Because it was Fritz who let the Martians in, plus that he ran off rather than take up arms with us, he will remain in the dark. So far as he knows, we are staying put on Warren for the time being. JENNY: But he'll find out sooner or later, sir. We can't just order each other to keep quiet when he's about. RYGAR: That is true, Jenny. But in a war, it's the soldiers' job to sort out a problem, not a politician. Thus far, the Toad Wars have gone nowhere because of his bureaucratic nature. Until the Martians are gone, politics are zero, understand? The officers all nod, and RYGAR leaves the stage while the officers talk among themselves. DOGSTAR: Sounds like he's planning a coup, doesn't it? MIMI: Oh, come on! Fritz and Rygar are equal! They're just prefer different ways of handling something! RAUL: (Nods) I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but Rygar wants military rule until Genus is stable enough for a government. MIMI: Which it never is (!) Besides, Rygars' a nice guy. Why would he choose now to usurp the coalition? Why not when we were still fighting the Toads? JENNY: Mimi has a point; we can't just jump to conclusions. BUCKY: It also makes you think what the Toads are doing at the moment? SCENE THREE Martian Central UFO, Genus QUEEN SHIMORR is speaking to the CENTURION robots from the tripods, with two more CENTURIONS overhauling the Mind Probe nearby. SUB- LIEUTENANT ANDREW NORRIS has been tossed in a cage built into the wall, and is still unconcious. SHIMORR: An Android, you say? CENTURION #2: Yes, your majesty. She claims to be the representative of the Toad Empire here to speak to you on peaceful terms. SHIMORR: Very well, show her in. I could use some entertainment. SHIMORR sits down on her throne as the FEMALE-ANDROID is brought in; her silver body glistening in the light. ANDROID: Queen Shimorr of Mars? SHIMORR: Yes. And who are you to trespass on my planet. ANDROID: I am a military officer for the Toad Empire, your majesty: Major Lillian Edna Padd. SHIMORR: (Sneers) Are all of you Toads just brains-in-jars, or am I lucky? PADD: I suffered an accident in the past, your majesty. What remained of me was regenerated into a synthetic brain and placed in this body. SHIMORR: I'm not here for your life-story, Major. I just wish to hear what you have to say and quickly! I have an ex brother-in-law to dispose of! PADD: (Disgruntled) The Toad Empire spans just under 40 planets in the Aniverse, your highness, and you have great military strength on your part. SHIMORR: Go on. PADD: If our two powers were to form an alliance, we could conquer the Aniverse together much sooner. SHIMORR: And who is your Emperor? And why is it that he has to rely on someone else to do his dirty work? PADD: Our mighty ruler is named KOMPLEX, your majesty, and if you are so keen to speak to him, he will arrive shortly. Incidentally, your Highness, I hope I am not rude in asking why you aren't an octopus like the ancestors shown in our history? SHIMORR: (Eyes narrow) For a creature born from a tadpole, you don't know much about evolution, do you? IN ORBIT OF GENUS... Six Toad Motherships are in orbit, all commanded by Toad officers. The officers are TOAD AIR MARSHAL, TOADBORG, CAPTAIN SMATA, COMMANDER CREELEVARD VALJTHOU, TOAD FIELD MARSHAL and CAPTAIN PRITCHARD. TOADBORG: I see that Major Padd has the Martians distracted for us. PRITCHARD: So, do we attack now or is there a signal we have to wait for? CREELEVARD: (Neutrally) We wait until we are ordered by KOMPLEX. SMATA: (Mutters) I still can't believe that he let the ST come along. PRITCHARD: I heard that! The radios suddenly alter frequency, and KOMPLEX speaks over their intercoms. KOMPLEX: Major Padd has the Queen distraced. You now have my permission to attack. ALL TOADS: (Chanting) Yes, mighty KOMPLEX! All six Motherships begin to advance, but are suddenly surrounded by exploding space-mines. The further the Motherships advance, the more mines are detonated. FIELD MARSHAL: Frelling hell! It's a f***ing minefield! The Motherships continue to advance, but are incredibly damaged once they are through the minefield. TOADBORG: Damage report on all ships at once! AIR MARSHAL: (Quivers) All of my systems are down to just 35%, and still falling. SMATA: My docking bay has taken a beating; I've lost 400 Double Bubbles before they've even taken off. CREELEVARD: Eight cruisers destroyed by impact, and the starboard is isolated due to pierced armour. FIELD MARSHAL: I've only got one cruiser and 12 Double Bubbles left, plus I've lost two of my exhausts. PRITCHARD: Port fuel tanks' gone, and I'm losing more fuel as I go along. KOMPLEX: I order Toad Air Marshal, Toad Field Marshal and Captain Pritchard to fall back; the rest continue on course. The three Motherships continue, only to come under fire from the other Martian UFOs' scattered about the planet. The confusion brings about interest in the tripods that are scouring the countryside for survivors. CENTURION #4: Seek and destroy; do not allow them life. ALL CENTURIONS: (Chanting) Attack! Destroy! Eradicate the invaders! CREELEVARDS' Mothership has caught fire, spewing smoke out across the planet, as well as several Double Bubbles trying to continue the attack, only to be shot down by Martian heat-rays. The other two Motherships are doing worse, being almost completely on fire, and spiralling downward rapidly. SMATA: Oh, f***! I'm gone! CAPTAIN SMATA only just escapes in a Double Bubble along with a STORMTOAD before the ship crashes into the ground, engulfing some of the tripods in the way. ELSEWHERE ON GENUS... The tripod standing over the gorge is still there as REGINALD carefully places some plastic explosive to one of the tripods' legs. He crawls down to the others, who take cover as SGT. LINEN fires a shot at the explosives. The reaction destroys the foot, and the tripod machine crashes down, just missing the Home-Guard troops below. CENTURION #3: (Warped) System...malfunction...danger... His circuits blacken and he "dies". Up above, the remaining two Motherships beat a retreat, with the Martians still firing on them. BILLON: We did it...we killed a Martian! SHIRLEY: Yes, but its' one down and 800,000 to go. They take shelter in a cave near the gorge as two more tripods examine the wreckage of their fallen comrade. CENTURION #5: (Into radio) Patrol 4-Q to Scout Control, report the destruction of Tripod EY275; causes unknown at this stage. CONTROL: Acknowledged, Patrol 4-Q. Scan the area for clues and report back immediately. CENTURION #5: Roger, over and out. The two tripods shrink their hydraulic legs until the control units are at ground level. The CENTURIONS inside climb out and begin to examine the wreckage, cutting off any chance of escape for those hiding in the cave. REGINALD: (Whispers) Now what? If we move, they'll fry us! LINEN: He's right, Captain. We might as well give up; we'll die anyway! SHIRLEY covers their mouths to shut them up. Luckily, neither of the CENTURIONS heard them. SHIRLEY: (Lets go of their mouths) Listen carefully, they may have the weapons, but we still outnumber them. I have a plan, but it'll be risky, and I don't know if it'll work. You just have to trust me on this one. They all gather around to listen to her as she whispers her plan. SCENE FOUR Back at Martian Central UFO SHIMORR is looking at her fingernails with a bored expression as MAJOR PADD continues speaking. PADD: ...and hereby allowing shared power throughout the known Aniverse. SHIMORR: (Uninterested) Major, I don't see the point in sharing power if you're going to backstab me at the right moment. Your request is denied and if I were you, I'd leave now before I unleash my guards on you. MAJOR PADD clenches her fists in anger, and turns on her heel and storms out. SHIMORR gestures to the two CENTURIONS to kill her. CENTURION #1: Yes, your majesty. They both leave, only to find that MAJOR PADD is nowhere to be seen. SHIMORR instead turns her interests to the view outside. SHIMORR: (To herself) It amazes me how a 40-planet strong Empire can be stupid enough to burn the candle at both ends. I didn't come all of this way just to conquer one measly planet! She turns to look at her throne, then turns to the unconcious ANDREW. SHIMORR: Human beings have wasted millenia fighting one another just for the sake of money. A greedy, power-hungry race indeed! Is it no wonder they can never achieve world peace? She clasps his jaw in her one hand, holding his head level with hers. SHIMORR: And your minority, Bodgers, try to bring world peace, but you'll never do it as long as the greed of mankind still lives. It is why we Martians have succeeded far more than you ever will! She moves her hand and gently strokes his cheek. SHIMORR: (Calms down) But, maybe I could find a special place for you, just as my sister had. SCENE FIVE In orbit of Genus The .S.P.A.C.E. ships are all massing towards Genus accompanied by ships from Warren. With such a small fleet, the Warren ships take up much of the armada. The spearhead of this force is the Righteous Indignation, with RYGAR riding shotgun with the crew. JENNY: (Notices the space in the minefield) Look at that! BUCKY: Obviously, the Toads still haven't thought of taking precautions against space-mines. RYGAR: Let's be thankful for the moment; they've cleared the way for us to land. If we try to tak out the outer defences, we should stand a better chance. Attacking the very centre will only cause problems. BUCKY: (Grabs the radio) Attention all .S.P.A.C.E. craft, this is a caution: take care when heading through the minefield. We may have a clear way through, but they could be unstable. A tense silence passes as the ships begin to head towards the void in the Martian minefield. All the ships have masers at the ready in case of an ambush. BLINKY: (Alarmingly) Captain O' Hare! BUCKY: (Startled) What is it, Blinky? BLINKY: I detect massive Martian fleet directly behind Mammal fleet! RYGAR: That's impossible, Blinky, the Martians are on Genus! JENNY checks the radar instruments to verify this. JENNY: I'm afraid Blinky is right, sir. Their reinforcements are arriving from Mars to help with the invasions of the Aniverse. Immediately behind the Mammal fleet, an armada of Martian UFOs appear out of the gloom. Their numbers are so great that they cover almost the entire of Genus' diameter. RYGAR: (Amazed) My God! BLINKY: Total size of Martian Reinforcement Fleet estimated to be approximately 976,383,701 spaceships. BUCKY: Against only 164 craft. The leading UFO in the Martian fleet draws its' guns, aiming it at the Righteous Indignation. After a few moments, it opens fire... TO BE CONTINUED...