"Military Discipline" by DJ Clawson First draft - 11/13/98 Final draft - 2/4/99 Edited by Rygar 1/3/04 SCENE 1 - GENUS CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE and FIRST MATE JENNY are outside of the UAC Security Council building, at the top of the front steps. Bucky is pacing nervously, his uniform neat and the rest of him looking especially clean and tailored. JENNY (warmly) Bucky, will you calm down? BUCKY No. (looks at his watch) One minute to go. JENNY He's always on time? BUCKY Of course he is. He's the admiral. Jenny sighs and shakes her head. A few moments later, a crowd emerges from the building. Among them is CHAIRMAN FRITZ WARNER, who waves to Bucky and leaves with the crowd. Finally, at the end of the crowd emerges ADMIRAL HUDSON, a bulldog of a different breed than Dogstar. His light brown fur covers the rolls of skin on his neck and face. He is wearing a starched military uniform covered with metals and bars. Bucky is about to go up to him when the admiral turns and recognizes his presence. HUDSON Captain O'Hare. BUCKY (practically jumping) Admiral Hudson! Bucky and Hudson exchange the straightest salute that Jenny has ever seen. HUDSON (speaks with a low, commanding voice) Good to see you again. BUCKY (gesturing to Jenny) Admiral, this is my First Mate ... Jenny. JENNY (doing her best to repeat that salute) Pleased to meet you, Admiral. ADMIRAL The feeling is shared. (turns to Bucky) I've heard much about your exploits from the Security Council. One of these days I'd like to be on it, so I can hear about them in greater detail. They begin to walk down the steps into the square. BUCKY I thought you wanted a warship, Admiral. ADMIRAL I did. And I still want one -- not one of those lousy frigates they're giving you and the rest of the fleet. But Warner will never give it to me. BUCKY Well, I doubt he would hesitate if he had the budget ... ADMIRAL (interrupting) I don't doubt it. Warner doesn't seem to care for me. BUCKY Sir? ADMIRAL The feeling is mutual. He thinks I'm a pile of crud that's solidified into a drill instructor, and I think he's a sleazy actor trying to pass himself off as a politician. JENNY He has given a lot of money to the military, sir. ADMIRAL (looks at Jenny) Yes, because he likes the people in the fleet. It's a matter of favor. (beat) Jenny -- is that your first name? JENNY Yes, sir. ADMIRAL Do you have a last name? JENNY I'm an Aldebaran, sir. HUDSON (eyes narrow slightly) I see. (turning back to Bucky) Well, let's see this frigate of yours, O'Hare. BUCKY (proudly) Yes, sir. They have reached the launch pad, where The Righteous Indignation is parked. Jenny whispers something in Bucky's ear and then leaves. Bucky rejoins Hudson to open the main hatch for him. BUCKY After you, sir. The admiral enters the Righteous, which appears to be empty. It is obvious that Bucky has done his best to make everything neater than it typically is. Hudson looks around. HUDSON (turning back to Bucky) Is this it? BUCKY Yes, sir. HUDSON Then I applaud you for your successes with this ... measly frigate. BUCKY I know, sir. Hudson walks over to the gunning window, rubbing a white-gloved paw across it and looking back at the dust left on the glove. HUDSON If I were on that council, you'd at least have a destroyer. Hudson's ears perk up as he hears faint music in the background. The style is unrecognizable to him. HUDSON What is that noise? BUCKY (picks up one of his ears) I think it's engineering, sir. HUDSON Oh, right ... you have that baboon, the one who's developing the mark-5 ... BUCKY Human, sir. HUDSON Excuse me? BUCKY He's a human. HUDSON (pronounces it) Hyoo-man. Interesting. Is he a regen? BUCKY No, sir. He has a ... portal caused by the accelerator that takes him to his dimension. HUDSON I take it he doesn't go home that often. BUCKY He does, sir. Every day. HUDSON (still looking around) What? BUCKY He's only part-time, sir. HUDSON You don't have a full-time engineer? BUCKY No, we manage without him in the morning. He has to go to school. HUDSON School? Shouldn't he have graduated from the Graham Institute by now? BUCKY He hasn't gone yet. He still has regular school on his planet to complete first. HUDSON (gives him an odd look) Oh ... I see. So he's not a certified engineer. BUCKY No, sir. But I think Willy's proven himself capable enough to be on this ship, many times. HUDSON So I've heard. Well, am I going to meet your famous engineer, or is he going to hide from me all day? Bucky smiles and goes to open the hatch to engineering but stops suddenly. BUCKY You do have level five security clearance, right? I just have to know, because Willy's doing the mark-5 tests. HUDSON Are you going to ask to see my badge? BUCKY Of course, sir. Bucky knows what the admiral expects from him all too well. Hudson reaches into his pocket and pulls out a badge, which he flashes in Bucky's face. HUDSON Good job, O'Hare. Never trust anyone's word. BUCKY It was the first lesson you taught me, sir. Bucky opens the hatch, and they step into engineering. Inside, tools and spare parts are everywhere. The mark-4 photon accelerator is still hooked up, but it is now partially hooked up to the mark-5, which is in many pieces on the floor. ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT is hunched over on a small stool, working on a piece of the accelerator's microchip cards. He is dressed in jeans, a dirty white shirt, a worn flannel, and black Converse sneakers. Around his waist is a large tool belt. He is wearing a pair of headphones hooked to the Walkman around his waist, and the music is so loud and so heavy that it is quite audible to Bucky and Hudson. He does not hear them come in. Bucky gives the admiral a grin and steps forward to snap his fingers in Willy's face. The human jerks up, noticing for the first time their presence, and turns the music off. He pulls the headphones down around his neck and stands sheepishly to salute. BUCKY Engineer DuWitt ... this is Admiral Hudson. The admiral salutes and rolls his eyes at Willy's poor salute. He seems a bit unnerved that the teenager is nearly a foot taller than himself, towering over him. WILLY Oh, sorry -- it's an honor to meet you, uh, sir ... (pulls himself together) My captain has, uh, told me a lot about you. HUDSON I hope it was all good. WILLY Only the best, sir. HUDSON So ... (looks at accelerator mess) I see you're developing the mark-5 photon accelerator. WILLY (proudly) Yes, sir. HUDSON When do you think it'll be operational? WILLY Ah ... probably in another month, sir. But the Security Council will take a while to approve it, and then it has to be shown to the Graham Institute and reproduced, so I don't think it'll be on any of the frigates for another three to six months. HUDSON You have contacts in the Institute? I heard you've never been a student there. WILLY Yes ... and no, sir. I've only been there a few times, just for some conferences. HUDSON Are you planning on being certified? WILLY Well, I would like to finish school on my planet first ... and that should be another eight years, or more if I go to graduate school. HUDSON I see. (beat, pacing) You look like someone I know ... WILLY MacArthur, sir? HUDSON Why do you say that? WILLY Because he's the only other human in the aniverse, sir. At least that I know of. HUDSON Yes, that's him. (eyes him) You wouldn't be related to him in any way, would you? WILLY No, sir. We have nothing to do with each other. HUDSON You look similar. WILLY Well, we're both young, male, white ... HUDSON White? WILLY White-skinned, sir. HUDSON Actually, I would consider you more of a peach color. Willy rolls his eyes, much to Hudson's disgust. HUDSON I won't keep you from your work any longer. You're dismissed. Willy gladly takes his leave, shutting the main hatch behind him. HUDSON (turns back to Bucky) Quite a character, your engineer. BUCKY (decides to take it as a compliment) Thank you, sir. HUDSON Is that hair regulation length? BUCKY Willy has to keep it like that for ... a reason he wouldn't go into, sir. Something about the Aldebarans. HUDSON I thought you said he wasn't from this dimension. BUCKY He isn't ... but he's involved with the Aldebarans, somehow. HUDSON I take it your first mate is in on this. BUCKY She is. But you know their secrecy policy. HUDSON You take that from two members of your crew? BUCKY It's the polite thing to do. HUDSON (huffs) I wouldn't like it if my senior staff was keeping secrets from me. Bucky shrugs but has no answer he knows will satisfy the admiral. HUDSON (changing the subject) Will the rest of your crew be around soon? BUCKY No, sir, I think they're still eating. HUDSON Then let's follow their example, no? Bucky looks relieved at the admiral's lightened mood as they exit the ship. SCENE 2 - A BAR ON GENUS The bar is crowded with the usual evening people. Though not entirely considered seedy, it is homey enough to have obviously not been approved by the admiral. At a small table in the corner sits most of the Righteous crew. GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK is lifting a dram, BRUISER is finishing off a banana split, and AFC BLINKY is making a repair on himself. Willy is still looking at the menu while a robotic waiter stands near him. WILLY (holds the menu up to Deadeye, pointing) What's this? DEADEYE Fruit twist? Ah, that's a pretty good drink, at least for someone like you. Me, I'll take a good glass of ... WILLY I know what *you* drink. (turns to the robot) Do you serve this to minors? ROBOT Of course. There's nothing harmful in it. And there's a special on it tonight -- two for a simolean. WILLY All right. Give me two of those and a ... garden sandwich, please. The robot nods and leaves. DEADEYE So, did ye meet that admiral? WILLY (in a harsh tone) Yeah. DEADEYE And what did ye think of Bucky's famous drill sergeant? WILLY (shrugs) I didn't really care for him. DEADEYE Oh? WILLY I kinda got the idea that he didn't really care for me, either. The waiter returns with the drinks. Willy takes one and sips. DEADEYE You've never been one to impress military types, Willy, me boy. WILLY Neither have you. (drinks) Hey, this is really good. (gulps it down, then takes the other) I think I reminded him of Lucas. DEADEYE MacArthur? Aye, laddie, it's a shame people pair ye two together. But I get the feelin' that the admiral wouldn'a have liked ye either way. WILLY Why? Because I don't wear a uniform and my salute stinks? BRUISER Ah, now, Willy ... dat just takes practice. WILLY This coming from the guy who was asked to break in new baboon troops? (sips) You have a good salute. I look like I'm fixing my hair or something. (gestures with now-empty glass to waiter) Can I get another glass of this? SCENE 3 - A BAR ON GENUS Later on, the members of the crew are still in the bar. Empty glasses litter the table. Deadeye is munching on something, and Bruiser is instructing a very disheveled Willy on baboon psychological warfare. BRUISER Now, Willy, ya gotta do it from da chest ... WILLY (slurred, in Bruiser's accent) From da cdhest. s'OK. I got it ... (shouting) Ai-yoo ... (bangs his chest) ... ga ... *ow*! Rubbing his chest, Willy breaks into a giggling fit. DEADEYE (looking up) Willy -- are ye all right, matey? WILLY (speech still slurred, giggling) 'Course I am. Don' wanna look bad fer th' admiral ... BRUISER Yah, I'm just showin' him the ropes -- ain't dat right? Bruiser fiercely pats Willy on the back, causing the human to fall forward so his forehead rests on the table. All attempted speech is drowned out by his laughter as he hits the table with his fist. BLINKY (to Deadeye) May this humble robot suggest we return to the ship? DEADEYE (checks his watch) It's kinda late, fellas. They nod and stand. Willy shakes his head up and down furiously, then stands uneasily. Groaning, he attempts to straighten himself, refusing Deadeye and Bruiser's offers of assistance. WILLY Nah, nah, I'be awright ... Willy takes a step forward, off balance, and collapses on the ground in disorientation. He does not get up, but he does break into another giggling fit. DEADEYE Ah, Bruiser ... methinks ye'd better carry him back ta the ship. BRUISER Good idea. The baboon picks up the protesting Willy, who begins shouting incoherently, and slings him over his shoulder. They leave the bar. SCENE 4 - LAUNCH PAD Bucky, Jenny, and Hudson are waiting outside the parked Righteous for the rest of the crew. Bucky is about to check his watch again when Bruiser, Deadeye, and Blinky enter the pad area through the iron gates. BUCKY Where's ... Willy enters, zigzagging across the field, stumbling a bit as he walks. He is clearly disoriented and talking incoherently to himself. DEADEYE Ach, Cap'n, he's been like that almost all night ... Willy reaches them, and gives the admiral a very straight, almost mocking salute. HUDSON (sniffs) What have you been drinking, Engineer ... WILLY (slurred) DwuWeet. BUCKY (correcting) DuWitt. HUDSON I think he knows his own name. JENNY (frowns) That I'm not so sure about. Hudson frowns and looks into Willy's wild, bloodshot eyes. Willy is attempting to stifle his laughter. Hudson turns back to Bucky. HUDSON Is your engineer *drunk*? DEADEYE Ah, admiral, sir, I doubt it. BUCKY What's he been drinking? DEADEYE Just a few ... well, several fruit twists. JENNY There's nothing in a fruit twist that would intoxicate him. DEADEYE Aye, Willy even checked if they served it to minors. JENNY Captain, we should probably get Willy a doctor. WILLY (turning green) Yesh ... doctor ... 'scuse me ... Willy shoves them aside and runs into the Righteous. The admiral turns to Bucky, who looks supremely embarrassed. BUCKY (with a touch of malice towards Willy) I assure you this *will* be taken care of, sir ... (turns to Blinky) Contact the medical center and tell them to send that doctor who's seen MacArthur. (to Jenny) Go make sure Willy's OK. Jenny and Blinky leave. DEADEYE (speaks up) Ach, Cap'n, we ... Bucky shoots Deadeye a cold "we'll finish this later, not in front of the admiral" stare. Deadeye backs off. HUDSON (turning his attention back to the remaining crew members) So ... you were in charge of him? DEADEYE Aye, Admiral, sir. HUDSON (staring at Bruiser's nose ring) And are you typically this ... irresponsible with minors? BRUISER No, sir! HUDSON I'll take your word for it ... for now. You're dismissed. Deadeye and Bruiser hurry into the ship. HUDSON (turning to Bucky) Well, you've failed, Captain O'Hare. BUCKY (spins around) *What*? HUDSON You've completely and utterly failed a routine inspection. Your ship and your crew are in no shape to be using the United Animals Coalition taxpayers' money to shuttle around the aniverse and involve yourself in skirmishes with the toads. BUCKY But, *sir*, I was not informed that this was an inspection ... HUDSON It wasn't -- until now. BUCKY That's not fair, sir ... HUDSON Life isn't fair, O'Hare. Have you forgotten everything I've taught you? (beat) Your crew is a mess. They don't wear uniforms, they have inappropriate jewelry, they're unwashed, uncombed, and *drunk* -- and I could have you booked just for that, since it's involving a minor. And they have no respect for military authority. (beat) Two of your senior officers are keeping important information from you that directly affects your ship -- and you openly tolerate this. (beat) I'm putting an order in with the Security Council. When it goes through, consider yourself out of a job. The admiral turns on his heels and stomps away. Bucky, crestfallen, has no idea how to react. He stands, dumbfounded, and then heads back into his ship. SCENE 5 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION The entire crew is silent as Bucky enters, the look on his face impassive. They all clearly heard the admiral shouting at him but did not catch what was said. BUCKY (blandly) Where's Willy? Deadeye points to engineering. Bucky goes to open the hatch, but Jenny opens it in time, stepping through. BUCKY How is he? JENNY He's been ill. BUCKY Get him. Jenny goes back into engineering and returns with Willy. He is somewhat more sober than before, and his complexion is pale instead of green. He sits in the hatch doorway, waiting patiently for Bucky to speak. BUCKY (quietly) Why the hell did you have to do this tonight? Out of all of the nights for you to get drunk off your tail, why did you ... WILLY (very apologetically) I'm sorry, Capt ... BUCKY (interrupting, gaining in volume) You'd better be sorry -- you indulge yourself in a couple fruit twists and we're all out of a job. I expected better from you -- all the brains in the world and it doesn't seem to do you any good ... DEADEYE (cautiously) Now, Cap'n ... BUCKY (spins around, angrily) I haven't even started with you! (beat) You were the senior *adult* officer in charge! I trusted you to take care of Willy, and you had done so, we wouldn't be in this mess! JENNY Bucky ... BUCKY *What*? JENNY Are we really out of a job? BUCKY Yes, yes we are. Of all of the days that we could have screwed up royally, apparently today had to be the day, because Admiral Hudson was here, and apparently I didn't brief you enough about it for you to get this, but Admiral Hudson is the chief military inspector for the Security Council. (mockingly) And, apparently, it doesn't look good to him when one of the senior officers is drunk, and the one legally in charge of him didn't do anything about it when it was happening. (beat) Apparently, it doesn't look good to him that the First Mate doesn't feel compelled to let her captain in on *anything* involving her little Sisterhood, even when it's involving the ship and the lives of the crew. (beat) Apparently, it doesn't look good to him that the gunner is an ex-pirate with a criminal record, that the storm trooper has inappropriate piercings, and that the engineer listens so loudly to his human music that he doesn't even realize someone's entered his little world. (beat) So yes, we are totally screwed. He put in the order, and as of tomorrow morning, we are all going to be collecting unemployment. (turns to leave) So if you'll excuse me, I need to go drink myself into the magical land that was so funny to Willy about ten minutes ago. Bucky leaves, still steaming. The crewmembers look at each other, saying nothing. Willy, horrified, turns green again and runs back into engineering. SCENE 6 - UAC HEADQUARTERS Bucky enters the plush waiting room of the office building, dressed in casual attire. A squirrel secretary is hard at work in front of her computer at the desk. Bucky is not even received until KADAF WARNER, Fritz's bodyguard, enters, smoking a cigarette. KADAF Hi, Bucky. BUCKY Daf. Can I see Fritz? KADAF (checks his watch) He should be free right now. Go right in. Bucky nods and enters Fritz's office. It is a messy office with papers and books cramped into the bookcase behind the large oak desk. On the wall is a picture of an old human with a long white beard, overgrown sideburns, and a large black hat. CHAIRMAN FRITZ WARNER is at his desk, eating an early lunch of a pastrami sandwich on rye bread. He is wearing a gray business suit and tie, but the jacket is slung over the back of the chair. FRITZ Come on in, Bucky. (looks at him) You don't look drunk. And you don't smell it, either. BUCKY (admitting) I've never been much of a drinker, even when I've tried. At least, not without someone to help me. (beat) How did you know I had ... FRITZ Jenny called me up. She was all worried that you were going to drink yourself into a gutter and get killed in a bar fight or something. BUCKY So I take it she told you about Hudson. FRITZ I found out through the regular methods of communication first. The order was on my desk this morning. (shakes his head, nibbling on a carrot) That Hudson is such a shithead. BUCKY A what? FRITZ Nothing. So what happened between you and Hudson, really? BUCKY (sighs, slumping into his chair) I tried my best to get everyone ready ... but then Willy got drunk, and ... FRITZ *Willy*? What was he drinking? BUCKY That's the strange thing. He had a few fruit twists. They sell those to minors, don't they? FRITZ Let me think ... (scratches his head) Yes, that would explain it. BUCKY Explain what? FRITZ Fruit twists have alcohol in them. BUCKY What's alcohol? FRITZ In the aniverse, it's not considered anything beyond a preservative, so it's usually not on the ingredients on menus. But to non-aniversians, particularly humans, alcohol is very intoxicating. BUCKY That would explain it. (beat) But it wasn't just that. Hudson ... FRITZ ... thinks the entire aniverse is his boot camp? Thinks everyone can be kicked around like those new recruits he breaks in? BUCKY ... yes. Something like that. I mean, he is right -- we are soldiers; we should act like it. FRITZ What do you mean when you say "we"? BUCKY What? FRITZ I'm not sure why I have to be the one to tell you this, but not everyone on your crew is a soldier. You are, of course -- you've been through the Academy, you're the one in command, you've got a good salute, so you are and have to be. Your crew is another matter. (beat) I know Jenny went through the Academy, but I also know you let her get away with doing a lot of things involving her Sisterhood that are not up to military standards involving the chain of command on your ship -- things like running off to Aldebaran all the time, using your ship occasionally without permission, and equipping your ship with sensors you're not allowed to understand. (beat) Bruiser is a soldier, but he's a baboon soldier. He uses psychological warfare more than anything else, and don't tell me he doesn't get out of line when he's angry enough. (beat) Deadeye is a pirate. He calls himself a pirate, he associates with pirates, and he acts like a pirate. I don't think I have to say any more. (beat) There's Blinky ... who isn't even classified as a military robot. He's just a leftover invention of Wallace's who wound up on your ship. Not like those killing machines they're producing now. Fritz pauses to take another bite of his sandwich and wipes his paws as he talks. FRITZ And Willy ... do I even have to go into this? You didn't sign Willy on to be a soldier. You signed him on to fix your accelerator. He's not even registered to carry a blaster, much less fire one. Bucky says nothing, considering what Fritz has said. BUCKY (slowly) But the admiral ... FRITZ Bucky, why do you feel obligated to take this crap from him? BUCKY Because ... he taught me how to be a soldier. FRITZ Great for him. And how does that apply to this situation? Bucky hesitates to speak again. FRITZ Listen, I could veto that order to take the Righteous away, but that would turn this into a political battle between him and me that I can't really afford that fight right now, so I'd like to avoid it if that's possible. I've stalled it, but it still has to go through four hours from now. BUCKY Then what are we going to do? FRITZ "We" are going to do nothing. "You" are going to head to Sector Four. BUCKY Sector Four? Why? FRITZ That's an order, Captain O'Hare. Bucky, confused, salutes and leaves. As soon as he's gone, Fritz reaches over to activate his vid-link. SCENE 7 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION The Righteous is still docked on Genus. Most of the crewmembers are hanging around on the ship when Bucky enters, back in uniform. Still wary of his wrath, they say nothing but fall into line perfectly. BUCKY (in a lighter mood) Impressive. Where's Willy? JENNY He's sleeping in, Captain. The doctor said it might be a good idea. BUCKY It probably is. (beat) Anyway, I'd like to formally ... apologize for my behavior last night. It was out of line. The crew looks visibly relieved. BUCKY The good news is, we're not out of our jobs yet. The good Chairman has stalled that order, so it won't go through until later this afternoon. The bad news is that we only have until then to prove ourselves to the Admiral. DEADEYE Aye, Cap'n -- if you don't mind me askin', how're we supposed ta do that? BUCKY I have no idea. But Fritz is working on it. (heads up the ladder) Jenny, set a course for Sector Four. JENNY Sector Four? But, Captain, the toads ... BUCKY I know, Jenny. Orders. Without further explanation, Bucky disappears up the ladder. SCENE 8 - A MAMMALIAN CRUISER A large, luxurious cruiser is out in space, carrying many dignitaries, including the admiral. In the bridge, a uniformed PILOT is at his station when REN HÖEK, a Chihuahua in a brown Lopinenean robe, enters. He approaches the pilot, handing him a piece of paper. He speaks with a Yugoslavian accent. PILOT (reading paper) What's this? REN New orders -- you're supposed to take a new route that cuts through Sector Four. PILOT Sector Four? But there's toads in Sector Four! REN Not recently, and we need to make time. PILOT Where did these orders come from? REN Higher up than you. Now, you're going to follow them ... (his eyes bug out, and his pupils swirl into a hypnotic vortex) ... right? PILOT (drone) Right. REN Good boy. Ren exits, leaving the pilot in a state of hypnosis. SCENE 9 - COMMON AREA, CRUISER The various dignitaries are unaware as the ship enters another area of space. Hudson, however, recognizes it and becomes alarmed. HUDSON I know this sector ... this is Sector Four! (grabs waiter) Doesn't your captain know there are toads in this sector? WAITER I ... I don't know, sir. I only do the dishes. Further alarmed, Hudson leaves the dignitary he was talking to behind and storms towards the bridge. Ren, relaxing by a fern with a drink in his paw, watches him go. SCENE 10 - BRIDGE, CRUISER Hudson enters the bridge and nearly shakes the pilot out of his seat. HUDSON What are we doing in this sector? Don't you know how dangerous it is? The pilot, shaken out of his hypnotic state, rubs his head and shrugs. PILOT I'm sorry, s-sir ... I don't know what came over me ... HUDSON Well, don't just sit there! Get us out of here! The pilot is about to go back to his controls when a toad airship appears on screen, surrounded by double bubbles. TOAD VOICE (over comm) Mammalian traitors! Surrender your ship immediately or suffer the consequences! HUDSON (to pilot) What kind of weaponry do we have on this ship? PILOT N-none, s-sir. HUDSON (grabs speaker) Now hear this, you toad scum! This is Admiral Hudson of the United Animals Coalition, and we will never ... Hudson is interrupted by the sound of heavy banging and firing from outside the ship, followed by the frightened screams of the dignitaries. Hudson reaches for his blaster as a band of STORMTOADS blast their way into the bridge. STORMTOAD #1 Put your filthy paws up, mammal! Hudson growls and ducks behind a console, firing at the toads. He pulls the terrified pilot next to him and hands him his other blaster. HUDSON Call for help! I'll keep them at bay! SCENE 11 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Bucky and Jenny are in the piloting bay when they get Hudson's emergency signal. BUCKY (to Jenny) Ready for one last ride? SCENE 12 - BRIDGE, CRUISER Hudson is still valiantly fighting off the stormtoads. HUDSON It seems like there's endless amounts of them ... Hudson looks to his side, realizing that the pilot is cowering behind the console and too scared to respond. HUDSON Damn rent-a-pilots. Now if only I could ... Hudson realizes he is about to be jumped by a toad that has crept up alongside the console without being noticed, but just before the toad reaches him, he is shot in the back from another angle. Hudson looks up to see Bucky and Deadeye entering in through the other door of the bridge, firing on the toads. STORMTOADS (in unison) It's Bucky O'Hare! RUN! The toads turn and run in fear. Bucky and Deadeye continue to fire on them. Toad screams from the hallway increase as Bruiser is heard shouting his war cry. BUCKY (to Deadeye) Go make sure the dignitaries are OK. Deadeye runs off in the direction of the fleeing toads. Bucky casually walks over to Hudson, who is still kneeling behind the console. BUCKY Need some help, Admiral? Hudson allows Bucky to offer him a paw and accepts, standing up and pulling up the pilot with him. HUDSON (after a pause) Thank you, Captain. I take it the paperwork didn't go through yet. BUCKY Not for another ... (checks his watch) ... three hours. HUDSON I see. (hesitates) Well, I suppose I should thank you for the rescue. BUCKY It would be nice. HUDSON Thank you. (beat) You realize ... this doesn't excuse the complaints I registered about your crew. BUCKY I'm sorry to say it, Admiral, but what you say about me and my crew isn't going to change what we are and do. Bucky's confidence in facing the Admiral clearly shocks him. Hudson considers, for a moment. HUDSON I suppose I could ... retract the order. As a favor. BUCKY It would be appreciated, sir. HUDSON (looks at him suspiciously) Warner didn't put you up to this, did he? BUCKY No, sir. At least, he didn't tell me. HUDSON I'll take your word for it. BUCKY (proudly) Thank you, sir. Hudson eyes him strangely. Bucky marches out, and Hudson follows. SCENE 13 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Bucky is cheerfully retelling the story of his conversation with Hudson to the crew. JENNY So Hudson retracted it? BUCKY We're back in business, Jenny. JENNY And he didn't ask for anything in return? BUCKY Just to pick up a friend of his and take him to Genus. Just then, Ren enters the ship. REN Captain O'Hare. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. BUCKY (shakes his paw) Ren-rah Höek. I believe I saw you conduct the Genus Philharmonic Orchestra last year. I didn't know you were part of the Warner clan. REN (politely) There's a lot you don't know about the Warners, Captain. Not all of us are businessmen. JENNY I don't understand. How did you convince the pilot to go to Sector Four without Hudson finding out? REN (twinkle in his eye) I've been told I have a very ... influential personality. The sound of the accelerator activating sounds from engineering. BUCKY That would be Willy. If you'll excuse me, Mr. Höek ... Ren nods, and Bucky heads into engineering, where Willy is just arriving. WILLY (holding his head, noticing Bucky, and beginning to quiver with fear) Oh ... hi, Captain. BUCKY Willy. Sit down. The teenager does so, expecting the full brunt of Bucky's wrath. BUCKY How's the hangover? WILLY Better. My mom's herbal stuff really works sometimes. BUCKY (nods and sits) Listen, I want to apologize for what I said yesterday. It was out of line, and I think you deserve to hear that as much as the rest of the crew did. WILLY Are we still ... BUCKY No, we have our jobs back. I ... convinced the admiral to retract the order. Willy visibly looks relieved, but something is obviously still bothering him. BUCKY Willy ... I said I'm not mad at you anymore. You don't have to worry about it. WILLY I know, I just ... feel like you getting into trouble with Hudson was mainly my fault. BUCKY (shakes his head) It would have happened anyway; it should have happened anyway. The admiral had to ... learn to respect this crew like he should have in the beginning ... including you. WILLY I know ... I guess. But I meant that I'm not really ... what he expects out of a soldier. BUCKY No, you aren't. You're not supposed to be. That was where I was wrong at getting mad at you yesterday, aside from being drunk -- which wasn't even your fault. (beat) When I took you on, I had to take a lot of things into consideration -- not all of which I realized immediately. The first thing was that you were obviously not coming from a very ... militant society, because you weren't really accustomed to the idea of being at war. (beat) The second was your age, which I didn't even realize until you mentioned you were still in school. (beat) And ... obviously, I decided to go against logic and with my gut and hire you anyway. But I don't think I've ever really regretted my choice. WILLY Well, ah, Captain ... I ... (doesn't know what to say) Thanks, I guess. BUCKY (smiles) Thank you for being understanding about this mess. WILLY No problem. Bucky turns away. Willy thinks he's going to leave, but instead, the hare turns to one of the cargo bays. BUCKY The admiral did have one point that I took into consideration. (opens the bay, and removes something) I know you're having a lot of problems fitting into that baboon outfit, and it never really was much of a uniform anyway, so I decided to pick something up on the way back from Fritz's office this morning. Bucky removes from a plastic bag a large, short-sleeved, tan- colored khaki military shirt. On it are several standard engineer markings, and on the breast pocket, there is a plastic black name label that reads "DuWitt, William." Bucky tosses it to Willy. BUCKY I'm not saying you have to button it or tuck it in, because I know you probably won't, but keep it clean and wear it occasionally, and I'm happy. WILLY Sure, Captain. Bucky goes to leave, then remembers something. He spins around and exchanges an enthusiastic salute with Willy before exiting, shutting the hatch behind him. THE END