Alpha
has discovered a planet,
in its west quadrant. Preliminary
reports suggest that it is capable
of supporting human life. A
reconnaissance team has been
dispatched to substantiate these
reports. Although the planet
appears to be uninhabited, an |
|
|
|
alien structure has
been
discovered. Koenig calls the
survey party in closer to base
camp until they learn more. As
Tony and Joe Lustig head back,
Joe hears a sound as Tony walks
ahead. He investigates, and sees
a pulsating light at the source |
|
of the sound. He
screams as it
drives him mad. Tony hears, and
returns to help Lustig, but too late.
Lustig pulls a gun on Tony, who is
forced to defend himself. They
struggle, and the weapon goes
off, killing Lustig. As Tony tries to
let Koenig know about the |
|
|
|
accident, he is
driven mad by
the same thing as Lustig. He runs
off into the woods. Koenig tries to
contact him, but Tony crushes his
commlock and keeps running.
Lustig's body is found, and Dr. Ed
Spencer pieces together roughly
what transpired. A security |
|
detail reports to
Koenig that
they discovered Tony's crushed
commlock, about half a
kilometer distant, heading away
from base camp. Koenig takes
them to try to track Tony down.
At base camp, decide to unbury
the alien structure, as they |
|
|
|
were unable to
penetrate it with
their lasers or sensor scans. They
find a control panel to open a
door, but with no power. Alan
notices some solar cells and he
uncovers more in hopes of
powering up the control panel.
He alerts Koenig to their |
|
progress, who in
turn asks him
come pick them up in an Eagle
as they have seen Tony, and are
about to confront him. Tony fires
on Koenig when he approaches.
Koenig circles around and they
fight until Tony collapses. Alan
arrives with Dr. Spencer, who |
|
|
|
tells Koenig that
Tony is slipping
into a coma, and needs to be
returned to Alpha for treatment.
Koenig contacts Alpha from the
Eagle to tell them they found
Tony and are returning with him.
On the surface, two men die from
drinking water that was tested |
|
and declared safe.
Jerry Travis
contacts Alpha to tell them what
happened, and his commlock
shorts out while he's using it.
Maya reaches Koenig to tell him
what has happened, but loses
contact with him as well. In light
of the system faults, Koenig |
|
|
|
checks the Eagle's
circuits before
proceeding to Alpha. He finds
that all the metal are corroding,
and has Alan head back to base
camp. Maya's sensors detect a
change in the atmosphere of
the planet. Helena worries that
Tony won't make it if they can't |
|
get him back to
Alpha. On the
planet, another Alphan dies from
fruit that has turned to poison.
The systems on Koenig's Eagle
start to fail, and it catches fire.
They crash land, as the rest of
the survey party helplessly watch
from the base camp. Having |
|
|
|
survived the crash,
the Eagle
crew are brought back to base
camp. Alan checks the other
Eagle to find it had corroded
as well, and is unsafe to fly. When
Koenig wakes, he is apprised
of the situation. They are
stranded, and if Alpha tries |
|
to send another
Eagle, it will
break up in the atmosphere.
They manage to put together
a transmitter made of parts
scavenged from the Eagle that
did not corrode. Using the solar
cells from the alien structure for
power, they warn Alpha not |
|
|
|
to attempt to land.
Maya and
Helena decide to use a glider
to get to the planet, as it is
made of carbon fiber and the
atmosphere won't affect it. The
solar cells on the alien structure
become fully charged, and
Koenig, Carter and Travis |
|
investigate. Inside
they find
the remains of an alien sitting
at a desk with a roll of discs
in his hand. When placed
in a port on the desk, each
disc activates a
holographic
recording. The first one they try
is of Zoran the leader of an |
|
|
|
alien expedition explaining that
his people perished, and he, too,
was dying. He states that the only
way to escape the planet is death.
Bill Fraser, who is flying the Eagle
carrying the glider to the planet,
alerts Helena and Maya that they
are coming into range of the |
|
planet. They move into the glider
to prepare for release into the
atmosphere. At the pre-determined
altitude, Maya tries to launch, but
cannot. Bill decided to take them
closer, to increase their chances.
He releases them when his Eagle
develops a fault. Maya |
|
|
|
and Helena encounter a
region of severe turbulence. The
glider is struck by lightning more
than once, and Maya has to alter
course. Meanwhile at the alien
structure, Zoran's recordings tell
of a solitary, immortal, creature
that longs for companionship |
|
but inadvertently kills those it
wishes to make contact with, by
driving them mad. He also
describes a brief period of
lucidity before the death of
its victims. Dr. Spencer shows
up to tell Koenig that Tony is
awake. Koenig leaves Alan |
|
|
|
to review the discs for any
useful information they may
have missed, and goes to see
Tony. Tony is awake and tells
John what happened with Lustig.
Helena and Maya appear to
everyone's surprise, having
walked from where they landed. |
|
Helena examines Tony, and
can find no permanent damage.
Maya spends a little time with
Tony trying to comfort him.
Jerry tells Koenig that they found
another disc that may be useful.
Koenig has Maya join him to
look at it. It describes a |
|
|
|
protective encounter suit Zoran
used to confront the alien being.
He tells of a minor fault around
the eyes that allowed him to see
the alien, causing him to go mad.
Alan shows Koenig where he
found the suit. Koenig decides
to reinforce the area around |
|
the eyes, and try to contact
the alien himself. Helena,
Maya, and Alan help him
prepare, as he must walk
into the alcove of the being
completely blind. When he is
ready, Helena guides him via
the transmitter built into the |
|
|
|
head piece of the protective suit.
He walks into the grotto where
Tony found Lustig. The alien
begins to try to communicate
with the light and sound. Koenig
tries to talk to it. At first it simply
mimics his words, until it finds
the key to communicate. |
|
When it does, it asks John
who and what he is. John tells
it that he is a man. It responds
that he is a voice. John tells it
he is a living being like it is. It
asks John to reveal himself,
saying that he will be safe.
Against all advice, John |
|
|
