Progeny of Sol: Act I
Written by Andrew Samuels
SOUND OF A VIOLIN, resonating, and fading out.
THE NIGHT SKY, comes into being from blackness, revealing a star studded sky with twin moons.
JASON (V.O.)
Looks clear tonight. So are we on?
Camera pans down, away from the night sky, onto the barren rocky countryside, looking over a cliff.
CUT TO:
EXT. MOUNTAINOUS CLIFFSIDE - NIGHTJason Canis, a short, stocky, male with buzzed hair. Early twenties in age. Still very young, and hopeful. Heads Up Display (HUD) goggles rest on his forehead. He has the demeanor of the most curious toddler. Ready for the next adventure.
Jason finishes peering up at the night sky, looks over at Kristen, not quite sure if she heard him.
Kristen Oort, comparatively tall, slim build, long dark hair, and cosmetically tan skin. At age 21, she, like Jason, is just beginning her life. Curious, yet very focused on finding an answer.
Kristen, sitting Indian style in the dusty terrain, never looks up at Jason to respond, her eyes fixed on the pod that bore the weight of the telescope.
KRISTEN
Mmhmm...Geez, how do you fix this sun-forsaken thing? Oh, never mind, got it. Wait, what were you saying? Oh, yeah, definitely. The others should be on their way.
A LOW HUM and slight annoying whine with the sound of crackling pebbles and rocks increasing from behind, bright xenon light infiltrates the position of Jason and Kristen's setup.
BRI
Hi-ya, fellas!
Bri Sagan, a short, dirty blond haired girl in her late teens, steps off her electric unicycle and powers it off. The low hum disappears immediately, but the annoying whine lingered until the gyroscope in her unicycle stopped spinning.
Jason, with an even more curious look on his face, approaches Bri and her unicycle with astonishment.
JASON
What? Where the hell did you get one of those?
Jason nodded towards the electric unicycle as Bri kicked the stands in place. She beamed ear to ear at Jason and Kristen.
Kristen, finally looks away from the telescope, and peers at Bri with half envy and half amazement.
KRISTEN
Gotta be one of the perks of being the Colony Chief of Engineering's daughter.
BRI
(chuckling and kicking the dirt and pebbles with her boots)
Well...actually, I'm just sort of borrowing it from transport storage for a little while. Haven't even had the chance to ask dear old Dad if he had any stellar rides to spare.
JASON
(pointing a finger up)
Ah, so you stole it. Might I inquire how exactly?
Bri anticipated this response and had an excellent bullshit rebuttal ready.
BRI
Long story buddy, but you know, stealing is a bit harsh of a word. I am merely taking it upon myself as this unicycle's new custodian. Besides, how's a little gal like me supposed to lug all of this equipment over here on foot?
Kristen, now relieved to have fixed the telescope pod, interjected into the conversation with her hands on her hips.
KRISTEN
You just wait till the Colony Council finds out. They just might shut our little science project down for breaking the rules. Did you think of that missy?
Bri scoffed, and unpacked her computing equipment out of the titanium box cabled to the back of her unicycle.
BRI
Hah, well friends, this is science and in science, rules are meant to be broken. The Council is full of old farts in their 400s who still remember what it's like to power things with dead plants and animals. Once we find Sol, the Council will have no choice but to commend us. We'll be the heroes of the colony.
JASON
Yes! What are we waiting for? Let's get started already!
KRISTEN
I hope your right Bri, but the truth is we haven't found Sol, and hardly even know where to start. Not even the Elders know where mankind's first solar system was and two of them have been alive for almost 600 years.
BRI
That's why Dr. Luna has agreed to help us. He can't make it tonight, but some of our other classmates should be...ah speak of the devils!
CUT TO
ACROSS the mountains where you can see distant lights from the Colony. Three other dark silhouettes, young people, wielding flash lamps walked side by side as they made their way toward the project site. JASON
(shouting)
Nice of you to join us! Do you have the records?
DON
(Shouting back)
Of course, we weren't going to leave ya hanging. Even though we are way past Level 1 curfew.
Don, Rachel, and Mike were much younger colony members in their preteens. Virtually newborns for Colony age standards.
Before Bri could make a smart remark about it being past their bedtime, Don handed the fingernail sized data chip to Bri.
BRI
Stellar, lets boot this baby up.
Bri placed the data chip into her navicomputer and plugged in her HUD goggles to view the display screen. The other group members joined in and connected their respective goggles to see exactly what Bri was looking at.
A Red light flashed on the visual display, indicating that the navicomputer was in connection with Colony's main artificial intelligence whom curiously named itself Mr. Giggle Pants.
MR. GIGGLE PANTS
Let me know if you will be needing any assistance.
BRI
Okay, thanks Giggle. Well, I guess I do have a question, based on the data I just put into my navicomputer, can you tell me a bit of what we know about Sol?
It was hardly even a second of crunching from the navicomputer and Mr. Giggle Pants had a response.
MR. GIGGLE PANTS
Sol is the hypothetical sun of the ancestors of all humanity and...
A long pause and silence, dotted with a few clicks from the navicomputer as it blinked its tiny lights happily.
BRI
(looking anticipating)
And? And what?
MR. GIGGLE PANTS
Apologies, all further non-fiction historical records and scientific data on Sol has been lost or corrupted. Please ask another question.
A RUSHING sound of wind blew past, and dust devils appeared in the clearing below the cliff.
Closeup of Kristen's face, she bites her lower lip with deep thought, and gets into the hunt for knowledge.
KRISTEN
Giggle, can you find information present in this data chip on fables, legends, or children's stories about Sol or mankind's beginning?
MR. GIGGLE PANTS
One-hundred and forty three items found. Suggestions: “When We First Set Sail”, “Homeworld”, “Little Johnny's Journey to the Outer Rim”, “Starry Night in Woodruff's Grove” “La Casa del Sol”, “Everybody Poops”
JASON
Hold on Giggle, why is “Everybody Poops” one of your suggestions? Isn't it relatively popular? I recall one the Colony's droid nannies reading it to me when I was three.
MR. GIGGLE PANTS
I thought it might be appropriate reading for you youngsters. But seriously, this is one of the most ancient of children's literature on Colony record.
BRI
But what does it have to do with Sol?
MR. GIGGLE PANTS
It is believed by some historians of legends to be written on the home planet of human ancestors in the Sol system.
The group goes silent for a moment. Their eyes and ears perk up at this new knowledge.
Bri smiled widely from ear to ear.
The excited young astronomers boot up the navigation system on the telescope and pour over the data sorted by Mr. Giggle Pants.
BRI
(whispering under her breath)
We're going to find it. I know it.
CAMERA pans up, back to the starry night sky and twin moons, everything fades away into blackness.
