TRIUMVIRATE SE Chapter Nine
By The Host
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. MAGNAPOLIS - DAY
The seat of the United Star Systems is glorious to behold.
Planet as city, a sea of immense towers stretching beyond
the horizon. A weak setting sun gently illuminates the
spires in shades of lavender and rose. The immeasurably high
towers are noble in design, Romanesque pillars thrusting up
great temples to the sky. Two towers rise above all others:
the slender pinnacle of The Corporation, topped with a
simple white cross, and the exquisite Presidential Tower.
The two are separated by a wide greenspace far below and an
undulating sea of floating vehicles. Far above the city
faster vehicles zip around and, far above even those,
massive starships lumber towards space.
INT. PRESIDENT’S OFFICE - DAY
The President’s office is large but comfortable, bright,
cheerful and splendid. The floor is dominated by an
intricate mosaic of the United Star Systems’ Coat of Arms;
the walls are based with oak; marble pillars line two sides
of the room. A massive arched window looks upon the endless
city below. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STAR SYSTEMS,
fortyish with a boyish face, stands at the window looking
upon his domain. Several WORKERS are installing fixtures and
artwork around the expansive space. A tall thin man in a
conservative black suit arrives behind him – THE CEO.
THE CEO
Mister President.
The President turns and smiles widely. He walks quickly over
to The CEO and takes the man’s hand in his own. He bows his
head in reverence and kisses a ring The CEO wears.
THE PRESIDENT
Papa, Your Reverence, hello.
The CEO takes his hand away and the President looks up,
looks around him.
THE PRESIDENT (CONT’D)
Like what I’ve done with the
place?
THE CEO
Yes.
The President leads the other man to his desk. The President
takes his seat behind the mahogany beast, almost empty
except for a simple nameplate: ‘THE PRESIDENT’. The CEO sits
across from him and crosses his legs. A middle-aged AIDE
stands now beside The President, hands clasped behind his
back.
THE PRESIDENT
They’re not finished yet, of
course. I’m still waiting for some
artwork and antiques to come in.
I’m getting a Picasso and an Ikea.
It’s all very distracting, though,
these workers here and all. I’m
busy trying to write my State of
the Union address—
THE CEO
How is that going?
THE PRESIDENT
Oh. Um, well, I don’t really know.
My speechwriters are still working
on it. Should be done soon, they
tell me.
THE CEO
That’s excellent, sir. Now, to
business, for I see you are a very
busy man.
THE PRESIDENT
(Suddenly serious)
Oh, yes, of course, of course.
What can I do for you?
THE CEO
Sir. There is a young man named
Jack Davies—
THE PRESIDENT
The fighter pilot at the edge of
the galaxy?
THE CEO
(Slightly surprised; glances
at Aide)
Why, yes.
THE PRESIDENT
Go on.
THE CEO
Well, sir. You see – you know what
he’s discovered, what he’s got,
correct?
THE PRESIDENT
Yes, yes, go on.
THE CEO
Well, sir, you see, you realize
that what he has is very important
to us. We’ve been developing that
strain for thirty years now, and
there’s not much time left.
The President nods gravely.
THE CEO (CONT’D)
Apparently, sir, he’s now come
under the wing of Admiral Dawson.
The CEO sits back. A moment passes while the President
thinks about this.
THE PRESIDENT
So?
THE CEO
(Leaning in)
Well, that’s concerning us, sir,
because Admiral Dawson is what you
might call a loose gun. I’m not
sure what his intentions are, with
the boy and with the cure, but I
do know where his allegiances lay,
and they’re not with us.
THE PRESIDENT
(Glances at Aide)
You don’t think so?
THE CEO
Admiral Dawson and I were
colleagues and companions for some
time. He has strong convictions,
or at least he’s convinced himself
that he does, and he is very
ambitious. Already his troops,
almost all of them, have abandoned
their posts in the struggle
against Al T’Har.
THE PRESIDENT
I know that.
THE CEO
Well, sir, don’t you see, that’s
an act of treachery, edging on
open rebellion!
THE PRESIDENT
What can I do about it?
The President’s Aide whispers in his ear while the CEO
speaks.
THE CEO
Men, sir, we need men! And ships.
Draw them away from the fight
against Al T’Har and strengthen
our internal defenses. A cancer
grows in the heart of this nation;
it must be dealt with swiftly.
The President consults in whispers briefly with his aide.
The CEO patiently waits
THE PRESIDENT
We can’t, we can’t, we just can’t.
We’ve got a lotta men but not a
lot of experienced ones. We’re
taking massive losses in the
current war and we can’t afford to
withdraw troops on the chance of
rebellion. Already we’ve lost one
fleet in the fight, you said so
yourself.
THE CEO
Then allow us to withdraw our own
men and Corporate vessels.
THE PRESIDENT
I can’t stop you. What the
Corporation does with its vessels
is, I guess, up to you, Your
Eminence.
THE CEO
Then it’s settled. But do be
vigilant, sir. This Admiral Dawson
and the young Jack Davies might
present a greater threat than you
realize.
THE PRESIDENT
I’ll try to keep that in mind.
THE CEO
Now, I really must be going.
The President and CEO stand and shake hands.
THE PRESIDENT
All right then, Your Eminence. But
you’re sure you won’t stay?
THE CEO
Farewell.
The CEO makes the sign of the cross and strides out.
THE PRESIDENT
Don’t be a stranger.
The President’s Aide moves away to a small desk in a corner
of the room. The President stands silently a moment, then
turns to gaze out the window at the majestic city spread
before him.
AUTOR'S COMMENTARY:
A fairly straight-forward scene. It remains relatively
unchanged from Gemini’s Redemption, except that I have tried
to make the President a bit less of a buffoon. I genuinely
like the President; he’s pretty incompetent, but he’s not
entirely an idiot. He means well, for certain, and he really
is principled. A bit foppish, perhaps – especially as
compared to the arrow-straight and serious CEO – but he’s
one of the moral centres of this story. I think he has a bit
of boyish charm; he just seems so delighted to be ruler of
the free world. The CEO, on the other hand, is a tough nut
to crack. I don’t know if I’ve figured him out, and I wrote
the character!
The scene is set after a bit of action and before action to
come. There’s been a lot of plot development, and the film
to this point has been rather dark. To contrast, I here
introduce and establish what appear to be the film’s two
villains in a very bright and even a tad humorous scene. In
a way, this scene is a breath of fresh air. I intend the
first views of Magnapolis to be stunning; by the end of the
film and by night the city will be far more dreary. It’s
also a change because this is really the first scene that
hasn’t been seen through Dawson or Johnson’s eyes. The
elements of the story here fall into place.
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