Ghost Signals, Episode 1: Part 2.1
RAIVEN
(Off-Screen) Clean up the resolution by 15 pyiercent.
BOLTAS (Off-Screen) Umm, that clean-up's precisely what doomed us the past couple of tests.
RAIVEN (Off-Screen) Quite aware of that, Bolt. Still, I have a good feeling here. Clean up the resolution by 15 percent.
BOLTAS (Off-Screen) Aye, boss...
Over the course of a few moments, the picture gets slowly clearer to the viewer, revealing the full alien funeral party and the priest with the modest looking high colored robes. You can see them reciting something to the crowd, though what precisely it is isn't known at this point.
Raiven observes the scene for a few moments with a ponderous look on her face.
RAIVEN (frustrated) So far, so good. But- Audio's still MI-flarkin'-A. (looks over to Boltas) Any idea how to get us over the hump?
BOLTAS (thinking) ...Just what I use whenever my HoloVid's on the fritz.
He balls up his left fist and smacks the side of the device three times. A second later, as he places his hand back to his side, a rush of static blares out from the site area.
RAIVEN (excited) Yes! We got something!
Then it cleans back up as quickly as it appears into a type of alien choral song.
PREACHER (singing) Toohhh rah na Toohhh rah na Sy ni gohhh dyim fa Sy ni loohh-- takh ma...
RAIVEN (as the Preacher sings off-screen; mournful smile) "The Light in the Darkness." I haven't heard that song since I was...was with my pater as a mid-youngling.
BOLTAS That's...Ecclosian, right? The Church of LiFrey'n. (Raiven nods) But I thought you were born in Capitol. Don't they have a less than endearing vibe to other religions that aren't the Eye?
RAIVEN He and his parents moved off- planet when he was a hatchling after the TA took over. They keep the practices underground in case anyone's spying on 'em.
BOLTAS Huh... (pause) You can trust me not blurting this out to the Bootmen, by the way.
RAIVEN Wasn't really worried about that. But...thanks nonetheless!
She starts to get a little misty eyed on the scene as the song nears its conclusion. Boltas notices the show of emotion from his periphery and looks away from the screen for the first time.
BOLTAS (surprised) Is--Is that emotion I'm seeing, Doc?
RAIVEN You don't have to be religious to appreciate the beauty of the text or the melody of the hymn. Besides, where do you think the idea for the Jahukagonis came from?
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM, HC CENTER, CENTRAL CAPITOL- Two Years Ago
A despondent Raiven seated on a chair, glancing down at the floor of a room at the HC Center- one of the Capitol's hospital areas. Behind her is a shot of the night sky and a building across the street with the lights on. You can see, by her body language, that she's gone through a traumatic experience of some kind.
CARER (Off-Screen) My associate Carer F9euTooP will be back very shortly to discuss NSC options regarding the disposal of your pater's body, Mz. O'Ozahl...when you're ready of course.
RAIVEN (nods, in a low tone to the Carer) Thanks...
You can hear the footsteps from the Carer fade out of view off-screen after a brief time. A beat after the door closes, she gets up off her chair and turns toward the window. She looks down and watches as tourists and locals pass by, along with a passing hover car.
RAIVEN (voice over) By the noble Li, I didn't need this. Pater's passing, the stressors of the Consortium... I haven't been a Doctor for that long. I start slipping, and it's likely they'll just can me. I gotta find something to help stand out.
She sighs and continues to look on, wiping off some spare tears from the left side of her face. A couple of beats later, something catches her eye near her line of sight.
It's a three-armed gentleman dropping a circular disk on the sidewalk and stands a few feet from the area. Suddenly, an image emerges from the center of the device, revealing a holographic display of a theatre troupe performing a selection from a future show in front of a crowd that is just beginning to grow.
RAIVEN (Cont., V.O.) Huh- theatre troupe's back at it again. Nice to see them deuceing those manta shite ad laws. Color sorta reminds me of Ya'ahala energy. I wonder if whatever kinda tech they used to display it could also be used on an archaeological dig...
Her train of thought stops and her eyes grow wide upon the end of that sentence. For the first time, we see a smile come over her weary and saddened face.
RAIVEN (chuckles) Oh, that is--that is perfect!
She turns and goes for her bag laying to the side of her chair, taking out a tablet from within; her fingers quickly typing away her thoughts and figures as it comes out of her head.
RAIVEN (jovial yet melancholy) I can name it after the Goddess of Logic from the Scripts, Jahkon. Oh, Granpater would flarking love that!