Ghost Signals, Episode 5: Part 2.1
RAIVEN (as she places the disc back in the Jahukagonis) That's actually one of our better experiments. Some of the past ones caused a lot of damage and, ya know, spontaneous fires. One even caused a cave-in, so- that was progress.
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI Right. (seeking reassurance) You really want to put so much faith in a flawed device?
RAIVEN Is it that different than the faith in your ship or your beloved SkyForce?
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI ...Fair enough.
STEGGY (from the speakers) Me and Aru just wrapped up the tech tweaks on the claw. We're gold to start snagging this mystery object you're gunning for.
RAIVEN (grins, to Steggy) Nice work, Cap! We're on our way.
CUT TO:
An exterior shot of Dez-Lei's ship moments later. From the base of one of the wings, a hole emerges and a long metal apparatus emerges from within. It cranes a few seconds later into a 90-degree angle like an arm; a web-like glove forming from the tip of it.
CUT TO:
The main screen in the command center showing the mystery object moving closer to colliding with the ship. You can see for the first time the design of the object, which resembles a satellite built by NASA or the ESA.
Back in the center, we see Steggy at the controls of the Skelliclaw via a 3-D joystick; her eyes looking via her periphery at the screen as she speaks.
STEGGY Device is charged. We're just syncing up with the trajectory of the little metal bastardo. (deep breath in and out) Aru's got scope duty outside, and I'm guiding the machine from here.
She presses a button on the top of the joystick a second later.
CUT TO:
The Skelliclaw a second later coming to life, flinging the energy glove forward to the left of the screen view; the camera following all the way to the moment it closes in on the mystery metal object.
At the moment of closing, you can see the machine shake a little as it tries to gain control of the object; an emergency thruster suddenly activated in the midst of the closing. The reaction back in the rattling and shaking command center brings immediate surprise and concern to Raiven's face.
RAIVEN (to Steggy) You guys prep for something like this?
STEGGY (to Raiven, as she tries to stabilize the Skelliclaw) Just a minor set of bumps and shakes. Nothing to really worry about, I think.
RAIVEN And when will be the time to worry, just outta curiosity?
STEGGY That'll be when it explodes and your fleshy bits are all charring and...ya don't wanna imagine it...!
The camera goes back to the same image of the object in the Skelliclaw. A few moments later, the thrusters shut off and the object is stabilized in the center of the machine. It then starts to retract back to the ship.
STEGGY (relieved sigh) Got it! Pulling it in to Dez's cargo bay. (to Aru) Your ship's got the room in there, right?
ARU (from the speakers) Just enough, given the size of the object. The doors are opened, and the space is clearing up now.
STEGGY Cheers, Ari!
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI (to Raiven) Once it's there, how do you plan on getting down there to examine it? 'Cause even with Aru's organizational skills, the amount of room you have to properly look at it is quite minimal at best.
RAIVEN (pondering, to AC Second Class Dez-Lei) Good point...I can take a snap image of the object, and get a better look in my lab here. Especially once the Danverian's donezo compiling my alt-fuel.
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI Sounds like a...decent plan!
RAIVEN Your ship equipped to handle a remote scan, right? If not, I can pop back to my quarters and get my Mime-O. It should be enough to deal with any size hindrances.
ARU (interjecting over the end of Raiven's line) You are quite correct, Doctor. Your device is just enough to accomodate your device.
RAIVEN
Superb. Many gracious thanks, Aru!
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on the Danverian and ring when it's ready.
RAIVEN Sounds good to me...
CUT TO:
INT. CARGO BAY, DEZ-LEI'S SHIP
The cargo bay of Dez-Lei's ship a short time later; the mystery satellite-shaped object sliding inside with the doors closing at the same moment. It settles onto the ground with a gentle thud for a few moments before some type of electronic mechanism out of view turns on.
A few beats later, we see a laser web emerge from the top right side of the screen directly at the object, scanning it from right to left.
A brief close-up on a section of the object mid-scan reveals the logo for a joint project called Abeona involving the G20 nations (their flags are visible above a shot of a ship crossing to the left with the planet Earth in the background). It comes on in the blink of an eye before returning to its previous camera layout.