Prisoners Of Protocol Scene 1 Rylan’s chambers: Farrell: You’re crazy; they’d never let you get away with that. Rylan: They’d have no choice, they’d remember who my father is. Farrell: You’re father can’t get you out of everything, he’s been doing too much of that lately. Anything more and the trade guilds could get involved. Rylan: Those snivelling little cowards? They wouldn’t dare make a move again us. Farrell: Maybe not, but you forget who they work for. Rylan: Earth can shove it’s delegates up it’s watery arse. Farrell: (smile) You never did listen to reason. Rylan: So I’m not gunna start now am I? Farrell: I guess not. What do you need? Scene 2: An office in the Trade Center: (Enter Dallin, looking worried and angry. Tarcal is sitting behind a desk.) Dallin: I came as soon as I was sure, have you heard what’s happened? Tarcal: (Looking down at papers) I’ve been busy, another miner’s strike? Dallin: How can you say that? There isn’t a single clerk in the whole colony not talking about it. It’s outrageous! Tarcal: (Looking up) Spit it out, Dallin, I’ve got work to be done. Dallin: That spoiled brat of a successor Rylan stole a collection ship and took it into orbit. I believe his friend Farrell distracted the guards while he snuck aboard. He sat up there for six hours before getting bored and coming down. That’s a backlog of sixteen thousand tonnes of titanium sitting in our pick-up center. It can’t go on Tarcal, something must be done! Tarcal: (Stands up and smiles victoriously) That boy’s gone too far this time. We’ll go to Sergio, he’ll persuade Ladarus to suspend that foolish son of his for a very long time. Dallin: Do you trust Sergio to help us? Tarcal: It’s not a matter of trust, my friend. I wouldn’t trust that snake Sergio to shine my boots, but he hates Rylan as much as we do. He’s been waiting for an excuse to throw that little monster into Solitary. All the better for us, the sooner Rylan’s out of our way to sooner we can get on with business. Dallin: Well why waste time? Let’s go to Sergio now. Tarcal: (Smiles) It’s true what they used to say about great minds. Let’s go. (Exit Dallin and Tarcal) Scene Three: Sergio’s office: (Sergio shouting down the phone at a Mining Union official) Sergio: I don’t care if your men work non-stop through the week, get that titanium shifted and get us back on schedule. (Pause) Well tell your loaders that either they forget the Workers Rights Accords, or they’ll quickly find themselves back on Earth and out of a job. (Slams the phone down) (Dallin and Tarcal enter) Sergio: Gentlemen, as much as I cherish your frequent visits neither the governor nor myself has time for another petty trade dispute. Tarcal: You’ll both have time for us now, Sergio, we’ve important news concerning Rylan. Sergio: Tarcal not even the functioning efficiency of the lowliest auto-bot escapes my notice in this colony, what on Mars makes you think I wouldn’t be fully aware of Rylan’s actions yesterday? Tarcal: Then you’ll recommend to Ladarus that his son spend time in Solitary. I should think at least three weeks would be sufficient. The lad needs to properly reflect on the consequences of his childish rebellion. Sergio: You fool. Rylan fully considered the consequences before he stepped foot in that ship. Now get out, clearly unlike yourselves I have important matters to take care of. Dallin: (Steps forward) Look Sergio, you know we at the trade guilds don’t relish making threats… Sergio: (Overlooking some paperwork) A foolish statement considering what you’re about to say, but go on. Dallin: …But if you won’t take action, I’m afraid we would feel obliged to notify Earth of your incompetence…for the good of the colony. Sergio: Well if it’s for the good of the colony, then you must do what you feel is right, as I’m sure you’re aware I’ve no power to stop you. Was there anything else? Dallin: (Slightly disconcerted) No…nothing else, goodbye. (Dallin and Tarcal leave) (Dallin and Tarcal walk down the corridor) Dallin: Didn’t you think that was strange? Tarcal: What? Dallin: The way he didn’t seem to care about us contacting Earth. Their delegates could remove him and his governor from power. Tarcal: He just doesn’t believe we’ll have the courage to do it. Dallin: (Unconvinced) Yes I suppose. Scene Four: Governor Ladarus’ chambers: (Ladarus pacing the room, Rylan sitting nonchalantly in a chair) Ladarus: You can’t go on like this, Rylan, you really can’t. You’ve pulled pranks before, but this is going too far. Do you have any idea what you’ve done, the damage you’ve caused? Rylan: (Stands up) Yes father, but do you? I stayed in orbit long enough to allow sixteen thousand tonnes of titanium to build up. Demand on Earth will increase, and prices will skyrocket, they probably already have. That means the multi-world car ship and space ship companies will, for just a few weeks, have to pay the poor titanium holders who struggle to make ends meet a fair price. Ladarus: Look, when I die and you become governor, you can do whatever you want. Until then you are to keep these childish fair trade fantasies to yourself, and not disrupt the colony. Do you know why the titanium holders have to sell so cheap? Because of this colony, because under my leadership we’ve become the most efficient and productive settlement on Mars. We are a flawless mining machine. Rylan: (Looking his father in the eyes) Then maybe a little disruption was just what we needed. Ladarus: Enough. You need to forget the plight of your holder friends, we’ve got trouble. Because of you, the trade guilds are going to complain to Earth that the colony suffers from incompetent leadership. Rylan: So let them, the inspectors will come, find there’s nothing wrong, scold the trade guilds for wasting their time and go home. Ladarus: It’s not that simple. If they do find something wrong, they just say the word and you and I are sent back to Earth with nothing. Rylan: But what could be wrong? They’ll forgive what I did as a childish prank; they’ve done that before. There’s nothing else is there? (Ladarus pauses) Rylan: Father? Ladarus:…I may have allowed a few of the miners to take a trip back to Earth now and again. Rylan: Ah Jesus Christ! You know they’re contracted to stay here without leave. What the hell were you thinking? Aside from the miners who else knows about this? Ladarus: Just Sergio. But it’s alright, he assured me the journeys would be untraceable, and certainly none of the miners will talk. Rylan: Sergio knows? Ladarus: Of course, he was the one who suggested it. Rylan: (Sighs) Sometimes danger’s so close we can’t even see it. (Rylan runs out) Scene Five: Sergio’s office: (Sergio sits at a desk, Rylan rushes in) Rylan: Did you tell my father to let those miners go home? Sergio: (Calm and confident) Please, Rylan, I have no power to tell Governor Ladarus to do anything. I merely advised him that it would send a good message to our discontented mining teams. Rylan: You treacherous son of a bitch. You know the inspectors could send him back to Earth for this. Sergio: Then let us pray that they do not find the incriminating files. (A beeper goes off) Ah that’ll be them now. Excuse me. (Sergio leaves, Rylan left alone in his office, still fuming) Scene six: The landing platform: (Six well dressed inspectors step out of a space ship, Sergio walks up to meet them) Sergio: Welcome gentlemen. I am Delano Franco Sergio, Chief Advisor to Governor Ladarus. I will be overseeing your visit and answering any questions you may have. (They walk down a corridor) Devontae: Thank you Sergio we know who you are. Let’s be quick, I must tell you Rylan’s childish antics are not a priority of ours. There is far more important business to attend to elsewhere. Sergio: We are all prisoners of protocol Devontae. Here we are, the control room. (The men enter a small circular room containing many computers and filing cabinets. The inspectors begin looking at files. Sergio goes to one computer and opens the records of miners leaving the colony, then backs up. ) Sergio: My apologies gentlemen, but there’s a small matter on the lower levels I need to take care of. (Sergio leaves) (One inspector looks at the abandoned computer) Yerik: Sir, you should have a look at this. (Sergio re-enters to find the inspectors standing waiting for him. Devontae holds a printout of the miner’s records) Devontae: Sergio, we just found these files you left open at your computer. Why would you deliberately show them to us? Sergio: Well, Governor Ladarus has been illegally allowing miners leave for many months. I felt something had to be done. Devontae: And the Rylan boy’s activities that brought us here in the first place, that was your doing? Sergio: Well not entirely, sir, though I did order the guards to allow themselves to be easily distracted by his friend Farrell. I make it my business to know everything that goes on around here you see. I simply couldn’t allow Governor Ladarus get away with his unlawful behaviour for much longer. Devontae: (Gives Sergio a long, cold look) I understand perfectly. Please fetch the Governor for us, this is a most serious matter and needs to be addressed. (Sergio nods curtly, and walks out. He strides along the corridor looking very pleased with himself, and enters Ladarus’ office) Sergio: Sir, the inspectors are in the control room, they wish to speak to you immediately. Ladarus: Is this it? Sergio: I believe so, sir, it seems they discovered the files on one of our computers. Ladarus: Very well. (They walk down the corridor together) If the worst happens, and Rylan and I are sent away, I will recommend that you govern in my place. Sergio: Thank you, sir. I would be deeply grateful for such an honour. (They enter the control room) Ladarus: Good afternoon, gentlemen, you wanted to see me? Devontae: Yes, governor. It has come to our attention that you have been illegally allowing some of your miners leave to return to Earth. As I’m you’re aware this is an activity prohibited by the Colonial Miners Accords of 2051. Failure to comply with the Accords can lead to dishonourable discharge from leadership. (Sergio looks discretely triumphant) Ladarus: I won’t deny it, I have been allowing miners to leave. But I must say this, every man that left this colony did so for good reasons. Sick mothers, wives about to give birth, never short of an absolute personal emergency. If our colonial administration is so heartless as to sack a man for showing compassion, then I’ll pack my bags now. Devontae: We thought you might say that, which is why we have just decided to officially pardon you. You may continue governing this colony, on one condition. Ladarus: Which is? Devontae: You refrain from allowing anymore miners to leave before the rules can be changed. You’re right Ladarus, the Accords are heartless, and you must trust me when I say that I’ll do everything in my power to alter that particular clause. (The smile is wiped off Sergio’s face) Ladarus: I do trust you, Devontae, you’re a good man. And the business with my son? Devontae: Rylan’s young, he’ll soon grow out such rebellion, and in the mean time the trade guilds will have to cope. My colleagues and I have a far more important situation to resolve on Venus. It seems Governor Winchell is declaring his colony to be independent of Earth. Ladarus: In that case far be it from me to delay you, good afternoon gentlemen. (Ladarus leaves, followed by Sergio, they walk down the corridor, Sergio barely containing his rage) Ladarus: He’s a good man, that Devontae. Sergio: (Forces a smile) Yes, sir, a good man. If you’ll excuse me, sir, there’s something I must do. Ladarus: Of course. (Sergio walks swiftly to his office. With a face calmly set in rage, he takes a pistol from his desk drawer, loads it, screws a silencer on, cocks it, and looks at it) Sergio: (Menacing) Plan B. (Sergio walks swiftly out, goes into Ladarus’ office and shoots him in the back of the head without hesitation, then walks out. Camera left looking a Ladarus’ body, as blood spreads across the floor) Scene Six: Rylan’s room: (Farrell runs desperately down a corrider, skids round a corner and runs into Rylan’s room. Rylan is sitting on his bed, with past tears on his cheeks, looking down with a cold, hard look on his face) Farrell: I just heard…(trails off, lost with what to say. Long pause) Rylan: It was Sergio. Farrell: But why? Rylan: So he can take control, then send me back to Earth in chains claiming I did it to take power. Farrell: (Wary) What are you gunna do? (Rylan looks up with set determination in his eyes, and reveals the gun he holds in his hand) Rylan: Kill him. (Rylan gets up and moves to the door, Farrell gets in his way) Farrell: I can’t let you do that. You’re too important here, you’re the next governor. Rylan: I won’t be if Sergio takes power, which I’m sure he’s doing as we speak, so kindly get the fuck out of my way. Farrell: (Pushes him back) You’re not listening, there’s work you need to do. Thousands depend upon you. Who’s going to improve the lives of the people of this colony? Sergio? Some pompous replacement they’ll send from Earth who won’t even understand the word poverty? It’s got to be you, Rylan, you’ve got to help them. Rylan: And what about Sergio? Farrell: (Pause) I’ll do it. Give me the gun. I’ll do it. Rylan: I can’t…I… Farrell: You never listened to reason before, but this time you have to. You have a duty, (snatches gun from Rylan and holds it up) and now so do I. (Farrell pushes Rylan back into the room, and locks the electronic door. He is heard walking away down the corridor. ) Rylan: No! No! (He desperately tries to open the door, but finds his code is locked out on the security pad. He punches the door in frustration. Dejectedly, he moves over to the bed, cradling his damaged hand, as tears roll down his cheeks. Fade out.) (Fade in. The doors open and an orderly enters) Rylan: Is Sergio dead? Orderly: Yes sir, how did you…? Never mind, there’s much to be done. Sergio’s murderer Farrell has just been taken back to Earth by Enforcers, we can only pray he gets what he deserves. Rylan: (Depressed) Indeed. Orderly: Meanwhile, as the new Governor there are many matters that require your urgent attention. Rylan: (Stands up and nods) I’m ready. (Camera backs away, leaving the voice of the orderly to fade out as he talks to Rylan about important colonial matters.) The End
Copyright © 2005 Joseph Shapiro |