Frey: Shhh!
[The NEWBIES decrease the amount of noise they are making with the photon
casings for a few seconds. Then there is a burst of noise from them
including mooing.]
S'Tasik: (to Frey) They're nervous, sire.
Frey: Then we'd best leave them here and carry on at one-quarter
impulse speed.
[Overon takes a strange look at them. They walk on leaving the NEWBIES
behind. After a few more moments Overon halts them with a sign.]
Overon: Behold the Cave of Taldrenbannog!
Frey: Right! Keep me covered.
[Stir among XenoCorpians]
Hawkeye: What with?
Frey: Just keep me covered.
Overon: Too late.
Frey: What?
Overon: There he is!
[They all turn, and see a large overworked David Ferrell lolloping a few
yards out of the cave. Accompanied by terrifying chord and jarring metallic
monster noise.]
Frey: Where?
Overon: There.
Frey: Behind David Ferrell?
Overon: It is David Ferrell.
Frey: ...You silly sod.
Overon: What?
Frey: You got us all worked up.
Hawkeye: You cretin!
Frey: That is not an ordinary David Ferrell... 'tis the most foul
cruel and bad-tempered thing you ever set eyes on when he's overworked!
K'tujHegh: You tit. I soiled my armour I was so scared!
Overon: Look, David Ferrell's got a vicious streak. He's a killer!
Blade: Oh, fuck off. Get stuffed.
Overon: He'll do you up a treat mate!
Blade: Oh yeah?
K'tujHegh: You turd! Mangy scots git!
Overon: Look. I'm warning you.
K'tujHegh: What's he do? Nibble your bum?
Overon: Well, He's got huge... very sharp... he can jump a... look at
the bones!!
Frey: Go on, Hunin Raven, chop its head off.
Hunin Raven: Right. Silly little bleeder. One David Ferrell stew
coming up.
Overon: Look!
[As Overon points they all spin round to see DAVID FERRELL leap at HUNIN
RAVEN's throat with an appalling scream. From a distance of about twenty
feet there is a tin opening noise, a cry from HUNIN RAVEN. A quick CLOSE-UP
of a savage DAVID FERRELL tearing through armour and hull points and HUNIN
RAVEN's head flies off. Then DAVID FERRELL leaps back to the mouth of the
cave and sits there looking in the XenoCorp Crew's direction and growling
menacingly.]
Frey: Je...sus Christ!
Overon: I warned you!
K'tujHegh: I done it again.
Overon: Did I tell you? Did you listen to me? Oh no, no, you knew
better didn't you? No, he's just an ordinary Taldren Employee isn't he. The
names you called me. Well, don't say I didn't tell you.
Frey: Oh, shut up.
Overon: (quietly) It's always the same ... if I've said it once.
Frey: Charge!
[They all charge with weapons overloaded towards DAVID FERRELL. A tremendous
twenty second fight with Peckinpahish shots and borrowing heavily also on
the Kung Fu and karate-type films ensues, in which some three XenoCorpians
are comprehensively killed.]
Frey: Run away! Run away!
XenoCorp Crew: (taking up cry) Run away! Run away!
[They run down from the cave and hide, regrouping behind some rocks. Overon,
some way away, is pointing at them and laughing derisively.]
Overon: Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.
Frey: Who did we lose?
GC: RogueJedi.
Blade: Dieter.
Frey: And Hunin Raven. Five.
Blade: Three, Admiral!
Frey: Three. Well, we'll not risk another frontal assault. That David
Ferrell's dynamite!
K'tujHegh: Would it help to confuse him if we ran away more.
Frey: Shut up. Go and change your armour.
[K'tujHegh leaves, walking strangely.]
Blade: Let us taunt it. It may become so cross that it will make a
mistake.
Frey: Like what?
[Blade cannot find a suitable answer to this]
S'Tasik: Do we have any hellbores?
Frey: No.
GC: We have the Holy Photon.
K'tujHegh: The what?
Frey: The Holy Photon of Antioch. 'Tis one of the sacred relics
Brother Malystryx always carries with him.
XenoCorp Crew: Yes. Of course.
Frey (shouting): Bring up the Holy Photon!
XC Elites: [chanting]
Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem.
Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem. Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem. Pie
Iesu domine, dona eis requiem.
Frey: How does it, um-- how does it work?
Hawkeye: I know not, Admiral.
Frey: Consult the Taldren Book of Armaments!
Malystryx: Let us turn to the Holy Book of Taldren Weapons and
Armaments, Chapter 3: Federation, verses nine to twenty-one.
It came to pass that the Bethke did cast his gaze upon the photon of Antioch
and declared it lacking. And Bethke raised the photon up on high, saying, 'O
Taldren, bless this Thy Holy Photon that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine
plasma and disruptor enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy.'
And the Taldrenites did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and
sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit
bats and and the romulans and the klingons and large chu--
Hstaphath: Skip a bit, Brother Malystryx.
Malystryx: And the Bethke spake, saying, 'First shalt thou ignore one
ECM shift. Then, shalt thou ECCM bonus be effectively three. No more. No
less. Three shalt be the number of thou ECCM, and the number of the ECCM
shall be three. Four shalt shalt not the ECCM be, nor either two, excepting
that thou ECCM then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the ECCM is
three, being the third number, be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Holy
Photon of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall
snuff it.'
Hstaphath: Amen.
XenoCorp Crew: Amen.
Frey: Right!
One!... Two!... Five!
Intrepid: Three, sir!
Frey: Three!
[angels sing]
[boom]