7 Constellations - Ep. 101: APUS (ENGLISH VERSION)
SCENE 1: INT. TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM – NIGHT
Silence.
No score. No ambience. No sound at all...
...until Manichawa begins to speak. A vast gallery lies in bluish darkness.Only one painting is illuminated:The Great Wave of Kanagawa, the original masterpiece, protected behind bulletproof glass.The camera slowly pushes toward the painting.Beneath it, the artist's name:Hokusai.MANICHAWA (V.O.)
They say the world awakened twice.
The first time...
when the dragons opened their eyes.
The second...
when Humanity accepted that it had become...
...Metahumanity.
The camera glides toward the Great Wave.
Still no music.
The deep blue pigments seem alive.
The white foam pulses like a heartbeat.
The camera glides through the armored glass.
It literally travels through the wave before approaching Mount Fuji in the background of the print.
Blue gradually fades into darkness.
SCENE 2: EXT. TOKYO – NIGHT – CONTINUOUS
The camera emerges through the mountain depicted in the print.
Still no music.
Only the distant sounds of a living megacity:
sirens,
car horns,
the roar of motorcycles...
Tokyo stretches endlessly below—
brilliant,
restless,
alive.
Far beyond the city rises a dark silhouette:
The real Mount Fuji.
Sulfurous vapors drift around its slopes,
their yellow glow stained by the city's lights.
The camera races toward the volcano.
A deep rumble grows louder.
The ground vibrates.
A crimson glow.
Molten lava pulses like a glowing heart.
Still no music.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
It all began here.
On December 25th, 2011.
The day Mount Fuji erupted...
and a dragon emerged from the sky.
A silent explosion.
Only the delicate chime of ancient magic.
A geyser of light.
Within that light...
...an immense, elegant, serpentine figure.
RYŪGU, the Dragon, emerges from the volcanic plume.
The eruption rumbles beneath him.
Above it, the slow, powerful sound of his majestic wings fills the air.
His body is massive,
black edged with white.
His scales are smooth and perfectly interlocked.He has two legs and two wings.His jaws are enormous,and long white eyebrows trail behind his white eyes set against a black face. 
The camera follows Ryūgu as he climbs into the night sky.
The dragon rises gracefully, gliding in smooth, serpentine motions.
He lets out a silent roar.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Ryūgu.
The first magical creature of the Sixth World.
The first sign of a new age...
Soon afterward,
volcanoes all over the world began to awaken.
LONG DISSOLVE TO BLACK.
SCENE 3: INT. SWAN VILLA AUDITORIUM – DAY
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Then came strange pandemics.
Elves.
Goblins.
Then orcs and trolls Awakened in turn.
Manichawa appears at her piano, quietly arranging Forest Murmurs.
She plays a few thoughtful measures.
Then she stops.
Her fingers leave the keys.
She slowly turns toward the camera.
An elven princess in every sense..
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
My name is Manichawa.
I'm of Indian descent,
born to elven parents.
She offers a captivating smile.
SCENE 4: EXT. OUTER SPACE – NIGHT
Until now, the camera has followed Ryūgu.
Now it overtakes him.
The sky becomes completely black.
🎵 (YT MUSIC) MUSIC CUE: The Starship Avalon, Thomas NEWMAN.🎵 (SPOTIFY) The Starship Avalon🎵 (DEEZER) The Starship Avalon Constellations appear one after another.
THE SWAN
A graceful white swan stretches across the heavens.
No connecting lines.
The stars themselves naturally reveal its shape.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
I do serve the Swan.
The constellation my father's company purchased
for 500,000 nuyen
when I was a teenager.
Back then,
it was still affordable.
CORONA BOREALIS
A delicate circlet of stars slowly materializes.
Almost shy.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Corona Borealis...
Right.
I suppose I should explain.
About twelve years ago,
a small start-up called Stars Ocean,
which quickly became a subsidiary of the AAA megacorporation HORIZON,
came up with an unusual idea:
selling exclusive rights
to the names, symbols,
and visual identities
of all eighty-eight constellations in the night sky.And you know what?
It absolutely blew up.
The stock market went completely crazy.CUT TO:
INT. STARS OCEAN HEADQUARTERS – DAY
A luxurious executive office bathed in sunlight.
The company logo,
stars drifting through a spiral galaxy,
dominates one wall.
A smiling businessman,
impeccably dressed,
hands a contract to a woman seen from behind.
Long brown hair.
Slim.
Graceful.
Younger than her years.
It is Eleanor Whitaker.
She wears a tailored business suit,
nylon stockings,
and high heels.
She slides a platinum credstick across the desk.
Reflected on the screen of her commlink,
her bright red lips are visible.
Displayed balance: "3,250,000 nuyen"
EXT. OUTER SPACE – CONTINUOUS
THE RULER
A perfectly straight line of stars appears.
Simple.
Sharp.
Almost aggressive.
Across the screen: "1,000,000 nuyen"
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
The Ruler.
Apparently,
someone owns it.
Whoever they are,
they've left traces in the Matrix.
My father wants me to investigate.
We've got a lead in Egypt.
Something dangerous.
I'll need a very capable escort.
DRACO
A powerful serpentine constellation slowly appears among the stars.
It seems almost alive.
A subtle vibration runs through its body.
Across the screen: "11,250,000 nuyen"
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Draco.
The most powerful megacorporation on Earth,
MITSUHAMA [triple A],
bought it without a second thought.
Officially,
they say it's a tribute to ancient legends.
But everyone knows...
it's a warning.
- APUS
A vibrant constellation.
Multicolored.
Unlike the others, its brightest stars are connected by faint dotted lines.
TITLE CARD
APUS
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Apus.
The constellation history would remember...
as the most expensive of them all.A staggering figure flashes across a translucent credstick superimposed on the image:"7.5 TRILLION nuyen".
The camera leaves the constellations.
It dives toward a tiny point of light orbiting Earth.
The object grows larger.
A colossal orbital structure.
Shaped like a white-tailed tropicbird.
Its wings sweep outward like giant boomerangs.
SCENE 5: EXT. BIRD OF PARADISE ORBITAL STATION – SPACE
Day and night divide the Earth below.
The Bird of Paradise. A luxury orbital resort.
The camera glides along the outer hull.
TRAVELLING
Inside the transparent sections...
Weightless tourists drift through elegant lounges.
Indoor gardens flourish.
Glass evacuation modules hang beneath the station's structural framework.
A zero-G swimming pool.
A handful of guests swim leisurely laps.
At the highest level beneath the bird's body...
a vast conference hall.
Transparent floor.
Panoramic view of Earth.
INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – HOTEL SUITES – CONTINUOUS
The camera slips through the walls like a ghost.
A luxurious suite decorated with the Dragon emblem.
Two Japanese men are having a cup of tea.
Daichi SATO-KAI.
Young.
Athletic.
Elegant.
Across from him:
Toshiro MITSUHAMA.
Older.
Heavyset.
Powerful.
They speak in low, serious voices.
The camera passes through another wall.
Luxury corridors.
Another wall.
A smaller room.
Comfortable.
Bright.
A large sniper rifle rests on the table.
A lanky ork in combat fatigues works on a khaki cyberdeck.
This is Kim.
(A cyberdeck is a neural computer used to access the Matrix in a virtual parallel reality).
The camera continues past...
An empty conference room.
Ten black chairs.
A sophisticated cocktail bar.
A bartender prepares a bright green cocktail.
Seated alone...
Valandir.
An elegant elf.
Black-and-red synthleather cloak. MANICHAWA (V.O.)Valandir drinks mint...to soothe the fire within him.He mixes it with vodka...to keep it burning.
The camera moves on.
A shipboard police security station.
Standing before an electronic console...
Tak.
The camera begins at his boots.
Up his powerful legs.
His holstered sidearm.
His massive chest barely fits inside the regulation uniform.
Only then...
his face.
Tusks. Heavy brow. Horns.
A troll.
He removes his sunglasses.
Studies a security display.
The camera continues.
Technical passageways.
Every bulkhead bears the same marking: "Deck 2C"
A secured industrial entrance.
Radiation hazard signs.
MUSIC FADES OUT
A service corridor.
Two maintenance technicians whisper while walking.
Synthetic work suits.
Slim oxygen tanks on their backs.
Red helmets.
Full-face masks hanging from their shoulders. MIRAI swear...if Module Seven starts blinking again...I'm quitting. KAZUO (laughing)You've been saying that for three years.And you're still here.Just like Module Seven.Mira sighs.
Taps the touchscreen.
MIRAWe're supposed to keep a luxury resort runningfor twenty-five hundred guests...using spare parts left over from World War 2.
KAZUOWelcome to space.Everything's expensive.Everything's compartmentalized.Everything's broken...Just like my marriage. They laugh.
The camera glides behind them.
The enormous reactor stretches into the distance.
KAZUODid you read the duty officer's memo?About the evacuation procedures ?Mira freezes.
MIRA
The Onyx Protocol?
No.
And honestly...
I hope I'm never around if they activate it.
KAZUO
The duty officer said
they'll be running an evacuation drill soon.
He wants everybody to review the emergency escape routes.
Guess we'd better do that afterward.
The camera continues toward the station's head.
A spacious flight control room.
Officers work quietly.
One of them stands out.
A Latina woman.
Immaculate uniform.Name patch: Cateluna NAVAJO.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)That's Genesys.A friend of mine.Our winged shadow.Our eyes in the darkness.Our pilot.
The travelling shot continues.
The camera passes through the station's hull once more...
...and returns to space,
circling gracefully around the head of the Bird of Paradise. INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – COMMANDER'S QUARTERS – NIGHT – CONTINUOUS TRAVELLING SHOT
The camera passes through the panoramic window of one of Bird of Paradise's two eyes...
and enters a bedroom.
Understated.
Elegant.
Immaculately tidy. 
COMMANDER KAYA KEENE is fast asleep in bed.
A T-shirt leaves her shoulders bare.
Her breathing is quick.
She's dreaming.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
And while the world keeps turning despite the fear...
some of us have nightmares.
A deep rumble.
A vibration.
A red light flashes.
CLOSE ON Kaya's eyes, restless beneath closed lids. 🎵(YT MUSIC) MUSIC CUE: Blade Runner Blues, VANGELIS🎵 (SPOTIFY) Blade Runner Blues🎵 (DEEZER) Blade Runner Blues SCENE 6: INT. HOTEL ROOM – THE HAGUE – DAWN
Short, shallow breaths.
Her face tense.
Kaya Keene's eyes snap open.
A nightmare.
One of those that keeps coming back.
The kind that clings to you.
She whispers, barely audible:
KAYA
Silthrim...
my angel...
I love you...
A red holographic display projects the time onto the ceiling: 06:42
For a moment, we could still be aboard Bird of Paradise.
But we're not.Straight cream-colored walls.
No curves.
Old European architecture.
Nothing orbital about it.
Kaya sits up.
A long exhale.
She slips into a gray robe and gets to her feet.
Crosses to a small mahogany writing desk.
A white envelope is waiting for her.
She opens it.
Inside:
an official digital smart-card credential bearing her photograph.
MRS. KAYA KEENE
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY
BIRD OF PARADISE CASE
(CEIAOP)
HALL OF HONOR
JULY 17–18, 2082
THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL
HEARINGS AT 9:00 A.M. AND 1:30 P.M.
She closes the envelope.
Places her commlink on top of it.
A precise military gesture.
Almost a ritual.
INT. BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS
The shower stall opens.
Cold light.
Almost clinical.
Kaya's bare feet hesitate for a moment.
Then she steps inside.
The showerhead releases a fine mist of water.
A slow, sensual, melancholy montage:
- Water running down her calves
- Her hands working the soap
- Her distant gaze
- A flicker of joy
- A flicker of sadness
- Her hand gently rubbing her stomach
- A body that has suffered
- Water streaming over her shoulders
- The shower shuts off
- A towel through her short hair
- Her toned buttocks
- Her breathing slowly returning to normal.
The music still envelops the scene.
INT. HOTEL ROOM – LATER
Kaya gets dressed.
A military uniform.Colonel's insignia.
Bird of Paradise patch.
Immaculate.
Slightly form-fitting.
Flattering the still-attractive curves of a woman in her fifties.
She applies a little makeup.
Precise, controlled movements.
An overexcited RADIO HOST fills the room:
RADIO HOST (V.O.)
What's up, sweethearts? We're seriously vibin'!
And to wrap up this hour of music from every corner of the universe...
here's a track from Manichawa's Cairo live show, July 2081!
Video's up on our MeFeed.
Thinking of you, Chawa!
Manichawa's voice fills the room.
Energetic.
Gentle at the same time.
Kaya gives the room one final inspection.
A commander's reflex.
Then closes the door behind her.
SCENE 7: EXT. HOTEL – THE HAGUE – MORNING
A sea of journalists waits outside.
Camera flashes.
Microphones.
Shouting.
JOURNALIST 1 (DE TELEGRAAF)
Colonel Keene!
How does it feel
to find yourself practically in the defendant's seat?
JOURNALIST 2 (hungarian accent)
Colonel Kaya!
Wherrre do you see yourrr carrreerr going frrrom herre?
JOURNALIST 3 (TIR NA NOG MAGAZINE)
How much responsibility
do you place on the Big Ten
for what happened?
Kaya keeps walking.
Impassive.
Protected by three imposing figures:
VALANDIR.
An elf in a black-and-red synthleather coat.
KIM.
A lanky ork in paramilitary gear.
TAK.
A troll street samurai.
Tuxedo.
Sunglasses.
Bulletproof vest.
They escort her to a luxurious black GMC Bulldog with tinted windows.
INT. GMC BULLDOG – CONTINUOUS
The van pulls away.
At the wheel:
a petite brunette human.
Athletic.
A long Lara Croft-style braid.
GENESYS DA SILVA.
Alias CATELUNA NAVAJO.
She looks perfectly still.
Relaxed.
But a cable runs from the back of her neck into the dashboard.
Data streams continuously across her smart glasses.
She drives with her mind.
EXT. STREETS OF THE HAGUE – CONTINUOUS
The van moves between two opposing crowds.
On the left:
ANTI-CORPORATE PROTESTERS Signs:
DOWN WITH CORPORATE DICTATORSHIP!
LONG LIVE P-VISHWA!
On the right:
ANTI-METAHUMAN PROTESTERS. Signs:
NO TO AWAKENED SUPREMACY!
CG-SAID: NEW TYRANTS SERVING THE ELVES!
The chants collide.
Camera flashes erupt.
The van keeps moving.
EXT. STREET – HIGH ANGLE – CONTINUOUS
The camera rises vertically above the crowd.
Higher.
Higher.
The van becomes a tiny black dot below. 🎵 MUSIC CUE: SILENCE SCENE 8: INT. CEIAOP HEARING ROOM – MORNING
Morning light pours through tall windows.
Tense silence.
A vast, richly decorated historic chamber.
Packed to capacity.
Journalists.
Government officials.
Camera crews.
Corporate representatives.
Curious members of the public.
Security teams.
Among the audience:
Genesys
Kim
Takand Valandir.
And scattered throughout the room... glimpses of faces we don't recognize yet.
People whose part in this story remains unknown for the moment.
The room is arranged much like an American courtroom.
Rich wood paneling.
On one side:
Kaya KEENE.
Sitting upright.
Immaculate uniform.
Expression unreadable.
She sits inside a wooden witness enclosure.
Opposite her:
Maria HOUSTRY.
Chair of the Commission.
Dark suit.
Beautiful red hair.
Thin-framed glasses.
She slowly removes them.
Looks up from her notes.
HOUSTRY
Commander Keene...
or perhaps Colonel...
(smiles, amused)Actually, how should we address you, Ms. Keene?
Kaya leans into the microphone.
Calm.
Confident.
KAYA
Either one.
"Commander" refers to my position
aboard the station.
"Colonel" is my rank
in the Big Board Space Flight Squadron.
Both are correct.
Houstry gives a slight nod.
Satisfied.
HOUSTRY
Very well, Commander Keene.
She slowly turns a page.
Letting the silence linger.
A few camera flashes crackle.
HOUSTRY
You confirm that Mitsuhama
and its subsidiaries
were the largest contributors
to the construction of Bird of Paradise.
Is that correct?
Disapproving murmurs ripple through the room.
KAYA
I don't see how that's relevant,
Madam Chair.
HOUSTRY
Please answer the question.
Nothing more.
To your knowledge,
was Mitsuhama, yes or no,the single largest contributor
to the orbital station,
Colonel Keene?
KAYA
Yes.
That's a matter of record.
HOUSTRY
Good.
Now, if you don't mind,
I'd like us to review the events
leading up to the final decision you made.
A slight flicker in Kaya's eyes.
She takes a deep breath.
KAYA
Sure, no problem.
Silence.
The camera slowly pushes toward her face.
A shadow crosses her eyes.
CUT. SCENE 9: EXT. DREKKIVIK STADIUM –
REJKYAVIK – NIGHT
A colossal
stadium sculpted like a sleeping dragon.
Its head forms the stage.
The sound booth sits inside its snout.
The snout itself reaches into the pit.
Its wings form the grandstands.
Its tail coils around the building.
Metallic scales around the entrance reflect the city lights.
A deep rumble.
The crowd roars.
Tens of thousands of spectators.
Holographic screens float in the freezing air.
Pulsing like the Northern Lights.
The sky is black.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Reykjavik...
The city where the course of the World history shifted.
But nobody knew it yet.
Not even me.
INT. STAGE – BACKSTAGE – NIGHT
The powerful
sound of a beating heart fills the stadium.
The CHAWA'S SEVEN take their places on the gigantic stage.
Blue and violet neon.
BOGO steps out.
Massive troll.
Tattooed.
Predatory grin.
He tests his drums:
BOOM — BOOM — BOOM BOOM.
The crowd erupts.
LOGGY follows.
Nervous.
Chubby.
Smiling.
A halfling surrounded by keyboards and synthesizers.
He adjusts a glowing pad.
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.
Another roar from the crowd.
ROURIK enters almost simultaneously.
Bass guitar in hand.
A dwarf with a medieval look.
Braided beard.
Electronic bass slung over his shoulder.
He tunes the strings with surgical precision.
Applause.
Cheers.
CUMBREN is already waiting farther back.
She adjusts her microphone.
Picks up her cello.
A lanky ork.
Black hair down to her waist.
She looks like Kim.
Only more ork.
Unattractive.
Reserved.
But her voice is crystal clear.
She murmurs a high note.
The stage vibrates.
Screams.
Roars of delight.
AMIOUZY bursts onto the stage at a run.
Slips on the strap of his keytar.
Winks at the crowd.
An Indian elf.
Guitarist.
Keyboardist.
Male vocalist.
He taps out heavily distorted notes on his synth-guitar.
High-pitched screams from girls and hysterical teenagers.
Finally...
NIKLAS.
His face fills the giant screens.
An elf.
Lead guitarist.
Backing vocalist.
Violinist.
Keyboardist.
He draws his bow across the strings.
A pure harmony.
Almost sacred.
Like a wash of synthesizers.
The entire stadium roars as one.
INT. MANICHAWA'S TRAILER – NIGHT
🎵(YT MUSIC) MUSIC CUE: Look at Us, ARCHIVE🎵 (SPOTIFY) Look at Us🎵 (DEEZER) Look at UsA spacious lounge
inside a round trailer.
Blue neon.
Cyberpunk costumes hang from racks.
Jewelry.
Water bottles.
A mirror covered in messages.
A clock reads: 20:58.
Out on stage, the Chawa's Seven begin the opening bars.
One by one...
each musician joins the melody.
The crowd is growing restless.
MANICHAWA sits
on a high stool.
Indian golden eyes.
Pale skin.
Pink-blonde hair.
A highly robotic cyberpunk outfit.
Her calves crossed.
Her legs swinging slowly back and forth above the floor.
A Tempo joint
between her fingers.
She takes one last drag.
Eyes half-closed.
MANICHAWA (softly, smiling)
Mmmmm...
Red Dress Tempo...
She laughs.
Her head spins a little.
Her body sways.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
I'm a global star.
A thousand voices.
A thousand faces.
She struggles to
her feet.
Reaches for her stage earpiece on the table behind her.
Her hand trembles as she fits it over her elven ear.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
I give myself away
through my songs and my smiles and...
She looks over
three or four costumes.
Perfectly arranged on a valet stand in the corner.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
...inside,
I'm shattered into a thousand pieces.
She stumbles out of the trailer.
Almost falls flat on her face.
EXT. BACKSTAGE – CONTINUOUS
GIACOMO is
waiting outside.
A cyborg with a distinctly Venetian look.
He falls into step beside her.
They move through the wings.
Enormous Wagnerian curtains.
Lights pulse to the rhythm of the musical introduction.
The stage
trembles.
The dragon-shaped stadium seems to breathe.
A three-dimensional virtual double of Manichawa sings across the giant screens.
For now, Cumbren is actually providing the female backing vocals.
Commlinks glow everywhere.
Thousands of people recording the moment.
Manichawa laughs again.
Bounces lightly as she warms up her voice.
Giacomo checks the fastening at the back of her costume.
Then pats her on the shoulder.
Lets her go on alone.
She picks up
the pace.
Still a little unsteady.
But in control.
She reaches the wings.
Stage left.
A technician hands her a wireless microphone.
The crowd chants her name.
CHAWA!
CHAWA!
CHAWA!
She joins the
song.
Her live vocals layer over her virtual double.
Her voice trembles at first.
A massive,
unanimous ovation.
EXT. STAGE – NIGHT
The spotlights
blaze to life.
Manichawa steps onto the stage.
Still singing.
She greets each musician in turn.
A gentle touch on a shoulder.
A hand through someone's hair.
Loggy gets a kiss.
She sways slightly.
But her smile is angelic.
Radiant.
Magnetic.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
They say voices can warm the soul.
It's true.
I have that power.
So why am I so cold now?
She places her
wireless microphone into the clip on its stand.
One hand on her stomach.
A shy sway of her hips.
The crowd falls silent.
Hypnotized.
Her voice...
modern,
feminine,
fragile...
floats above the stadium like a prayer.
She closes her eyes.
White light surrounds her.
The camera slowly rises above her.
🎵 MUSIC FADES UNTIL INAUDIBLE.
FADE TO BLACK.
Several seconds
of darkness.
A violent crack
of thunder.
CUT.
SCENE
10: INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – COMMANDER KEENE'S QUARTERS – NIGHT
An alarm sounds.
CLOSE ON Commander KEENE.
Asleep.
Tense.
Restless.
BUWIIIYT — BUWIIIYT — BUWIIIYT — BUWIIIYT
— BUWIIIYT...
Kaya's eyes snap open.
The same nightmare.
Always the same.
She lies still for a few seconds.
Breathing hard.
Eyes fixed on the curved ceiling of her orbital suite.
The clock projects the time above her: 02:33.
The ambient lighting shifts from
midnight blue to soft white.
An automated system has detected that she's awake.
Kaya gets up.
Bare feet on the warm floor.
CUT
INT. BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS
Round.
Minimalist.
Almost Zen.
The alarm is still sounding.
No shower this time.
Kaya turns on the faucet.
A thin, perfectly calibrated stream of water.
She leans over the sink.
Splashes water onto her face.
Again. And again.
As if trying to wash something away.
She grabs a bottle of mouthwash.
Takes a sip.
A slight grimace.
Spits it out.
She looks at herself in the mirror.
Tired eyes.
Her face bears the marks of too little sleep...
and too much emotional baggage.
She exhales.
Closes her eyes for a second.
Dries her face with a towel.
A low, unfamiliar rumble runs through the station.
The towel suddenly rises from her hands.
As if by magic.
Like a ghost.
Then abruptly drops back onto her cheeks.
Kaya stares.
What the hell?
She tosses the towel into the sink.
Rushes out of the bathroom.
CUT
The towel levitates again.
More faintly this time.
Hovering just above the sink.
CUT.
INT. BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS
Kaya quickly presses her right hand
against a wall sensor.
KAYA
Commander Keene operational.
An electronic click.
The alarm stops.
She throws on her uniform.
Fast.
Precise.
Mechanical.
Military.
Zipper.
Collar adjusted.
Velcro insignia.
Holster.
A perfectly polished Ares Lightbird. She
loads it.
Connected boots.
Suddenly...
Kaya lifts off the floor.
For a few seconds, she floats.
Then drops heavily back down.
Caught completely off guard.
She hits a control on her boots.
A magnetic CLICK.
She grabs her commlink.
Straps it to her left forearm.
Scrolls.
Launches an app.
RECORD.
BACKGROUND MODE.
Then she heads for the door.
Heavy footsteps.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Commander Keene activates
her commlink redundancy app
at around two forty.
CUT
INT. SUITE CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS
The door slides open automatically.
A soft rush of air.
Brighter light outside.
Kaya steps into the corridor.
The door closes behind her.
The camera lingers on it for a moment.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
She doesn't know it yet...
but today,
the world is about to change forever.
INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – CORRIDORS –
CONTINUOUS
Kaya moves quickly.
Curved walls reflect her uniform.
Service drones glide silently through the corridors.
Picking up objects that sometimes float...
then suddenly drop.
Another faint tremor runs through the station.
Barely perceptible.
Kaya Keene stops at a wide doorway.
Two large sliding panels.
SCENE 11:
INT. NAVIGATION BRIDGE — ORBITAL SPACE
Seen from the other side of the door as it slides
open,
revealing the Commander, determined and professional.
KAYA KEENE
Commander on the bridge!
MANICHAWA
(V.O.)
It is 2:45 a.m. when the Commander joins
Genesys, a.k.a. Cateluna NAVAJO.
KAYA KEENE
Status report, Ms. Navajo.
GENESYS
Yes, ma’am.
Well... I don’t really understand what’s going on,
Commander.
It’s a mess.
For starters, we’ve got two officers we can’t wake up.
She points to two fellow officers, fast asleep.
Kaya KEENE walks over and shakes them,
giving each a few light slaps across the face.
Nothing.
GENESYS
There are some weird disruptions in the data streams.
Visual glitches...
Some of the controls are locked out...
There’s a critical imbalance
between the left and right engines clusters...
The station has entered precession,
and it’s accelerating...
...the hull is starting to ionize...
...and we’re getting gravity failures
on every deck from N2 through N8...
The Commander taps rapidly at her control panel.
Calmly:
KAYA KEENE
Channel Seven. Commander to all reserve crew.
This is an absolute emergency.
Report to the bridge immediately.
I repeat:
all reserve officers are required on the bridge immediately.
GENESYS
Oh, and there’s also a...
a depressurization alarm
in one of the corporate suites,
but the pressure bulkheads held.
The rest of Deck N5 is nominal.
The Commander steps closer to Genesys’s control screen and gives it a
cursory glance.
Through the bridge’s vast panoramic windows,
the Earth can gradually be seen rotating faster and faster.
A young officer rushes in.
Cap crooked, shirt partly untucked,
belt improperly fastened.
ARTHUR
PESQUET
Lieutenant Pesquet reporting, Commander!
KAYA KEENE
Pesquet, my boy.
Get yourself properly dressed,
turn around,
and double-time it over there
and wake up OKONKWO and VEGA.
You have five minutes.
Pesquet straightens his belt and hurriedly fixes his
shirt and cap, stammering:
ARTHUR
PESQUET
Loud and clear!
Yes, sir— uh, ma’am—
Commander, ma’am!
He runs off.
The Commander walks over to the sleeping navigation
officers and shakes them, calling out to them.
No response.
Slowly, she draws her gun.
Using the immaculate chrome tip of the barrel, she
carefully holds it beneath their nostrils.
A faint mist forms on the metal.
They’re breathing.
KAYA (to herself)
What the fuck...
She holsters her pistol and returns to Genesys’s
station, where Genesys is frantically trying to activate the controls.
GENESYS
See, Commander?
Almost everything’s flashing red.
I can’t even access the backup systems.
Everything’s locked out.
KAYA KEENE
Do we have access to the engine cluster controls?
GENESYS
Yeah. I had them on-screen a minute ago.
Hold on.
She scrolls across a touchscreen console.
GENESYS
There, Commander.
KAYA KEENE
Mm-hmm...
Left cluster is at thirty-three percent...
and right is at zero.
Zero?
No...
Are you sure these are live readings?
GENESYS
I think so, yes.
Unless somebody hacked our systems.
But the station’s behavior matches the data, ma’am.
KAYA KEENE
All right.
Bring the left engine cluster down from thirty-three to five percent.
GENESYS
Already tried, ma’am.
The controls come up,
but they won’t respond.
KAYA KEENE
(into a small microphone mounted on the console)
Omega-class priority.
Kaya Keene.
S — I — L — four — five — K — E — E — three — six —
ampersand.
She takes over the controls from Genesys.
Nothing happens.
KAYA KEENE
Fuck.
GENESYS
Do you know any way to bring the right engine cluster back online, Commander?
KAYA KEENE
No.
Well... yes.
Assuming we can restore electronic control
and external communications.
Any engine cluster that drops to zero
has to be preheated before it can be restarted,
using auxiliary chemical thrusters.
But they burn through a shitload of fuel.
And since this is never supposed to happen,
procedure calls for the fuel tanks to be sent up from the ground.
From Japan.
That way we don’t unnecessarily overload the station
or increase the risk of an explosion.
So, yes, there is a solution.
But right now, it’s in Hokkaido.
GENESYS
And what’s the absolute minimum time for the whole process?
Not that I’m worried, ma’am,
but the Earth is getting bigger in the windows...
KAYA KEENE
Seventy-two hours.
Best-case scenario.
And I’m well aware
we have a hell of a lot less than that.
That explains the gravity failures, anyway.
The station is rotating around the wrong axis.
Where the fuck are James and Suliman?
She activates her commlink.
KAYA KEENE
Pesquet, for God’s sake, did you find them?
ARTHUR PESQUET
(over commlink)
Yes, Commander.
Colonel VEGA is getting dressed. He’s on his way.
I’m sitting
on Commander OKONKWO’s bed right now...
His partner
just went to get some water.
I can’t wake
him up.
He’s out cold.
KAYA KEENE
Oh, shit. Shake him, Pesquet!
We’ve got a triple system failure up here!
Slap him, throw three bowls of cold water over him,
I don’t care — just figure it out, my boy.
And fast!
A display reads 2:55 A.M.
CUT.
INT. KIM'S
CABIN – NIGHT
The cabin is
empty.
We recognize
the spot where Kim was sitting earlier in the episode.
Her
cyberdeck.
Her sniper
rifle.
Both drift
lazily through the room. CUT.
INT.
PLATINUM-CLASS BAR – NIGHT
The
luxurious contemporary bar is deserted.
Gravity
failures are frequent on this level.
The damage
is extensive.
Dozens of
maintenance drones scramble in every direction.
They can
barely keep up.
CUT.
INT.
TECHNICAL PASSAGEWAY – NIGHT
Valandir and
Kim run through a narrow, rounded service passageway, following a
phosphorescent strip along the floor.
GUNSHOT.
Kim spins
around.
Opens fire
with an automatic weapon concealed inside her left forearm.
A burst of
return fire.
Valandir and
Kim dive for cover against the curved walls.
Suddenly...
they lift
off the floor.
Floating
helplessly in the passageway.
Valandir
brings his hands together.
A ball of
fire begins to form between them.
CUT.
INT.
SECURITY CONTROL ROOM – BIRD OF PARADISE – NIGHT
TAK.
The cybered
troll in shipboard police uniform.
Bird of
Paradise patch on his chest.
His legs
float above him in zero-G.
He grips the
desk with both hands to keep himself in place.
An alarm
sounds.
Regular.
Relentless.
Unnerving.
The displays
read:
03:00 A.M.
On the main
security screen:
Several
surveillance cameras show the same luxury hotel suite from different angles.
Rotating
orange beacons.
Red
emergency lighting.
A hole has
been blown through the panoramic window.
Various
objects drift in the vacuum beyond.
Gold
teaspoons.
A red
cushion bearing the emblem of a black dragon.
MANICHAWA
(V.O.)
At the same
time, at three in the morning,
the Commander confirmed a depressurization alarm
from one of the suites reserved for Big Board members.
The
automatic pressure bulkheads
had apparently deployed as designed.She couldn't see what Tak could see
from his
security station.
And Kaya
Keene had more immediate problems to deal with...
so she
didn't look any further.DISSOLVE TO:
SCENE 12: INT. CEIAOP HEARING ROOM – MORNING
Silence.
The rustle of files echoes through the white chamber.
Commission Chair Maria HOUSTRY checks a note.
Looks up.
HOUSTRY
Let's turn to the depressurization incident.
Before her sits AURELIUS "SILVERMOON" TARRAF.
A tiny genetic oddity somewhere between a hobbit and a goblin.
Of Indian descent.
Very thin.
Lean, wiry body.
Still-handsome white hair.
Sharply pointed ears.
Flashy suit.
Rings and bracelets.
Thin-framed glasses.
Mischievous blue eyes.
Completely relaxed.
He speaks calmly.
SILVERMOON
First of all, we have Commander Keene's commlink backup recordings.
Ever the professional,
she built redundancy into every procedure.
He rests a hand on a slightly scratched commlink.
SILVERMOON
That allows us to reconstruct the timeline
with considerable precision,
at least from 2:40 onward...
even without the bridge command logs.
HOUSTRY
Indeed.
But with your permission, Counselor Tarraf,
I'd like to fast-forward a little.
She reads:
HOUSTRY
"At approximately 3:25 a.m.,
several passengers in the N2G deck module
clearly saw the distinctive red light
of a depressurization alarm
through the damaged panoramic window
of one of the suites on Deck N5."
She looks up at Kaya.
HOUSTRY
So, Commander Keene,
the question is a simple one.
Which suite was it?
Kaya lowers her head.
Murmurs throughout the chamber.
She remains silent.
Staring into space.
HOUSTRY
Since that question appears to make you uncomfortable...
let's move on to something more technical.
Please give us a detailed description
of the armored windows
used in the corporate panoramic suites.
KAYA
They're standard five-layer panoramic windows,
built to current specifications.
Each layer uses a different glass composition.
Together, they're engineered
to meet several requirements:
minimize torsion,
withstand penetration
and impacts of every kind,
meet fire-resistance
and corrosion-resistance standards,
provide the required optical properties,
and accommodate integrated technologies.
The glass itself is manufactured in France,
in nuclear-fusion furnaces,
by a Saeder-Krupp subsidiary.
Bonding and resistance testing
were then carried out in a clean room
at the Tokyo assembly plant.
It's the highest quality-assurance certification
in the world for this type of glazing.
HOUSTRY
You mean the Mitsuhama assembly plant
in Tokyo, Commander?
KAYA
Yes.
HOUSTRY
Counselor Tarraf...
please give us your conclusions
regarding the AAA corporation
to which the suite with the irreparably damaged window
had been assigned.
SILVERMOON
By cross-referencing the bridge monitoring data
with the General Secretariat records...
we now know that it was...
the Mitsuhama suite.
A murmur ripples through the chamber.
HOUSTRY
Then where did the hole
in this supposedly indestructible window come from?
And why was Mitsuhama's suite
the one that depressurized?
Silence.
Camera shutters crackle.
SILVERMOON
We don't know.
The noise in the chamber grows.
The camera slowly pushes in on Valandir.
Impassive.
Opaque sunglasses. CUT.
SCENE 13: INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – NAVIGATION BRIDGE – NIGHT
Silence.
Cool blue light.
Earth turns slowly beyond the panoramic windows.
CLOSE ON the bridge's main clock.
02:30 A.M.
The camera pulls back.
Snoring.
Navigation officers asleep at their consoles.
Slumped over their stations.
Empty coffee cups beside their faces.
CUT
CLOSE ON a woman's hand.
A tiny vial lies tipped over between her fingers.
One final drop of translucent liquid falls.
Her fingers release it.
CUT
The vial drops into a waste bin.
The camera tilts up.
GENESYS.
Navigation officer's uniform.
Her usual long braid.
Captain's Velcro rank tab on her chest.
Her face is calm.
Too calm.
She checks the touchscreens at her engine station.
Everything is GREEN.
No alerts.
GENESYS (softly singing)
Ground control to Major Tom...
She smiles.
Tiny.
Almost tender.
Genesys continues absent-mindedly humming Space Oddity.
Touches her earpiece.
GENESYS (quietly)
Kim, are we good?
Did you disable the communication recordings
and the command logs?
A breath.
Then a distant female voice.
KIM (over earpiece)
With Chawa's help, yes.
All good on my end, Genesys.
Genesys takes a deep breath.
Closes her eyes for a second.
Touches her earpiece again.
GENESYS
Team...
you copy?
Tak?
Valandir?
Everything OK?
TAK / VALANDIR (over earpiece, together)
Yeah, miss. / Yes, beautiful!
GENESYS
Then let's do it...
She presses a control on the touchscreen.
CUT
FROM ABOVE:
The tiny vial at the bottom of the waste bin.
The camera slowly pulls back.
Revealing...
Genesys working at her control panel.
Displays beginning to flash ORANGE.
The sleeping officers. 🎵 MUSIC RISES: (YT MUSIC) Look at us
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
And that is how,
on January 22nd, 2082...
everything changed.
Not with a bang.
But with a drop.
A drop of freedom.
The camera continues pulling back.
The entire bridge behind its panoramic glass.
Earth reflected across it.
Turning very slowly.
Beyond...
the immensity of space.
A deep rumble from the right engine cluster.
CUT TO BLACK.
END CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE CHAWA'S SEVEN TOUR,
INTERCUT WITH BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRODUCTION STILLS.
MANICHAWA: Tripti Dimri
Kaya KEENE: Itziar Ituño
Genesys DA SILVA : Ursula Corbero
Valandir BRULESONGE: Pierre Niney
Takeshi KATAKUENDO a.k.a "Tak": Pio Marmaï
Kim SAVAGE: Anya Chalotra
Eleanor WHITAKER: Anya Taylor-Joy
Maria HOUSTRY: Caroline Proust 
Toshiro MITSUHAMA: Kenji Oba
Daichi SATO-Kai: Fumiya Takahashi
Aurelius "Silvermoon" TARRAF: Peter Dinklage
Arthur PESQUET: Joe Alwyn
Giacomo: Michaël Sheene
Amiouzy DAVIAR: Théodore Pellerin
Niklas: Itzan Escamilla
Bogo: Christopher Hivju
Loggy: Michael Cera
Rourik: Julien de Saint-Jean
Cumbren: Hunter Schaffer
Next episode: Ep.102: CRUX
SCENE 1: INT. TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM – NIGHT
No score. No ambience. No sound at all...
...until Manichawa begins to speak.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
They say the world awakened twice.
The first time...
when the dragons opened their eyes.
The second...
when Humanity accepted that it had become...
...Metahumanity.
The camera glides toward the Great Wave.
Still no music.
The deep blue pigments seem alive.
The white foam pulses like a heartbeat.
The camera glides through the armored glass.
It literally travels through the wave before approaching Mount Fuji in the background of the print.
Blue gradually fades into darkness.
SCENE 2: EXT. TOKYO – NIGHT – CONTINUOUS
The camera emerges through the mountain depicted in the print.
Still no music.
Only the distant sounds of a living megacity:
sirens,
car horns,
the roar of motorcycles...
Tokyo stretches endlessly below—
brilliant,
restless,
alive.
Far beyond the city rises a dark silhouette:
The real Mount Fuji.
Sulfurous vapors drift around its slopes,
their yellow glow stained by the city's lights.
The camera races toward the volcano.
A deep rumble grows louder.
The ground vibrates.
A crimson glow.
Molten lava pulses like a glowing heart.
Still no music.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
It all began here.
On December 25th, 2011.
The day Mount Fuji erupted...
and a dragon emerged from the sky.
A silent explosion.
Only the delicate chime of ancient magic.
A geyser of light.
Within that light...
...an immense, elegant, serpentine figure.
RYŪGU, the Dragon, emerges from the volcanic plume.
The eruption rumbles beneath him.
Above it, the slow, powerful sound of his majestic wings fills the air.
His body is massive,
black edged with white.
The camera follows Ryūgu as he climbs into the night sky.
The dragon rises gracefully, gliding in smooth, serpentine motions.
He lets out a silent roar.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Ryūgu.
The first magical creature of the Sixth World.
The first sign of a new age...
Soon afterward,
volcanoes all over the world began to awaken.
LONG DISSOLVE TO BLACK.
SCENE 3: INT. SWAN VILLA AUDITORIUM – DAY
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Then came strange pandemics.
Elves.
Goblins.
Then orcs and trolls Awakened in turn.
Manichawa appears at her piano, quietly arranging Forest Murmurs.
She plays a few thoughtful measures.
Then she stops.
Her fingers leave the keys.
She slowly turns toward the camera.
An elven princess in every sense..
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
My name is Manichawa.
I'm of Indian descent,
born to elven parents.
She offers a captivating smile.
SCENE 4: EXT. OUTER SPACE – NIGHT
Until now, the camera has followed Ryūgu.
Now it overtakes him.
The sky becomes completely black.
Constellations appear one after another.
THE SWAN
A graceful white swan stretches across the heavens.
No connecting lines.
The stars themselves naturally reveal its shape.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
I do serve the Swan.
The constellation my father's company purchased
for 500,000 nuyen
when I was a teenager.
Back then,
it was still affordable.
CORONA BOREALIS
A delicate circlet of stars slowly materializes.
Almost shy.
a small start-up called Stars Ocean,
which quickly became a subsidiary of
came up with an unusual idea:
selling exclusive rights
to the names, symbols,
CUT TO:
INT. STARS OCEAN HEADQUARTERS – DAY
A luxurious executive office bathed in sunlight.
The company logo,
stars drifting through a spiral galaxy,
dominates one wall.
A smiling businessman,
impeccably dressed,
hands a contract to a woman seen from behind.
Long brown hair.
Slim.
Graceful.
Younger than her years.
It is Eleanor Whitaker.
She wears a tailored business suit,
nylon stockings,
and high heels.
She slides a platinum credstick across the desk.
Reflected on the screen of her commlink,
her bright red lips are visible.
Displayed balance: "3,250,000 nuyen"
EXT. OUTER SPACE – CONTINUOUS
THE RULER
A perfectly straight line of stars appears.
Simple.
Sharp.
Almost aggressive.
Across the screen: "1,000,000 nuyen"
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
The Ruler.
Apparently,
someone owns it.
Whoever they are,
they've left traces in the Matrix.
My father wants me to investigate.
We've got a lead in Egypt.
Something dangerous.
I'll need a very capable escort.
DRACO
A powerful serpentine constellation slowly appears among the stars.
It seems almost alive.
A subtle vibration runs through its body.
Across the screen: "11,250,000 nuyen"
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Draco.
The most powerful megacorporation on Earth,
MITSUHAMA [triple A],
bought it without a second thought.
Officially,
they say it's a tribute to ancient legends.
But everyone knows...
it's a warning.
- APUS
A vibrant constellation.
Multicolored.
Unlike the others, its brightest stars are connected by faint dotted lines.
TITLE CARD
APUS
A staggering figure flashes across a translucent credstick superimposed on the image:"7.5 TRILLION nuyen".
The camera leaves the constellations.
It dives toward a tiny point of light orbiting Earth.
The object grows larger.
A colossal orbital structure.
Shaped like a white-tailed tropicbird.
Its wings sweep outward like giant boomerangs.
SCENE 5: EXT. BIRD OF PARADISE ORBITAL STATION – SPACE
Day and night divide the Earth below.
The Bird of Paradise. A luxury orbital resort.
The camera glides along the outer hull.
TRAVELLING
Inside the transparent sections...
INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – HOTEL SUITES – CONTINUOUS
The camera slips through the walls like a ghost.
A luxurious suite decorated with the Dragon emblem.
They speak in low, serious voices.
The camera continues past...
An empty conference room.
Ten black chairs.
Valandir.
MUSIC FADES OUT
Mira sighs.
Taps the touchscreen.
Mira freezes.
The camera continues toward the station's head.
Name patch: Cateluna NAVAJO.
and enters a bedroom.
Understated.
Elegant.
Immaculately tidy.
A T-shirt leaves her shoulders bare.
Her breathing is quick.
She's dreaming.
And while the world keeps turning despite the fear...
some of us have nightmares.
A vibration.
A red light flashes.
CLOSE ON Kaya's eyes, restless beneath closed lids.
Her face tense.
Kaya Keene's eyes snap open.
A nightmare.
One of those that keeps coming back.
The kind that clings to you.
She whispers, barely audible:
Silthrim...
my angel...
I love you...
But we're not.
No curves.
Old European architecture.
Nothing orbital about it.
Kaya sits up.
A long exhale.
She slips into a gray robe and gets to her feet.
Crosses to a small mahogany writing desk.
A white envelope is waiting for her.
She opens it.
Inside:
an official digital smart-card credential bearing her photograph.
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY
BIRD OF PARADISE CASE
(CEIAOP)
HALL OF HONOR
JULY 17–18, 2082
THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL
HEARINGS AT 9:00 A.M. AND 1:30 P.M.
Places her commlink on top of it.
A precise military gesture.
Almost a ritual.
INT. BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS
Cold light.
Almost clinical.
Kaya's bare feet hesitate for a moment.
Then she steps inside.
The showerhead releases a fine mist of water.
A slow, sensual, melancholy montage:
- Water running down her calves
- Her hands working the soap
- Her distant gaze
- A flicker of joy
- A flicker of sadness
- Her hand gently rubbing her stomach
- A body that has suffered
- Water streaming over her shoulders
- The shower shuts off
- A towel through her short hair
- Her toned buttocks
- Her breathing slowly returning to normal.
INT. HOTEL ROOM – LATER
A military uniform.
Bird of Paradise patch.
Immaculate.
Slightly form-fitting.
Flattering the still-attractive curves
She applies a little makeup.
Precise, controlled movements.
An overexcited RADIO HOST fills the room:
What's up, sweethearts?
And to wrap up this hour of music
here's a track from Manichawa's
Video's up on our MeFeed.
Thinking of you, Chawa!
Energetic.
Gentle at the same time.
Kaya gives the room one final inspection.
A commander's reflex.
Then closes the door behind her.
SCENE 7: EXT. HOTEL – THE HAGUE – MORNING
Camera flashes.
Microphones.
Shouting.
Colonel Keene!
How does it feel
to find yourself practically in the defendant's seat?
JOURNALIST 2 (hungarian accent)
Colonel Kaya!
Wherrre do you see yourrr carrreerr going frrrom herre?
JOURNALIST 3 (TIR NA NOG MAGAZINE)
How much responsibility
do you place on the Big Ten
for what happened?
Impassive.
Protected by three imposing figures:
VALANDIR.
An elf in a black-and-red synthleather coat.
KIM.
A lanky ork in paramilitary gear.
TAK.
A troll street samurai.
Tuxedo.
Sunglasses.
Bulletproof vest.
INT. GMC BULLDOG – CONTINUOUS
The van pulls away.
At the wheel:
a petite brunette human.
Athletic.
A long Lara Croft-style braid.
GENESYS DA SILVA.
Alias CATELUNA NAVAJO.
Relaxed.
But a cable runs from the back of her neck into the dashboard.
Data streams continuously across her smart glasses.
She drives with her mind.
EXT. STREETS OF THE HAGUE – CONTINUOUS
The van moves between two opposing crowds.
LONG LIVE P-VISHWA!
Camera flashes erupt.
The van keeps moving.
EXT. STREET – HIGH ANGLE – CONTINUOUS
The camera rises vertically above the crowd.
Higher.
Higher.
The van becomes a tiny black dot below.
Morning light pours through tall windows.
Tense silence.
A vast, richly decorated historic chamber.
Packed to capacity.
Journalists.
Government officials.
Camera crews.
Corporate representatives.
Curious members of the public.
Security teams.
Genesys
Kim
Tak
And scattered throughout the room...
People whose part in this story
The room is arranged much like an American courtroom.
Rich wood paneling.
Kaya KEENE.
Sitting upright.
Immaculate uniform.
Expression unreadable.
She sits inside a wooden witness enclosure.
Maria HOUSTRY.
Chair of the Commission.
Dark suit.
Beautiful red hair.
Thin-framed glasses.
She slowly removes them.
Looks up from her notes.
Commander Keene...
or perhaps Colonel...
(smiles, amused)
Calm.
Confident.
Either one.
"Commander" refers to my position
aboard the station.
"Colonel" is my rank
in the Big Board Space Flight Squadron.
Both are correct.
Satisfied.
Very well, Commander Keene.
Letting the silence linger.
A few camera flashes crackle.
You confirm that Mitsuhama
and its subsidiaries
were the largest contributors
to the construction of Bird of Paradise.
Is that correct?
I don't see how that's relevant,
Madam Chair.
HOUSTRY
Please answer the question.
Nothing more.
To your knowledge,
was Mitsuhama,
to the orbital station,
Colonel Keene?
KAYA
Yes.
That's a matter of record.
Good.
Now, if you don't mind,
I'd like us to review the events
leading up to the final decision you made.
She takes a deep breath.
Sure, no problem.
The camera slowly pushes toward her face.
A shadow crosses her eyes.
SCENE 9: EXT. DREKKIVIK STADIUM –
REJKYAVIK – NIGHT
A colossal
stadium sculpted like a sleeping dragon.
Its head forms the stage.
The sound booth sits inside its snout.
The snout itself reaches into the pit.
Its wings form the grandstands.
Its tail coils around the building.
Metallic scales around the entrance reflect the city lights.
A deep rumble.
The crowd roars.
Tens of thousands of spectators.
Holographic screens float in the freezing air.
Pulsing like the Northern Lights.
The sky is black.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Reykjavik...
The city where the course of the World history shifted.
But nobody knew it yet.
Not even me.
INT. STAGE – BACKSTAGE – NIGHT
The CHAWA'S SEVEN take their places on the gigantic stage.
Blue and violet neon.
BOGO steps out.
Massive troll.
Tattooed.
Predatory grin.
He tests his drums:
BOOM — BOOM — BOOM BOOM.
Nervous.
Chubby.
Smiling.
A halfling surrounded by keyboards and synthesizers.
He adjusts a glowing pad.
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.
Another roar from the crowd.
ROURIK enters almost simultaneously.
Bass guitar in hand.
A dwarf with a medieval look.
Braided beard.
Electronic bass slung over his shoulder.
He tunes the strings with surgical precision.
Applause.
Cheers.
CUMBREN is already waiting farther back.
She adjusts her microphone.
Picks up her cello.
A lanky ork.
Black hair down to her waist.
She looks like Kim.
Only more ork.
Unattractive.
Reserved.
But her voice is crystal clear.
She murmurs a high note.
The stage vibrates.
Screams.
Roars of delight.
AMIOUZY bursts onto the stage at a run.
Slips on the strap of his keytar.
Winks at the crowd.
An Indian elf.
Guitarist.
Keyboardist.
Male vocalist.
He taps out heavily distorted notes on his synth-guitar.
High-pitched screams from girls and hysterical teenagers.
Finally...
NIKLAS.
His face fills the giant screens.
An elf.
Lead guitarist.
Backing vocalist.
Violinist.
Keyboardist.
He draws his bow across the strings.
A pure harmony.
Almost sacred.
Like a wash of synthesizers.
The entire stadium roars as one.
INT. MANICHAWA'S TRAILER – NIGHT
A spacious lounge
inside a round trailer.
Blue neon.
Cyberpunk costumes hang from racks.
Jewelry.
Water bottles.
A mirror covered in messages.
A clock reads: 20:58.
Out on stage, the Chawa's Seven begin the opening bars.
One by one...
each musician joins the melody.
The crowd is growing restless.
MANICHAWA sits
on a high stool.
Indian golden eyes.
Pale skin.
Pink-blonde hair.
A highly robotic cyberpunk outfit.
Her calves crossed.
Her legs swinging slowly back and forth above the floor.
A Tempo joint
between her fingers.
She takes one last drag.
Eyes half-closed.
MANICHAWA (softly, smiling)
Mmmmm...
Red Dress Tempo...
She laughs.
Her head spins a little.
Her body sways.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
I'm a global star.
A thousand voices.
A thousand faces.
She struggles to
her feet.
Reaches for her stage earpiece on the table behind her.
Her hand trembles as she fits it over her elven ear.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
I give myself away
through my songs and my smiles and...
She looks over
three or four costumes.
Perfectly arranged on a valet stand in the corner.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
...inside,
I'm shattered into a thousand pieces.
She stumbles out of the trailer.
Almost falls flat on her face.
EXT. BACKSTAGE – CONTINUOUS
GIACOMO is
waiting outside.
A cyborg with a distinctly Venetian look.
He falls into step beside her.
They move through the wings.
Enormous Wagnerian curtains.
Lights pulse to the rhythm of the musical introduction.
The stage
trembles.
The dragon-shaped stadium seems to breathe.
A three-dimensional virtual double of Manichawa sings across the giant screens.
For now, Cumbren is actually providing the female backing vocals.
Commlinks glow everywhere.
Thousands of people recording the moment.
Manichawa laughs again.
Bounces lightly as she warms up her voice.
Giacomo checks the fastening at the back of her costume.
Then pats her on the shoulder.
Lets her go on alone.
She picks up
the pace.
Still a little unsteady.
But in control.
She reaches the wings.
Stage left.
A technician hands her a wireless microphone.
The crowd chants her name.
CHAWA!
CHAWA!
CHAWA!
She joins the
song.
Her live vocals layer over her virtual double.
Her voice trembles at first.
A massive, unanimous ovation.
EXT. STAGE – NIGHT
The spotlights
blaze to life.
Manichawa steps onto the stage.
Still singing.
She greets each musician in turn.
A gentle touch on a shoulder.
A hand through someone's hair.
Loggy gets a kiss.
She sways slightly.
But her smile is angelic.
Radiant.
Magnetic.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
They say voices can warm the soul.
It's true.
I have that power.
So why am I so cold now?
She places her
wireless microphone into the clip on its stand.
One hand on her stomach.
A shy sway of her hips.
The crowd falls silent.
Hypnotized.
Her voice...
modern,
feminine,
fragile...
floats above the stadium like a prayer.
She closes her eyes.
White light surrounds her.
The camera slowly rises above her.
🎵 MUSIC FADES UNTIL INAUDIBLE.
FADE TO BLACK.
Several seconds of darkness.
A violent crack of thunder.
CUT.
SCENE
10: INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – COMMANDER KEENE'S QUARTERS – NIGHT
An alarm sounds.
CLOSE ON Commander KEENE.
Asleep.
Tense.
Restless.
BUWIIIYT — BUWIIIYT — BUWIIIYT — BUWIIIYT
— BUWIIIYT...
Kaya's eyes snap open.
The same nightmare.
Always the same.
She lies still for a few seconds.
Breathing hard.
Eyes fixed on the curved ceiling of her orbital suite.
The clock projects the time above her: 02:33.
The ambient lighting shifts from
midnight blue to soft white.
An automated system has detected that she's awake.
Kaya gets up.
Bare feet on the warm floor.
CUT
INT. BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS
Round.
Minimalist.
Almost Zen.
The alarm is still sounding.
No shower this time.
Kaya turns on the faucet.
A thin, perfectly calibrated stream of water.
She leans over the sink.
Splashes water onto her face.
Again. And again.
As if trying to wash something away.
She grabs a bottle of mouthwash.
Takes a sip.
A slight grimace.
Spits it out.
She looks at herself in the mirror.
Tired eyes.
Her face bears the marks of too little sleep...
and too much emotional baggage.
She exhales.
Closes her eyes for a second.
Dries her face with a towel.
A low, unfamiliar rumble runs through the station.
The towel suddenly rises from her hands.
As if by magic.
Like a ghost.
Then abruptly drops back onto her cheeks.
Kaya stares.
What the hell?
She tosses the towel into the sink.
Rushes out of the bathroom.
CUT
The towel levitates again.
More faintly this time.
Hovering just above the sink.
CUT.
INT. BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS
Kaya quickly presses her right hand against a wall sensor.
KAYA
Commander Keene operational.
An electronic click.
The alarm stops.
She throws on her uniform.
Fast.
Precise.
Mechanical.
Military.
Zipper.
Collar adjusted.
Velcro insignia.
Holster.
A perfectly polished Ares Lightbird. She
loads it.
Connected boots.
Suddenly...
Kaya lifts off the floor.
For a few seconds, she floats.
Then drops heavily back down.
Caught completely off guard.
She hits a control on her boots.
A magnetic CLICK.
She grabs her commlink.
Straps it to her left forearm.
Scrolls.
Launches an app.
RECORD.
BACKGROUND MODE.
Then she heads for the door.
Heavy footsteps.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
Commander Keene activates
her commlink redundancy app
at around two forty.
CUT
INT. SUITE CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS
The door slides open automatically.
A soft rush of air.
Brighter light outside.
Kaya steps into the corridor.
The door closes behind her.
The camera lingers on it for a moment.
MANICHAWA (V.O.)
She doesn't know it yet...
but today,
the world is about to change forever.
INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – CORRIDORS –
CONTINUOUS
Kaya moves quickly.
Curved walls reflect her uniform.
Service drones glide silently through the corridors.
Picking up objects that sometimes float...
then suddenly drop.
Another faint tremor runs through the station.
Barely perceptible.
Kaya Keene stops at a wide doorway.
Two large sliding panels.
SCENE 11: INT. NAVIGATION BRIDGE — ORBITAL SPACE
KAYA KEENE
Commander on the bridge!
KAYA KEENE
Status report, Ms. Navajo.
GENESYS
She points to two fellow officers, fast asleep.
GENESYS
between the left and right engines clusters...
and it’s accelerating...
on every deck from N2 through N8...
The Commander taps rapidly at her control panel.
Calmly:
KAYA KEENE
This is an absolute emergency.
all reserve officers are required on the bridge immediately.
GENESYS
in one of the corporate suites,
The Commander steps closer to Genesys’s control screen and gives it a cursory glance.
belt improperly fastened.
ARTHUR
PESQUET
Lieutenant Pesquet reporting, Commander!
KAYA KEENE
turn around,
and double-time it over there
and wake up OKONKWO and VEGA.
Pesquet straightens his belt and hurriedly fixes his shirt and cap, stammering:
Commander, ma’am!
He runs off.
The Commander walks over to the sleeping navigation officers and shakes them, calling out to them.
No response.
Slowly, she draws her gun.
Using the immaculate chrome tip of the barrel, she carefully holds it beneath their nostrils.
A faint mist forms on the metal.
They’re breathing.
KAYA (to herself)
What the fuck...
She holsters her pistol and returns to Genesys’s station, where Genesys is frantically trying to activate the controls.
See, Commander?
Almost everything’s flashing red.
KAYA KEENE
Do we have access to the engine cluster controls?
GENESYS
She scrolls across a touchscreen console.
GENESYS
There, Commander.
KAYA KEENE
I think so, yes.
KAYA KEENE
Already tried, ma’am.
but they won’t respond.
KAYA KEENE
(into a small microphone mounted on the console)
She takes over the controls from Genesys.
Nothing happens.
KAYA KEENE
Fuck.
GENESYS
Do you know any way to bring the right engine cluster back online, Commander?
KAYA KEENE
and external communications.
has to be preheated before it can be restarted,
using auxiliary chemical thrusters.
procedure calls for the fuel tanks to be sent up from the ground.
or increase the risk of an explosion.
KAYA KEENE
we have a hell of a lot less than that.
She activates her commlink.
KAYA KEENE
Pesquet, for God’s sake, did you find them?
Yes, Commander.
Colonel VEGA is getting dressed. He’s on his way.
He’s out cold.
Oh, shit. Shake him, Pesquet!
I don’t care — just figure it out, my boy.
A display reads 2:55 A.M.
CUT.
INT. KIM'S CABIN – NIGHT
The cabin is empty.
We recognize the spot where Kim was sitting earlier in the episode.
INT. PLATINUM-CLASS BAR – NIGHT
CUT.
INT. TECHNICAL PASSAGEWAY – NIGHT
CUT.
INT. SECURITY CONTROL ROOM – BIRD OF PARADISE – NIGHT
TAK.
the Commander confirmed a depressurization alarm
from one of the suites reserved for Big Board members.
had apparently deployed as designed.
DISSOLVE TO:
SCENE 12: INT. CEIAOP HEARING ROOM – MORNING
Before her sits AURELIUS "SILVERMOON" TARRAF.
He speaks calmly.
she built redundancy into every procedure.
with considerable precision,
at least from 2:40 onward...
I'd like to fast-forward a little.
She reads:
several passengers in the N2G deck module
clearly saw the distinctive red light
of a depressurization alarm
through the damaged panoramic window
of one of the suites on Deck N5."
She looks up at Kaya.
the question is a simple one.
Kaya lowers her head.
Murmurs throughout the chamber.
of the armored windows
used in the corporate panoramic suites.
built to current specifications.
to meet several requirements:
and impacts of every kind,
and corrosion-resistance standards,
in nuclear-fusion furnaces,
by a Saeder-Krupp subsidiary.
were then carried out in a clean room
at the Tokyo assembly plant.
in the world for this type of glazing.
in Tokyo, Commander?
regarding the AAA corporation
to which the suite with the irreparably damaged window
had been assigned.
with the General Secretariat records...
in this supposedly indestructible window come from?
the one that depressurized?
Silence.
Camera shutters crackle.
The noise in the chamber grows.
SCENE 13: INT. BIRD OF PARADISE – NAVIGATION BRIDGE – NIGHT
Silence.
Cool blue light.
Earth turns slowly beyond the panoramic windows.
CLOSE ON the bridge's main clock.
02:30 A.M.
The camera pulls back.
CUT
CUT
and the command logs?
A breath.
Then a distant female voice.
She presses a control on the touchscreen.
CUT
FROM ABOVE:
on January 22nd, 2082...
CUT TO BLACK.
END CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE CHAWA'S SEVEN TOUR,
INTERCUT WITH BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRODUCTION STILLS.
MANICHAWA: Tripti Dimri
Kaya KEENE: Itziar Ituño
Genesys DA SILVA : Ursula Corbero
Valandir BRULESONGE: Pierre Niney
Takeshi KATAKUENDO a.k.a "Tak": Pio Marmaï
Kim SAVAGE: Anya Chalotra
Eleanor WHITAKER: Anya Taylor-Joy
Toshiro MITSUHAMA: Kenji Oba
Daichi SATO-Kai: Fumiya Takahashi
Aurelius "Silvermoon" TARRAF: Peter Dinklage
Arthur PESQUET: Joe Alwyn
Giacomo: Michaël Sheene
Amiouzy DAVIAR: Théodore Pellerin
Niklas: Itzan Escamilla
Bogo: Christopher Hivju
Loggy: Michael Cera
Rourik: Julien de Saint-Jean
Cumbren: Hunter Schaffer
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