Starship Troopers Page #8

straeks upward from the lunar floor past orbitting training platforms where

CADETS in brightly colored pressure suits float against the Earth which

hangs beyond the horizon.

CARMEN (O.S.)

...GO !

64INTBOAT - LUNAR ORBIT - CARMEN

blasts past a DESTROYER orbiting in dock, zips between CORVETTES

and other slower fleet traffic in the crowded space lanes of Luna.

The two late cadets are terrified.

BALD CADET:

Geez, I thought I liked to fly fast !

CARMEN:

This is nothing. Today, I get to fly that !

She points. Now visible from behind a host of smaller ships,

STARSHIP ATHENA, of older design, but impressive.

65INTATHENA - COMMAND AND CONTROL - DAY CYCLE - CARMEN

arrives on the bridge, dark, cramped, all-business. She salutes the instructor,

CAPTAIN DELADIER, 40s.

CARMEN:

Pilot Trainee Ibanez reporting for duty, ma'am.

DELADIER:

Take the number one chair, Ibanez.

Follow all instructions of you supervisor.

CARMEN:

Yes, ma'am !

Carmen turns for her station, but stops in her tracks. Her supervisor is

Zander Barcalow, now a 2nd Lieutenant.

CARMEN:

Hey ! What are you doing here ?

ZANDER:

I'm the guy who's gonna teach you to

fly this crate.

Carmen logs on. The ship recognizes her as a pilot trainee.

CARMEN:

Assistant insructor... You must be some

kind of a hot stick.

Should I call you "sir" ?

ZANDER:

Only when I give you an order.

DELADIER:

Prepare for departure.

Carmen and Zander go to work.

CARMEN:

It's amazing, us running into each other

like this. Maybe it's fate.

ZANDER:

Maybe not. I heard about this crazy girl

coming through the academy, solid math,

a little wild on the stick, but a natural.

When it turned out it was you, I made

sure we'd run into each other...

DELADIER:

Alright, take her out, Ibanez.

CARMEN:

Yes, ma'am.

All eyes are on carmen as she grabs the stick. The ship shudders under

her hand. She winks at Zander.

CARMEN:

In simulation, my supervisors could never

keep up.

ZANDER:

This isn't simulation anymore.

Take'er out easy, cadet.

CARMEN:

Oh, yes, sir. Vector ?

ZANDER:

Twenty-five by five, roll seven.

And don't exceed port speed.

Carmen rocks the stick, and the view from the bridge spins smoothly

away from the dense orbiting yards os Luna toward the outer system.

CARMEN:

Or...?

ZANDER:

They revoke our flight status.

CARMEN:

Oh, I see... teamwork.

Carmen jogs past lumbering freighters. Zander's impressed.

DELADIER:

Steady as she goes, number one.

Prepare for warp. Number two,

design for Jupiter orbit.

ZANDER:

Yes, ma'am. Star drive in three...

two... one...

Space appears to bend. Zander and Carmen share a smile. They

blur together, becoming one, then:WHAM !

66EXTLUNA - STARSHIP ATHENA

disappears in a flash of blinding light.

67EXTWAR GAMES COURSE - DAY - THE RECRUITS

have been divided into two teams. RED TEAM includes Ace, Katrina,

Breckinridge, and Djana'd. Johnny, Shujumi, Kitten Smith, and Dizzy

are part of BLUE TEAM.

ZIM:

The object of this exercise is to capture

your enemy's flag before your enemy

captures yours.

Bronski passes out Morita SmartRifles.

ZIM:

These weapons have been modified for

this exercise. If your enemy hits you,

your suit will fail. You will be unable

to move. You will be as good as dead.

68EXTWAR GAMES COURSE - LATER - DJANA'D

bumps the magnification of her heads up display to survey Blue Team's

flag guarded by two recruits. She jumps down to joining other Red

Team members on the move.

DJANA'D

It's right over the next ridge...

Only two guards.

Johnny, Kitten Smith, and Dizzy open fire from athicket as they pass.

Djana'd and the others collapse as their suits fail, Djana'd laughing

because playing at war seems funny.

KITTEN SMITH:

You are now prisoners of the Blue Team.

Tell us your plans or die !

DJANA'D

Oh no ! Name, rank, and mind your own

business is all you get from me !

69EXTRED TEAM FLAG - DAY - RED TEAM

opens fire as the Blue Team appears. Shujumi and other Blue Team members

go down in an ambush led by Breckinridge. Johnny dives for cover, and finds

himself sharing it with Dizzy.

KITTEN SMITH:

I'm going in ! Let's go !

Kitten Smith makes arun for the flag with a rifle team. Ace and Katrina open

fire from two new hidden Red Team positions, taking Kitten and his team

down with a cross fire.

JOHNNY:

Man, they're defended... no way in.

DIZZY:

Flip six, three hole.

JOHNNY:

What ?

DIZZY:

High school... remember ? Run a flip

six, three hole play, and you might

score...

Johnny looks at the course in a new way, nods.

JOHNNY:

Cover me.

DIZZY:

You got it.

Johnny tumbles open ground, vaults into the air. Dizzy takes out Breckinridge

as he rises to fire. Johnny lands, knocks out Katrina, then Ace. He picks up

Ace's fallen Morita.

JOHNNY:

Thanks, pal.

70EXTOBSERVATION TOWER - DAY - ZIM AND CORPORAL BRONSKI

watch Johnny firing both Moritas simultanously and taking out the remaining

Red Team defenders. He grabs the Red Team flag and hurls it into the air like spear.

ZIM:

Kid's got some moves...

71INTAIRBORNE SKIMMER - DAY - THE RECRUITS

line up in the door of a SKIMMER, the military's standard utility aircraft,

to practice drops from altitude.

ZIM:

Smith, GO ! McIntire, GO ! Flores, GO !

Rico, I'm making you sqaud leader !

JOHNNY:

Sir, thank you, sir !

ZIM:

Don't stand there dumb... GO !

Johnny jumps, plummeting toward the earth.

JOHNNY:

YEEEE-Haaaaaaaaaaaaa...!

Next in line, Ace scowls.

72INTBARRACKS - NIGHT - THE RECRUITS

have some free time. Johnny makes a big show of polishing the chevrons

that designate him as Squad Leader.

KITTEN SMITH:

Look at him. Do you think anyone has

ever been so pleased with himself ?

ACE:

Zim hadda choose someone to be

his brown nose, I guess.

JOHNNY:

I just want you guys to know that I'll

never do anything that I haven't asked

you to do first.

Johnny approaches Dizzy.

JOHNNY:

Couldn't've done it without you, Diz.

Friends ?

Dizzy smiles, shakes.

DIZZY:

Yeah, sure... friends.

Bronski walks through with the mail.

BRONSKI:

Levy... Shujumi... Rico.

Johnny grabs the E-disk, pops it into his handcam. The Fleet Mail logo appears:

APPROVED MESSAGE

JOHNNY:

Bet it's from my girl.

Johnny's pals gather for a look. Carmen appears, dressed down to skivvies,

in her quarters aboard starship Athena.

CARMEN:

Hi, Johnny, I would've written sooner,

but they've really got us going every

moment here.

ACE:

Yeow, Rico, you don't deserve that !

JOHNNY:

Shhhh...!

CARMEN:

I'm glad you're doing so well. If they

haven't made you squad leader by now,

I'm sure you will.

Johnny holds up his squad leader chevrons victoriously.

JOHNNY:

All it takes is the love of a good woman...

The image changes abrupltly. Now Carmen's wearing a trim blue flight suit.

She stands the camera on Athena's gunnery deck. Outside , the rings of

Saturn sparkle in bright solar light.

CARMEN:

Look at that. Isn't it beautiful ? I had

to show you. It's great to be out here on

my own. I'm just not some little girl from

Buenos Aires anymore. I'm gonna be a

starship pilot, and I'm gonna see the

universe...

(she sighs)

And that's also the problem because I

don't really want to get married,

Johnny. I don't want to have kids.

I want a command, a ship of my own,

and you know, I don't think that's

gonna leave a lot of room for you and

me.

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