The Galaxy's Finest™

The following segment was filmed in one single shot with no edits.  The camera, an ultra modern holovision drone unit, glides effortlessly along, capturing everything.  The camera hovers down a road lined with lush trees and vegetation.

SUPER:  ANDROMEDA

SUPER:  JANUARY 1, 2131 – 00:30

The trees open up at the end of the road which reveals a sprawling estate with a huge house squarely in the middle.  The estate is surrounded with high walls to keep people out, but they are tastefully made so as to not obscure the view of the grander of the house.  As the camera moves up to the gate we see, engraved in a plaque on the front of this the words:

THE HIVE

The camera rests there for a moment so the viewer can read it and then the plaque splits in two as the gates begin to open.  Once wide enough, the camera moves through the gates and forward down the roadway towards the house.  This distance is about a quarter of a mile and along the roadway, on either side are some of the galaxy’s finest and most expensive vehicles.

As the camera nears the house, loud pumping music grows louder.  The camera approaches the door and, if by magic, it opens.  The music is louder now, filling the house.  The camera moves through a marble entryway, out over a huge living room area towards the wall of plate glass windows that make up the back wall of this level of the house.  The windows over look an incredible infinity pool that seems to open up to the Anmar Ocean (Andromeda’s mist tropical ocean).  The pool is is filled with Ani-Men of all kinds.  All young, all barely clad.  The males outnumber the females but there is a good mix.  Some are in the pool, some are standing next to it.  They all dance, arms up, pulsing to the music.  This is a New Year’s Party in full swing.

Every attendee at this party has a drink in their hand and as the camera pans right we see a bar that extends all the way to the end of the infinity pool.  There is no free spot as people glamour for free pours of only the most expensive alcohol.  The camera moves along the thirsty party goers and pans left to a winding outdoor staircas.  Moving up the two turns of the stair case, the camera sees that there are at least one hundred to one hundred fifty party goers in the backyard alone.  At the top of the stairs, the camera moves along the balcony towards the end there there is a single closed door.

The door opens as the camera approaches and reveals a private balcony that is near deserted compared to the patio below.  A large, plush sofa expands along the back wall and in the middle of it, with a woman on either side, sits Prime Colonizer.  He is smoking a cigar as the girls whisper softly to them, his hands roam freely on the women.  We can’t hear what his reply is outside of the word, “Monolith.” At which both girls laugh hysterically.

The camera moves off them to the corner of the room, pacing back and forth, seeming uncomfortable with the noise, is Lope.  He is watching everyone and everything, but the claw marks on the wall behind him, show he is anything but comfortable.

The camera lingers on Lope for a moment but then pans left entering the house now.  It moves down a small hallway and makes a right into a corner room that has glass walls on two sides, overlooking the party below.  In the center of the room is a massage table and on it, clothed only in a towel and his mask, is Swarm, being worked over by two muscular massage therapists.  The GALAXIAN CHAMPIONSHIP rests on a table nearby.

Swarm is lost in the two sets of strong hands working out the tension of his shoulders.  The camera hovers a full three sit around the table as the therapists work.  The camera hovers another partial circle to show the doorway of the room and back down the hallway to the room Prime Colonizer and Lope are.  Lope pass the doorway clearly agitated.  He is freaking out a little bit.  Swarm raises his head from the massage table to see what’s happening.  We watch along with Swarm as Prime Colonizer moves into the doorway to try to calm Lope down.  Lope is frantic.

“What’s wrong?” Swarm shouts down’t he hallway, clearly agitated that his massage has been interrupted.

Prime Colonized has his hands on Lope’s shoulders, trying to keep him calm.  “I don’t know.” Prime Colonizer yells back, struggling to keep Lope calm.  “He hears something.  It’s got him agitated.”

“Hears something.” Swarm says, “Over the music?  How could he?”

Suddenly there is an explosion outside the house and screams can be heard from the attending party guests.  Another explosion shakes the house as the screams get louder.

Swarm sits up on the bed and looks out the window as his guests scatter like insects.  Some of the vegetation is on fire as the guests run from the pool area.  Swarm looks down the hallway as he stands, wrapping the towel around his waist.  The massage therapists bail from the room.  Swarm grabs the GALAXIAN title and follows them into the room where Prime Colonizer and Lope are.

“What the fuck is happening?” Swarm demands.

Prime Colonizer is reaching for his rifle.

“We’re under attack!” Prime Colonizer says, moving towards the balcony.  Gun cocked and ready.

Swarm searches the room and finds his yellow and black stripped robe.  “I figured out that much.  Who the fuck is attacking us?”

His question is answered with another loud explosion.  This one hits the other end of the house.  This sets of several more explosions that rock the house to its foundations.  The screaming from the guests has died down as the revelers were either injured or have escaped the estate.

Swarm runs out onto the balcony, or what was l left of it, and comes face-to-face with a small warship and that was kicking up sprays of water from the pool below it.

Swarm spreads his arms wide and yelled, “Who are you? Show your self now cowards.”  His flimsy bathrobe flipping in the wind.

Prime Colonizer stands on Swarm’s right, his gun cocked and ready to fire. Lope, rabidly seething, stands on his left.

Swarm continues, “You dare come to my house?  You dare attack me in my own fucking home? Show yourself cowards!”

The ship offers no verbal response. Suddenly a hatch opens on the front of The ship. Prime Colonizer’s finger is about to squeeze of a round when three, perfectly aimed nets launched from the opening and ensnared swarm, lope and prime colonizer in three tech-nets which constricted tighter the more the three of them struggled.

When it was clear the three of them where incapacitated, two hulking figures, dressed all in black with black helmets obscuring their faces, stepped out of the ship, climbing into the front of it. One of the figures draws a weapon and, aiming it at the tech-net Swarm is entwined in, fires. A long cable shoots out and attaches itself to Swarm’s net. Swarm begins squirming more, shouting, ” Noooooo!  Nooooo!” He continues his protests until the net had constricted so much he was barely able to breathe and he falls silent.

Prime Colonizer and Lope begin squirming now as they watch as the figure who fired the gun detaches the cable and hands it to the other.  The other states, effortlessly pulling on the cable and begins dragging Swarms body across the broken glass and concrete of the deck.

The ship moves in closer and the figure drags Swarm across the gap and onto the ship.  Once aboard, the figure bends down and easily lists Swarm up over his shoulder and carries him into the bowels of the ship.

The remaining figure with the gun stands and looks at Prime Colonizer and Lope lying helpless amid the rubble of Swarm’s, once gloroius, estate.  Prime Colonizer can almost see their attacker smirk through the helmet.  Though a voice filter, the figure says, “Happy New Year.  See you in Deimos.”

The figure turns and climbs back into the ship as the engines wind up to flight mode from hover mode.  The hatch closes behind him and the engine roars as the ship rises and turns and begins moving away from the house.

Prime Colonizer and Lope close their eyes as the ship kicks up dust and debirs and by the time it’s safe to open them again, the ship is a speck in the sky, moving from the estate rapidly across the open water of the ocean.

As the sound of the engines fade, it is replace with the sound of still crackling fires and the whine of approaching sirens.

The camera FADES TO BLACK

SUPER:  HAPPY NEW YEAR.