[Corridor outside the Pursers Office.]

 KEILLER:  [To female passenger.] Have a nice day now.

           [Keiller enters the Pursers Office.]

  SOOLIN:  You've done it?

 KEILLER:  Avon's waiting in the lift with the gold. What about Tarrant?

  SOOLIN:  All on schedule.





[The ships Doctor is examining Dayna, who appears to be very sick.]

  DOCTOR:  You should have declared her condition before the flight.

           This will give temporary relief, nothing else.

 TARRANT:  But I don't understand. She had plenty of her tablets. She

           must have lost them.

  DOCTOR:  Addicts do you know. That's why it's an offense not to report

           to me before leaving Zerok.

 TARRANT:  Can she survive 'til we reach Earth?

  DOCTOR:  Yes.

 TARRANT:  That's all right then.

  DOCTOR:  Unfortunately not. Being an alien she won't be given drugs on

           Earth.

 TARRANT:  Oh, but in that case she'll die.

  DOCTOR:  Precisely.

 TARRANT:  What hope is there then, Doctor?

  DOCTOR:  Only to return to Zerok, and I can't see that happening. Can

           you?

 TARRANT:  [Shakes his head. Barely audible.] No.

  DOCTOR:  However, we'll try.

           [To comm.] Sickbay to flight deck, this is Doctor Slaten.

           I need to talk to Captain Kennedy.





   PILOT:  [V.O., over comm.] There's no doubt in your mind that she'll

           die, Doctor?

  DOCTOR:  [V.O., over comm.] None at all, Captain.

   PILOT:  [V.O.] Aborting the trip is out of the question, I'm afraid.

  DOCTOR:  [V.O.] I realize that.

   PILOT:  [V.O.] I could put out a mayday I suppose. See if there's a

           ship around could take her back. It's a very slim chance,

           though.

           [Keiller is eavesdropping on the comm-link.]

 KEILLER:  You'd be surprised.

  DOCTOR:  [V.O.] It's her only chance under the circumstances.

   PILOT:  [V.O.] I'll give a try then, Doctor.

  DOCTOR:  [V.O.] Thank you, Captain.

 KEILLER:  And so say all of us. Eh, Pretty One.





   PILOT:  [V.O., over comm.] ...is suffering from exobriddium addiction

           and requires immediate passage to Zerok. Mayday. Mayday. This

           is passage liner Space Princess. We have a medical emergency.

    VILA:  [Into comm.] Space Princess. Space Princess. This is civilian

           freighter Scorpio calling Space Princess.

   PILOT:  [V.O.] Go ahead, Scorpio.

    VILA:  [Into comm.] We are enroute for Zerok. We can accept your

           passenger.





           [Corridor of the Space Princess. Tarrant and the Doctor are

           pushing a wheezing Dayna to a lift.]

    AVON:  [From inside the lift, to the Doctor.] Stand back and raise

           your hands.

  DOCTOR:  Who are you? What do you want?

    AVON:  Do as I say. I shan't hesitate to kill you.

  DOCTOR:  [To Tarrant.] Do as he says.

   DAYNA:  Avon! [Knocks the gun from Avons hand. The Doctor runs.] The

           antidote.

    AVON:  [To Tarrant.] Get after him!

   DAYNA:  I'm dying.





  DOCTOR:  [To Keiller.] Here! Look Out! It's some sort of hold up.

           [Keiller shoots him.]

 KEILLER:  See, Pretty One, I can shoot too.

  SOOLIN:  [Raising her gun.] He wasn't armed.

 TARRANT:  [Grabbing Keiller's gun.] Or dangerous.

 KEILLER:  Everyone's dangerous.

 TARRANT:  [In a disgusted tone.] Let's go.





    AVON:  Did you get him.

 TARRANT:  Keiller shot him.

           [Avon pauses.]

    AVON:  Give me a hand with this.

           [They move Daynas gurney, containing the gold, into the

            lift.]





 KEILLER:  I told you it would work. We're going to walk off this ship

           and no one's even going to try and stop us.

   GUARD:  [Offscreen.] Stop them!

 TARRANT:  Guards!

    AVON:  Dayna!

 TARRANT:  Go!

           [Some shots are exchanged.]

           There's more!

   DAYNA:  Avon, they're disengaging.

 TARRANT:  We've got about ten seconds before the airlocks close

           automatically.

    AVON:  Come on! I'll cover.

           [Avon takes careful aim and fires while the others run.  Avon

           then runs, but trips before reaching Scorpio.]

 TARRANT:  [Offscreen.] Avon!

           [Avon and a guard are trapped between ships.]

   GUARD:  The door! Open the door! No! Come back! Help! Open the door!

           No!

    AVON:  Vila, I need teleport now, Vila. NOW, VILA!

   GUARD:  [With a fading scream.] Agh!





    AVON:  [To the crew entering from the airlock.] What kept you.

 TARRANT:  All right, Slave, get us out of here, full power.

   SLAVE:  At once, Sir.

    VILA:  Did you get the gold?





    VILA:  Eight?

    AVON:  Nine.

    VILA:  Try ten.

           [Avon looks at Dayna, who shrugs slightly. Avon smiles

           slightly and snorts. Dayna smiles slightly at him.]

    AVON:  All right, Keiller. Time to make contact.

 KEILLER:  Anything to get this over with, Old Friend.

    AVON:  You were given a frequency, I presume. They can't be far

           away, can they?

 KEILLER:  Rendezvous where?

    AVON:  Beta Five, in the Ark Rough Bennett Complex.

   DAYNA:  But that's in Federation territory.

  SOOLIN:  Isn't that too dangerous.

    AVON:  The whole complex is remote, useless, and uninhabited. I don't

           think we need worry.

 KEILLER:  [Timidly.] Beta Five, then. [More confidently.] Beta Five it

           is.

    AVON:  One more thing. The price is ten billion, not six.

 KEILLER:  [Exhales sharply and gets a horrified look on his face.]

           That's ridiculous...

    VILA:  No, It's good business.

    AVON:  We, have the gold.





 TARRANT:  We're well ahead of schedule.

    AVON:  We are going to need to be. We have to put Scorpio down on

           Beta Five, unload the gold, and get Scorpio back into orbit.

           All before they arrive.

   DAYNA:  Makes you appreciate the teleport, doesn't it.

    AVON:  Vila, once we are down you take Scorpio back into orbit on

           your own, but stay within teleport range.

    VILA:  But out of attack range?

    AVON:  Did you want me to tell you to watch out for hostile ships.

    VILA:  Just checking.

    AVON:  As for the rest of you. No risks, no heroics, please. Just

           stick to the plan.

   SLAVE:  Uh, Beta Five approach is vector achieved and holding, Master.

    AVON:  Thank you, Slave. Put it on the main screen.





[On the surface of Beta Five.]

    VILA:  [V.O., over comm.] Avon.

    AVON:  [Offscreen, into comm.] Yes, Vila.

    VILA:  [V.O.] Orbit's established, and according to Slave's

           detectors your customer should be with you any time now.

    AVON:  I can see them now. Be ready, Vila.

    VILA:  [V.O.] Aren't I always.

    AVON:  No, you're not.

           [Avon turns off his comm-link.]

           [Louder, to the others on the planet surface.] They're on

           their way.



[A group of black clad people arrive.]

    AVON:  All right, everyone move back from the gold, slowly. Don't

           make any sudden moves.

           [The crew move back.  A black clad figure moves forward and

           sets down a case.  Avon moves forward, then drops down. Dayna

           chops Keiller and all the crew draw their guns.]

   DAYNA:  Quite still, Keiller!

    AVON:  I've been waiting for a chance to kill you...Servalan.

           [Servalan removes a facial cover, revealing her face.]

   DAYNA:  Servalan?

SERVALAN:  Congratulations, Avon. I see you worked it out.

    AVON:  Keiller was once on the personal security staff of the

           president of the Federation. That just had to be you. It

           wasn't hard to work out. But it wasn't meant to be, was it?

SERVALAN:  I don't know what you mean.

    AVON:  You wouldn't leave me a clue like that. Not unless you really

           wanted to. You knew I wouldn't be able to resist it. You

           planned everything, every move, you even knew that Keiller

           would disobey you, and you hoped that I would trust him

           because of that.

SERVALAN:  Very good.

    AVON:  I almost did trust Keiller. When I found out it was you, I

           knew I was safe from him, at least. After all, he has nothing

           to gain from obeying you. Only in the end, it occurred to me

           that he might possibly imagine that you would keep your side

           of the bargain and pay him his reward instead of just killing

           him. He doesn't know you as well as I do.

SERVALAN:  Who does? Avon, would you be careful with the gun. My guards

           have orders to shoot you first. The price of my life would be

           yours.

    AVON:  Well, now. The sacrifice might be worthwhile.

SERVALAN:  You're not the sacrificial type.

    AVON:  You're right. We'll do business as arranged. That was very

           good bait, the black gold.

SERVALAN:  I knew you'd like it.

           [They laugh.]

    AVON:  But I shouldn't imagine it's much use to you now. You'll just

           have to confess and pay up.

 TARRANT:  [Into comm.] We're ready, Vila.

 KEILLER:  Avon, what about me?

    AVON:  We can't take you with us, Old Friend. Vila was right, we

           can't trust you. So we're leaving you, to her.

           [The crew teleports up.]

 KEILLER:  I'm sorry, I...I did my best. What do we do now.

SERVALAN:  [To the people in black.] Load the gold and watch him.

 KEILLER:  I don't suppose I'll get paid now, will I, Servalan?

SERVALAN:  What use would money be to you...here.

 KEILLER:  But you...you're not goin' to...Servalan, nobody lives here.

           There's no shelter, no food. Let me...you're not going to

           leave me here alone.

           [Servalan turns her back and smiles to herself.]





    VILA:  Well, will you look at that. Two billion each.

 TARRANT:  I've never seen currency of that size.

   DAYNA:  Neither have I.

    VILA:  I just can't believe my eyes.

  SOOLIN:  Avon, why didn't you tell us that you knew who it was who was

           setting us up?

    AVON:  Would it have made any difference if I had?

 TARRANT:  You know damn well it would. Servalan's not just some greedy

           gangster

    AVON:  Surely that is exactly what she is.





[On the planet Servalan drives away with the black gold, revealing

Keiller laying face down on the ground, apparently dead. Servalan looks

upward and smiles.]





  SOOLIN:  Avon, you took risks with our lives.

    AVON:  For ten billion in cash and an outside chance of killing

           Servalan? Would you rather I hadn't?

    ORAC:  It was not sensible.

    AVON:  What's that supposed to mean?

    ORAC:  Within the last few hours, Zerok has ceded to the Federation.

   DAYNA:  So that black gold will be of use to Servalan. The Federation

           doesn't know how she's got it. She's made herself a good

           profit.

    ORAC:  [Almost laughing] It's worse than that, unfortunately.

 TARRANT:  Worse?

    ORAC:  The Federation banking system will now take over that of

           Zerok. All bank notes drawn by the Bank of Zerok will be

           declared invalid within seven days and all private

           transactions will be illegal directly. The consequences of

           this are clear.

 TARRANT:  Yes, they're clear all right. Aren't they, Avon. We've just

           risked our lives, for nothing.

  SOOLIN:  Not for nothing, Tarrant. We risked our lives to make

           Servalan rich.

           [Soolin throws some bank notes in the air.  Avon laughs.]







Audrey



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