D9 SAND
Servalan is enroute to the planet Virn. There have been strange reports
filed by a team of Federation researchers headed by Don Keller. Apparently,
the team has been wiped out after reporting the discovery of a unique energy
source. Server turbulence causes her ship to crash land, forcing the investigators
to walk to the research base. Leaving the pilot, Chasgo with the ship,
Servalan, Investigator Reeve and an assistant set out. There's a sand slide
and the ship is buried. During the night, the trio camp out; the assistant
is devoured by the sand.
The Scorpio crew has also heard reports of the energy source and when they
arrive at Virn, Tarrant and Dayna teleport to the surface. They meet up
with Servalan and Reeve. In the fighting, Dayna is injured. Under the influence
of the sand, Tarrant has her teleported back to the ship, but he stays
on Virn. Tarrant goes after Reeve and Servalan. When they meet at the base,
Reeve is killed. Servalan appears and praises Tarrant's marksmanship. They
declare a truce and enter the base. Despite the devastating electrical
storms, they find the equipment undamaged. As the green sand builds up,
sealing the windows and the doors, they find food supplies and the still
warm body of Don Keller. Servalan is uncharacteristically emotional. Keller
was once her lover. This display makes her vulnerable in Tarrant's eyes
and he feels strangely compelled to comfort her. Unaware of the forces
acting upon them, Tarrant and Servalan make love despite being bitter enemies.
Back on Scorpio, the electrical storms have knocked out all the systems,
including Zen and Orac. Vila becomes critically ill due to the sand that
was teleported with Dayna. The crew speculate on what's happening and conclude
that the sand needs cellular material to survive. It needs breeding stock
of women and at least one male for mating. Avon concludes that he is the
"Dominate Male" of the group and that is why Vila is dying. Dayna and Soolin
are not amused by their "Dominate Male". Tarrant also realizes this and
surmises that Keller was kept alive until the last woman researcher killed
herself. Accidentally spilling water on the sand, the crew discover that
it neutralizes it influence. Avon tries to evoke a rain storm on the planet.
The resulting storm allows Tarrant and Servalan to escape, each reluctant
to kill the other even though the sand's influence is gone.
D10 GOLD
Avon is contacted by an old friend, Keiller, who is a purser on a pleasure
ship, The Space Princess. He claims that this is just a cover for the transport
of gold from Zerok to Earth. A heavily armed decoy ship leaves the planet,
but the cruiser actually carries the gold under light security. Keiller
has a scheme for talking the gold and has a buyer, but there is one problem.
The gold is transmuted to a black metal before leaving Zerok and is valueless
until transformed back. Keiller says that the processing plant can be broken
into and that he has the technical knowledge to interfere with the process.
Then the gold would remain in its normal state, covered with a black substance
and shipped out to be conveniently stolen. Keiller has contacted Avon because
he needs help to pull his scam off. Avon has reservations but agrees to
help.
All but Vila teleport down but during the break-in they are attacked by
Federation troops. Keiller, Tarrant and Dayna escape erroneously thinking
Avon and Soolin are dead. While trying to escape, Avon realizes that they
have been set up by Keiller and probably another player in the game.
When Avon and Soolin return to Scorpio, Keiller admits that he is acting
on the orders from another whose identity is unknown to him. Avon is suspicious,
having learned that Keiller was once on the Presidential staff, but he
decides to proceed with the plan. Onboard the Princess, Avon and Keiller
secure the black gold and Dayna fakes an illness that requires her transport
back to Zerok. The Space Princess put out a distress call, which is answered
by Vila on the Scorpio.
After Scorpio and the liner link,
Avon, Tarrant and Keiller sneak the gold out using Dayna's stretcher. They
are almost caught but manage to evade capture.
They go to the rendezvous on Beta 5, where Keiller is to meet his buyer.
When Avon completes the deal, the buyer identifies herself as Servalan.
Avon admits that he suspected that all the while. Abandoning Keiller, the
crew escapes with the money paid by Servalan. But, once they return to
the ship, Orac informs them that Zerok has fallen to the Federation and
that the Zerokian currency paid by Servalan is now worthless. The crew
is disgusted with Avon. They have no money for their trouble and Servalan
has all that untransmuted gold.
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