INT. ODYSSEY, COMMAND CENTER

A dual-level control room buzzes with activity as CREW MEMBERS in gold-and-black jumpsuits move between computer stations.

The futuristic room is wrapped in a SCREEN that tracks aspects of the Odyssey mission via animated GRAPHICS.

DARCY CLARKE -- the Young Woman from the intro -- stands at the upper level entrance of the Command Center. She observes the hectic activity with crossed arms and a furrowed brow.

Standing beside Clarke is her fellow shuttle pilot and fiancé -- JIM COREY. Both are fit and attractive in their mid-20s. They wear form-fitting gold-and-black flight suits.

Corey observes Clarke’s growing agitation with kind eyes.

She gestures toward the COMMAND DESK at the far end of the deck.

There, the ship’s seasoned 70-plus captain, PAUL SHEPARD, argues with his 50-something first officer, MICHAEL FARADAY.

CLARKE " What are they doing? "

COREY " Probably deciding if we’re up this. "

CLARKE " Of course we are. I’m not afraid. "

COREY " Shit... I am. "

Corey winks sheepishly prodding Clarke to smile. Across the room, the heated discussion increases in volume.

SHEPARD " It’s a little late for second guessing here. It’s go-time. "

FARADAY " I disagree. You’re too close to this. It’s clouding your judgment. "

SHEPARD " Mister Faraday, I’ve spent five decades commanding this deck. You don’t get to hop out of cryo and tell me how to run my ship. "

FARADAY " Sir, as your first officer, it’s my responsibility-- "

SHEPARD " To know when to shut up! "

Clarke and Corey watch the heated exchange with concern.

Just then, the HATCH behind them bursts open revealing KYLE DYSON. The nerdy, 20-something mission specialist wears a flight suit.

He pushes glasses up on his nose and collects himself.

DYSON " Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late! I was installing OH in the AeroFox. Didn’t want to get stuck with a standard Omni on our first mission. "

CLARKE " No worries. It’s all good. "

Dyson notices Shepard and Faraday in the distance.

DYSON " The launch window is super tight. What’s the hold up? "

COREY " We were wondering the same thing. "

Faraday finally waves the trio over. Along the way, they pass a ROBOT comprised of three flat cylinders that move on sleek tank treads. It bears the infinity symbol of OMNI -- the ship’s sentient computer system.

Dyson waves to the automaton. It nods back with its upper section. As the group arrives at the Command Desk.

There, Clarke eyes Faraday suspiciously and comes to Shepard’s defense.

CLARKE " Everything okay, Captain? "

SHEPARD " I thought so. But my illustrious First Officer here is having second thoughts about the mission. "

FARADAY " As I tried to say before, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t. Once we drop these kids off, there’s no coming back. "

Clarke and Dyson look at each other and frown at the mention of the word ‘kids’.

Corey addresses Faraday with confidence.

COREY " Commander, with all due respect, we’re ready. My team’s been running simulations for two weeks straight. "

FARADAY " Mister Corey, your simulations were based on long-range observations. We’re close enough now to collect real data. It doesn’t look good. "

Faraday taps buttons on Shepard’s console.

The wall-screen changes into a MAP.

An ICON of the Odyssey closes in on a RING of dust encompassing Proxima and its two inner planets.

FARADAY " (CONT’D) The current plan is to launch Mission One at a timing and velocity that will allow them to reach Proxima b in twelve hours. "

At the center of the ring, two smaller ships are deployed.

They eventually intersect with a planet labeled PROXIMA B...

...as Odyssey continues on toward the red dwarf star.

FARADAY (CONT’D) " Except, there’s a serious problem. The image jumps forward to give a detailed look at the ring -- it’s filled with large clumps of matter. "

FARADAY (CONT’D) " The ring is more dense than we thought. The deployment site is dead center in the worst area. Shepard calms down and realizes that Faraday has a point. "

SHEPARD " You’re right. It’ll be a nasty furball launching in the middle of all that, but what choice do we have? "

Faraday taps buttons. The simulation restarts.

FARADAY " My suggestion is that we wait until Odyssey has completed its braking maneuver around Proxima Centauri. "

On the wall display, Odyssey zips through the ring without launching the smaller ships. It circles the star several times before arriving at the destination planet.

FARADAY (CONT’D) " Then we can send a landing party to Proxima b once we’re in orbit. "

Seeing the modified plan, Clarke is suddenly beside herself.

CLARKE " Come on. That’ll take days. This repair mission needs to happen now! "

COREY " She’s right. We need that shield up and running before Odyssey arrives. "

Dyson gingerly raises his hand, grabbing Shepard’s attention.

DYSON " Captain, we can make it though a little interplanetary dust cloud. You have to give us a shot. "

Shepard glances between his agitated first officer and the young astronauts. His gaze softens as it settles on Faraday.

SHEPARD " Mister Faraday... Mike. Engineer Baxter is being placed aboard the AstroBug as we speak. I’d hate to have thawed her out for nothing. "

FARADAY " It’ll all be for nothing if these guys die out there. "

SHEPARD " I respect your viewpoint. But they’re my Mod Squad. They get the danger. What do you say, Jim-bo? "

Determined, Corey extends his hand. Clarke smiles and grasps it -- followed by Dyson. Shepard nods. He stands and joins the group handshake as well. Clearly this is an old ritual.

SHEPARD (CONT’D) " I’m proud of you all. Good hunting. "

COREY " Thank you, sir. "

Faraday watches the group depart with deep apprehension. Shepard places a warm, consoling hand on his shoulder.

SHEPARD " I watched those three grow up. I know what they’re capable of. "

FARADAY " I get it. But after fifty years in space, it all comes down to this. I hope you know what you’re doing. "

INT. ODYSSEY, AEROFOX LAUNCH BAY

The AEROFOX -- a sleek reconnaissance spacecraft -- waits inside its launch tube.

VAPORS spew into the area as fueling arms retract from the craft.

Clarke is heard over the radio.

CLARKE (COMM VOICE) " C-I-C, AeroFox A. All systems go. "

INT. ODYSSEY, COMMAND CENTER

Faraday stands at the main console.

He watches an animated map of Odyssey’s course as it nears the disc of particles.

FARADAY " Now entering dust ring. "

EXT. SPACE

As the giant, barbell-shaped colony ship penetrates the thick interplanetary cloud, Proxima Centauri disappears from view.

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INT. ODYSSEY, COMMAND CENTER

The crew looks concerned as the ship SHUDDERS in the impact.

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Nearby, Shepard observes thoughtfully as it all unfolds.

INT. ODYSSEY, ASTROBUG DOCKING AREA

The beetle-shaped shuttlecraft sits in its cradle beneath a domed hatch.

Docking latches retract in final preparation.

CONTROLLER (COMM VOICE) " Prepare to launch. "

INT. ODYSSEY, AEROFOX LAUNCH BAY

The AeroFox’s RUNNING LIGHTS flash.

Doors open to reveal the length of the kilometer-long Odyssey. Massive FUEL TANKS and the GIRDERS of support structures fill the view.

A hail of PARTICLES blasts by outside the hull of the vessel.

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INT. ODYSSEY, ASTROBUG DOCKING AREA

The dome opens above the AstroBug, allowing a similar view.

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EXT. ODYSSEY, LAUNCH AREA

Both ships fire THRUSTERS and exit. The enormous bulk of the Odyssey obscures the vast majority of the dusty maelstrom.

The AeroFox shifts laterally into the dust cloud. The AstroBug follows suit, moving into formation with the AeroFox.

EXT. DUST RING

Brilliant plumes of EXHAUST blast from the tails of both ships.

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They reduce speed as the immense vessel pulls away.

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INT. AEROFOX

The ship is PELTED by debris. The sounds compete with the ship’s engines.

Clarke struggles with the controls.

CLARKE " Okay. This sucks. "

Dyson stares at a MAP of their course. It deviates from Odyssey in an arc that intersects with a PLANET labeled ‘B’.

DYSON " Don’t worry. It’ll all be over in... ten minutes. "

An animated INFINITY SYMBOL appears on Clarke’s monitor. The rich synthesized voice of the ship’s A.I. assistant, OH (short for ‘Omni’) addresses her with pointed concern.

OH " Darcy, sensors are picking up a pocket of dust directly ahead. "

On the screen, a LIDAR image shows a RED BLOB in their path.

EXT. SPACE, INSIDE DUST RING

Obscured by dust and increasing distance, Odyssey is barely visible as the smaller craft push deeper into the cloud.

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INT. ASTROBUG, COCKPIT

Corey watches the vessels approach the dust pocket on his console, Corey addresses the AstroBug’s version of OMNI.

COREY " Omni, can Darcy’s heat shield withstand passing through that? "

The infinity symbol appears onscreen. Omni speaks with the same voice as OH, but with a more formal tone and vocabulary.

OMNI " This maneuver exceeds design specifications for both ships. "

BAXTER " Who’s bright idea was it to launch in the middle of a damn dust ring? "

COREY " The god of orbital mechanics. "

EXT. DUST RING

Both craft continue forward. As the dust grows thicker, the AeroFox suddenly starts to spin off course!

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INT. AEROFOX

Clarke fights with the controls. Dyson is getting nervous.

CLARKE " I’ve lost attitude control. "

OH " Friction with the debris field is knocking us off course. "

On Dyson’s screen, most of the red dust blob remains ahead.

INT. ODYSSEY, COMMAND CENTER Faraday's display shows the AeroFox moving off course.

FARADAY " Damn it, sir. This is what I was worried about. "

SHEPARD " Relax. They’ll figure it out. "

COREY (COMM VOICE) " Odyssey, Darcy’s in trouble. I might be able to help. Stand by."

EXT. DUST RING

The AstroBug fires thrusters and changes course.

It aligns with the AeroFox as it continues to move off-axis.

INT. ASTROBUG, COCKPIT

As Corey focuses on his controls, Baxter is incredulous.

BAXTER " What are you doing? "

COREY " Blocking for the wide receiver. "

BAXTER " How do you know about football? "

EXT. DUST RING

AstroBug falls in behind the careening AeroFox just out of range of its blazing cone of exhaust.

This creates a WAKE in the dust cloud, sparing the smaller vessel!

INT. ODYSSEY, COMMAND CENTER

A cheer resounds through the bridge crew. The Controller, a woman in her 60s, sees the new flight status on her screen.

CONTROLLER " The AeroFox has regained control. "

Shepard rubs his stubble and grins at Faraday as he scowls nearby. He grabs his headset and speaks directly to Corey.

SHEPARD " Nice work, AstroBug. "

COREY (COMM VOICE) " Thank you, sir. "

EXT. DUST RING

The two ships are quickly obscured as they enter the thickest area of dust. The glow of their engines disappears.

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INT. ASTROBUG

The ship is buffeted wildly. Corey checks his sensors.

COREY " We’re almost through this. "

EXT. ASTROBUG

Suddenly, a MICRO-METEOR punctures the heat shield!

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INT. ASTROBUG, COCKPIT

Without warning, the tiny chunk of rock blasts into the cabin.

It leaves behind a glowing TRACER of burning air as it exits through the ceiling! Loud ALARMS are triggered.

COREY " Meteor strike! "

A swath of red indicator lights invade Corey’s instruments. Above their heads, the puncture begins to VENT air!

BAXTER " Where’s the patch-blaster? "

Corey focuses on his controls and points toward the bulkhead.

COREY " In the tool dispenser. I’ll get it. "

BAXTER " No! Focus on flying. "

Baxter removes her restraints and jumps onto the deck.

Moving too fast for her present condition, she stops in pain.

She staggers through GUSTS of air as they blast into space.

She reaches the TOOL DISPENSER and presses a button.

It slides open, revealing various pieces of EQUIPMENT.

Baxter removes the PATCH-BLASTER.

She kneels on the deck and rips off a SEAL on the hand-held repair unit.

She points the device at the ceiling and FIRES!

A mass of thick ADHESIVE GEL strikes the leak and quickly seals it!

Baxter catches her breath and looks at Corey. The pilot is checking his systems.

BAXTER (CONT’D) " Did it hit anything important? "

Before Corey can speak, Omni’s symbol appears on an INTERFACE STRIP on the wall beside Baxter. It speaks to her.

OMNI " I’m running a systems diagnostic. Nothing vital was damaged. "

COREY " Yeah. Looks like we’re okay. Thanks, Ms. Baxter. "

Baxter makes her way back to her seat and slumps into it.

BAXTER " No problem. Keep your eyes on the road. "

EXT. DUST RING

The AeroFox and AstroBug exit the interplanetary disc of gas and dust, cruising into open space.

The orange glow of PROXIMA CENTAURI greets them. In the distance, hundreds of kilometers ahead, Odyssey glints softly in the dim light of the red dwarf star.

The smaller ships continue to slow down.

INT. ODYSSEY, COMMAND CENTER

A graphic shows that the ships have cleared the dust ring.

The Controller is relieved as she receives an update.

COREY (COMM VOICE) " The strike was minor -- all systems nominal. We should arrive at Proxima b in twelve hours. "

CONTROLLER " That’s good news, AstroBug. "

Shepard activates his communications system.

SHEPARD " Kick-ass job, guys. We’re moving out of direct comms range. We’ll send you a message before we enter Proxima’s photosphere. "

COREY (COMM VOICE) " Roger that. God speed, Odyssey. "

SHEPARD " To you as well, Mission One. "

The astronauts sign off. Faraday smiles for the first time.

FARADAY " Looks like they’re on their way. "

SHEPARD " They always were. "

Shepard sits and sighs with relief. He glances at the wall screen -- the gray planet of PROXIMA B dominates the view.

EXT. SPACE

The AeroFox and AstroBug jettison FAST PACKS (external fuel tanks) and continue forward toward their destination.

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