ALARA ALIEN_1 ALL BORTUS CAMBIS CLAIRE CREW DRENALA ED FLORATTA GORDON ILDIS ISAAC JOHN KELLY OLIX SERRIS SOLANA THARL YAPHIT CREW GORDON There he is. Let's go! JOHN Oh, yeah, here we go. Let's do this. ALARA Oh, come on, you guys. I'm eating here. GORDON Nope. Alara, this is now an official Friday night tradition. You cannot deprive us. JOHN Isaac! Get your shiny butt over here. It's go time. ISAAC I still fail to comprehend the purpose of this ritual. ALARA We're circus animals, Isaac. I hate to break it to you. OLIX All right! Come on, everybody! Place your bets. Use comscanner code 7499 Alpha 6. YAPHIT Hey, what's the score? GORDON Alara's won 16. Isaac's at 14. ALARA All right. Let's just get this over with. BORTUS I have wagered on you, Lieutenant. Do not fail me. JOHN Aaaand go! ALL ALIEN 1 Fleeka hewik-vig! ALARA JOHN Boom! And it's Isaac for the win! GORDON God. What's the matter? Alara, you okay? ALARA Call Dr. Finn. I think my arm is broken. CLAIRE How's that? ALARA It's much better. Thanks. CLAIRE Well, it was a clean break, so it should be fine in a half hour or so. Just don't put too much stress on it before that. ALARA Claire, how did this happen? I mean, I know Isaac and I are evenly matched, but to break my arm? In Earth gravity? I. CLAIRE Alara, how have you been feeling otherwise? Any unusual soreness or inflammation? ALARA Yeah. I mean, maybe a little, but I've also been working out more lately. W-Why? CLAIRE Well, your muscle mass is down 20%. ALARA No. CLAIRE And your bone density is down five percent. Alara Your strength is deteriorating. CLAIRE Physical deterioration as a result of changes in gravity is nothing new. It happened to the earliest human astronauts. Even with extensive physical training while in microgravity, muscle volume and peak power inevitably decrease. KELLY Has it ever happened to a Xelayan? CLAIRE There have been several cases, yes. But the atrophy seems to be affecting Alara at a faster rate than most, probably because she left home so young. ALARA So, uh. What do I do? CLAIRE The good news is, the effects aren't permanent yet. If you can re-acclimate to Xelayan gravity, there's a 90% chance you'll regain your strength. ED How would she re-acclimate? CLAIRE She's gonna have to return to her home planet. ALARA Well. For how long? CLAIRE Well, there's no way to know. There have been documented cases of Xelayans re-acclimating within weeks. Some took longer. KELLY How much longer? CLAIRE Well, the longest recovery period on record was about four years and there was one subject who never recovered. He never left Xelayah again. I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just giving you the data. ALARA And if I don't go back? CLAIRE In time, your body will adjust fully to Earth normal gravity. After that, if you tried to go back to Xelayah. ALARA Crushed like a grape. CLAIRE Without protection, yes. ED When would she have to leave? CLAIRE To maximize her chances? Soon as possible. ALARA Come in. When I first got here, I could lift 100 kilos more than that. ED That's still a hell of a lot better than the rest of us. ALARA ED Look, I have a thought, okay? Now, whatever you decide to do, I'm gonna support you. But if you did decide to stay ALARA Then you'd have a security chief who could get beaten up by a high-schooler. Captain, look at me. We both know the only reason I got this job is because I'm Xelayan. ED Alara, your skill set as chief of security covers more than just busting heads. We could expand your staff, give you as much man power as you need, but you would still call the shots. ALARA Yeah. like they'd want to take orders from me. ED That's their job. ALARA They'd never respect me. A-And the ones who didn't resent me would just feel sorry for me. I I don't need charity, Captain. ED So what are you gonna do? ALARA What else can I do? I'm going home. ED Well, who knows? Maybe you'll recover faster than anyone in history, and you'll be back here in a week. ALARA What if it's longer? ED Your job will be waiting for you. ALARA What if it's a lot longer? ED Just get better. Okay? GORDON I'll say it again, best looking planet in the Union. CLAIRE Alara. ALARA I just I wanted to take one last look at the bridge. KELLY How are you feeling? ALARA I'm gonna beat this. I promise. And I am going to come back to you tougher than ever. CLAIRE I know you will. KELLY We're gonna miss you so much. ALARA I'm gonna miss you guys, too. GORDON Now entering atmosphere. Activating gravity shield. God, I just can't I mean, look at that. ED Nothing like it. GORDON You know, it's places like this that make me realize, God, I'm trash. My family is trash. ALARA It's that one. Straight ahead. GORDON Can I just park anywhere? ALARA Yeah. Just park out front. ED Okay. Open the hatch. DRENALA Ah, Alara. ALARA DRENALA ILDIS Honey! DRENALA Honey! ALARA Ah. ILDIS Are you okay? ALARA Yeah. I'm fine. It's just the gravity. ILDIS Looks like it's more serious than we were told. ED Alara, are you sure you're okay? I could have Dr. Finn sent down. ILDIS We have doctors on Xelayah, Captain. Far superior to any you can provide. ALARA Dad, for God's sake. DRENALA Oh, you were always a fragile one. Poor thing. ED Mr. and Mrs. Kitan, it's no secret to anyone that Xelayans don't think much of the military. But you should know that your daughter has distinguished herself beyond all expectations. She has saved a lot of lives. Including mine. ILDIS Yes, well, thanks for dropping her off. We'll take it from here. ALARA Captain. Thank you, for everything. I'll see you soon. ED Thank you, Lieutenant. DRENALA Come inside, sweetheart. You can lie down. ALARA ED It's no wonder she's so hard on herself all the time. God, I'd like to punch that guy in the face. All right, come on, let's go. GORDON Oh, hang on. I've always wanted to try something on this planet. Brought this with me. GORDON Wow! ED Oh, man. Thank God for gravity shields. DRENALA Hi, honey. ILDIS Up and around? Feeling any better? ALARA Yes, thanks. Wow, this looks great. DRENALA I hope you're hungry. SOLANA I know, I'm late. Sorry. DRENALA Hi, sweetie. Look who's here. SOLANA Alara. Oh, my God. Hi, hon. ALARA Solana, hi. Uh, I thought you were out on Jintann 8. ILDIS Jintann 9. SOLANA I was, but the lab's all set up, and they don't technically need me for a few days, so of course I'm gonna come see my baby sister. Especially if she's sick. ALARA Uh, I'm not sick. ILDIS I was saying earlier she already looks healthier than she did on the Orville. DRENALA Well, that recycled air wasn't doing you any favors. ILDIS They worked you way too hard out there. You always looked tired. SOLANA I don't know how you did it. Cooped up on that ship all the time? I would lose my mind. ALARA Actually, the Orville's great. I like working there. ILDIS Well, now that you're back, the important thing is to stay busy. In fact, this could be the perfect time for you to go back to school. Get your degree. ALARA I'm not gonna be here that long. DRENALA Well, honey, you don't know that. ILDIS If you're worried about competing, I've already talked to some of the professors at the university. They know you're going to need a little extra attention, but they are all up for the challenge. ALARA Oh, thanks. SOLANA Is gravity readjustment kind of different for everybody? Because I was reading that some people take a really long time to recover. ALARA You know, it'd be really great if everyone could just stop rooting for me to fail. I'm I'm sorry. It's just look, even if I were staying, I'm not going back to school. DRENALA Honey, why don't you tell her about you and Terlus? ALARA What is it? SOLANA We're getting married. ALARA You are? That's amazing. Congratulations. ILDIS Took him long enough to propose. SOLANA You'll be my maid of honor, of course. DRENALA And now that you're home, who knows? Maybe you'll have some luck in the romance department. ILDIS ALARA Come in. ILDIS Enjoying your old room? ALARA It's like a flashback. You hardly changed anything. ILDIS Yes, well, we always knew you'd come back. Or at least we hoped. ALARA Because you missed me? ILDIS Of course we missed you. And we want what's best for you. ALARA God, you just can't help yourself, can you? ILDIS What? ALARA Did you ever stop to think that maybe there are people who might possibly prefer a different lifestyle than you? Or is that just completely beyond your ability to imagine? ILDIS Look, sweetheart you were born with certain disadvantages. ALARA ILDIS We both know if you hadn't been slower than the other children, you wouldn't have felt trapped into joining the fleet. ALARA Dad, I was well aware of my intellectual weaknesses. I had you to remind me every day. ILDIS What, was I supposed to lie to you? You're my daughter. ALARA Yeah, exactly. I'm your daughter. You're supposed to offer me I-I-I don't know, encouragement, support? Things a father is supposed to do. ILDIS Now hold on, that's not fair. Your mother and I did the best we could with you. ALARA Oh, the best you could. Wow. I am sorry I was such a project. ILDIS We put in a lot of time and a lot of energy. Do you know why? Because we love you. It broke our hearts to see you join the military. ALARA Those people inspired me more in a year than anyone on Xelayah did my entire life. ILDIS Now that is the gravity sickness talking. ALARA No, Dad, that's me talking! Open your stupid ears and listen. All I ever needed to hear from you was, "You can do it." That's all. Just once. And-and maybe it would've been a lie, but I needed that, Dad. I really needed it. And do you know who said it to me instead? Captain Mercer, Commander Grayson and everyone on the Orville, but not my own father. ILDIS The doctor doesn't know how long you're going to be in that chair. Your mother and I have decided that a trip out to the beach house might do us all some good. Pull the family back together. ALARA A trip to the beach isn't going to fix 20 years. SERRIS Hello, hello. DRENALA Hi, Serris. SERRIS I've got the house all set up for you. ILDIS Thank you. Anything we need to know? SERRIS The island is all yours. Deserted for the off-season. I'm headed back to the mainland, but don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything. ILDIS Thank you so much. My best to your family. SERRIS Thank you, sir. DRENALA Alara! Look! SOLANA It's so beautiful. I haven't seen a wild eevek in ages. DRENALA Hi, honey. ALARA Didn't Serris say we're the only ones on the island right now? DRENALA Yes. ALARA I saw a light on in one of the houses down the beach. ILDIS Well, maybe someone else wanted to take advantage of the off-season. DRENALA It's so peaceful here when it isn't crowded. I can hardly blame them. So what do we think? Bedtime? ILDIS Absolutely. I'm exhausted. ED So, short-term request for a DNA specialist in Medical, staff reviews in Armory and Communications, anything new in Engineering? KELLY Nothing departmental, but Yaphit's six-month evaluation was last week and he asked what our parental leave policy is. ED Why, is he thinking of splitting in half? KELLY We can't legally ask him that. ED Come in. BORTUS Captain, the interim security chief has arrived. ED Okay. Send him in. BORTUS Aye, sir. KELLY You miss her, don't you? ED I just hope she's okay. KELLY Yeah. Come in. THARL Lieutenant Tharl reporting for duty. ED Tharl, come on in. THARL This ship is totally sick, man. KELLY Thank you. THARL Yeah. I was checking it out on the way up here. I'm like, "Man, this is bitchin'." I like all the carpets. KELLY Your references are terrific. You come very highly recommended. THARL Yeah, my last captain had a total boner for me. Not a boner-boner, a professional boner. ED Um, we only have standard-issue uniforms on board, so if you need something specific. THARL No, it's all good. I got a few of these. So can I take my station? KELLY Yes. I'll show you to the bridge. THARL Hey, what is that? ED Uh, Kermit the frog. THARL Sick. ALARA No, don't help me. DRENALA I'm not. I'm here just in case. SOLANA Alara, you're doing great. ALARA Not great enough. DRENALA No. That was so much better than yesterday. Hello. May I help you? CAMBIS Yes, hi. I'm Cambis Borrin and this is my wife, Floratta. We own the grey house just up the beach, the one with the silver railings. DRENALA Oh, yes. That's a beautiful home. CAMBIS Thank you. DRENALA Come on in. FLORATTA Thank you. DRENALA I'm Drenala and these are my daughters Solana and Alara. CAMBIS Hi. We're so sorry to bother you. We just arrived this morning and we think someone's been in our house. So we were wondering if you'd noticed anyone or anything unusual? ALARA Someone broke into your house? FLORATTA Well, we don't know for sure, but we think so. ALARA Was there any sign of forced entry? CAMBIS No. No, not that we saw, but when we got inside, it looked as if several items had been moved around like someone was looking for something. ALARA Was anything missing? FLORATTA Not that we could see. ALARA Did you call the police? FLORATTA Oh, of course. They came right away. ALARA Did they scan for DNA? FLORATTA I’m actually not sure. DRENALA Alara was a security officer on board a Union starship. ALARA Am. Not was. CAMBIS I know that it's the off-season, but do you know if there's anyone else on the island? SOLANA Our caretaker was here yesterday, but he already left for the mainland. CAMBIS Forgive me for asking, but how well do you know him? DRENALA Serris? He's been with us for years. CAMBIS I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything. We're just, uh, a little bit rattled. DRENALA No, it's fine. I mean, I'm happy to call him. CAMBIS Thank you. DRENALA No answer. ALARA Why don't I go check his cottage? DRENALA Oh, honey, no. Not in your condition. ALARA Mom, it's what I do. SOLANA I can go with her. ED Hey, you know, Tharl, you can, uh, take a break if you want, go eat in the mess hall. THARL Oh, yeah, I'm good, I like to work through lunch. BORTUS May I ask, what is that? THARL This? It's stew. BORTUS No, your appendage. THARL Oh, yeah. This is my esophagus. My species has a crazy high metabolism, so we evolved two esophaguses one on the inside, one on the outside, so we can just pound food just pound it. Bam. Taking the tube to Tummy Town. JOHN Captain, Commander, we have an idea. KELLY About what? CLAIRE It's about Alara. We may have figured out a way to help her. Now there are no guarantees, but can you come to Simulator Three? ED Bortus, you have the conn. SOLANA So any cute guys on that ship? ALARA Some, yeah. SOLANA Cool. Your life must be pretty interesting out there. ALARA You could say that. SOLANA You know, I kind of envy you. ALARA You envy me? SOLANA Yeah. I mean, I know we haven't talked that much in the past year, but every time we did, you always had some crazy wild story about something you'd seen or some new place you'd been. ALARA Well, there's a lot to tell. SOLANA I mean, two-dimensional space? ALARA SOLANA I can't even imagine what that must've been like. ALARA I thought you guys hated the military. SOLANA I have a theory. I think the soldiers and the intellectuals all secretly want what the other has. The muscle wants the brains, and the brains wish they had what it takes to clobber the barroom drunk who gets out of line. ALARA Why can't a person have both? SOLANA I guess a lot of us look at people like you, and we think that we're better, more evolved. But you know I'm proud of you, sis. SOLANA What is all this? ALARA It's all of Serris's stuff. He never left. He must still be on the island. DRENALA Ildis, how much longer is this gonna take? We're starving. ILDIS Trivalve sauce is a delicate thing. You can't eat it before it's completely boiled. DRENALA He thinks he's a celebrity chef. ALL FLORATTA Drenala, thank you again for this. DRENALA Oh, please, I wouldn't want to go back to that house tonight either. CAMBIS Well, we're gonna head across to the mainland tomorrow. SOLANA Do you think Serris could've done something? ILDIS Well, if we don't hear from him by morning, I'm calling the police. ALARA At least it's the off-season. If they do need to search for him, they'll have an easier time. CAMBIS That is true. The high season always so crowded. You can actually see sand and water now instead of umbrellas and towels. ALL FLORATTA Oh, I do like the crowds, sometimes. Our house is usually just the two of us. It can get a little lonely. DRENALA Do you have children? CAMBIS We do, a son. He's so busy, though, he can't usually can't find the time to join us out here. ILDIS How old is he? FLORATTA Oh, he just turned 30. He had a birthday last week. DRENALA Oh, that's great. Did you do anything fun? CAMBIS No, no, no. Galdus isn't a birthday kind of guy. Very serious, doesn't really like when he's the center of attention. Except when he's teaching, of course. ILDIS Oh, where does he teach? CAMBIS He is an associate professor at the University of Xenara Medical School. ILDIS Really? I've done a few stints as a visiting lecturer there over the years. Lovely campus. FLORATTA It is. It's beautiful. Galdus loves it. CAMBIS Yes, he started teaching there when he was just 21. Bit of a prodigy. FLORATTA Mm-hmm. CAMBIS Not to brag or anything. DRENALA Oh, please, brag away. Talking about Solana's PhD is our favorite topic. ALL SOLANA Come on, Mom. DRENALA It's true. ILDIS Ah, yes, there we go. The sauce is ready. DRENALA Oh, finally. CAMBIS I can't wait to try it. ILDIS Here, give me your plate. You'll have to let me know if it's spicy enough. CAMBIS Is that ladle clean? ILDIS Yes, of course it is. CAMBIS It looks a little dirty. ILDIS No, it's fine, I promise. CAMBIS Just the same, maybe you could use something else. ILDIS Okay, uh, I'm sure I must have a spoon around here somewhere. CAMBIS Why don't you use your hand? ALL ILDIS Right. CAMBIS I mean it. ILDIS What are you talking about? It's boiling hot. CAMBIS Use your hand. ILDIS What the hell is this? ALARA Okay, what is going on and who are you? ILDIS I'm a hungry man asking my host to serve him some trivalve sauce with his hand. DRENALA Ildis. ALARA Mom, sit down. FLORATTA Better do as you're told. Ildis. ILDIS CAMBIS Oh, I would say that is indeed spicy enough. FLORATTA Look what I found. CAMBIS Frizzian champagne. Oh, Ildis, you've been holding out on us. Saving this for higher class company? ILDIS Listen, whatever it is you want. CAMBIS Shut up, Ildis. I propose a toast, sweetie. To Galdus's birthday. Happy birthday to our little boy. Mmm. It's too bad Galdus can't share this wonderful champagne, but he died last year. Suicide. SOLANA But you were just talking about him earlier. FLORATTA I can see how that would be misleading. We talk about Galdus often. ILDIS I'm so sorry about your son. That must be terrible, to lose a child. CAMBIS It is. The worst pain a parent could ever imagine. He held on for a while, as long as he could, a few years, actually, after you destroyed his career, destroyed his life. ILDIS I don't understand what you're talking about. CAMBIS Professor Ildis Kitan. Author of a paper first published in the Xelayan Journal of Science, "The Mellara Vaccine and its Effects on the Risk of Torin's SyndromeA Formal Dispute." ILDIS Galdus Harona. CAMBIS Ah, it all comes back to him. ALARA Dad, who is he? ILDIS A medical researcher, a very outspoken opponent of the Mellara vaccine. FLORATTA Galdus' research revealed that the vaccine was putting children at risk of Torin's Syndrome. He published his findings, was on the verge of becoming a household name for exposing the dangers, for protecting the children. ILDIS Please, listen to me very carefully. I never set out to deliberately ruin your son. It wasn't personal. It was about the science. His methodology was flawed. Incomplete. Every credible researcher in the field knew it. He needed more peer review. He was wrong about the. CAMBIS No, no, no. You were wrong. And you are going to admit that you were wrong. ILDIS Your son was a very smart man. Too smart to rush publication of his research without. CAMBIS You are going to renounce your position. ILDIS Thousands of people would've died without that vaccine. CAMBIS You are going to tell the world that you lied. He was right. You were wrong. And you can't live with the guilt anymore. Sweetie. ILDIS This is insane. I will not go on record declaring a vaccine is dangerous when it isn't. All right. I-I'll do it. ALARA Dad, the second you make that retraction, they'll have no reason to keep any of us alive. CAMBIS All right. That does create a bit of a stalemate, yes. Sweetie, it seems we need a less absolute incentive. I have an idea. Ildis, I noticed you have a lovely garden. CAMBIS Solana, your hand, please. SOLANA No, no, please. Please, don't. I. CAMBIS Your hand or your head. SOLANA FLORATTA Which one, sweetie? ILDIS Don't do this. I'll make the statement. I'll say. CAMBIS I know you will, Ildis, but I do want you to have a small taste of what it feels like to watch your child suffer. Let's start with the little one. SOLANA CAMBIS It's a Union shuttle. What have you done? ILDIS Nothing, I swear. CAMBIS Who is it? ILDIS I swear, I don't know. ALARA The point is, they're here. If I were you, I'd make a break for it while you still can. CAMBIS Come here. Come here. Sweetie. Get rid of them. FLORATTA Nobody makes a sound. ED Professor Kitan, I'm sorry to just drop in unannounced like this, but your comm seems to be down. ILDIS Yes, we've been having some trouble with it. Should be repaired by tomorrow. ED I need to speak to Alara. ILDIS Uh, she's resting right now. The gravity's been getting to her, but we'll let her know you were here. She'll call you tomorrow. ED It's very important that I talk to her. I promise you she's gonna want to hear what I have to say. ILDIS I'm sorry, it's not a good time. ED Look, Ildis, I know you don't think much of me or the fleet, but please believe me when I tell you that I care about your daughter just as much as you do. Now, I need to speak to her right away, and I'm not leaving until I do. ALARA ALARA Everyone get upstairs and lock the doors. ILDIS Alara, what-what. ALARA Dad, get them upstairs now! ALARA GORDON Ed! Ed, can you hear me? ED Yeah. I can't move. Contact the Orville. GORDON Ed, I'm reading a problem with your gravity field. Check your gauge. ED Power's low. It must have been overloaded by the shot. GORDON Malloy to Orville. Ed's gravity field is malfunctioning. He's got about three minutes until the Xelayan gravity gets through. ALARA Dad, I can take this guy, but I need you to go help Ed. ILDIS What? ALARA You have to go over the balcony and get him inside the shuttle. What What is it? ILDIS Can't you go? ALARA My legs are about to give out on me. I won't make it. Dad, you can do this. Okay? You can do it. Let's go. ILDIS GORDON Little further. ED GORDON Come on. A little further. Come on! Ed. Ed, are you okay? ILDIS He's unconscious, but stable. You'll have to get him back to your ship, but he'll be all right. GORDON Are you gonna be all right? ILDIS Alara took care of it. GORDON She always does. ILDIS Alara? Are you okay? ALARA I'm fine. How's Ed? ILDIS A few broken bones, but he'll make it. ALARA Good. ILDIS Alara, you we would all have been. ALARA You don't have to say it. Dad, it's my job. It's what I've been trying to tell you for years. ILDIS They would've killed us. All of us. ALARA Probably. ILDIS I don't know you. I never even tried to know you. ALARA I wanted you to know me, Dad. All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me. ILDIS I am so proud. So very proud that you are my daughter. And I'm so sorry that you got me for a father. JOHN We've managed to create a finite area of stabilized synthetic graviton particles in the simulator. ALARA And you're sure this'll work? CLAIRE Two hours a week of high gravity treatments, and you'll be able to maintain your strength aboard the Orville. ALARA Sounds so simple. CLAIRE Not entirely. The gravity is amplified, even from what you're used to on Xelayah. The treatments will be painful at first, very painful. KELLY But you'll be able to keep your posting. You're our chief of security as long as you want to be. ED Come in. Hey. How you feeling? ALARA Not bad. ED Claire said you're scheduled for your first treatment this afternoon. ALARA That's actually what I came to talk to you about. Uh, Captain. ED What's wrong? ALARA I've decided not to do the treatments. ED Claire said they were painful, but I didn't think that. ALARA No, it's not that, it's Sir, I joined the fleet because I had never really had a family. And I wanted to belong to something larger than myself. Captain, the Orville has been so much more than I ever could've wished for. It was warm, it was welcoming. I was needed. You were my family. You and this entire crew, but I found something on Xelayah. Something I'd only ever seen from afar. I always thought it was just for other people, but not for me. And now I have a chance to experience it for myself. I've already missed out on so much time. I I don't want to miss out anymore. ED You're going back. ALARA I need to be with my family. ED That's two good-byes so close together. ALARA I won't forget this place. I promise. ED We won't forget you. And if you ever decide that you miss that little chair on the bridge. ALARA ED it'll be there for you. ALARA This is for you. ED It's been a pleasure serving with you, Lieutenant. ALARA Likewise, Captain.