Avon quotes from Blake's 7

Vila

Well, that's it. With those ships out there we can't wait.

Soolin

They might not be looking for us.

Vila

Are you crazy? You said yourself that was a search formation.

Soolin

They haven't picked up Tarrant, so why'd they assume a ship's out here?

Just a minute. Orac: that message from Space Centre - how was it relayed here?

Through Terminal Four-Zero-Six.

The terminal on Helotrix.

Of course, Avon. That is the nearest terminal to our position.

That's it. They must have intercepted the transmission.

Soolin

Computer logic, the nearest terminal.

Vila

So Orac's thick - we all know that. Let's move!

Well, Orac, what do you think?

I think you have brought back a most fascinating recording.

We are looking for conclusions, not critical acclaim.

Vila

Plasma bolt fired.

Soolin

Thirty seconds to impact.

[over communicator] One more connection to--

[shocked] What are you doing?

Programming in the main circuit drive.

Dayna

You can't do that! That main drive will fire as soon as she makes the final connection!

Soolin

Fifteen seconds.

We can outrun that bolt. She's dead either way.

At least now we can outrun the opposition. That should make you happy.

Dayna

What about Dr. Plaxton?

Who?

Random fluctuations in circuit pulses.

Cause?

External influence.

[Over comm from Scorpio] We've nothing visible on the detectors or the scanners.

Dayna

Could they be faulty?

Detector and Scanner circuits record normal function.

So how is it external?

Dayna

A freak magnetic storm?

That would have been observed.

Vila

[Over comm from Scorpio, panicked] So what have you observed?

A paradox.

In other words, nothing.

Correction: the pulse influences are external to the circuits, but could be internal to the craft.

Tarrant, what have you got up there apart from yourself, a half-wit and a corpse?

A box.

I suppose it has occurred to you that, without Slave, we can't land Scorpio.

Set up a decent orbit and you can leave Scorpio and teleport down.

Muller can't!

Well, we'll give him a refund on his ticket. Just get that ship back, Tarrant. We'll worry about the details then, out! [Snaps the comm off]

It would be prudent to worry about the details now.

When did you start offering gratuitous advice?

Orac?

To die?

There is no option. To reopen teleport contact could expose the base to undefined systems influence.

Oh, you'll have to do better than that, Orac, if you expect me to kill them. (Snaps to Dayna and Soolin) Rescue suits! (To Orac) Restore the teleport to normal function.

Very well.

I am obliged to do as you tell me, even though I know it to be wrong.

Only following orders. That's not very original, Orac.

There is nothing very original about domination, as you will discover.

Gone to the great cyberneticist in the sky.

You fool! It's superstitious half-wits like you who hold back every advance we make!

And arrogance, like yours and Muller's, Avon, which threatens to destroy -

Shut up!

Good is he? This 'Cancer'?

You can imagine how much it pains me to use the word 'infallible'.

Oh, come on. No-one's infallible.

Alright, then, he's not infallible. It's just that up till now he's never failed.

[Discussing Academician Gerron] As well as being a respected geologist and an expert on mining techniques he's also greedy, avaricious and a crook.

Vila

Does he have any faults?

Belkov trusts no one, which is a strength, because that means that no one can betray him. But it is also a weakness, because it means that he is the only one who can defend what is his.

Soolin

So, he makes everything self-protecting, the booby traps, the force fields.

Exactly, everything automatic and therefore predictable, and therefore vulnerable.

[after ordering Slave to plot a new orbit that blocks Belkov's detectors] If we leave our present orbit, as far as he is concerned, we're pulling out - we're cutting our losses and we're running for it. He'll turn his attention to more important matters and leave his automatics to track us. Once we have that moon between us and the scanner, we can start back down again. Since his automatics won't be able to track us, they will merely inform him of what he thinks he already knows - we have gone.

Soolin

What happens to Tarrant and the others in the meantime?

Well, during the manoeuvre they are entirely on their own, but once we are back in our new orbit, the teleport system should function quite normally. Oh, it's a calculated risk. But at least you and I can be certain that we can get away when we want to.

Orac, are details of the orbiter contained in Belkov's computer?

I do not yet have enough data to reach a conclusion.

If it had the information, could you extract it? [Orac says nothing] Come on, that's a simple enough question!

[Hesitantly] There may be problems.

Why?! You've extracted information from Federation computers before, this is just a hotch-potch of three or four of them. You have already stated it is inferior to you.

It is not a question of superiority, but one of... attitude.

The logic of its creator.

Exactly. Let me remind you of ancient Earth mythology. The Delphic Oracle would answer questions truthfully without giving a true answer.

So what we need is not the right answer, but the right question!

What?! (Shot of Orbiter moving away, disclosing Scorpio) Orac, what the hell is going on? Guidance system control is not functioning.

The orbiter is preprogrammed. Flight power depends on the distance and intensity of each star the feldon panels are locked into. The successful completion of a game continues the sequence. To regain control, you must complete the coded sequence of star sources.

Vila

What about the feldon crystals?

Gambit?

This game will reveal the entrance.

Soolin

All we have to do is lock on to the right star.

It is possible that we've just received the right answer to the wrong question.

I calculate that the next star in the sequence is Cygnus XL. That's a black hole.

That is correct.

Not exactly the entrance we were looking for. (Into bracelet, having deduced that Belkov has outmanoeuvered them) Dayna, we're ready for teleport.

Vila

What about the crystals?

There aren't any damned crystals. There never were any damned crystals. They're like everything else on this ship: a game. That's why the last one has to be impassable. We have got to get out of here!