Sands Of Faith

The Sands of Faith

Dramatis Personae:
Of the NightBloom:

• JERUSALEM STEELE - an Imperial Questing Knight and Holovid actor!
• HARLAN STRANDLESS - A rather annoyed mechanic, cohort to Jersualem

Of Claudius' Tomb:

• LYSANDRA JUSTINIAN - a tragic figure of a Crusader and Baroness of Claudius' Tomb!
• ISABEAU MEEKS - A plucky young girl of strangely keen perceptions!
• HUGH THE BASTARD - A grizzled war veteran and experienced Crusader!
• NAIMA BINT JUSTINIAN - an innocent half kurgan healer of the Amalthean Order.

Episode 1: Introdiction Episode 1 - Introdiction FADE IN: STARSHIP COCKPIT VEIWPORT 'NIGHTBLOOM' JERUSALEM sits in the cockpit, looking out over Yathrib as it emerges from behind Shepard's moon. To the distance, a Kurgan cruiser engages with several smaller Crusader craft, the light from meson beams and lasers brilliant in the darkness. JERUSALEM (Voice-over) Yathrib. A world soaked in mysticism, religion, prophecy and blood. The Kurgans have come, forcing the Empire of the Phoenix back to the shining gulf. Only recently have reinforcements from the Empire arrived, stabilizing the realm and ready to push forward. Crusade. The Kurgan ship lists in space, its side gashed open by a strafing run by an Imperial star fighter. The fighter rotates, twin golden plumes of thrust-exhaust trailing behind it as it zooms past the NightBloom. The pilot is captured in the frame for only a moment, seen tossing a jaunty salute to the camera as he passes, Imperial Phoenix Marker's on his wings glinting in the reflected light of the sun. JERUSALEM (Voice-over) I am Jerusalem Steele, Knight of Lamorak - and I am a crusader. Follow my journey of discovery as I plumb the depths of what it means to be a Crusader. A knight. A warrior for the Pancreator. Explore local cultures with me, visit exotic locales and through this holovid series, come to better know what Crusade is. FADE IN: JERUSALEM STEELE's face. JERUSALEM (Voice-over) Subscribe now - 5 firebirds a month gets exclusive content. Contact your local Masque Guild Office today to buy Your licence. ABRUPT SHIFT: Radar screen and instruments COMPUTER WARNING (ALERT) WARNING: TWO ENEMY SPACECRAFT ON INTERCEPT VECTOR JERUSALEM spins the camera to look back at him. JERUSALEM That is all for now, space-fans! It is time to go full burn, make for Atmo and scream into Akko, the seat of Crusade. What wonders await me? Who will greet me? Who's stories will I tell? Find out next week on... THE SANDS OF FAITH!

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Episode 2: Hard Landing Episode 2 - Hard Landing WHEN we last left 'THE SANDS OF FAITH', Jerusalem Steele, Knight of the Phoenix was making his run through the dangerous no-mans land of space between the Shepard's moon and Yathrib's Atmosphere. Two Kurgan spacecraft were hot on his tail. FADE IN: ESTABLISHING SHOT - NIGHTBLOOM dodging among the wreckage of a transport carrier as it orbits Yathrib. Two enemy fighters with red heat trails zoom in behind the NIGHTBLOOM. SCREEN WIPE FADE IN: INTERIOR COCKPIT - NIGHTBLOOM JERUSALEM's hands grip the control yoke, fighting for stability. The ship rolls and pitches around, lances of tracer rounds and lasers arcing past him to strike bits of debris in space. There is the blue-flash of the ship's shields activating as debris from the front impacts and rounds from the back. Alarms sound, damage reports rattling off. The ship seems to be coming apart as he runs the blockade. JERUSALEM (Voice-over) I KNOW! I KNOW the port thrusters are gone! Shut up! Shut up! HARLAN! Can you do something about that? HARLAN, A MECHANIC I'm already on it, boss! Try and hold her Steady! JERUSALEM (Voice-over) Try and hold her steady, she says... JERUSALEM punches buttons furiously, flipping switches. Things light up and alarms go silent, but the ship shudders violently. A crack appears in his viewport as the shields fail and a bit of debris slams into the ship at high speed. JERUSALEM picks up the microphone to the radio. JERUSALEM (Voice-over) This is the Nightbloom, in orbit over Yathrib. I am coming in hot and hard, I am going to overshoot Akko Spaceport. I am requesting an alternate landing. MEEKHAM TOWER Nightbloom, this is Meekham Tower. Go ahead, relate your condition. JERUSALEM (Voice-over) Oh. You know. Fast reentry. New Kurgan Friends who'd really like to talk to me, Shot to hell and back with failing engines. Also, I am ON FUCKING FIRE LIKE A BLAZING COMET SCREAMING ACROSS THE SKY AT 10,000 MILES A GODDAMN HOUR! MEEKHAM TOWER Uh... Right then. We are transmitting the coordinates of our landing field and our approach paths. JERUSALEM (Voice-over) Lovely. Thanks so much. JERUSALEM looks down over his readouts - gravity etched in his face. The glow from the reentry heat floods the view screen, fire casting him in orange and amber. Sweat beads on his face and tension is etched in handsome features. Either he's a damn fine actor, or this is a truly harrowing situation. SCREEN WIPE: EXTERNAL TRAILING CAM FROM NIGHTBLOOM Two angry looking kurgan fighters - damaged but doggedly pursuing the small starship into the upper atmosphere. Will Jerusalem Steele make his date with the people of Meekham? Will the Nightbloom hold together long enough for him to make touch down? Will the Infidel Kurgans break off? FIND OUT IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF... THE SANDS OF FAITH!

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Episode 3: Guess Who's coming to Dinner? Episode 3 - Guess Who's coming to Dinner? FADE IN: OPEN LANDSCAPE - CLAUDIUS TOMB AERODROME - REALLY A COW PASTURE FOR MIRACLE COWS. The thundercrack of a sonic bomb will not be heard until the flash of light comes over the hills to the west. A burning, crackling ball of fire hurtles through the air, under bare levels of power. Inside, Jerusalem and Harlan battle for control of the stricken aircraft, while the forward swept wings of two Kurgan fighters drop out of the clouds, following the smoke trail of the NightBloom. JERUSALEM Frack frack frack frack! HARLAN Quit whining and start flying! Get us underneath their radar cover and head for Meekhams' guns! JERUSALEM (Sarcastic) That sounds like a great idea! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT? HARLAN Because you're too busy mugging for a goddamn camera? SCREEN WIPE MONTAGE: The Nightbloom's shields come back on line, the nightbloom's shields get knocked off line by laser fire from the Kurgans. The Nightbloom clips a tree. Nightbloom crashes, scarring the countryside with the skidmark of a multi-hundred-tonne spacecraft in soft soil. Pom-Pom batteries in Meekham drive off the Kurgans. A cow stands on the tail-section of the Nightbloom. FADE IN: NIGHTBLOOM CRASH SITE - NIGHT LYSANDRA, HUGH and NAIMA sit ahorse, staring at he wreckage before them, not sure what to make of it all. Especially the cow. BARONESS LYSANDRA Think anyone's alive in there? CASTELLAIN HUGH I hope so. This Crusade needs all the men it can get. See the Imperial Markings? This ship is from the Empire, not Kurgans. NAIMA - A HALFBLOOD HEALER If they are injured, I will heal them with the power of the Pancreator and my love of all mankind! Lysandra and Hugh glance at each other, then back at Naima. The top hatch of the now half-buried Nightbloom flips open. A pack flies up and out of the hatch, landing in the dirt before a group of the three stunned locals on horseback.