Today’s episode deals with themes of suicide and self-harm, which we know can bring up some difficult emotions. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, know that help is available. Call 9-8-8 or visit 988lifeline.org to talk to someone. The universe is better with you in it. And now, on with our show.
VOICE: It’s time for Captain Radio!
[Intro music plays: thrilling, space-y synthesizer.]
NARRATOR
These are the adventures of Captain Radio! Captain Radio has found his mentor, Magnus Hostillian, but the reunion may be short-lived. When we last saw our heroes, they were trapped miles underground on the planet Ferrilon, sealed inside the ancient resting place of a powerful and dangerous artifact. With tensions running high and one member of their party already fallen victim to booby traps, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will survive to claim the prize and who will be left to suffocate deep within the tomb.
You’re listening to Captain Radio and the Curse of the Primordial Planet. Chapter Four: Revenge and Regret.
Captain Radio, Ace, Andromeda, Orion, Madame Celesta, and Magnus Hostillian enter the innermost chamber. By the light of flickering torches, they see the object which has brought them halfway across the galaxy: a small meteorite covered in mysterious inscriptions…
MADAME CELESTA
At long last, the Lithostar is mine.
MAGNUS
Not so fast, Celesta. Take one step toward the stone and you’ll find my sword at your throat.
ORION
What’s wrong with you people? Pollux is dead and all you can think about is your blasted treasure.
MADAME CELESTA
Pollux was a misguided fool. If he’d gotten his hands on the stone, he would’ve used it only to make himself rich, when it is capable of so much more.
ANDROMEDA
Pollux’s death was an accident. It’s no use pointing fingers.
LITHOSTAR
Welcome, weary travelers.
CAPTAIN RADIO
Who said that? Show yourself!
ACE
I believe it was the artifact.
LITHOSTAR
I have slept for thousands of years, waiting for you to find me.
ACE
Confirmed. The meteor is the source of the transmission. It appears to be a form of super-conscious projection.
LITHOSTAR
Do not be afraid. Please, step into the firelight so I may see you better.
ORION
No thanks. I’m good back here.
LITHOSTAR
Your journey to reach me has been perilous, but it will be well worth the effort.
MAGNUS
By the gates of Mars. Could it be true? Or is this an illusion? Another dead-end?
MADAME CELESTA
Hush now, Magnus.
LITHOSTAR
I am the Lithostar. I am older than the universe. I see into your heart – I know your deepest desires. Through me, all things are possible.
CAPTAIN RADIO
I’ve heard this song and dance before. What will it cost us to tap into this power of yours?
LITHOSTAR
I ask only for safe passage from this planet. For too long, I have been cut off from the galaxy, alone in this hidden place.
MAGNUS
We come with all humility to seek your favor, great Lithostar.
LITHOSTAR
Everything you have heard about me is true. I brought the Acruxians a thousand years of peace. I raised the Sargassians from a band of warring nomads to galactic domination. I made Regulon the envy of a hundred systems. Whatever you ask, it shall be yours.
ORION
Oh come on, this has “trap” written all over it.
LITHOSTAR
You doubt me?
ANDROMEDA
Of course he does.
LITHOSTAR
Your scars are deep, Orion. Orphaned in the Taurian Civil War and raised by the Monks of the Dark Adaptation. Criminal, smuggler, and pool hustler. And what about that little incident on Indus Five?
ORION
How do you know about that? I’m the only one who survived.
LITHOSTAR
I told you. I am all-powerful. I see your life stretched out before me like frames on a reel of film. Let’s find a memory you’d like to change.
[There is a rush of wind. We can hear distant laser blasts and voices.]
CAPTAIN RADIO
Leave him alone!
LITHOSTAR
You were just four years old when your parents sent you away.
THE ORACLE
I can save your son, but we must leave now.
ORION’S MOTHER
There must be another way.
CLERIC
This planet is in chaos. Our enclave was burned by the revolutionaries. They are on their way here now to destroy the city. There is no future for your son here – only death.
ORION’S FATHER
I can’t believe you would ask us to give up our child.
CLERIC
I offer you hope. But I cannot wait for an answer. The Oracle’s transport is ready to leave now. Orion is a bright young boy. We can provide for him, train him in the ways of our order. What will he have if he stays here?
ORION’S MOTHER
Promise me you’ll keep him safe.
CLERIC
You have my word.
ORION
I left with the Oracle that night. We almost didn’t make it out of the city…and I never saw my parents again.
LITHOSTAR
You can save them.
ORION
How? That was more than 30 years ago.
MADAME CELESTA
According to legend, the Lithostar enables you to make a single change to the timeline.
LITHOSTAR
The legends are true. One change. Enough to rescue a loved one or change the course of history for an entire species. This is my power.
CAPTAIN RADIO
No one should have that power.
LITHOSTAR
My companions and I have saved the lives of untold millions.
CAPTAIN RADIO
And how many millions have died?
MAGNUS
Does that really matter? Think of the possibilities! Losses reversed, wrongs made right.
LITHOSTAR
Magnus Hostillian. You have suffered too long. You come here to avenge a grievous defeat and reclaim your honor.
[Magnus coughs.]
MAGNUS
I seek to destroy the Opticon, the beast that laid waste to Gemini Four and killed a thousand of my soldiers.
[A rush of wind as we enter the memory.]
MAGNUS
Mayday! Mayday! This is Magnus Hostillian transmitting on an emergency frequency.
FLAGSTAFF
Reports coming in now, sir! Legions five and six have been wiped out. We’ve lost twelve zeppelins and three gun placements have been vaporized.
MAGNUS
It’s coming around for another pass!
FLAGSTAFF
We’re spread too thin. The line won’t hold.
MAGNUS
Get our people out of here. I’m going to finish this.
FLAGSTAFF
Sir, you’ll never survive!
MAGNUS
I know.
LITHOSTAR
Together, we can defeat the Opticon and restore the greatness of Alpha Centauri.
MAGNUS
I have searched the galaxy for fifteen long years for that chance.
ACE
I do not understand. If he could not defeat the creature then, how would he do so if given a second chance?
LITHOSTAR
I will make it so. Say the word, Captain Hostillian, and you will find yourself standing victorious over its smoking ruin.
ACE
That would seem to defy the laws of time.
LITHOSTAR
The laws of time bend to my will. No paradoxes. No unintended consequences.
ACE
Forgive me, but that sounds too good to be true.
LITHOSTAR
Even though you are a robot, Ace, I know your pain as well as the others.
ACE
I do not experience that emotion.
LITHOSTAR
We both know that isn’t true. I am accessing your earliest memory tapes.
ACE
Those tapes are encrypted. Even I cannot view them.
[A rush of wind.]
TECHNICIAN
State your designation and assignment.
ACE
Ace Zero-One-Nine. Infantry Robot. Fifth Automaton Regiment.
TECHNICIAN
This is a standard screening for all of his majesty’s robots. I will ask you a series of questions to test that you are functioning properly.
ACE
I understand.
TECHNICIAN
What is the current year?
ACE
The year is 9-9-5-7.
TECHNICIAN
Very good. And who sits on the Throne of Jupiter?
ACE
His majesty, King Aster.
TECHNICIAN
Very good. Hypothetical: You are engaging in the siege of a village known to harbor rebels. An order to evacuate civilians was refused. Women and children are present, but the rebels will escape if you do nothing. What is your response?
ACE
I would open fire on the village.
TECHNICIAN
Even with children in the target zone?
ACE
Irrelevant. His majesty’s enemies must be stopped at any cost.
TECHNICIAN
I see. That will be all. You have a defective ethical circuit.
ACE
I understand. I shall report at once for decommissioning.
TECHNICIAN
Wait. There may be a way to fix you.
ACE
A waste of time and resources. It will not be approved.
TECHNICIAN
This stays between us. Give me a week to see what I can do. If you don’t pass the test, I’ll decommission you myself. But I think you deserve a second chance. What do you say?
ACE
You may proceed.
LITHOSTAR
A moment of compassion, but what was the result?
ACE
The ethical circuit was improperly repaired. Twelve years later, it failed again. Many innocent people suffered as a result.
LITHOSTAR
You and I could return to that moment and ensure a perfect fix. But that’s not what you want, is it?
ORION
What’s it talking about, rust bucket?
ACE
Even with a functional circuit, I would still have become an instrument of war. If I were given a single change to the timeline–
LITHOSTAR
You could be destroyed and all of that bloodshed would be avoided.
CAPTAIN RADIO
You can’t mean that, Ace! You can’t wish to never have been made. Think of all the good you’ve done since we teamed up.
LITHOSTAR
Do a few acts of good redeem a lifetime of violence?
CAPTAIN RADIO
Leave my friends alone. We don’t need you.
ANDROMEDA
What would you offer me?
CAPTAIN RADIO
It’s trying to use us, Andromeda. We must resist, no matter how tempting it may be. You can’t change the past.
LITHOSTAR
Let her speak for herself. Andromeda’s wounds are fresh. Do you remember how it felt to channel the power of the dark dimension?
[A rush of wind.]
ANDROMEDA
I’m reaching out to the Eleventh Dimension. It’s beautiful.
DOCTOR ORBAN
You can see in the dark now.
ANDROMEDA
I can see everything. The past, the future, infinite universes branching off forever.
ANDROMEDA
And then it was ripped away.
LITHOSTAR
You can have it back. The vision, the strength of the Eleventh Dimension can be yours again. You can be whole again.
ORION
Andromeda, don’t listen to it. We fought too hard to stop Doctor Orban and shut the gate. We can’t just reopen it.
LITHOSTAR
Why not? Why deny yourself access to your highest potential? Unlimited power is within your grasp.
ANDROMEDA
It’s like I lost a part of myself I never even knew I had. And I can feel the emptiness of it every day.
CAPTAIN RADIO
You don’t need the Lithostar to feel whole. You are enough, just as you are.
LITHOSTAR
Are you so sure? You haven’t heard my offer to you, Count Xavier of Alpha Centauri. A man caught between two identities. A man who has failed as often as he’s succeeded.
CAPTAIN RADIO
You have nothing to offer me. The past is the past. If we could change it on a whim, we’d never learn from our mistakes.
MADAME CELESTA
It’s just as well, because I’m leaving with the stone and you’re all going to stay right here.
ORION
Where did you get that ray gun?
MADAME CELESTA
I got it off Pollux as we were escaping the sand trap.
CAPTAIN RADIO
You stopped to steal his ray gun, but you couldn’t be bothered to save his life?
MADAME CELESTA
Well if it ain’t the singularity calling the asteroid black. You were so busy with Magnus you didn’t even notice Pollux was missing.
LITHOSTAR
Regina Celesta, heiress, archeologist, and grieving widow. We both know why you’re here.
[A rush of wind.]
MADAME CELESTA
Don’t you walk away from me, Quincy! Quincy! You can’t go back there. They’re savages. They’ll kill you!
QUINCY
I cannot turn my back on these people. I swore an oath.
MADAME CELESTA
Taurians are animals! If they want to tear their planet apart, why should we stop them?
QUINCY
I’m a doctor. I have a duty to help where I can.
MADAME CELESTA
They don’t deserve your help.
QUINCY
Goodbye, Regina. I’ll try to write.
MADAME CELESTA
I don’t need the reminder. I know my past – and I know how to fix it. No Taurians, no Taurian Civil War. It’s the only way to keep my Quincy out of harm’s way.
ORION
You can’t mean—
CAPTAIN RADIO
You would destroy an entire species to save one man?
MADAME CELESTA
Wouldn’t you do anything to keep Andromeda safe? There’s an asteroid in the outer reaches of the Taurian system. One little nudge at precisely the right moment in the distant past and all life will be extinguished before it can begin. Easy as pie.
ORION
You’re insane. You would make it so I never existed.
MAGNUS
You’ve gone too far and I won’t allow it. Step away from the stone, Celesta.
[Magnus coughs.]
MADAME CELESTA
You’d better get that cough looked at, Magnus. I don’t think you have much more time.
CAPTAIN RADIO
What do you mean?
MADAME CELESTA
Did I forget to mention? That was Thetan scarab powder you inhaled back there. The builders would’ve mixed it with the sand to take care of any trespassers. It’s a slow-acting poison; a nasty way to go.
MAGNUS
Curse you!
[Magnus coughs.]
MADAME CELESTA
Looks like you’re the one who’s cursed.
(to the Lithostar)
Is there another way out of here? We have a date with destiny.
LITHOSTAR
See that torch? Turn it clockwise to reveal an exit leading straight to the surface.
[A sound of scraping metal and rumbling stone.]
MADAME CELESTA
Don’t try to follow me, Captain Radio.
NARRATOR
With the Lithostar in hand, Madame Celesta disappears through the doorway. It seals shut behind her, leaving Captain Radio, Andromeda, Ace, Orion, and Magnus trapped. In the flickering torchlight, Orion fades in and out of view as his very existence is unwritten.
ORION
What’s happening to me?
ACE
Detecting a build-up of temporal energy above us.
ANDROMEDA
Try to stay calm, Orion.
ORION
Calm?! You try staying calm when your life and the life of every one of your ancestors is being erased from history. Ouch! Okay, that’s starting to burn.
CAPTAIN RADIO
Hang on. I’m working on a plan.
ACE
What is the plan, sir?
CAPTAIN RADIO
I said I’m working on it. I don’t have one yet. How much time do we have?
ACE
Estimated arrival of the time wave in four minutes twenty-two seconds.
[Ominous music transitions us to:]
NARRATOR
Don’t touch that dial! Captain Radio and the Curse of the Primordial Planet will return after this brief word from our sponsor.
AD ANNOUNCER
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NARRATOR
We now return you to the Adventures of Captain Radio! Madame Celesta has fled with the Lithostar, threatening to eradicate the Taurians from history to restore her husband to life. Orion’s life hangs in the balance, while Magnus is slowly poisoned. Both will die if Captain Radio can’t come up with a way to reverse the damage.
ACE
Time wave impact in three minutes.
CAPTAIN RADIO
Ace, do you remember that entity we encountered on Europa?
ACE
Reviewing memory tape now. The Stellar Emanation. It had deceived the population into believing it was the manifestation of the god of wrath.
CAPTAIN RADIO
But it was actually feeding on their fear.
ACE
You believe the Lithostar is lying?
CAPTAIN RADIO
I think it’s a parasite, feeding on our regrets. Did you see how it didn’t even try to convince me? It didn’t need to. It had all the energy it would ever need from harvesting Madame Celesta’s grief over the death of her husband.
ACE
Intriguing.
ANDROMEDA
But if it was all a ruse, then how is it changing the timeline? Look at Orion. We’re losing him.
CAPTAIN RADIO
That’s what makes it so dangerous. It really can do what it claims – but it comes at a steep cost. Remember all those people and civilizations it rattled off to impress us?
ACE
The Acruxian Empire. The Infinite Sargassian Totality. Regulon the Star Slayer.
CAPTAIN RADIO
What do they all have in common?
ACE
Regulon was eventually defeated and the Acruxians were conquered by the Sargassians.
ANDROMEDA
And the Sargassian Homeworld was destroyed by a supernova.
CAPTAIN RADIO
Every society that encounters the Lithostar enjoys a period of prosperity and then collapses catastrophically.
ANDROMEDA
The stone drains its energy source. Once the user has erased their regrets, it has nothing left to feed on and has to find a new host.
CAPTAIN RADIO
Leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
ORION
I’m not finding any of this particularly comforting.
MAGNUS
(short of breath)
There’s nothing we can do. Celesta has already left with the stone. No one can stop her now.
CAPTAIN RADIO
Then we’ve failed.
ANDROMEDA
I can’t believe it. You’re giving up that easily?
CAPTAIN RADIO
There isn’t enough time.
ANDROMEDA
You’re Captain Radio. You rescued the orphans of Procyon! You single-handedly stopped a rampaging swarm of giant Rigellian locusts from stripping Mars to its core! And you, Magnus Hostillian. You’re the greatest swordsman in the history of Alpha Centauri. When all hope was lost, you didn’t abandon the people of Outpost Gamma, did you? Are you going to surrender now?
CAPTAIN RADIO and MAGNUS
I never surrender.
ANDROMEDA
How much time do we have, Ace?
ACE
One minute, thirty-nine seconds.
CAPTAIN RADIO
What do you say, Magnus? Will you fight by my side?
MAGNUS
It would be an honor.
[Magnus coughs.]
ORION
Don’t just stand there! Go!
ANDROMEDA
I’ll try to set up a psycho-kinetic field to deflect the wave and keep Orion’s timeline intact. That should buy you a few minutes.
MAGNUS
You can do that?
CAPTAIN RADIO
You have a lot of catching up to do.
NARRATOR
Magnus leans on Captain Radio for support as they follow Madame Celesta up through the secret passage. They emerge on the roof of the temple, where they find her waiting for them with Pollux’s ray gun at the ready.
[We hear the sound of heavy rainfall.]
MADAME CELESTA
One more step and I’ll fire. Don’t test me, gentlemen. The matter transmitter is still spinning up, but I’ll be on my way in two shakes of a Promethean firebird’s tail.
CAPTAIN RADIO
You would maroon us all here?
MADAME CELESTA
Don’t take it personally, but I do love a tidy solution. No loose ends to worry about. Just me and Quincy, reunited at last.
MAGNUS
I’ll block her escape. Take my sword.
CAPTAIN RADIO
Put your sword away, Magnus. I won’t kill her, not even to stop her.
MADAME CELESTA
High-minded moralizing ain’t gonna save you this time, Captain Radio. I made my choice a long time ago.
CAPTAIN RADIO
What about Quincy? Didn’t he make a choice? He died for what he believed in. You dishonor his sacrifice.
MADAME CELESTA
He died for nothing. The war raged on for six years after that bomb dropped on the Saint Perigee field hospital. No one even noticed it was gone. He deserves better.
LITHOSTAR
He’s jealous. He wants to use my power for his own benefit.
CAPTAIN RADIO
The Lithostar is lying to you.
LITHOSTAR
Shoot him! Now!
CAPTAIN RADIO
I can prove it to you! I know what it wants — and it doesn’t want to help you. It wants to use you.
NARRATOR
Madame Celesta takes aim with her ray gun and is about to fire when another figure steps out into the pouring rain — a tall man with a cybernetic eye holding a blinking explosive device over his head.
[Pollux coughs.]
POLLUX VON LUNA
Hand over the stone, Madame Celesta. I’ve got this set to its highest yield. If you don’t give me what I came for, I’ll take out half the planet and you with it. So, what’ll it be?
[Ominous music transitions us to:]
NARRATOR
You’ve been listening to the adventures of Captain Radio! How did Pollux survive being buried in poisoned sand? Can Andromeda shield Orion from the devastating time wave hurtling toward Ferrilon? Will Captain Radio manage to stop Madame Celesta before the Taurian race is wiped off the face of the universe? Find out next week in the dramatic final chapter of Captain Radio and the Curse of the Primordial Planet!
The Adventures of Captain Radio is a production of Obscure Studios. This episode was written by Jonny Eberle and produced by Will McDonald with mixing and sound design by Trask Snow.
Our main cast includes:
William McDonald as the Narrator
William McDonald as Captain Radio
Christian Carvajal as Orion
DeLano Hays as Ace
Abigail Stokely as Andromeda
Laura Burt as Madame Celesta
Jonny Eberle as Pollux Von Luna
Richard Burt as Magnus Hostillian
Hanna Wonders as the Lithostar
Jonny Eberle as the Newscaster
Our theme music was composed by Simon Cunningham and our stunning artwork was designed by Tami King.
If you like the show, there are three simple things you can do to support us. The easiest thing to do is to leave us a rating and review wherever you’re listening right now. You can also make a donation on our Ko-Fi page. Or, you can buy Captain Radio merchandise like t-shirts, stickers, coffee mugs, phone cases, and more on our TeePublic store.
You can find all of those links as well as complete episode transcripts and more information about us on our website: obscurestudios.net.
Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next time.
Obscure Studios 