 Adventures in time and space. Transcribed in future tense. Dimension. Can you predict what will come in 100 years? Can you see beyond the known dimensions of time and space into the unknown dimension X? In 1987 Atlantic Space Port was established on the site of old Fort Devin outside of Boston. And as the ships pushed deeper and deeper into space, the time of voyage increased by geometrical progression. It became more and more difficult to persuade able spacemen to sign on for flights which lasted for years. Ten to fifteen monotonous years in the cramped focusel of a deep spacer. The bar rooms and one-armed joints in Scully Square in Boston were plastered with recruiting posters for the deep space star runs. Flashy four-color signs with a blue-eyed young man gazing into a star-studded sky. Seek your future in the stars. Jeff, there's your last chance to get out of the wedding. Sure. Just send Judith a short note. I can't get away to marry you today. I'm 300 million light years away. Very funny. Very funny. Well, think it over, boy. Tomorrow the shackles of matrimony. But tonight, the mystery of the galaxy. Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you commit matrimony. Oh, come on. We came here to have a little fun. It might as well be Mother's Music Hall in Commonwealth Avenue. Please. Ah, the problems of the rich. Hey, Jeff, just where does the coffin fortune come from? I guess it started in Nantucket. Something or other used to be a whaler. A whaler? Thar she blows! A dead whale or a stoveboat? Watch my trusty harpoon! Ouch! Look out with a fork! Where's the money now? Oh, I don't know. We've got a lot of commercial holdings, mills, import, export, outfits, rocket lines, you know. A mere trivia. Hey, why don't we get out of this town? We could go up to the Coffley Plaza. It may be stuffy, but at least the glasses are clean. Hey, you're the condemned man. All right, you guys go ahead and get a taxi copter. I'll settle. Uh, meet you out in front. Right. Excuse me. Want something, bud? The check. Oh, OK, OK. Hey, Milton, check. He'll be right out. Right. Hello, mate. Huh? Nice night, eh? Hi, I suppose so. I've been watching you. Celebrate? Sort of. Oh, so am I. Just got off a deep space right out in Centaurus. Centaurus? That's a 15-year run, isn't it? 15 and 3 bloom in months. How'd you know? You a spaceman? No, not exactly. Hey, Barkeep, where's that check? Hang on to your hat, bud. Milton is slow, but he's sure. Fill it up, Charlie. Say, why don't you join me, mate? Yeah, Charlie. Oh, no, no, thank you, no. Come on, won't take off a mouth. Celebrate whatever it is you're celebrating on me. Come on, pour it, Charlie. Yeah, sure. Well, I guess I might as well. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers. What was that, Varnish? Charlie's special brand, eh, Charlie? Yes. Look, could you get that waiter out here? I've got to meet my friends. Oh, what's your hurry, mate? You got plenty of time. Sure. Sit down. Take it easy. You don't look so good. I don't feel so good. Well, here now, you sit right here. You feel chipper as a blooming grass. I put in his sake here. You've got to get outside. In a hurry, where's the check? Check. Oh! Where's Mike's turnip? Grab his other leg. Let's go. You know, there he is. That's what he thinks. Well, he's gone. He's got plenty of time. Oh. All right, mate. Up on your feet. Wakey, wakey, wakey. Let go of me. That's the idea. Rise and shine and greet the dawn. All right. Where am I? What's going on here? Kill him all now, mate. Up beneath him. Wakey, wakey, wakey. Come on. Show it. Show it. Wait a minute. Hey, you were at that bar. Scully Square. Come on up to the power room. He'll be in trouble. Power room? What are you talking about? Where am I? Well, it's hard to say exactly. Orphaned about eight hours out of Atlantic Spaceport. Atlantic Spaceport? What kind of a joke is this? If Alan and Peter think this is funny, they... What ship is this? R.S. Michael M. Rafferty. Corphin Line. Corphin Line. Well, it makes it easy. You've got to put back the port. Forget your toothbrush, mate. Listen, you run. Take me to the captain, or I'll tell you a part. Here, here. Let go of my lapel. Get moving. Sure. Sure, mate. I'll take you up to the captain. Captain Longstrom is just the man you want to see. What the devil are you doing on the bridge? Get below. Hey, right away, sir. Right away. How many this year gentleman asked to see you? Now, that's great, captain. There's been a mistake, mate. I'm afraid it was supposed to be a joke. Oh. Yes, you see, I'm going to be married today, and I suppose my friends thought it would be funny to make me miss the ceremony. I'm sure it won't be too much trouble, or have you dropped me off back at Atlantic? What? More than what is this? How it's simple, captain. He wants you to turn the ship around. If there's any trouble with your superior, I'm sure I can fix it up. You see, I'm Jeff Kaufman. Yes? You don't understand. My father is Cyrus Kaufman. He owns this ship. He does, eh? Before... I can understand you're not believing me, captain, but I can identify my... Hey, where's my wallet? More and more. Look, captain, all you have to do is radio back and check. Mr. Black, remove this man from the bridge. Hi, sir. You heard the captain, Buster. Wait a minute. Let go of me. This is no way to treat a passenger. Passenger? Wake up, sunny boy. You're one of the crew. What? Well, you're crazy. I'm Jeff Kaufman. Maybe, but you're signed on as a crewman. Now, stay there in attention. You can't get away with this. And say, sir... Are you cheap hoodlums? Now, listen carefully, sunny. You're a spaceman on this ship. And when an officer gives you an order, you're going to jump. Now, have you all busted? Let go of my arms. I guess you'll need a little lesson in ship discipline. And you might as well get it now. Now, take him below. Grab yourself a buffer and you get to work on those deck plates. I can't get away with this. It's kidnapped. Maybe, yes, maybe, no. Now, get this here deck nice and shiny. We might even see a batch of grub. I'll be back in two hours. Mind you, I want to be able to see my bloomin' reflection in it. You'd better get started. I can't get away with this. The law says once you sign on, you're under absolute orders. I looked it up. But I didn't sign on. I was kidnapped. You won't be able to prove it. Come on, mister. Please, I didn't get anything to eat today. Give me a break. You run the buffer over, is that it? Yeah, that's right. Like this. Okay. You sign on? Yeah. I ran away from home. What? How old are you? 16. I'll be 30 when we get back. What do you mean, 30? We're headed for Mars, aren't we? Only to refuel. We're bound out to Centaurus. But not. We can't, but that's 15 years. Morton! I've got to get back. I know you. I'm getting married. You think I'm dead, Morton? You call me shit back again? He'll give you what for? No, no, listen. Now, listen. I've got to get back. I can't disappear for 15 years. How is that a fact? Look, we stop at Mars, right? Yes, and you'll be below decks on the lock and key. Listen, I can make it worth your while if you get me off at Marsport. Jump and ship? Well, that's real. Note him, mate. $1,000. Why? What would I tell my poor old mother in Battersea? $2,000? $5,000 in advance. What do you mean in advance? I bet you're the one that rolled me for my wallet. As a way, they don't believe your young Corphin. Maybe I know better. All right? Is it a deal? All right. Look, Mr. Corphin, can you take me with you? I didn't realize what it would be like. I'll pay my share. I could work it for you or maybe borrow money. I couldn't stay at 15 years. I go crazy. He'll cost you another $1,000. You cheap swindler. Here now, Mr. Corphin, I'm all wood stands between you and a lovely pleasure cruise for 15 years. So I'll thank you to treat me with a respect in politeness. What a gentleman like me self deserves. Listen carefully. This is the cable locker for the grappling anchor. When she lands, this hatch will open and the cables go out. Don't get yourself caught in the meal. You'll be tore apart. All right, we got that. Are you sure we can get out? You just do what I say. When you drop down, run for the blast speed. Nobody's there for a landing. Lay low until dark. You got it? All right. Don't worry. I'll tell the patrol you help us get away. That'll help you when they catch up with this guy. Well, thank you, sir. Thank you kindly. I've got to get to the station. Good luck. Thanks. Thanks, Mr. Morton. There's the landing horn. Yeah. All right. Here comes the deceleration blast. All right, come on. Drop to the hatch. It's about six feet. It's clear. Hurry up. It twisted my ankle. It's all right. There's the blast speed. Come on, get going. Yeah. Yeah, we're all right so far. This is your pilot. Here's the pit. Get down so we can't see you. All right. I thank you, Mr. Carpenter. I must have been crazy to sign on that ship. That's all right, Joey. What happened? Did we fight at home? Yeah. Wait a minute. Huh? I hear somebody coming. What? Keep still. Maybe we better look. If we stick our heads over the edge, I'll see you sure. Keep down and keep quiet. I hear him talk. Two little babes in the wood. You two move and I'll shoot you each once in the belly. Morton, you got good eyes. I told you I saw him come his way, Mr. Black. Jumping ship. Boy, that's a terrible thing to do. You double-crossing rat. You got paid in advance, didn't you? Then turn this in. I'll see the Port Police about this. Yeah. We already turned your papers over to the Port Police's ship jumpers. Papers? I didn't sign any papers. You just don't remember signing them. I got them stamped nice and legal. It's no use, Mr. Carpenter. We even got a chance. My, my jumping ship. Well, don't worry, mate. You'll see your girl again in 15 years. Mr. Black, inform the ship's company that these two men have been found guilty of attempted desertion. Desertion? Well, you kidnapped me, you dirty crook. Don't you talk to Captain Lundstrom that way. I'm sentencing them to 24 hours' haul watch. Take them away. Morton, take them to the aft lock. All right, sir. Ship jumping. You don't have that gun I'd break you in two. Double-crossing rat. You'll calm down after 24 hours' haul watch. What's haul watch? Very simple. We put you two in space suits and shove you through the airlock and the end of a line. You sit out there and you watch the haul for 24 hours. You can talk to each other on the wireless intercom, but no food and no water. And the eating units in those suits are just a little bit defective. Makes it interesting. Wrong about the 18th hour. No better. Here we are, gentlemen. The airlock. Now, you get in here. You've got five minutes to get into the suits and we blow you out of the lock. See you in 24 hours. Maybe. Going in the same direction till the oxygen gate. Choice, Joey. Just hang on. You can't last forever. Pasty. No water. Right here. Yeah. Knopping like a bloody animal. Joey, best help. You'll be all right. Help him. Did your lesson bother you? Just take my advice and behave yourselves. You're 15 years to go unless you're shipping. You might as well make the best of it. What do you call this mess? Yeah. That's your supper, mate. Food, coaching track. What's the idea? Only two months out and on concentrates already? You complain, Enred. Yeah. I'm complaining. If Captain Lundstrom's chiseling on the manifest, that's his business. But when he tries to take it out of our heart, you keep quiet or I'll turn you into Mr. Black. Concentrate is what you get to eat from your own out. Now shove it in your face and keep quiet. I'll shove it in your face and see how you like it. Look out. Look out. Look out. What's going on in here? Morton, what happened? He struck me each watch. Forty-eight hours whole watch. What are you all looking at? Get back to your places. Morton, bring that man to the aft airlock. Your time's up. Come on, Joey. Forty-eight hours out there. Unsnut the helmet. Careful. Get it off. Come on now, hurry. Bring him to. I can. What? He's dead. Get him undressed. Hang up that space suit. Most of it are heart attack. Heart attack. He's frozen to death. Mr. Black will be fair or broken. Red was her first class jet man. Hurry up with that suit. It's cold in here. Just plain muddus. Base code gives a 30-hour limit for punishment. They didn't even have a burial. Just shoved him out of the lock. What did the owners know about this? They'd stop him. That's going to do us for the next 15 years. Wait a minute. If we could get the ship back tomorrow. That's no good, son. Two weeks after we landed, we'd be hung. That's what space code says about mutiny. If they catch you in the act, they shoot you down. No question. No chance. Are we going to let Black and Lundstrom kick us around for 15 years? Why don't we take over and head back? Okay. Did I interrupt something, gentlemen? A discussion? Talking about the captain, maybe? Grab him. Let go of me. Yeah, sure. All right, mutiny. Well, that's done it, Harry. He's an officer. Who cares? We've got to move now. Joey, get up to the radio room and smash the set before they can get a message out. All right. Pop, you get out, tell the engine watch. All right. The rest of us will go up to the bridge. How about this, Rat? Tie him up. Speed counts now. We've got to take over before they know what hit him. You've got to surprise them. Well, get him cold. Jeff, quiet. Sparks were sending when I got in, but I knocked him out and smashed the set. We're all right. All right, come on. Let's get up to the bridge. Let's close the hatch. We're cut off from the bridge. We'll never get through that. We must have found out somehow. Folks will intercom. Black must have turned it on from the bridge. He must have heard the whole thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We better get out of here. Yeah. What'll they do? I don't know. They've got all the controls up there. We can shut down the drive, but we can't steer. They've dug down the hatch behind us. Yeah. Well, what next? Mr. Lundstrom's giving you one minute to get them quiet. In a pit, Zide Black. Go hang from your knee and bring one of you. What do we do now, quiet? They can hear everything on the intercom. Not if I cut this switch. Got to get through to the bridge. It's a Mexican standoff. We can't get it them. They can't get at us. What's that? Air leak. The pressure's down. Tell us. Tell us. Tell us. What is that? Lundstrom, he blew the hatch in the mess hall section. Just opened it up and let the air out. Anybody caught? Al Haines, he was cooking supper. Dead as a doornail. Well, they can kill us all. They'll do it, too. All they've got to do is bleed off the air. They've got the atmosphere controls up there. I'll see all of you black swinging from a landing crane or where you scum. Morton. You know what black's going to do? Bleed off the air down here. Sure of you all right. If I had my way, I'd see you all out in the air until you're froze stiff. You're forgetting something, Morton. You're back here with us. What do you mean? If Black and Lundstrom blow out compartments one by one or bleed the air off, you'll get it, too. They'll take care of me. Don't you worry about that. You think so? Joey, plug that intercom back in. Yes. Black. Black. We've got Morton back here. If you try anything on us, he'll get it, too. What am I supposed to do? Cry? You don't care if he does? Well, that's his problem. Do that to me. You mean you don't care? You'd see me dead? Precisely. Well, you can't ditch me, do they? They'd kill you as soon as they look at you. Now, listen. We've got to get through to the bridge. You know this ship. There must be some way. Well, you're on my chance, Morton. Get us through that hatch and up to the bridge. All right, why shouldn't I? They'd kill me. And there is a way to get through? Emergency release. Works by and... I don't tell crewman about it to keep them from breaking through in an engine blast and leaking radiation to the bridge. Let's get going. We've got to get through before lunchtime cuts the air down and gets us all. Here's the hatch, Morton. Where's the release? Under the floor panel. You can pry it up, Harry. I got it. He's up. Works on the key. Ready? Back against the walls. They've got the guns. Let them happen. I want to wrap my wretch around Black's neck. All right, Morton. Open it up. Here it goes. Stay it. Electrocute it. The hatch is still closed. You didn't get to turn that key. It killed him instantly. Harry, they got your watch gloves. They're insulated. Oh, sure. They'll take any kind. Let's get Morton out of the way. And don't touch him, Joey. He's got the current through him. Yeah. Pull him away with the glove. All right, now stand by. Here goes the key. Let's go! Get him square with a wrench. Anybody else heard? I am. I think it just brazed me. We'd better tie lunch from up. What do you think you are going to do now? Turn around and go back home. I don't think so. I have burned the navigation tapes. And none of you can recalculate them. Why? You're just wandering space till the fuel gives out. You'll die right here on the ship. It's no use. I've had a little space math, but not enough to compute a flight. Sooner or later, you're going to beg me to let you surrender. Jeff! Jeff, the interceptor screens went on. Media. No, no. It was a ship, a patrol ship, coming up on it. Hey, must have gone off on SOS. Yeah. Now, we don't have to worry. We can just tell them the truth. You are not familiar with this space code, young man. Mutiny is punished by immediate execution on the ship itself. In other words, they don't ask questions. They shoot. He's right, Jeff. We're through. Can we get away? Not from a patrol ship. They've already sent us a heave-toothed flash. If we run, they'll blow us out of space. I'm afraid your mutiny is over, gentlemen. Soon they'll be alongside with an airlock coupling. And 10 minutes after that, you will all be dead. Nobody move. Sergeant, take a squad and secure the ship. Collect all weapons and post to guard in the engine room. Yes, sir. You, Rob, Williams, Tucky, Kelly. I'm delighted to see you, Major. I was not sure that an SOS had gotten through. Oh. You're Captain Lundstrom? That's right. I can swear out the affidavit of mutiny. They don't think a mutiny charge will stand up, Lundstrom. Not with the relief of command warrant out for you. I think we'll just forget about it. You're under arrest, Captain. Oh, you can't do that. Space code is clear. You record with my SOS. SOS? Of course. How else did you get here? They send us after you to get Jeff Corfinn. Where is he? I'm Jeff Corfinn. We had a missing persons alarm for you. And then when a check you sign turned up at Mars, poor Chuck. That's right. I gave one to Morton to help me get away. And he sold it to a fence for half-faced value. We traced it back to this ship. Corfinn, I've got orders to escort you personally. We're taking it back to Earth, son. Major, can I send out a message? Of course. Oh, that reminds me. I've got one for you from your fiance. Oh. She said to tell you that she didn't object to a bachelor party in principle, but she did think six months were stretching it a bit. Competition, they say, is the life of trade. And it will be as true two centuries from now as it is today. You'll hear about it next week when we present. A Dimension X has transcribed Shangharde, an original story by Ernest Kenoy. Featured in the cast were John Sylvester as Jeff and William Griffiths as Morton. Your host was Norman Rose. Music by Bert Berman. Engineer, Bill Chambers. Dimension X is produced by William Welch and directed by Edward King. Three times mean good times on NBC. Tonight, it's The Big Show on NBC. Your stars will be Groucho Marx, Atsio Pinza, Jane Powell, Fanny Brice, Frank Lovejoy, Meredith Wilson, and many, many more. Supervising the hour-and-a-half Big Show will be MC Tallulah Backhead. Incidentally, when unpredictable Tallulah meets unconventional Groucho, look out. It's The Big Show every Sunday on NBC. Now the quiz kids, and later here Tallulah and The Big Show on NBC.