 Adventures in time and space transcribed in future tense In the beginning there was Jordan thinking his lonely thoughts Out of the loneliness came a longing, out of the longing came a vision Out of a dream came a planning and out of a planning came decision Jordan's hand was lifted and the ship was born Are you all right? Yes, it missed me What was it? A mutant with a slingshot, I think it dashed down that passageway You want to go after us? We never catch it, Alan It's probably 12 decks above us by now I didn't think they ever came down this far The trolls usually get them before they reach this level They get more daring with each generation This one looked like a female Male or female, it might have killed us I told you this trip was pure foolishness Climbing 24 deck levels to hear a crazy old man rave We're almost there now Compartment X-15 level 24 This is the place This area smells as if it hadn't been visited by a sanitation crew for generations This part of the ship is almost deserted Yes This is the compartment of John the Witness Who are you? My name is Hugh Hoyland I'm a cadet from the scientist barracks This is my friend Alan Mahoney What do you want of John the Witness? Only to talk Are you a believer in Jordan? Naturally I have heard that there are the old among the younger scientists Who doubt the word of Jordan To doubt is death, we're not heretics Enter I have brought a gift of tobacco Grown on the richest level It smells good I assure you it's the best Wait here Bratsness What the devil do you think he can tell you? I don't know, now hush Well You are John the Witness I am Good eating to you I am Hugh Hoyland This is my friend Alan Mahoney What brings a gentleman of the scientist glass to my humble department? I have heard that you and your parents before you have long been keepers of the legend of the ship Since Jordan gave the word I am anxious to hear the word as Jordan spoke it Why? You see, among the young scientists there have been some who talk against the word Regulations against such heresy Some of them say the ship has no purpose They say that we are here accidentally That we have no more grace in Jordan's eyes than the most deformed mutant Who dwells in the highest level of the ship What shall I say to you? I wish to hear the word from the mount of one who knows That I may become more convinced Sir You have gift for the witness? The finest tobacco Good, I will dim the light Now pay close attention For these are the words as my father's father's father Gave them to his son's son's son This is how the ship came into being How our people were created In the beginning there was only Jordan Thinking his lonely thoughts In the beginning there was darkness Formless and dead Out of the loneliness came a longing Out of the longing came a vision Out of the dream came a planning And out of the planning came decision Jordan's hand was lifted And the ship was born Mile after mile of good compartments Tank after tank for golden corn Ladder and passage door and locker Fit for the needs of the yet unborn He looked on his work and found it pleasing Meet for a race that is yet to be He thought of man And man came into being Then Jordan checked his thoughts And searched for the keys Man untamed would shame his maker Man unruly would spoil the plan So Jordan made the regulations Some to speak and some to listen Order came to the ranks of men Crew he created to work at their stations Scientist to guide the plan Over them all he created captain Made him judge of the race of men Thus it was in the golden age These are the true words As my father's father taught them But what of the strange beast-like people On the upper levels of the ship Surely Jordan did not create them Jordan is perfect, all below him lack perfection You have heard of the legend of Huff I have heard that he mutinied against Jordan Darkness swallowed the ways of virtue Sin prevailed upon the ship And before wisdom prevailed And the bodies of Huff and his followers Were fared into the converter Some of the rebels escaped And lived to father the mutants They are tainted with the sins of their fathers One more question, witness Speak What is the ship? The ship is a great sphere 25 kilometers wide and 100 levels deep I know that, but what about the upper levels? The regulations forbid us to venture into the upper levels But it is said that beyond the levels of the mutants Lies in a forbidden place where Jordan's spirit prevails So I've heard But something troubles me Something which prompted my coming here Yes, my son What lies beyond the ship? What? What lies beyond the ship? Mrs. Allison Answer me I will not permit such talk The ship is complete The ship is universal The ship is everywhere The ship is empty Ah, you're muttering to those of a frightened old man They answer nothing You question the world? I think you lie Hear me, Mr. Highland For what you have already said I can have your body fed to the converter You're so launched on the endless trip You threaten me You, for Jordan, say You think I fear this dried fig of a man too Sir, my friend is impetuous He doesn't understand I might be persuaded to forget the substantial gift Your pig Come on, Allen The fight of this so-called holy man offends me No, you shall not leave Mark, don't try to frighten me with a gun, old man Remain where you are, heritage I warn you, put down the gun No, no closer Drop it Very well then, dip through the heritage Allen, get him Is he dead? I don't know Come on, Hugh We've got to get out of here Now where? We can't go back, they feed us into the converter What's that? The old woman must have turned in an alarm Come on, the patrol will be here in no time Where can we go? The upper levels But the mutant We'll have to take our chances The patrol, we've got to climb The ladder We're from the outside wall Judging by the slope of the deck about two miles Mutant territory Come on, we'll try this passageway Hugh, I feel as if we're being watched It's your imagination Perhaps not Get a grip on yourself This is as big as a dog Come on I can't drag myself much further We've got to find a compartment with water Oh, if only you hadn't asked him that stupid question There's no use going over that Why did you do it? Why? Allen, I've been thinking about it for a long time And when he began to give me those stupid pat answers Well, I just saw red, I guess But who are you to question the ways of Jordan? When you asked me to go with you to visit the witness I thought you wanted spiritual help I never dreamed of you I'm sorry, Allen, I couldn't foresee this I didn't know Wait, wait a minute Oh, what? Another ship right? Something move Near that bulking I didn't see anything Maybe my eyes are going bad still Where am I? What are you? Get away from me Look out for that nice stay away from me Who are you? Forgive my friend Bobo like so many of my people He's rather impetuous Where members of the so-called super race are concerned Who are you? What place is this? As you can guess from my leg I'm a mutant Where is Allen? Your friend is dead I was not able to restrain my people in time to save him Why don't you destroy me and get it over with? We do not kill for pleasure, Mr. Hoyland Only when necessary You know my name? I read your identification tag Who are you? Mutants can't read My name is Gregory I'm a leader of my people Although we are unfortunate in our heredity, Mr. Hoyland Many of us are quite intelligent Why do you live like animals? We would rather live like free animals And like regimented slaves as you do I've heard that you practice cannibalism Undoubtedly you hear many things about us We raise our own cattle on the upper levels And those of our people who choose to farm Raise enough crops for our small population You turn your head, why? This one I've never seen a creature like him Bobo is an unfortunate He was born without the power of speech How can you tolerate him on strassity? We have learned to live with difference If we began to destroy our imperfects as you do on the lower levels There would soon be no one left Violate the regulations The word of Jordan's face You know, Mr. Hoyland Your people are really primitive and barbaric You dare say that to me? I dare say a good deal more Let us go to my compartment and speak further I'm always interested in information of the lower levels I won't give you any information Bobo, I want Mr. Hoyland in my cabin, please I advise you to go quietly, Mr. Hoyland Bobo has a hatred of superior beings Which is unfortunate, but quite understandable Proceed Enter, Mr. Hoyland This is where you live? Yes But you have books Stolen from your libraries, Mr. Hoyland Compton's Astrophysics The Philosophy of Interstellar Navigation Celestial Mechanics You have read these? Most of them Why did you bring me here? What do you intend to do? You believe in Jordan, Mr. Hoyland There is no other belief And the trip? I suppose you believe in the trip, too What else is there to believe? When you die, your remains are fed to the converter And your soul makes the trip And where does the trip take you? Why? To Centaurus, of course Well, what is Centaurus? Why, Centaurus, mind you, I'm just telling you the orthodox answer Centaurus is where you arrive when you've made the trip A place where everything is happy And everybody's happy and there's always good eating It's mythological, of course And you believe this? The peasants believe it, literally But many of the younger scientists like myself Know that it's figurative, symbolic Why do you ask? Doesn't it ever occur to you, Mr. Hoyland That the trip is exactly what your peasants believe it is? That the ship and all the crew were actually going someplace Moving The ship can't go anywhere It already is everywhere Imagine a place bigger than the ship Much bigger With a ship inside it Moving inside But there can't be any place bigger than the ship There wouldn't be any place for it to be Oh, for half's sake Listen, you know the lowest level? Yes If you started digging a hole in the lowest level Where would that hole go? Where would that hole... Oh, no No, it's forbidden to think such a thought Where would it go? No, no, I can't think about it Bobo Bobo, we're going to take Mr. Hoyland to the place Where are we going? To the top level But it's certain death Now, since I've been there a thousand times Come along No, I won't, you can't make me I think we can Now, shall we proceed peacefully Or shall I have Bobo persuade you? Open the door, Bobo Inside What place is this? This Mr. Hoyland is the main control room Why, Mr. Hoyland, you're trembling It isn't true There is no such place except in mythology Oh, you younger men are so wise, Mr. Hoyland Except for one thing This happens to be the main control room of the ship It's nothing but a huge room with an instrument panel What did you expect? How do you know this is the main control room? See these instruments? Using them to navigate a many hundreds of years ago Actually steered the ship on its voyage I don't understand But it didn't suppose you would Your people have been so steeped in superstition and ignorance That the whole concept has lost its meaning Sit in that chair Don't be frightened, sit down Very well Look up What do you see? Nothing but a huge shield Watch it for one moment, Mr. Hoyland You are going to see something that few of us Have ever been privileged to witness Something so dazzling that you may find it hard To accept it first But it is there It is a reality And ultimately you must accept it What are you doing? I'm dimming the lights Don't be frightened Keep your eyes focused on the shield above us Ready? Watch it It's sliding back Stop The universe The universe In all its beauty The stars The planets, the suns, the moons and the constellations This is your heritage, Mr. Hoyland The heritage you've been too stupid to see But it can't be The ship is the universe There is nothing but the ship Ah, but there it is You see it before your eyes Spread out like a canopy of glory You still deny it? Answer me, Mr. Hoyland Do you deny it? They lied They lied Why did you close the shield? You will see it again if you're not afraid I'm not afraid Many times I've shown this to others of your people who we captured And though they saw it before their very eyes They would not believe it Tell me about it Tell me about the ship, about the universe What are these things? How did this come about? Many thousands of years ago On a planet like those you've just seen A planet called Earth A scientist named Jordan decided to build a ship That would carry men from one planet to another For many years Jordan and thousands of others studied And planned And when they were finished they built the ship A ship so large that it had to be assembled in its own orbit Beyond the place called the moon Sixty years it took them to construct And when it was finished a whole new science had been conceived Then the trip was begun The trip that was to land a colony of earth men On a far off planet called Centaurus Millions of light years beyond the furthest planet Ever reached before How do you know these things? Among my books are the log which Jordan himself kept And the records of the journey for the first 40 years What happened? There was a mutiny A man named Huff Led a rebellion of those who wanted to turn back In the struggle the navigators were killed And the crew fell into a state of anarchy In the years to follow small groups of men Tried to organize the ship for navigation And each time they failed Finally the whole idea was abandoned And so for Centaurus we have swung in space Unmanned, undirected Living in a lost world of our own making Without purpose Without direction Why have you told me this? Why have you brought me here? You could have killed me Can you guess? No No, I can't Unless... It would be too fantastic Well? You want to finish the trip Yes, that's it What would it take to do it? A miracle almost The crew would have to be trained Many people, each skilled in a certain duty Couldn't you train your own people? We are too few Besides, the main drive is in the lower levels Where my people are forbidden to go No It would mean that both our peoples would have to work together Our differences encouraged rather than denied It can be done You showed me, you can show others, I can show them Can you? I'll see the captain himself I have an uncle on the central board I'll tell him what I've seen here And do you think he'll believe you? Send one of your people with me Let's ask him a good deal I'm risking a good deal by going back Very well Bobo will go with you He can't talk There will be no need for talk I will write a message Guaranteeing safe conduct for a group of unarmed scientists To visit the main control room Bobo will take you safely through our territory What happens when you reach your own level Is up to you One moment Yes, what you... You Quick, Uncle Edison Get this mutant He's harmless, please Now, what is this? You're wanted for... I know all about that Listen, Uncle, I must see the captain The captain, are you mad? You're a council member You can get me to see him I'll kill you You're wanted for heresy I don't care I must speak with the captain You're close to him You can arrange it I don't understand why... Uncle, listen to me The ship is moving I can prove it Do you understand There is a purpose in the ship I don't understand what you're babbling about Never mind Just talk to the captain Tell him I have information of tremendous importance Tell him I've arranged a truce with the mutants A truce? Here, show him this paper signed by their leader Do it, Uncle, for my sake I don't know why... Please, Uncle If I'm to die, let this be my last request to you Very well I'll speak to the captain I'll try And you say, Mr. Eiland, that you saw this with your own eyes I swear it, Captain I swear it on the word of Jordan Let me see that paper again Hmm What do you think, Commander East? I don't know, sir It might be a trick I guarantee you safe conduct If these things are as Mr. Eiland reports them It would pay to risk a few lives The man is a convicted heretics Still, we mustn't discount his word entirely He has a safe conduct The mutant risked its life coming with him I think we might investigate You will do it I'll have an expedition outfitted Dismiss, Mr. Eiland Thank you, sir Thank you Captain, do you... Commander Erst You'll make the necessary arrangements for an expedition I trust you understand Perfectly, sir Perfectly Mr. Eiland It's better about your men here This is the spot Patrol, halt I see no welcoming party of mutants There will be none Their leader will meet you inside the main control room You don't say And just where is this main control room? Beyond that door I see All right, men Ready arms Why do you ready arms? In case of ambush Ambush? Don't you think they could have ambushed you on the way up here A good deal more easily? You know, Mr. Eiland I think you're a muti lover They have a place in the converter for that kind Oh, Kenneth, are you mad? No, Mr. Eiland But most certainly you are To think that we could be lured up here to be slaughtered With a fantastic story about some mythical control room Guns ready, sir Lieutenant, I warn you These people have acted in good faith If you break them... Call on your mutants to open the control room, Mr. Eiland No, not until those guns are dismounted As leader of this expedition I order you to call them I refuse You cannot do this thing This is no way to keep a truce Very well, if you refuse Oh, there Mutant Come out For Jordan's sake, Lieutenant Too quiet for comfort Mutants, open the door Please, Jordan, don't let anything happen Please, don't It's opening, ready, men Someone's coming out Look at his leg Horrible, steady He's walking toward us Yeah, I can't stand this Look out No Here come the rest of them Fire That should teach them a lesson I won't forget All right, men Inside the room Eiland You're under arrest As a conspirator in this ambush Ambush, you fool You blind stupid fool That'll be enough Have you been inside this place before? Yes What's all this machinery? These are the controls he would have used To steer the ship He's gone out of his mind, Lieutenant Steer the ship Who? The leader The one you killed This ugly mutant This ugly mutant Happened to be a man of true greatness Your man Am I? This man had a vision Which could have saved you But you chose to kill him Because you couldn't stand the sight Of a difference from you Oh, not listen to these raving Close your ears Shut your minds against the conscience That tells you it's wrong to kill That tells you that your need to be arrogant Only proves your inadequacy to yourself Shut them up Don't listen to them, men You can't shut your ears My words sting you You cannot shut your mind And you cannot shut your eyes The roof It's moving back Let the vision of this Confound your ignorance And blind your eyes This is the heritage you've tried To stifle in your own breasts This is the heritage of stars And open skies For which men have yearned for centuries Try to destroy this And you'll only destroy yourselves Dance to the heritage Kill me if you choose But I say to you That this you cannot keep from our people That they will seek it out And the ship will be mad And the ship will be steered And there will be freedom And purpose And respect For ourselves This is your heritage Look Upon the universe You have just heard another adventure Into the unknown world of the future The world of This has been the concluding broadcast In the current series of Dimension X If you're interested in the continuation Of this series, please write and tell us so Your ideas and suggestions Will be given the most thoughtful consideration In determining the future of this program Just drop a letter or postcard To Dimension X Care of NBC Radio City, New York Today Dimension X is transcribed Universe written for radio by George Lefferts And based on a story by Robert Heinlein Featured in the cast were Mason Adams As Hugh and Peter Capel as Gregory Your host was Norman Rose Music by Bert Berman Engineer, Bill Chambers Sound created by Manny Siegel Max Russell and Wes Cohnard Dimension X is produced by William Welch And directed by Edward King Ed Archie Gardner tangles with Tallulah Bankhead on The Big Show