INT. SPACE SHUTTLE - ON COURSE TO MARS

DANIELS (V.O)

A few months after we blasted off, NASA stopped responding to our communications. Things were heating up back on Earth. The political situation was unstable. A demagogue had been elected promising a cure to the rising tide of insanity and mental disturbance across the country.

The camera pans across the interior of the space shuttle, the astronauts, Daniels, Chan, and Williams are seen performing routine maintenance checks on various systems.

cut to

INT. COMMUNICATIONS BAY

The astronaut, Williams, is recording a video-message.

WILLIAMS

(dulcet-voice)

Hi, baby doll, I keep a picture of you glued to the wall across from my bunk just to remind of your pretty face. I can just imagine how big your getting and how much your starting to look like mommy. You and your mother are in my thoughts always. I love you.

Williams smiles then sighs slightly before he signs off.

cut to

DANIELS (V.O)

Williams, was working around-the-clock. He never seemed to go to sleep, and he was always up before we woke. Unlike Chan and myself, he had a strong sense of purpose in what we were doing.

cut to

It is dark in the sleeping pod area. Daniels closes his eyes to the sound of William's nightly prayers.

cut to

A high-angle shot of Chan playing a game of GO on a computer panel.

CHAN

If only I had a real board in front of me, I could stand a chance against this thing.

DANIELS

Switching to GO, I see. Getting tired of me whooping your ass in chess?

CHAN

Somehow GO just seems more appropriate for Space travel. Chess is so 20th Century.

DANIELS

Well, my 20th century father played a mean game of chess. He was a mean son-of-a-bitch in the best of times but he was a sadist over-the-board.

CHAN

So that's how you got semi-decent at chess. Your dad beat the shit out of you until you picked up a few things.

DANIELS

(casually)

I remember the first time I beat him. He was shell-shocked. It was like him recognized me as an equal but not wanting to admit it.

CHAN

(motioning to the screen)

GO, on the other hand. Well, your not playing your old man. It's less of a head-to-head game than you playing the board and trusting that the beneficence of the game will reward your less-then-subtle human instincts.

DANIELS

I do see your point about GO being a space-age game. Like, that's us. The white stone, with all those black stones around it. We're out here in the middle of nowhere, just drifting...

CHAN

And we need to make it to our destination before those black-stones devour us, man.

DANIELS

(Interrupting)

Does Williams seem okay to you?

CHAN

You don't have to worry about him. He's a boyscout. We should just sit back and let him do all the work.

DANIELS

Sure seems that way. I just think he might be over-working himself. He could stand to slow down a bit on systems maintenance. It's not like HQ seems to care.

CHAN

Yeah. Well, they've got bigger problems on their hands. Like averting World War Three. Do you ever wonder what would happen to Us if something were to happen back home. I don't even want to think about it.