Lazarus Broadcast the week beginning Saturday September 20th 1969
Mission date 1432.6 several planets within the Commonwealth have been struck down by a plague which although it has similarities to the Black Death of Earth history has proven resistant to all known vaccines. The one effective cure is based upon an extract of a plant Aethaylas which is very rare in the Commonwealth. To make matters more difficult the plague only responds to the actual plant extract, synthesised versions only seem to mitigate the symptoms not cure them. Several Commonwealth ships, including the Endeavour have been sent to find other sources of the plant.
The Endeavour arrives in the remote Inklin system. To their surprise, sensor scans show that Inklin IV is covered with the plant. However the sensor scans also detect human life signs upon the planet.
Spock, M’Beke and Travis together with two security men beam down to the planet to investigate and are attacked by a pack of large wolf like dogs. The pack is called off by an old man, who identifies himself as Brak (special guest star James Donald). Brak claims that the landing party is trespassing, and orders them to leave immediately. M’Beke tells Brak about the disease threatening the Commonwealth and their urgent need for Aethaylas. Brak displays emotion when he hears M’Beke's comparison of the disease to bubonic plague, and describes the agonies suffered by the stricken in London in the summer of 1665.
He gives the landing party two hours to gather the Aethaylas. M’Beke and the security guards begin to collect the plant which surrounds them in great abundance whilst Brak escorts Spock and Travis to his home, which has an impressive collection of Earth artefacts (including paintings by Michelangelo and a hand written King James VI Bible). Spock, however, is puzzled when his tricorder scans indicate that the works are recent creations with contemporary materials.
The party is surprised by the appearance of Brak's beautiful young ward, Ada (guest star Jill Townsend). Ada likes Spock, who is impressed by her knowledge of physics. According to Brak, her parents were employees who died in an accident. Travis plays billiards with Ada, and they dance to a waltz played on the piano by Spock. The Vulcanian calls the waltz an unknown piece by Franz Liszt, written in manuscript with contemporary ink.
Spock contacts the Endeavour and asks Stein to research Brak and Ada. Stein learns that the rights to Inklin IV were purchased thirty years earlier by Gates, a private investor. With a surreptitious tricorder scan, Spock learns that Brak is over 5,000 years old.
M’beke and the security guards arrive and M’beke announces that they have collected enough Aethaylas to cure the entire Commonwealth twice over. Ada comes to say goodbye to Travis, who has fallen in love with her and begs her to accompany him. Meanwhile Spock follows tricorder readings to a chamber with the bodies of other Adas—all androids similar to Rememberers.
Spock asks for an explanation, and Brak confesses that he was born in Egypt in 2743 BC. A soldier, after falling in battle he discovered he could not die. Brak lived "lifetimes" as Michelangelo, Liszt, Solomon, Alexander, Lazarus and others. Indeed he thinks that he is the basis for the legend of the Wandering Jew. He discovered Rememberers living on Earth during the chaos following WWV when following up rumours of other people who also did not die. Using the information gathered at this time he made Ada as a mate who would "live" forever, and refuses to let them leave knowing his secret. According to Brak, Travis has taught Ada how to love and he wants Travis to redirect her love to himself. Travis, horrified, refuses to cooperate, but when the party try to beam back to the Endeavour they are prevented from doing so by an impenetrable force field.
However he is shamed into dropping the shield when M’Beke confronts him about the untold deaths which will occur if the Endeavour cannot return to the Commonwealth with the Aethaylas. Driven to despair Brak attacks Travis. Ada tries to stop the fight, her feelings torn between the two men, and she collapses as her circuits cannot cope with the emotions caused by the fight between the two men that she loves. Brak and Travis, grief-stricken, stop fighting.
Brak allows the party to leave with the Aethaylas. On the Endeavour, Spock discovers from his tricorder readings that Brak is dying. Although earthly conditions made him immortal, living outside that environment has caused him to gradually age, albeit at a substantially reduced rate. As a gesture of goodwill Russell has all the information that the Commonwealth has gathered about the Rememberers transferred to Brak’s computer. However Travis is distraught over Ada, and throws himself into his work in an effort to forget her.
Mission date 1432.6 several planets within the Commonwealth have been struck down by a plague which although it has similarities to the Black Death of Earth history has proven resistant to all known vaccines. The one effective cure is based upon an extract of a plant Aethaylas which is very rare in the Commonwealth. To make matters more difficult the plague only responds to the actual plant extract, synthesised versions only seem to mitigate the symptoms not cure them. Several Commonwealth ships, including the Endeavour have been sent to find other sources of the plant.
The Endeavour arrives in the remote Inklin system. To their surprise, sensor scans show that Inklin IV is covered with the plant. However the sensor scans also detect human life signs upon the planet.
Spock, M’Beke and Travis together with two security men beam down to the planet to investigate and are attacked by a pack of large wolf like dogs. The pack is called off by an old man, who identifies himself as Brak (special guest star James Donald). Brak claims that the landing party is trespassing, and orders them to leave immediately. M’Beke tells Brak about the disease threatening the Commonwealth and their urgent need for Aethaylas. Brak displays emotion when he hears M’Beke's comparison of the disease to bubonic plague, and describes the agonies suffered by the stricken in London in the summer of 1665.
He gives the landing party two hours to gather the Aethaylas. M’Beke and the security guards begin to collect the plant which surrounds them in great abundance whilst Brak escorts Spock and Travis to his home, which has an impressive collection of Earth artefacts (including paintings by Michelangelo and a hand written King James VI Bible). Spock, however, is puzzled when his tricorder scans indicate that the works are recent creations with contemporary materials.
The party is surprised by the appearance of Brak's beautiful young ward, Ada (guest star Jill Townsend). Ada likes Spock, who is impressed by her knowledge of physics. According to Brak, her parents were employees who died in an accident. Travis plays billiards with Ada, and they dance to a waltz played on the piano by Spock. The Vulcanian calls the waltz an unknown piece by Franz Liszt, written in manuscript with contemporary ink.
Spock contacts the Endeavour and asks Stein to research Brak and Ada. Stein learns that the rights to Inklin IV were purchased thirty years earlier by Gates, a private investor. With a surreptitious tricorder scan, Spock learns that Brak is over 5,000 years old.
M’beke and the security guards arrive and M’beke announces that they have collected enough Aethaylas to cure the entire Commonwealth twice over. Ada comes to say goodbye to Travis, who has fallen in love with her and begs her to accompany him. Meanwhile Spock follows tricorder readings to a chamber with the bodies of other Adas—all androids similar to Rememberers.
Spock asks for an explanation, and Brak confesses that he was born in Egypt in 2743 BC. A soldier, after falling in battle he discovered he could not die. Brak lived "lifetimes" as Michelangelo, Liszt, Solomon, Alexander, Lazarus and others. Indeed he thinks that he is the basis for the legend of the Wandering Jew. He discovered Rememberers living on Earth during the chaos following WWV when following up rumours of other people who also did not die. Using the information gathered at this time he made Ada as a mate who would "live" forever, and refuses to let them leave knowing his secret. According to Brak, Travis has taught Ada how to love and he wants Travis to redirect her love to himself. Travis, horrified, refuses to cooperate, but when the party try to beam back to the Endeavour they are prevented from doing so by an impenetrable force field.
However he is shamed into dropping the shield when M’Beke confronts him about the untold deaths which will occur if the Endeavour cannot return to the Commonwealth with the Aethaylas. Driven to despair Brak attacks Travis. Ada tries to stop the fight, her feelings torn between the two men, and she collapses as her circuits cannot cope with the emotions caused by the fight between the two men that she loves. Brak and Travis, grief-stricken, stop fighting.
Brak allows the party to leave with the Aethaylas. On the Endeavour, Spock discovers from his tricorder readings that Brak is dying. Although earthly conditions made him immortal, living outside that environment has caused him to gradually age, albeit at a substantially reduced rate. As a gesture of goodwill Russell has all the information that the Commonwealth has gathered about the Rememberers transferred to Brak’s computer. However Travis is distraught over Ada, and throws himself into his work in an effort to forget her.
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