Ulysses, Telemachus and No-No are listening to Yumi as she plays
a tune on a flute. No-No is mesmerised by the beautiful tune. When
Yumi has finished playing they give her a round of applause.
Telemachus: That's pretty, Yumi. Where did you learn that song?
Yumi: Mmm, I heard it in a strange dream last night. There was
a kind of chest, and then bars that look like prison bars.
And at the same time I heard this music begin.
Don't you think it sounds beautiful?
Telemachus: Ahh.
Yumi: It was as if the music was coming from some far away world,
but stranger still it opened the chest and removed the bars.
Telemachus: I have learned not to trust strange dreams. But you
have such remarkable powers, Yumi. All the same, I wonder what
your dream meant?
Sherka: Crew stand by. Alert: unidentified flying object in our
vicinity. I will give you a visual display on the big screen.
The object appears on the central screen. It is in the shape of
a large black chest. Ulysses, Telemachus, Yumi and No-No stare
at it, fascinated.
Telemachus: What in the universe can it be?
Sherka: A coffin made of some metallic mineral substance. No sign
of life. Wreckage of a space exploration vehicle.
Ulysses: Program standard recuperation procedure, Sherka.
A small recovery craft leaves the Odyssey and flies up to the coffin.
Its mechanical arms grab hold of the coffin and it brings it back to
the Odyssey.
Ulysses, Telemachus, Yumi and No-No are standing in behind a viewing
window that looks in on the docking bay. No-No looks up at Ulysses.
Ulysses nods and No-No presses a button. The outer door of the
docking bay opens and the recovery craft enters and lowers the coffin
to the floor.
Yumi: I can't get over it. It's the same coffin that I saw in
my dream!
Telemachus: Are you sure?
Yumi: Yes.
Ulysses: Initiate procedure to open pressurised bay.
A droid walks up to the coffin and tries with all its strength to open
it but it cannot. Smoke billows from under its head as it strains.
Telemachus: The robot can't open it.
Yumi: If it is like my dream I should be able to open it with the music
I was just playing.
Ulysses: You do have strange dreams, Yumi.
Yumi: Please let me try.
Yumi plays her flute. The camera slowly zooms in on the coffin. The
coffin levitates a few feet off the ground and the top opens.
Ulysses, Telemachus and No-No gasp. Their eyes are wide open as they
cannot believe what they are seeing. Yumi does not see anything as
her eyes are closed as she plays. The lid of the coffin floats up.
Yumi stops playing, opens her eyes and looks amazed herself. A floating
camera hovers just over the open coffin and takes pictures. The camera
is connected to a video monitor. On the monitor we see in the coffin a
man in a spacesuit.
Telemachus: Look! It's as if...
No-No: Ohh.
Yumi: He has something in his hand.
Ulysses: A card. It looks just like an electronic card.
Ulysses is on the bridge and has the card in his hand.
Ulysses: Sherka, give us a read-out on the circuits of this card.
He inserts the card in the card reader.
Sherka: Yes, Ulysses. Processing card. There is a message.
Ulysses: Decode it, then.
A solar system appears on the central screen as a female voice,
programmed into the card, reads out its message.
Voice: This card defines the route to the Cirina solar system.
The planet Cirina is the fourth one out from the Black Sun.
Ulysses: The Black Sun? We're crossing the system at this very
moment.
Voice: This is the planet Cirina.
A blue-white planet appears on the display.
Ulysses: Wait. Sherka, show me the trajectory the Odyssey has been
on since we crossed the Black Sun and the planet Cirina.
Sherka: As you requested, visual display programmed.
The display shows a miniature representation of the Odyssey as it
moves along a flight path through the solar system.
Ulysses: Telemachus, Cirina is right on the path of our trajectory.
Telemachus: Yes, father.
Ulysses: Sherka, continue reading the card.
Voice: The planet Cirina is the only one in this solar system that
maintains conditions suitable for supporting any life form.
The planet Cirina is said to hold the most fabulous treasure
in all Olympus: complete map of Olympus.
Ulysses's eyes widen.
No-No: The map of Olympus?
Telemachus: Did you hear that, father?
Ulysses: That's fantastic! What extraordinary good luck!
Yumi: With that map we can get out of Olympus!
Voice: Anybody who has a map of Olympus can challenge the gods.
Here is a map of the Cirina ocean.
The ocean appears on the central screen.
Here is a map of the landing site.
And the secret zone where the treasure is.
A picture of a shore line appears, with the Black Sun shining overhead.
But be careful: this treasure is jealously guarded by the Sirens.
The picture vanishes.
Telemachus: The Sirens? Who are they, father?
Ulysses: I don't know, Telemachus. But we're going to pay them
a visit. Sherka, head for Cirina.
Sherka: Yes, Ulysses.
The Odyssey accelerates towards the planet.
We see the surface of the planet with the Black Sun shining overhead.
The Odyssey's shuttlecraft flies overhead and comes in to land.
Below them there are lots of damaged spacecraft from previous failed
excursions.
Telemachus: Father, look at all those wrecked spaceships.
Yumi: They must have been after the treasure.
Telemachus: But what could have happened to all the crew?
Yumi: I'm afraid, Telemachus.
No-No clings to Telemachus.
No-No: I don't like this very much. Maybe the Sirens just...
Telemachus: ...father let's watch our step. This is a dangerous planet.
Ulysses: But we need that map of Olympus. We must get it at all costs.
The shuttlecraft lands. The saucer section detaches and is driven
off.
Ulysses stops the craft, gets out and looks around him. From above a
net drops down, covering Ulysses and No-No.
No-No: Ulysses!
Ulysses: Watch out, No-No.
Ulysses's image appears on the video terminal in the shuttlecraft.
Telemachus, be careful, we're under attack. Close the pressurised
space bay doors.
However, Telemachus and Yumi are unable to do anything as they themselves
are surrounded by pirates. One of the pirates uses his hook to switch
off the video terminal.
Ulysses is led into a room where he sees Telemachus and Yumi.
Telemachus: Ah!
Ulysses: Telemachus.
Telemachus: Father!
As Telemachus takes a step towards Ulysses the pirate with the hook
grabs his shoulder to stop him walking any further.
Pirate: Hahaha.
Ulysses: If you're the chief, answer me. Who are you, what do you
want from us, me and my children?
One of No-No's legs is chained.
No-No: Maybe they're th... th... th... the Sirens?
Pirate: Hahaha. If we were the Sirens you would be dead.
All the pirates laugh at this misunderstanding.
Ulysses: Then who are you? And what do you want of us?
With his hook the pirate indicates a door. The door opens and inside
there is a stone coffin identical to the one brought on board the
Odyssey.
Pirate: Doesn't that coffin answer your question, Ulysses? We're
looking for the treasure just as you are and just as all the
others before you have done.
Another door opens and an old man with long hair and a beard is
pushed into the room.
You - old man - speak of the Sirens and tell them who they are.
Old Man: Oh... fog... fog and voices... oh, so beautiful. Their
singing is too sweet. My companions are drawn to their
singing. Sirens, my companions go to them, they call again
and again. They enter, and then nothing, nothing more.
Ulysses: But you haven't told us who the Sirens are. Tell us, old man,
who are they?
There is no response.
Pirate: Oh, don't press him. He'll never tell you any more. He's
half crazy. We found him in the forest, the sole survivor
from one of the wrecked spaceships you saw back there.
Ulysses: The Sirens, the key to the problem.
Pirate: As you say, the key to the problem. Well since you're so
clever, you understood so quickly, you will search for the
treasure in our place.
Ulysses: What do you mean?
Pirate: You'll take your little robot with you. You will find the
treasure and you'll bring it to us. Isn't that a splendid
idea? Hahaha.
Ulysses: Go and leave the children? Out of the question.
Pirate: We'll hold them. They'll serve as a guarantee.
The pirate walks off.
The Black Sun shines overhead. Ulysses is on a boat with No-No.
The pirates watch from the shore as Ulysses sails out to sea.
Telemachus and Yumi are held prisoner in a dark room with a small
window. Outside the room a pirate yawns loudly.
Telemachus: Oh no, there are guards!
The boat is cutting through the water with Ulysses at the helm
and No-No in the crow's nest. Ghostly voices can be heard coming
from all around them. A strange mist appears ahead of them.
No-No: Ulysses, Ulysses! It... it... it's the Sirens.
Sirens: Follow us... follow us...
The boat sails on.
Ulysses: These voices - anyone hearing them falls under their spell.
That's what the old man said. They go into the fog and then
they disappear for ever.
No-No, I have an idea. Quickly, tie me to the craft's mast.
Sirens: Follow us... follow us...
No-No: Ulysses, have you gone crazy?
Ulysses: Tie me as tight as you possibly can.
Ulysses picks up a chain and gives it to No-No.
No-No: Well, you're the skipper if that's what you want.
Ulysses: I'm going to disconnect your hearing circuit.
Ulysses bends down and adjusts the settings on No-No's ears.
Sirens: Ulysses... follow us...
No-No: What did you say? I can't hear a word. Did you say something,
Ulysses?
Ulysses stands up and puts his hands behind the mast.
Ulysses: Quickly, No-No!
Sirens: Come, wander through the universe... come to us...
follow us... follow us...
No-No ties Ulysses securely to the mast. The ship sails into the
fog.
The ball on top of Yumi's head flashes. Telemachus peers out of the
round window at the pirate guarding them. The pirate falls unconscious
to the floor.
Ulysses and No-No are sailing on. The dreamy voices of the Sirens
can be heard all around them. Ulysses's eyes are wide open as he
hears their irresistible call.
Sirens: Follow us... follow us... come... come, wander through
the universe... come to us, come, Ulysses... you must be
so weary from your travels... Ulysses, your journey ends
here... enter the realm of the Sirens... come, rest...
come to happiness and forgetfulness... with us you will
forget... come... come... come... come...
Ulysses: No, be still. I will not go to you.
No-No: I hate being inquisitive, but just what is going on, Ulysses?
Sirens: Follow us...
Ulysses sees the Sirens swimming towards the raft. They jump out
of the water just in front of the raft and hold their arms up.
No-No: Oh! Just who are you, lady?
Sirens: Come with me, Ulysses. I'll take you to happiness... the
land of forgetfulness... follow... follow... follow...
The Sirens have no fingers on their hands, just a solid area
where the four fingers should be. Ulysses is falling under their
spell.
Ulysses: No-No, untie me now!
No-No: Wow, you sure are pretty.
No-No cannot see Ulysses as he is transfixed by the beauty of the
Sirens and cannot hear him as his hearing is disconnected. Ulysses
shakes his leg and that gets No-No's attention.
Ulysses, it's a good thing that I tied you up, isn't it?
Ulysses: No-No, come on, untie me now!
Ulysses struggles against the chains and breaks free. He jumps into
the water.
No, Ulysses, wait! I don't even have a bathing suit!
No-No jumps in after him.
The pirate with the hooked hand has discovered that Telemachus
and Yumi have escaped.
Pirate: Search! The children have escaped and we must find them!
Telemachus and Yumi crawl out of an old, rusting, exhaust. Yumi carries
her flute.
Telemachus: Come on, we can go this way.
They run towards the shore.
Yumi, there - a raft!
They run up to the raft and look around them but see no one.
Yumi climbs aboard the raft, Telemachus pushes it out to sea and jumps
on. He rows the raft away from the shore.
Telemachus and Yumi are sailing the raft.
Telemachus: Do you remember the exact words of the old man we saw
with the pirates?
Yumi: He said that the danger was in the singing of the Sirens and
that if anyone ever heard it - people or robots - they fell
under its spell and be drawn to the Sirens that no one
ever returned.
Telemachus: Then it's just as I thought. The answer's to stop up
our ears so that we don't fall under the spell. Here, I
have some bits of rubber in my pocket.
Telemachus gives two pieces of rubber to Yumi.
Yumi: We'll communicate with each other by telepathy.
Telemachus: But I don't know how to do that.
Yumi: Speak slowly, I'll lip-read what you say to me.
Telemachus: Good idea.
They put the rubber in their ears - and just in time. No sooner
have they stopped up their ears than the voices of the Sirens call
out to them.
Sirens: Follow us... follow... follow...
A small boat is floating aimlessly just ahead.
Telemachus: Ah!
Yumi: A boat! A sailboat!
Telemachus: It's adrift.
Sirens: Follow us... follow us...
Telemachus's raft sails up to and alongside the boat. It
is the boat Ulysses and No-No were sailing in. Telemachus and Yumi
climb aboard. They communicate by telepathy.
Telemachus: There's nobody on board, neither my father nor No-No.
Where can they be?
Yumi: Maybe it isn't Ulysses's boat. Could it be?
Yumi gasps as the Sirens swim towards the boat.
Sirens: Follow us... follow us...
The Sirens come out of the water.
Yumi: The Sirens, could the Sirens have?
The Sirens cling to the front of the boat as they make their offer.
Sirens: Come and join us... dive in... we'll take you to the happy land
of forgetfulness.. come to the land of happiness... in the
depths of the water... follow us... follow us... follow us...
follow us...
The Sirens jump into the water and swim off seductively. Telemachus
gasps.
Telemachus: Ah!
Yumi: We must not follow them.
From the water lights in the shape of Tridents appear. They form
a series of bars which solidify to form a barrier.
The bars! The prison bars in my dream!
Telemachus: The bars in your dream?
Yumi: Yes, I knew it. They were in my dream, the same ones, they
open to music.
Telemachus: Then play, play your instrument quickly. Make them open up.
Yumi: Yes.
Yumi plays her flute as the boat sails on towards the bars. The
Sirens are clinging to the bars. As they hear the tune the Sirens
cover their ears and swim away. As the boat approaches the bars a
small section of the bars glows brightly and vanishes. The boat
sails safely through the opening. Telemachus looks back in amazement
as he realises that they have actually got this far. After the boat
has passed through the opening, the bars re-form again. The boat
sails towards an island.
We see the face of a Siren carved in stone. The camera pans back
from the face to reveal Ulysses lying unconscious on a large shell. No-No
is on top of him, trying to wake him up.
No-No: Ulysses, wake up! Come on, wake up! Hey, Ulysses!
No-No looks up at the stone face and gets a fright.
Sirens: Ulysses, be happy, be happy. You will never return to
Earth. You will never see the map of Olympus. But you
will know supreme joy. You will experience exquisite
sensual delights for ever and ever.
The Sirens raise their arms and the shell on which Ulysses lies
floats upwards towards the mouth of the stone Siren. No-No pats
Ulysses's face to try and wake him.
No-No: Stop, stop! Ulysses, wake up! Help!
Telemachus and Yumi run in.
Yumi: No-No!
The Sirens turn and see them running in.
Telemachus: Father!
No-No waves at Telemachus and Yumi.
No-No: Here! Help!
The Sirens swim towards Telemachus and Yumi. When they reach them
they rise out of the water in front of them.
Telemachus: Yumi, quickly. Play the music.
The Sirens are carrying spears in the shape of Tridents, which they
are about to throw at Telemachus and Yumi. As Yumi plays her tune
the Sirens jump back into the water and swim away covering their
ears. Telemachus jumps aboard the shell on which Ulysses is lying.
No-No: Saved!
No-No jumps onto Telemachus and gives him a hug. Ulysses comes to.
Ulysses: Telemachus, Yumi. Oh, my children.
Yumi: We did it! We escaped from the pirates!
Telemachus: Wait, we stopped up our ears.
Telemachus removes the pieces of rubber from his ears.
Here, this is the island of the Sirens, isn't it?
Ulysses: So this is the island of the Sirens, the one we saw on the
map with the coffin.
Ulysses stands up.
Now, we must find the treasure. Where is the map of
Olympus hidden?
Yumi: In that mouth. Just like my dream.
Ulysses climbs into the mouth of the stone Siren, followed by
Telemachus, Yumi and No-No. They walk down the corridor inside the
mouth towards its end. At the end of the corridor is a chamber which
holds lots of stone coffins like the one that brought them to the planet.
Inside each coffin is a spaceman clutching a map.
Telemachus: Father, look at that!
Ulysses: What does it mean? I don't understand.
Ulysses bends over one of the spacemen. No-No looks up and sees a
serpent-like creature which is about to attack them.
No-No: Look up there!
Telemachus: Oh, father, be careful!
The serpent starts to attack.
Ulysses: Let's get away!
No-No falls against the feet of a man who has been turned to stone.
No-No: Oh, Telemachus!
Telemachus turns around and sees lots more stone people. They
have been frozen while running. Ulysses attacks the serpent, pushing
the stone people aside as he battles. Telemachus, Yumi and No-No are
hiding behind Ulysses's wrist shield as the serpent bears down on
them. As the serpent touches the shield there is a burst of sparks
which bathe the area in a bright light. The shield suddenly fails
leaving Ulysses and the children unprotected. Yumi starts playing
her music and the picture fades to black.
The pirates are standing on a small rock looking out to sea. They
see the boat sailing towards them out of the mist.
Pirate: It's all right, there they are. They're coming back.
Pirate 2: The treasure, he's sure to have found the Sirens' treasure.
We have it. Well, chief, what'll we do?
Pirate: Don't tell him that we lost the children.
Pirate 2: Haha.
Ulysses is on the boat and apparently alone.
Ulysses: Where are my children? I want to see them!
Pirate: First the treasure. Then we return the children.
There is a box in the boat, marked with the sign of the Trident and
the face of a Siren.
Ulysses: If you want the treasure, come and get it yourself!
Cheering loudly and triumphantly, the pirates run towards the box.
They lift the box out of the boat and use a rope to lower it to the
ground. Two of the pirates struggle against the weight. As soon as
it is on the ground the pirates crowd around it excitedly.
Pirate: I'll open it with my hook.
Pirate 2: Right, chief, with your hook.
Pirate: Now you'll see something.
The pirate's hook drops to one side on a hinge and a small laser
emerges. He cuts through the lock and the lid opens. The pirates
greedily peer inside, expecting to see the treasure. However
it is not the treasure that greets them but the serpent. The serpent
rises out of the box.
Telemachus and Yumi appear from behind the boat. One of the pirates
fires his gun at the serpent but it is not effective. The serpent
touches him and he turns to stone. Another pirate tries to use his
sword against the serpent but his sword is equally useless. The
serpent touches him and he, too, is turned to stone. Other pirates
attack the serpent. One of them is picked up by it and turned to
stone.
Ulysses: Extraordinary! So that's what the Sirens were: a kind of
living metal that absorbs human energy.
The pirate with the hook is the last one left. He tries to jump off
the rock but is not fast enough. The serpent touches him, turning
him to stone, too.
All those who came to find the treasure were captured and killed.
Telemachus: Then the stone coffin that we saw on the island?
Ulysses: It was a means of attracting them, a trap. Another stone
coffin was sent out whenever a spaceship came near.
Now that all the pirates have been turned to stone it is time to put
the serpent back in the box.
Telemachus: Do your thing, Yumi.
Yumi: Right.
Yumi plays the tune on her flute. The serpent quietly coils itself
back into the box. Ulysses, Telemachus, Yumi and No-No approach the box.
Inside they see a map. Ulysses bends down and picks up the map.
Ulysses: Now we've got it! The map of Olympus!
Ulysses presses a button on the map. As he does so, sparks jump
from the map and it falls to the ground. Yumi stops playing her flute.
Yumi: Quickly, I am not afraid of fire!
I can still read it.
Yumi picks up the map.
Telemachus: Wait, Yumi play fast, don't stop!
The serpent is growing restless, comes out of its box and prepares to
attack them. Yumi drops the map and starts playing again. The
serpent goes back into the box and Telemachus closes the lid.
Ulysses: By the great cosmic clouds, the map of Olympus...
The map self-destructs, showing the sign of the Trident before
turning to dust. Ulysses, Telemachus, Yumi and No-No watch helplessly
as the dust is blown away on a gentle wind.
Ulysses, Telemachus, Yumi and No-No are in the shuttlecraft, flying
back to the Odyssey.
Telemachus: But I don't understand. Why did the map just catch fire
all of a sudden?
Yumi: Because it made contact with air.
Telemachus: When I think, we went through all that for nothing.
Ulysses: It's no use being discouraged, Telemachus. We tried and
we lost, but all four of us are still alive and we escaped.
After all, that's the important thing.
Telemachus nods.
No-No: What's that? I can't hear a word.
No-No jumps on to the control desk, pointing at his ears.
Ulysses: That's right, you can't hear. I forgot about that.
Telemachus adjusts No-No ears and he can hear again.
There, how's that? Can you hear now?
No-No: Yes, fine. Do you realise me crazy about music and I couldn't
even hear Yumi when she was playing?
Yumi: Then listen now.
Yumi plays the tune again.
No-No: Ah...
Everyone laughs.
[END]