TEXT: THE ROBOTS OF DEATH by: CHRIS BOUCHER PART ONE Running time: 24:06 [SCENE_BREAK] 1. EXT. desert (Night) (Cruel winds blow sand over the rocky craggs of a desert. Traversing the harsh terrain amongst the mesas is a huge vehicle - the sandminer Storm Mine 4 - its shiny metal body glinting in the strange night light. Storm Mine 4 is propelled by means of screwpumps and blasts waste from three forward vent pipes. The enormous body of the mine tapers upwards into a tiny bridge with a full front windscreen. Through the windscreen, five ROBOTS are visible at work.) [SCENE_BREAK] 2. INT. STORM Mine 4 bridge (The ROBOTS on the bridge busily move from one instrument to another, checking readings. One of them is black - A DUMB - and the other four are green - VOCS. The moulded faces of the robots are attractively humanoid, and they wear tunics. Each has an identity plaque on its chest with the letter 'D' or 'V' to designate type, and a unique identification number. They speak in soothing, pleasant, human-like voices. Their voices betray no emotion, but they do not sound like machines. A VOC of unseen number reads data off an instrument panel.) Voc: Turbulent centre, vector 7. (V32 approaches the forward instrument panel.) V32: Scan commencing now. [SCENE_BREAK] 3. INT. STORM MINE 4 recreation room (Seven members of the human crew of Storm Mine 4 are engaged in subdued recreation activities: CHUB, BORG, DASK, TOOS, ZILDA, UVANOV and CASS. They are waited on by robots. All are dressed in futuristic, theatrical yet elegant clothes and makeup. The beautiful makeup lines around their eyes resemble the eye markings of the robots. The room itself also speaks of a life of luxury and decadence, decorated with strange futuristic sculptures in the art deco style. The room
SUMMARY:
The TARDIS materialize aboard a sandminer, a mining ship on a desert planet run by a robot labor force headed by a fairly small but sniping human crew. As one crewman is discovered strangled to death, the Doctor and Leela arrive just in time to become the prime suspects.