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Compiled by Martin Willey

Novelisations: Italy

L'occhio ardente di Mbatian by Michele Tetro (Edizioni del Nano-Cosmic Group, 2005)

A novel by Michele Tetro, based on the short story "Adagio" by Michele Tetro and inspired by Space 1999 episode "Dragon's Domain" by Christopher Penfold Published by Edizioni del Nano-Cosmic Group, Modena 2005, pp. 236, graphic and design by Marco Vittorini, cover by Gianluca De Virgilio, technical plans by Roberto Baldassari.

• Table of contents
• Synopses

Synopses

The Burning Eye of Mbatian

• Part 1: Africa
  • 1 - The Mountain of Greatness
    Tony Cellini recalls how the story begins: astronauts Cellini and Michael Donovan are in Africa on holiday. The former is very impressed by the landscape of Kilimanjaro mountain and feels the magic of the Dark Continent. A Masai shaman, Ngaia, is the guide of the safari.
  • 2 - Shaman's Gift
    Cellini are going to shoot an elephant but cannot kill the living-beauty, feeling the soul of the life all around him. Ngaia the Masai is pleased and gives Cellini his axe. In return Cellini offers to the shaman a little lunar rock.
  • 3 - Night Omen
    During the night at the holiday village the interpreter of the Masai, Kubal, reveals to Cellini what Ngaia told him. It is a warning-prophecy: in his future journey in space, Cellini will encounter a hypnotic demon-creature. Ngaia calls him Mbatian, like the evil lion that killed so many people at Tsavo in 1896, perhaps the reincarnation of an ancient tribe's leader angry for the construction of the railway in his territory. This monster will be able to annihilate the interior will of its victim, sipping their life-force. Cellini is perturbed, because feels a mysterious link with Ngaia.
  • 4 - Who is the best?
    Meanwhile a TV transmission announces green light for Ultra Mission... but who'll be the commander of the ship? Cellini calls his friend John Koenig, the other candidate, and amicably challenges him.

• Part 2: Ultra
  • 1 - The Final Bastion
    On Moonbase Alpha Cellini and Koenig meet for the first time Professor Victor Bergman, who discovered the planet Ultra. The scientist explains the details to the astronauts about the mysterious world.
  • 2 - Ultra Probe
    Trying their luck, Cellini becomes the Mission Commander and Koenig has to take the role of Mission Controller. The astronaut with his crew reaches the starship and prepare themselves to the flight.
  • 3 - Leave and Launch
    The Ultra Probe starts the no-return journey to the distance planet from Space Station Centauri.
  • 4 - The Real Conquest
    During the trip, Dr. Monique Bouchere falls in love with captain Cellini.
  • 5 - Adagio
    The relationship between Monique and Tony grows deeper.
  • 6 - Cosmic Gulf-Weed
    The ship approaches an orbital space-cemetery, full of abandoned alien craft.
  • 7 - Open, Sesame!
    The docking with a huge alien ship has a tragic result: a ghastly, murderous tentacled-creature destroys all crew but Cellini. The sole survivor escapes in a life-pod... but the monster marked Cellini's mind with a indissoluble link.
  • 8 - Shaitan's Shout
    Cellini's dramatic two-years flight back to Earth. His sleep is filled with nightmares of the obsessive presence of the monster. He survives... but he wants his revenge. And the monster too.

• Part 3: Houston
  • 1 - Silent Running
    No one can believe Cellini's tale. The Space Commission admits the failure of the mission and decides to stop deep-space exploration. Cellini wants to sink in the oblivion... his nightmares increase but the man is determined to obtain his revenge... in the future.
  • 2 - Revelations at Shooting Star
    Cellini reveals to Koenig, the only man inclined to believe at the friend's story, his love for Monique and try to explain other things but he loses his control so further explanations are postponed.
  • 3 - The Haunter of the Dark
    In Cellini's quarters, finally Koenig learns the truth: the captain tells him that Ultra was a dimensional trap-planet, used by the monster to attract his victims, and that soon it will disappear into other space regions, looking for life. The monster itself is the alien intruder in our dimensional time-space, coming from a universe totally different and lacking of vital forces. Like the Lovecraftian novelette "The Haunter of Dark", now Cellini and the monster are one. He sees what the monster wants, their essences coincide.
  • 4 - The Right Stuff
    Koenig don't understand all the words of his friend and the Lovecraftian analogy brings him to think that perhaps Cellini is really insane. Later in the night he meets young pilot Alan Carter and confides him his doubts. Carter replies that Cellini is not mad and his story, even incredible, must be real. Koenig, encouraged, comes back to his friend.
  • 5 - "I Have Killed You, Monique!"
    But Cellini is victim of a recurrent crisis. The monster can torture him, melting his essence with the human, forcing him to experience the horror of Monique's death... as if Cellini itself were the monster. Koenig tries to calm Cellini and promises his assistance and loyalty.

• Part 4: Mooncity
  • 1 - Flying to Moonbase Alpha
    Planet Ultra vanishes into void, as Cellini predicted. But Bergman discovers another planet, Meta. Now it's imperative put a man on it. From Moonbase Alpha start the preparations for the new mission, manned, in space. Cellini is selected to train the astronauts and flies to Alpha aboard the Michael Baxter's eagle.
  • 2 - Commitee of Reception
    Security man Derek Irwin, fiancé of Juliet MacKye, another victim of Ultra Mission, recognizes Cellini: thinking him guilty for Juliet's death he plots an encounter with the captain... alone.
  • 3 - Rendez-vous with Professor Bergman
    Cellini encounters Professor Bergman, who is delighted to see the captain on Alpha. Bergman hopes Cellini can obtain a second chance training the crew of Meta Mission.
  • 4 - Astronauts and Security
    Irwin reaches Cellini's quarter to make him confess his fault. There is a fight but Irwin is beaten. Cellini promises him that he'll fight his monster for Juliet's death too and the security man starts thinking the captain is right.
  • 5 - The Ninth Commander of Alpha
    John Koenig is designated as commander of Alpha, to solve the viral infection of the Meta astronauts.
    Approaching the 13th of September, 1999, he joins Cellini and asks his help.
  • 6 - Nuclear Dawn
    Cellini and Donovan work hard aboard their eagle in nuclear waste disposal but it's too late to avoid the catastrophe: the entire area blows up in a massive nuclear explosion and the Moon is hurled into space... with all the 315 crew members of Moonbase Alpha.

• Part 5: Space
  • 1 - Dialogue with John Koenig
    Soon after the events of "The Last Enemy" Cellini meets Koenig in his quarters, telling him that the time for the last stand with the monster is close. He thinks the alien itself is searching for the only survivor of his fury and soon the planet Ultra, or maybe only the space graveyard, will be in sight.
  • 2 - The Chapel
    Cellini searches some quiet in the Alphan chapel, where lie the fallen men of the Moon journey. Here he finds Anton Zoref's widow and for a while they try to relieve their sorrow.
  • 3 - A Black Man Beyond the Wall of Sleep
    In a dream Cellini sees Ngaia the shaman, who advices him the time is up. The Masai tells Cellini to use the axe he was given to kill the monster and free the life-force of all his victims, still imprisoned in him. He reveals that on Earth, devastated by the breakaway of Moon, new species of mutant animals grow. Ngaia itself must defeat a monster, the Two in One, a double mutated lion, which may be another Mbatian reincarnation. Cellini and Ngaia: warriors beyond time and space.
  • 4 - Only an Aim in Life
    The first Cellini's attempt to steal an Eagle fails. Koenig is afraid of a relapse of his friend but in the depths of his heart he believes in Tony. Alan Carter supports him again but Dr. Russell does not.
  • 5 - Déjà Vu
    The Ultra graveyard is on screen in Main Mission: the moment of the final challenge is coming.

• Part 6: Mbatian
  • 1 - Revising Old Positions
    Koenig and Helena warmly discuss Cellini's case. Dr. Russell can't change her opinion about a the astronaut's mental sanity.
  • 2 - First Strike Privilege
    Cellini leaves behind him the commander's Eagle. He claims the privilege of the first strike.
  • 3 - Brothers in the Night, Brothers in the Light
    The thoughts of Cellini end here: while he approaches the Ultra Probe, on Earth Ngaia the Masai goes hunting the evil Mbatian, the Two in One. The shaman finds the monster but Mbatian is too smart and manages to take him by surprise, falling upon suddenly.
  • 4 - Back to Dragon's Domain
    Aboard Ultra Probe, Cellini is in front of his enemy. While he tries to resist the strength of its tentacles, a dimensional transfer (or something like this) projected him in the African jungle, just in time to alert Ngaia about the danger behind him. His shout allows the Masai to crack the brain of Mbatian with a only strike of his knife. Cellini is taken again on Ultra Probe and hits repeatedly the monster.
  • 5 - Double Fight
    Strength and will-power begins to fail in Cellini. The monster, although horribly wounded by the astronaut's knife, tries to weak him by hypnotic suggestion. "If you kill me, you'll lost Monique's vital essence forever". But Ngaia's mental projection makes stronger the will of the astronaut and the monster is struck to death.

• Part 7: Mbarak
  • 1 - "Hit Hard!"
    Feeling that the monster is dying, Cellini carries into effect his terrible plan: he lets on purpose the monster absorbing his body, in order to reach and melt itself with Monique life-force inside him. When Koenig comes aboard and is pulled into the dying monster's mouths, Cellini's essence weakens the will of the alien from inside, so the commander can slash the burning eye of it with the Ngaia's axe. "Hit hard, John, Mbarak!" When he destroys the monster, all essences of its victims are free.
  • 2 - Farewell
    On Earth, in its final tremor before death, Mbatian kills Ngaia; in the same moment Cellini passes away. He'll became a living-legend for his tribe. Koenig hears (in his mind?) the last goodbye from his friend.
  • 3 - Funeral Pyre
    Commander Koenig's Eagle abandons the Ultra Probe, flying to Alpha. He orders the destruction of the two ships that were the dragon's domain. Far away, the body of Ngaia is burnt by the people of his tribe.
  • 4 - Need to Know
    Derek Irwin, who was in the Eagle's crew, joins Koenig in Cellini's quarters, wondering about the apparent suicide of the captain. The commander tries to explain the final will of Cellini. Both the men are astonished by the courage and the greatness of Tony Cellini and Koenig seems to hear mentally again his voice: "Thank you, John, my friend, Mbarak..." David Kano, later, explains to the commander that the word "mbarak" means "liberator".
  • 5 - Epilogue
    In another time, in another place or may be in the dream of someone, Cellini, Ngaia and Monique meet each other at the foot of Kilimanjaro, the Mountain of Greatness.