Original subtitles

(foreboding orchestra music)

- Okay, Venus?

- Okay, Steve.

- Right, let's go.

(jet engines hissing)

(dramatic music)

(jet engines hissing)

(upbeat retro music)

(sinister music)

(explosion and rumbling sounds)

- This is Kanerik, your leader,

calling the people of Kemble.

Soon, you will be able to leave your underground caves

and live in luxury.

| have made my plans.

And the planet Olympus,

will soon be ours.

(chilled percussive music)

- Just a few more days, my son,

and it will be time for your birthday feast.

- Yes, father.

- Kanerik, chief of the planet Kemble

will be coming for peace talks.

There will be no more wars between us.

| shall see to it that he never returns.

- But there is room for him here, father.

His planet is terrible.

Almost impossible to live on.

- You are too young to understand.

If we allow Kanerik to live here,

all sorts of space creatures

will want to invade our beautiful planet.

At the birthday feast,

a bomb placed under his chair,

will put paid to his ambitions.

- But father,

nobody should have to live on the dark Kemble.

It's a horrible place.

(sinister music)

(thunder rumbling)

- Elixir of life.

(laughs) that's a laugh.

A special poison that will bring death to Ergon,

in three short hours.

(sinister laughter)

(dramatic music)

- Okay Lieutenant, you can take over now.

- Yes, sir.

You can leave everything to me.

- | sure hope so.

If anything comes up, I'll be with Colonel Zodiac.

| wanna have a word with him

before he leaves for his vacation.

- Wish them all a swinging time, Commander.

- I'll do that Lieutenant.

(chilled percussive music)

- You mean you still got something left after all these?

- Well, even Fireball wouldn't get off the ground

with all this onboard.

| thought we said we were gonna travel light, Venus.

- But, Steve. (door bell rings)

Oh, now who can that be.

- Women.

Never did understand 'em.

- Just dropped in to say goodbye.

Is Steve here?

- Inside, Commander.

- Hi Steve, Matt.

Hey, what goes on here?

Are you emigrating or something?

- No, it's just Venus's idea of travelling light.

- You don't have to have a spare freighter,

do you, Sir?

- Now look, all the year round | wear a uniform.

This is my vacation and I'm going to wear

all the most feminine outfits | can.

So | don't want any more remarks.

- Now you kids enjoy your vacation

and forget all about your duties.

- Sure, it's nice of you

to let us use Fireball for the trip.

- Well, you've got to deliver

those spares to Space Station Six.

So you may as well continue on to Olympia and |,

| hear it's a real boss play, Steve.

- Yeah, | saw it once in my early space patrol days.

| wanted to go back ever since.

- Stay out of trouble, Steve.

There's been bad feeling

between the planets Kemble and Olympus for generations.

- Oh, that won't worry us.

This is strictly an unofficial visit.

(sirens blaring)

- All systems here we go.

- All systems here, go, go, go.

(jet engines popping and hissing)

(soothing music)

(jet engines rumbling)

- Our guest has arrived, my son.

Little does he know what awaits him.

- But father, isn't there some other way.?

- Allow me to know my son.

| only have the good of my people at heart.

- Greetings Jankel,

and birthday salutations to your son, Ergon.

- Welcome to the planet Olympus.

You are our honoured guest.

(playful music)

- Well, what do you know?

Another bite.

- I'd say we were somewhere

in the vicinity of planet Olympus by now.

- There's been no course instructions

from the professor lately.

- [Steve] What's our position, Matt?

- Position?

Oh well.

- Are you working on it?

- Of course I'm working on it.

What do you think I'm doing?

- How many have you caught?

- 14.

Yeah | mean, that is.

- You'll get plenty of fishing when we get there, Max.

- Yeah, but it might be a good idea if we landed first.

Robot's already in central control.

(dramatic music)

- We're on our orbital course, Steve.

Fire main retros.

(jet engines rumbling and hissing)

(water sloshing)

- This is the most beautiful planet I've ever seen, Steve.

- It's everything you said it was.

And more.

- Well, | guess we better find our host Jankel.

- | expect he's making the last minutes arrangements

for the birthday feast.

- The bomb is fixed.

Kanerik will seat here alone.

And then, bang (laughs)

| am delighted to welcome you all here.

But where is your professor friend, Steve Zodiac?

- Sorry I'm late, folks.

Been exploring the planet.

- Please take a seat, professor.

Oh, no,

not that chair, professor.

Over here, if you please.

That is reserved for our honoured guest, Kanerik.

It is our custom that the honoured guest sits alone.

- Trust Matt to make a federal case out of it.

- Ah, there you are, Kanerik.

Please take the place of honour at the head of the table.

- A very special chair for a very special guest.

(sinister music)

- Gee, one of the best meals I've eaten in a long time.

- Yes, and such exotic fruits.

- May | drink the elixir of life,

that Kanerik brought for my birthday, father.

- Please, allow him to drink, Jankel.

The magic contents of the bottle will ensure him

a long and happy life.

- Very well.

A toast to Ergon on this his birthday.

A long and happy life.

- [All] Happy birthday, Ergon.

(suspenseful music)

- What's the matter?

- |, feel,

dizzier.

- My son,

what is wrong?

- Probably all the excitement.

- I'll get a sedative from Fireball Junior for him.

- My, spacecraft is much nearer, Venus.

We'll get some from there.

- Oh, thank you.

- Now, get in.

- But, | don't under--

- Don't argue,

| have poisoned Ergon, and it is all a part of my plan.

And | don't intend to let you ruin it for me.

- He doesn't look too good.

- My poor son.

My poor son.

(spacecraft engines rumbling and hissing)

- That's Kanerik's spacecraft.

He's taking off.

- Looks as though it's heading back to his planet.

No sign of Venus either.

Hey, she must be aboard.

- Let's have a look at that life elixir.

Mm, smells like glanster, the deadly poison.

Although we need Venus to be sure.

- You must go and rescue your doctor of space medicine.

Otherwise, my son will die.

| should have known Kanerik is not to be trusted.

(explosion)

- Yeah, | can see.

Seems to me there's not much to choose between you.

- That's enough, Steve Zodiac.

Rescue the space doctor and save my son.

If you fail and Ergon dies,

the professor will die also.

- You can put that ray gun away.

I'm going to rescue Venus anyway,

and I'll try and save your son.

But the professor is coming with me.

- Fortunately, you arrived on holiday

with fishing rods instead of ray guns.

Now you will do as | say.

The professor stays here.

And if Ergon dies,

so does the professor.

- Good luck, Steve.

You've got three lives in your hands.

- Sure is hot, Lieutenant.

- Yeah.

| wish | was with Colonel Zodiac right now.

| could do with a vacation myself.

- Yeah, | can almost see the professor now

taking it nice and easy.

- You will have just three hours to wait, professor.

Zodiac should be back by then.

| hope for your sake he is.

- He woulda helped you.

There was no need for this.

(clock ticking)

- It shows him | mean business.

If he fails you will die with my son.

The arrow will strike when the three hours are up.

- Some vacation this turned out to be.

| sure hope Venus is okay.

- |am sorry | had to take you away from your friend.

- But surely you're not going to let Ergon die.

- It all depends on whether | reach an agreement

with his father.

I'll call him on the radio,

now he's had time to think things over.

This is Kemble calling Olympus.

Kemble calling Olympus.

- Olympus to Kemble,

lam receiving you.

You promised to obey the truce.

- Obey the truce?

What about you?

| was clever enough to notice the bomb

you had placed under my chair.

- Hm.

Well what do you intend doing?

- Your son will die.

| have the earth doctor here.

| shall return with her only when you agree to my people

taking over Olympus.

- I'll never agree.

And I'm not beaten yet, do you hear?

| am not beaten yet.

The time passes quickly, professor.

- Yeah, too quickly.

- Your life is in the hands of Steve Zodiac.

(clock ticking)

- Here goes. (jets rumbling and hissing)

Now to find Venus.

- If he's to get back in time,

he should have found his space doctor by now.

If they return too late, I'll kill them both.

- Finding Venus here could take hours.

| can see a light down there.

Better take a look.

Some sort of entrance, but how do | get in?

- What did Jankel mean?

He said he wasn't beaten yet.

- Perhaps he has an antidote

for the poison you gave to his son?

- No, that is impossible.

The antidote is only obtainable from mosses that grow here.

| will contact him again.

- That's lucky, they must work automatically.

- Steve.

- Kemble calling Olympus.

Kemble calling Olympus.

Kemble calling Olympus.

Kemble calling Oly, oh!

(heels clicking)

- Steve, where's Matt?

- He's being held as a hostage.

If we don't get back in time to save Ergon, Matt dies.

- How long have we got?

- One hour.

Hurry, Steve.

- My son.

My poor Ergon.

He's getting weaker.

- Don't worry.

Steve will make it.

| hope.

- Prepare for take off.

- All systems go.

- Right.

(jet engine popping and hissing)

(thunder rumbles)

- What happened?

- Lightning's hit one of our motors.

- Will it cut our speed, Steve.

- | guess so.

It'll be touch and go, whether we make it there.

(clock ticking)

- Come on Fireball, there's not much time.

- Your friends have let us down, professor.

(jet engines popping and hissing)

- Oh well.

It's just a few seconds left.

- | am truly sorry, professor.

Because your death will mean that | have lost my son.

- Okay, take care of Ergon, Venus.

- Right, Steve.

- You made it.

Please save my son.

- First, we'll have the professor out of there.

- Ooh, wow.

Give me fishing any time.

- We won't forget, Colonel Zodiac.

- Your son Ergon told me

there is room for all of your people on Olympus.

Now, you listened to him.

He's got more sense than both of you tooties put together.

- [Both] Yes, Colonel.

(jet engine rumbling and hissing)

- Well, it's nice to be friends once more (laughs)

What?

You double crosser.

- Cigarette?

(both laugh)

- Well, so much for our quiet vacation.

- Do you think Jankel and Kanerik

will keep the peace, Steve?

- Your guess is as good as mine, Venus.

- Oh, this is the life, eh?

(explosion) (Kanerik laughs)

That's for your joke with the gun.

- You space snake.

- You olympian lizard.

- You Kembrian cockroach.

- To think that | trusted you.

- You talk of trust.

- Fighting again?

I'll radio Steve Zodiac.

- Fighting?

(laughs) of course we are not fighting.

- Whatever gave you that idea?

- As a matter of fact.

- We're very good friends.

(both laugh)

~ The fastest guy alive J

I l'd fly you around the universe in Fireball XL5 I

£ Way out in space together J

£ Conquerors of the sky I

f My heart would be a fireball

~

f Every time | gazed into your starry eyes f

S We'd take the path to Jupiter and may very soon J

~ We'd cruise along the milky way f

£~ And land upon the moon J

£ We'll land along the stardust

f We'll zoom away to Mars S

f My heart would be a fireball

~

‘Cause you would be my new southern star