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CONTENTS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES TIME OUT .......................•......................•....................... PURPLE HOLI OAY ..........•..................................................... TRIVIA QUESTIONS ....................•..........•................••............ NADA FOR A DAy ...........•.......•....•.•.........•.....•...•.•...••....•....
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PUZZLE ...•........•.......•..........•.....•...••.......••............•.......
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JENNA'S DILEMMA ..••....................•••............•.............•........ TROUBLE WITH TEENAGERS ....................................•.................. ADDRESSES OF INTEREST
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Contributors this issue: Carla Hemmingson. Rachel Hemmingson. Eileen Jones STAFF Senior Editor ..••...••...•............•......•••...............•.. Eileen Jones Assistant Editor/Business Manager .....••.......•••..•....•.•. Car1a Hemmingson *******************************************************************************
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The Ga11ifrey Gazette is intended solely for the enjoyment of the fans of the BBC-TV series Doctor Who.TM All correspondence will be considered for publication unless clearly noted otherwise. Address all submissions and correspondence to The Ga11ifrey Gazette, 3226 Dupont Ave N, Minneapolis. MN 55412. Copyright 1985 by The Ga11ifrey Gazette. This copyright covers only ori9ina1 material and in no way is intended to infringe upon copyrights held by BBC-TV or any other holders of Doctor Who TM copyrights and/or trademarks. TM Doctor Who is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 1) Written material must be neatly typed on B 1/2 x 11 white paper. Use one side only and number all pages. Please proofread your material before submitting it~ 2) Art submissions should be in black and white only, no larger than 8 x 10. No bleeds. Art must be completely camera-ready. 3) Previously published submissions are acceptable as long as you tell us where and when it was previously published. Simultaneous submissions are not acceptable. 4) No one will be notified of receipt of any submission unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard. No submissions will be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with adequate return postage. Once a submission is accepted and scheduled for publication, the contributor will be notified. 5) All editorial decisions are final.
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TIME OUT
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Hi~ Welcome to the very first issue of The Ga11ifrey Gazette, a bimonthly fanzine dedicated to our favorite Time Lord, that mysterious traveller in space and time known simply as the Doctor. In this issue, the Doctor and Sarah find their proposed holiday plans changed drastically in "Purple Holiday." In "Nada For A Day," the Doctor, Lee1a and K9 answer a distress call -- from a K1ingon battle cruiser. A commander with a ship in serious trouble wonders what to do with a strange intruder who calls himself the Doctor in "Jenna's Dilemma." And "Trouble With Teenagers" begins a continuing story of the adventures (misadventures?) of the Doctor when he's joined not by one but two orphaned teenage girls. In part one, the Doctor finds himself given a choice: he either marries the ruthless tyrant, Queen Vy1a, or his companion stays behind as the queen's slave. One article you won't find (which I had fully intended to write, though) is my analysis of why I like Doctor Who. As I tried to write it, I found I couldn't define it. Oh, I'll admit Tom Baker's beautiful blue eyes and enchanting smile may have something to do with it, but it's more than that. Unfortunately, I can't quite put my finger on what that something more is. Magic, perhaps? At any rate, for whatever reason, Doctor Who has become my favorite television show and the only one I'm sure never to miss~ We sincerely hope you enjoy The Ga11ifrey Gazette. Please tell us what you think: And start sending in submissions, too: One final word: let your public television station know you like the Doctor~ And I don't mean just with your letters; do it with your money also. Become a member of public television. See you in two months: Eileen
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PURPLE HOLl DAY Eileen Jones Sarah Jane Smith stared out of the viewscreen of the TARDIS. "Doctor, it's beautiful out there~ There's a fantastic beach: It's the perfect place for a ho1iday. " The Doctor joined her at the viewscreen. "Yes. it does look nice," he agreed. He smiled broadly. "A nice. safe, peaceful planet. You're right -it is the perfect place for a holiday." "Whatare we wa iting for then? Are you coming, Doctor?" she asked impatiently. It had been far too long since they'd had a holiday. He .iammedhis hat firmly on the tangle of dark curls. "Coming, Sarah, coming." Sarah ran down to the shore and sighed as she felt the cool spray against her face .. She pulled off her shoes and socks and waded out into the water. The Doctor strolled along the shore, his incredibly long scarf trailing along in the sand. They really did need a rest. Saving Earth on a regular basis could be very tiring. "This place is perfect!" Sarah exclaimed. She took another deep breath of the fresh air. "Yes, it's ..." The Doctor froze. "Sarah, don't move," he whispered. Sarah didn't move. She could tell by his tone that this was serious. A group of large, purple, furry creatures surrounded them. Their fur was long and shaggy, somewhat like that of an Old English Sheepdog. They stood nearly seven feet tall. The creatures didn't speak, but it was obvious by their actions that they wanted the Doctor and Sarah to come with them. "Be careful," the Doctor warned her. "Don't do anything they might interpret as hosti1e. " "How am I supposed to know what they might consider hostile?" "If they start to look angry, you know you've done something that they consider hostile." "Lot of help that is," she muttered. The furry creatures led them to a wooden cage and made it clear that they expected them to enter. With Sarah and the Doctor locked up, the creatures clustered together and began to nod their heads. No sound -- not even a grunt or a groan -- came from the knot of purple creatures. The largest of them moved away from the group and entered the cage. Sarah started to back away, but the Doctor's hand on her shoulder reminded her that that action might be interpreted as hostile. The furry creature looked at Sarah, then at the Doctor. It moved toward the Doctor with a slow, lumbering motion. It planted a slobbery kiss on one of his cheeks and then planted one on the other cheek. Noiselessly, it left the cage and returned to the group. Sarah gave the Doctor a questioning look. "It would seem," he said, "that it was either welcoming me or tasting me." "You mean they might eat us?" Sarah shuddered at the thought. "I doubt it, but then I have been wrong once or twice before." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it will be all right." He reached into one of his huge pockets. "Here, have a jelly baby." "Let go of me, you imbeciles:" an angry voice screamed. "Get your furry mitts off me: I'm warning you, you'll be sorry:" The furry creatures seemed not to hear him. Or if they did hear, his threats didn't seem to frighten them. They opened the cage and threw in an unsavory-looking human. 4
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"Are you all right?" Sarah asked . "Eh? Who are you?" "I'm the Doctor. This is Miss Smith. We're just passing through," the Doctor rep1ied. "Who are you?" "My friends call me Zeke," he grunted. "Are you a native of this planet?" Zeke snorted. "You must be joking," he said at last. "'A native' -- now that's a good one:" His voice dropped to a whisper. "This place is loaded with minerals. With the labor provided by the furries, we're all going to be rich." "We?" Sarah asked. "My buddies and me. There's six of us all told." He stared at the Doctor and Sarah. "We were here first, so don't expect a cut of our goods." "I see. And how much of a cut do the furries receive?" the Doctor inquired. "The furries?" Zeke laughed long and hard. "They aren't our partners. They're our slaves:" The Doctor looked absolutely horrified. The gall of these people, not only to exploit the resources of someone else's planet, but to make its inhabitants slaves as well -- that was too much for him. "Aw, after all, they're not intelligent," Zeke continued. "They can't even speak: We're doing them a favor, helping them with our superior intellect." "If your intellect is so superior, then how come you're their prisoner?" Sarah retorted. "Just dumb luck," Zeke muttered. The Doctor walked over to the door of the cage and watched their captors . The group of furries was growing larger. It seemed as though everyone in the immediate area was gathering for some purpose known only to them. They began nodding their heads energetically and rhythmically. They still made no noise. Dne furry began waving its arms wildly above its head and then started jumping up and down. "They seem to be having a disagreement," the Doctor whispered to Sarah. "A disagreement? How can you tell?" "Nonverbal communication. I don't know why I didn't realize it sooner." "Can you understand what they're saying then?" "Not entirely, Sarah. But if we could convince them that we're friendly, not like Zeke and his friends, we may get them to release us." "How do we do that?" Her voice revealed her doubts about the situation. "I don't know -- yet," he told her. "I need to think." He closed his eyes and concentrated on the problem at hand. Sarah suddenly tapped his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see one of the large creatures entering the cage. It ignored Sarah and Zeke and walked over to the Doctor. It stood motionless before him, staring into his blue eyes. At last it turned to leave. The Doctor followed it wordlessly. . The other creatures surrounded the Doctor and began nodding their heads vigorously. One left the group, opened the cage and pulled Sarah out. "Hey: Hey:" Zeke yelled. "What about me????" The creatures ignored him as they left. Sarah and the Doctor followed close behind. "Doctor, what's going on?" Sarah asked. "Shhh." Was his only reply. One of the creatures began waving its arms and pointing. The others pushed the Doctor and Sarah to the front of the group. There, in the woods of the valley below, two humans with whips stood over a group of the furry creatures, 5
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forcing them to carry heavy loads from a mine. "That's horrib1e~" Sarah exclaimed. "Yes," the Doctor replied quietly. "I've seen enough." His long legs carried him rapidly down into the valley . The two men looked up. By time they realized that it was a stranger running toward them and not Zeke. the Doctor was already upon them. He whipped off his scarf and wrapped it around the legs of the nearer man. The second gathered his wits and tried to jump the Doctor. Fortunately. the Time lord leapt out of his way just in time. Taking advantage of the momentary confusion. he grabbed the first man's whip and took control of the situation. "All right now. drop your whip," the Doctor ordered. The second man obeyed. The furries. seeing their enemies powerless. surrounded the two men and began to lead them away. Sarah had come down into the valley and now stood at the Doctor's side. "Now what?" she wondered. "Well, Zeke said there were six of them in all. The furries have captured three of them. which means there are three more still at large. We've got to find them." "How?" "Follow the path from their mine back to their camp." They trudged along the forest path. slowly and cautiously. The three humans they'd met so far hadn't been armed. but that didn't mean the others wouldn't be. Not far from the mine. they saw a weather-beaten survival dome. Dne scruffy-looking man leaned against the door, his eyes half-closed, noxious-smelling smoke drifting out of a crude pipe. "He doesn't look like he's expecting any trouble." Sarah whispered. "Why should he?" the Doctor rep1 ied. "The furries are very docile. and he's unaware that we're here. There's little reason to post a guard -- at least. an alert guard -- here." "Hold it right there!" the man barked. snapping to attention. Apparently he had been more alert than they had realized. "We're not going to hurt you." the Doctor reassured him. "Zeke sent us." "Well. then, if you're friends of Zeke, you won't mind waiting here until he gets back. now. will you?" "Of course not." the Doctor replied pleasantly. "Would it be all right if we waited inside, though?" "Wake up~" the man yelled as he opened the door of the survival dome. "We got some company ~" Two middle-aged, unkempt men staggered out of another room. Sarah thought that these six men had to be the worst excuse for humanity she'd ever seen. Well. maybe not the worst. but at least near the top of the list. "Interesting place you have here," the Doctor noted. "Been here for a while. I take it?" "long enough." growled the man who'd been standing guard. "Planning to stay long?" Sarah asked. "You people ask a lot of questions," he replied. "Are you sure Zeke is a friend of yours?" "Well. really." the Doctor said indignantly. A hurt look came into his eyes at the suggestion that he had been less than honest. At that moment. the door of the dome was ripped from its hinges and flung to the ground. The three men turned to see an army of the purple furry creatures enter the dome. The Doctor and Sarah stepped aside as the furries surrounded the men. A short time later, all six of the men found themselves imprisoned by the creatures. 7
"Hey," Zeke cried, "you're not going to just leave us here, are you?" "Why shouldn't we?" the Doctor wanted to know. "It's inhuman:" Zeke protes ted. "Any more than slavery?" Sarah reminded him. "But they're just animals, mindless brutes," he argued. "Animals? Mindless brutes?" the Doctor repeated, now becoming very angry. "They are an intelligent and highly sophisticated race. They long ago advanced beyond the need for speech. They could easily have conquered your entire galaxy but chose instead to lead a simple, peaceful existence. You've all got a very bad case of ethnocentrism. Your species represents only a very tiny minority in the totality of the universe. Until you learn that you're not the center. of the whole universe, I think it would be good for you to remain prisoners of the furries." He turned to his companion. "Sarah, I think we should be on our way." "Doctor, do you think they'll learn their lesson?" Sarah asked once they were back in the TARDIS. "That's a very good question, Sarah," he answered. He set the TARDIS in motion. "We're still due for a holiday. Any particular place you fancy?" "Yes. How about Earth?"
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TRIVIA QUESTIONS .1
1) What song is the Doctor whistling near the beginning of "Face of Evil"? 2) Who were the ancestors of the Tesh and the Sevateem? 3) Which Doctor said that. like Alice. he tries to believe three impossible things before breakfast? Under what circumstances did he say that? 4) According to the fifth Doctor. what did he want to do as a boy? 5) Which Doctor said he was "a citizen of the Universe and a gentleman to boot"? 6) Name all of the Doctor's companions who have been to Gallifrey. Answers next issue:
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NADA* FOR A DAY Carla Hemmingson (*Author's note: "Nada" is the K1ingon god-patron of medicine. Log Seven. by Alan Dean Foster.)
See Star Trek
"Doctor. have we landed inside another ship?" asked Lee1a. staring out of the TARDIS viewscreen. They were in a room so large that she was having difficulty accepting the size. "Yes." the Doctor murmured. somewhat absently. They had pieked up a distress signal. but he had not expected its source to be anything like this particular ship. "Well. where are we?" asked Lee1a. frowning at the Doctor's silence. "Inside a spaceship." "You said that already." Lee1a pointed out. "Oh. did I? Well. inside a K1ingon spaceship. Their engineering bay. to be precise." Lee1a instinctively knew she didn't really want to know what a K1ingon was. But to know was to be armed. and her whole life had been one of wits and fighting skills pitted against nature. "What is a K1ingon?" she asked. The Doctor sighed. "K1ingons are a very savage race. Lee1a. always getting into fights and trying to conquer worlds. that sort of thing." He paused. then smiled. "You might get on fabulously." he said. grinning at her annoyance. "Must we go out? I do not wish to meet these K1ingons. " "What? And ignore the distress signal? That wouldn't be polite. would it? Are you afraid?" He knew she couldn't let him go off on his own into a potentially dangerous situation. regardless of her own fear. "Come on. then. if we must." And with a rueful look in her eyes she took up the lead. Captain Ko10th. of the K1ingon Empire's ship. the Devisor. was in a vile mood. That in itself was hardly a surprise; he was. after all. a K1ingon. But he had several good reasons to be in a particularly unpleasant mood this day. After passing through a seemingly harmless. if not stronger than usual. ion storm. half his crew had fallen ill. forcing him to issue a distress call. K1ingons despised physical weakness. but with that many of his men utterly prostrated. he'd had little choice. Now. without so much as registering with a blip on his first officer's monitor. an alien craft had suddenly appeared. rather noisily. in his engineering bay. He turned a murderous look on his first officer. Korax. who cringed. "Korax. you slime-eating half-breed. if this is due to your imcompetence ..." he hissed. "Exalted one, nothing so small could possibly have a cloaking device. It must have beamed aboard." he said. knowing that it wasn't the right thing to say. "From where. idiot. We are deep within our own territory. Do you know of any technology so equipped:" Ko10th snapped. "Captain, if I may?" broke in engineer Kurr. from the bay. Ko10th glanced at the intercom. "What?" "This vessel has words on it. Exalted one. In an Earth language. Perhaps the Federation has a new power?" Ko10th froze. He had a certain respect for humans and the Federation, and his encounters with one cocky young Captain. James T. Kirk. had left him especially wary. Their last meeting had left him hip-deep in tribb1es. the thought of which sufficed to quell any hasty actions he might consider whenever humans were involved. 10
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"Kurr, have Security Chief Krell meet me there. I want them apprehended, and alive~" Shooting Korax a final deadly glare, he stormed out of the bridge. "I will deal with your incompetence later," he spat over his shoulder at Korax, who didn't doubt it at all. The Doctor and Leela stepped out of the TARDIS to find themselves looking at several drawn blasters. Resignedly the Doctor raised his arms. Leela wasn't so agreeable, but a quick nudge from the Doctor checked her instinctive grab for her knife. Koloth stared. If these two were from the Federation, the dress code had certainly gone down hill. He studied Leela, and reconsidered that. "Krell, apprehend these two, and take them to the brig. I will want a full report in one half hour. And Krell, do not damage them too much -- yet." Koloth smiled, enjoying himself. Leela's eyes blazed and for a moment the Doctor was afraid she would attack the Klingon Captain. "Leela. it's not polite to disobey our host," he said gently. Koloth frowned, watching the two as they left. It was rather ego-bruising to see a prisoner accepting his dire circumstances with such nonchalance. He hoped the Klingon Empire's reputation wasn't somehow being undermined. In the brig. Leela was bound and stood glaring as Kurr and Krell laid several items on a table. uncomfortably close to the Doctor. Neither had to guess as to the nature of the devices. Krell smiled viciously. "Now, humans, I will be unusually compassionate. You may speak now, before we use our means of '" persuas i on, or after, if you can." He smil ed aga in, savoring their looks. "Well, what shall we speak about?" asked the Doctor. with sincere curiosity. Krell's enjoyment turned to rage. "You are Federation spies, do not deny it~ Who sent you and how does that vessel of yours work?" he demanded. "Well, if you say so. Uh, what Federation are we talking about?" asked the Doctor. Krell went from rage to fury to almost incoherence and back again. "Kurr, hold him still!" he spat. While the engineer held the bound Doctor's head, Krell slapped a small device to his temple. Leela snarled in protest, then blinked in surprise. The Klingons stared. A human would've been in agony, but the Doctor was far from it. A blissful smile spread over his face, and he relaxed against the astonished Kurr. "Krell, is that thing malfunctioning?" he spluttered. Krell's eyes moved toward Leela. "Try it on the female," he hissed softly. The Doctor opened his eyes quickly. "Gentlemen, please, there is nothing wrong with your interrogator. You overlooked one detail." The Klingons gaped at him. Was their prisoner going to tell them how to operate their own interrogating device? "You assumed I was human. I'm a Time Lord, from Gallifrey." He smiled expectantly. The Klingons looked at each other. They had never heard of Time Lords, apparently. "This is Security Chief Krell to Captain Koloth," Krell said unhappily. "Yes, what have you learned?" Koloth sounded impatient. Krell shuddered. "Exalted one, the maa is not a human. Our instruments concur." Krell added, "He claims to be from Gallifrey. Perhaps a new race has joined the Federation?" Koloth stared at his intercom. then at Korax. "I am on my way. Korax. look up whatever information we have on aliens affiliated with the Federation." 11
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Ko10th stormed into the brig, looking dangerously close to having a stroke . "Exalted one. he says he is a Time Lord. And our instruments do not function properly on him," Krell said nervously. Koloth scowled. "Ko10th to bridge. Korax. find out what we can about Time Lords." he spat into the intercom. He wheeled on the Doctor. "Who are you?" he demanded. "If you had given us time to introduce ourselves, I'm sure all this could've been avoided." said the Doctor, smiling. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Lee1a." If the Doctor had fired a torpedo in a magnetically sealed room, his words couldn't have a greater effect. Lee1a cocked her head, curiously. The scent of aggression and hostility had suddenly altered to one of fear, even terror, in one K1ingon. Ko10th turned a dark hue. quite unappealing. . "Dear me. did I say something wrong?" inquired the Doctor politely. "IDIOTS: He is a Nada and you were interrogating him?" Ko10th roared, quite out of control for the moment. Krell paled. which did little for his appearance, either. Nada. thought the Doctor. frantically trying to chase down the word. He grinned. By sheer luck. which was quite common for him. he'd stumbled onto the one thing which might ensure their safety. Now he had to find a way to prevent the K1ingons from being killed. "Yes. well. it's not his fault really. I don't brag about it much," he said, smiling at Ko10th. who eyed him anxiously. "You are not badly damaged?" he asked. trying to regain his composure. "Not atall. But I wonder if your ship's stores might inc1ude some tea and muffins? I'm rather fond of tea." he said. Koloth supressed fifteen different instinctive reactions. few of which would've left the Doctor able to drink or breathe. and muttered. "No. we do not have tea. Perhaps another beverage would do?" Gesturing to Krell to free them. he led the two uninvited guests he now had to treat as such from the brig. After a refreshing. if not slightly intoxicating, drink. the Doctor found himself strolling through the K1ingon vessel, trying to explain the Warp Drive propulsion to Lee1a. "It's a very quaint method. really," he was saying. "A primitive but effective power source, in this case dilithium crystals --" A howl of fury from one of the engineering technicians cut his lecture short. Ko10th looked about to explode himself. "Primitive? This ship is equipped with the most advanced technological weapons and power units the Empire has access to:" he snarled, not mentioning that the Devisor was also equipped with a great deal of the most advanced technological discoveries which the Empire had no access to at all -- legally. anyway. "We11. yes. for its time I'm sure --" the Doctor began, which was all engineer chief Kurr allowed before he totally lost control all together. With a snarl he flung himself at the Doctor. Leela gave a yell of joy. and in a moment the battle was joined. Taken quite by surprise. the astonished K1ingon found himself against a bulkhead, with Lee1a's blade to his throat. For a very long moment. Captain Ko10th did not know whether to be totally appalled or totally bemused. He found himself comfortable somewhere midway between both. He knew Kurr would never be forgiven for allowing a female, a human at that, to overpower him. He relished the moment, and then decided abruptly that he did have an officer to save. 13
"Do not be a fool, girl. Kill him, and your companion will die, very slowly." Leela stared into the dark, alien eyes, and then gave a wolfish smile. "I do not believe you. The Doctor is a Nada, a shaman to your tribe. You would not harm him," she sa i d triumphantly. Koloth allowed himself a grudging admiration for her. No Federation captain had read him better. "I will not deny your words. But you would only be doing me a favor by killing Kurr, who has disgraced himself. I could kill him myself for his incompetence. But you can die, and I will promise you, it will not be a clean death." He held her eyes, and she read the truth. The Doctor came to the rescue. "Lee 1a, di dn' t I tell you it's not pol ite to threaten our host? Put your knife away." Kurr warily rubbed his neck. "Spies, Federation spies: Why does your ship have Earth words on it?" he demanded, effectively diverting Koloth's attention for the moment. "It's part of the chameleon control," said the Doctor, suddenly looking a bit ashamed. "My TARDIS is stuck on Police Call Box, though. Usually it would blend into wherever we materialized, sort of lessen the shock to the natives." "Capta in," sai d Korax, entering the engi neeri ng deck, "I have i nforma ti on on the Time Lords." Koloth smiled silkenly. "That TARDIS allows him to travel in time and space. Exalted one, it would be a weapon the Federation could never beat: We could win any battle, knowing what the outcome would be beforehand and being able to alter the course." Koloth smiled slowly. "Korax, perhaps you are not worthless after all. But how shall we wrest it from him?" His thoughts were interrrupted by a call from his sick bay. "Exa 1ted one, our men are no better. More are ill as well." Koloth swore. His Nada Kinzel seemed as inept as any other man on board. He turned, to find the Doctor beside him. "Is this what your distress signal was all about?" asked the Doctor. Koloth sighed. "Usually my Nada has little work to do, mainly injuries if anything. We have an illness aboard, and he is unable to diagnose, much less treat, it." Koloth refrained from mentioning the Nada's other main occupation, which involved experimenting on prisoners. "Long as we're here, mind if we take a look?" The Doctor smiled. He hadn't been particularly fond of pretending to be something he wasn't; then again, he hadn't been fond of torture, either. But he did have access to medical knowledge that no Klingon had, in the form of one Kg. Koloth could not hide his utter disgust when the little robot trundled out of the TARDIS. "This is your computer? This, this child's toy?" he demanded. Accepting aid from the Doctor was bad enough, but accepting it from a computer which resembled a toy was asking a bit much. Leela prowled around the sick bay, watching as the Doctor, Kinzel and Kg discussed the mysterious illness. She was trying to remember something. "Doctor~ I have seen something like this illness," she said. The Doctor blinked. He had a feeling she was going to surprise him. "Sometimes, when a storm came, many of my tribe's people would become ill. Our shaman would find roots and herbs for us to eat, and we would get well." The Doctor gave a delighted laugh. "Leela: You are a genius~" She smiled. He had told her that before. "I do not understand," objected Kinzel, puzzled. "It's so basic, that's why we had not seen it before. Kinzel, these men, were they sleeping when your ship passed through the ion storm?" The Nada nodded, curious.
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"That storm had a high magnetic radiation output. enough to drain minerals and nutrients from the crew. Those sleeping were affected worse because their metabolism was already lowered. All you have to do is replace the nutrients the storm depleted." Captain Koloth and Korax didn't want to believe anything so simple could have escaped Kinzel. Koloth fumed aloud. "Worthless incompetents~ What do we do then?" "It's simple, really. The best thing would be to eat some foods high in iron and vitamins. Does your ship's stores have foods like, oh, broccoli, turnips, swiss chard, liver?" he asked, pausing as he saw the effect his list was having. It was ironic, he mused. For all their differences, Klingons. humans. even Time Lords, he admitted to himself, had some things in common. Everyone, regardless of his species. abhorred certain foods, often the very ones most beneficial to them. "Would you 1ike some jelly babies? I heard a song once, about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down." He smiled. Koloth, with an effort worthy of an Empire medal for conquest, supressed another fifteen reactions and, trying to manage an air of polite refusal, managed a strangled, "No, thank you so much~" and strode out of the sick bay, followed by a morose Korax. "Now we are in his debt. That will make it more difficult to take his TARDIS." Koloth was thoroughly disgusted. Engineer Kurr cautiously offered a suggestion. "Exalted one, why not use the female? She is not a Nada, and although he is not human, I believe he would act like one. He would give us the TARDIS rather than see her harmed." Koloth blinked. That was the second officer who had just won back his hide, intact, in one day. The Doctor was not idling about. He knew little enough about Klingons, and honor or appreciation weren't familiar terms to them. "Leela, we must get back to the TARDIS, quickly," he said. He glanced at Kinzel. "Try to distract him, and I'll overpower him." "No, Doctor, allow me:" she whispered. He hesitated, then nodded. "Kinzel, you have an admirable supply of equipment," the Doctor said, as Leela picked up a few of the Nada's supplies. The man turned, and she deftly cracked one down on his head. The Doctor lowered the unconscious Klingon to the floor. "Now run~" he said. The Doctor and Leela had almost reached the engineering deck when Koloth, Kurr and Korax entered the passage from the other direction. "Run:" the Doctor yelled, as the three Klingons dashed after them. Frantically, Kurr aimed a blaster, but an excellently aimed bacteria scanner thrown by Leela deflected his aim and removed an inch of skin from his hand. The Klingons were too intent on capturing the Doctor and Leela to pay any attention to where the deflected blaster beam impacted. As Leela and the Doctor threw themselves into the TARDIS, Security Chief Krell and First Officer Korax took aim. They fired just as the TARDIS vanished, and with nothing to check their power, the two blasters sufficed to sever the one remaining warp coupling, the first having been rendered the same by the luckless Kurr. Some time later in the TARDIS, Leela was reflecting on their day's adventure. "Doctor, do you think Koloth will kill his men for having failed him?" she asked. "Oh, I don't know, Leela. I rather think he'll be very busy with other things for a time." He grinned at the thought, then looked thoughtfully at Leela. Her concern touched him. Oh, well, perhaps she wasn't as similar to Klingons as he'd once imagined. 15
Koloth sat brooding in his command console. alone on the bridge. which was set on auto pilot. It had been a day to forget. He had endured the appalling insult of having his ship considered primitive. to seeing his own engineer overpowered by a woman. He'd had to suffer the indignity of issuing a distress call for a medical crisis. only to have to issue another one. for reasons he had no intention of telling his superiors when they arrived. hopefully within a few days. Korax had helpfully defined the Doctor's final insult. which he had flung over his shoulder just before vanishing. "Klingons: As trustworthy as a Dalek. and half as intelligent:" he had shouted. So he and his race were to be compared to a species looking rather like pepper pots? And to top it all off. he had had to eat a meal of the most digusting vegetables grown in the entire galaxy. There was only one thing any self-respecting Klingon could do. He opened a bottle of black market Romulan Ale. and drank himself under his command console.
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R B C K J W x Q U N F G G B K R ASS 0 L TAR 0 i S E A 0 M M I 0 L GET H SAT T K ANN 0 MBA E N 0 K Z S R K L C M 0 A C K 0 U CPA U U M H R L A T R N A A I POL U Y TEL L U E H L C B BEN E A PIS I B K A R PIS H H S V L E S L G CAR L A T C A U N C NOS I V A 0 RET E P IRK 0 K TEN F 0 K R S S S I E K RAM KYO L H S I F WEI LEE NAG L M C C L K U J E H L R LON LON R HAN NAP N U A N W R o N S 0 SAL 0 E E A W RUT E L NOT S 0 A 0 T G E C PEN R REI R E N A I NOD Y R P NRC RED S W SPA PAT RIC K T R 0 UGH TON L A E DIE A D C D T E W N D H I N HOW H RAT 0 Y A SRI ERE R P R I R HEN 0 S T ASH 0 BOG A N S S A A R D T I o 0 0 TIL A DEL E SIN N S E S X HIT N 0 L 0 V D LAW T L P B 0 R USA R T L T PEP L TAL I H E V E A E E D S T E U R R PAN 0 P TIC 0 N D L HER A M E E G T IH 0 N S G E U E J H J U H N T X S RT U o I A W U P RIB C S N INS E I B A B Y L L E J T G D T A FAT HAL I A RIG E ESE 0 R C N H N D N E I M R C R W G G R BAH S S RON F L A V I ART D L C N lED SEA 0 L V R R SUS X M I V S A U M R K F A V R A I U M K U ELI L T S D E RON A C LIT H C V COL A A L G 0 INN E H N N 0 0 L L I L Y BRA E I I FEN S N T D G T G K lEE D T A I H S N 0 A N W o F C W R I T BEE I R I L URN A B GET D T SEN Z C L E K 0 F R N DES 0 N I M J I VEE C LAY G L ANDRED APC BBC BLACK GUARDIAN BORUSA CAPITOL COLIN BAKER ENGIN FLAVIA GALLIFREY GOTH HILDRED JELLY BABIES JON PERTWEE PANOPTICON
PATRICK TROUGHTON PRYDONIAN PETER DAVISON RASSILON RUNCIBLE SHOBOGANS SONIC SCREWDRIVER SPANDRELL TARDIS THALIA TIME LORD TOM BAKER WHITE GUARDIAN WILLIAM HARTNELL
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JENNA'S DILEMMA Eileen Jones "Report orbit status." "Still deteriorating, Corrmander," the engineer reported. "Engineering, reduce shields to half-power. Maintain full life support. Divert all other power to reverse thrusters," the Conmander ordered. She could only hope that move would stabilize their orbit until they could find out why it was deteriorating in the first place. "Orbit status." "Stabilized for the moment," her chief engineer reported. "But it won't last for long." "Jenna, we all knew the risks before we accepted this mission," Darvon, her science officer, reminded her. "I know. It's just ..." "Intruder alert on deck five. Intruder alert on deck five," the computer's voice interrupted. "Security to deck five on the double," the Conmander ordered. "Hold the intruder until I arrive for questioning." She rose from her chair, all her weari ness forgotten. "Darvon, come with me." The gray-haired science officer followed obediently. He'd known Jenna all her life, had encouraged her to enter the service. Only she, requesting him as her science officer on her first conmand, had managed to coax him out of retirement. He was proud of her and proud to serve under her. On deck five, several armed security guards surrounded a mysterious blue box. As its door began to open, they drew their weapons, ready to fire at a moment's notice. "Fire only if the intruder is armed," the security chief cautioned. "The Commander wants to question the intruder." A very tall man with dark, curly hair and penetrating blue eyes stepped out of the box. He gazed at the not-too-friendly appearance of the guards and automatically raised his hands. He'd gotten very used to being taken prisoner during the course of his travels. "I've landed in a prohibited area again, eh?" he asked pleasantly. He smiled warmly, but if the gesture was intended to make the guards less hostile, it wasn't met with much success. "Take him to the detention area," the security chief ordered. "And inform the Commander that we have the intruder." The Doctor followed the guards obediently, if somewhat reluctantly. He really couldn't blame them for putting him in detention; after all, he had just materialized here for no good reason. Perhaps he'd be able to explain it all to their commander. An invisible force screen across the door of the detention cell acted as a deterrent to any escape plans. Even if he did deactivate it, two armed guards stood outside. He just hoped that the Corrmander of the vessel would believe his explanation. He hadn't been in detention long when a tall, elegantly beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes approached, followed by a gray-haired, wise-looking man. The woman motioned to one of the guards and the force screen dropped long enough to allow the two newcomers to enter. "Hello~ I'm the Doctor," he greeted her pleasantly. "I take it you must be the Commander." Jenna nodded. "This is Darvon, my science officer." Her manner was cool and efficient. She got right to the point. "You've got some big explaining to do. "
"Yes, I suppose I do." He reached into one of the enormous pockets of his coat. "Would you like a jelly baby?" 18
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Jenna merely raised an eyebrow. "How did you get here?" she demanded, ignoring his offer . "Would you believe I was passing by and just happened to drop in?" he asked hopefu lly. "Probably not," she replied. The Doctor sighed. Whatever he said, she probably wouldn't believe him. Humans could be irritatingly unreasonable. "Sometimes the TARDIS has a mind of her own. I've really come here by accident, so if you don't mind, I'll just be on my way again." "Doctor, you are trying my patience," Jenna told him. "I can see this interrogation will get us nowhere. However, we will get the truth from you sooner or later. And it's better sooner than later." There was no mistaking the threat in her final statement as she and her science officer left the cell. Outside the detention cell, Jenna and Darvon conferred in hushed tones. "Jenna, he could be the cause of the deterioration of our orbit," Darvon suggested. Jenna studied the man in the detention cell. He paced back and forth in the cell, one end of his incredibly long scarf trailing on the floor. "I doubt it very much," she replied, resisting the urge to laugh out loud. "One look at him is evidence enough that his intelligence is limited. He couldn't possibly have the knowledge to be responsible for our crisis. Besides, the deterioration began before he arrived." Darvon respected Jenna and didn't particularly enjoy arguing with her, but as science officer he felt duty-bound to press his point. "Jenna, don't let appearances deceive you," he advised. "It's possible that he's come to make sure he finished the job successfully. The brain scanner would leave no doubts." "True, Darvon, but can we afford the power drain?" "If he is responsible, it will be worth the power drain. And if not, it would only bring the inevitable a few seconds closer." She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of using the device. She would at least try more humane methods of interrogation first. But if the situation required it, she would order the use of the brain scanner. "Doctor, be reasonable," she urged some time later. "We have ways -- unpleasant ways -- of learning the truth. Please don't force me to use them." ."Coll111ander, I've already told you the truth," he insisted. "You leave me no alternative, then," she sighed. She pressed a button on her belt and the wall panel behind the Doctor began to hum ominously. "That," she explained, "is our brain scanner. Or, if you prefer, our brain shredder. It will give us the truth, but, in the process, it will leave you a mental vegetable." Her voice became pleading. "Please reconsider, Doctor." "I have nothing more to say, COll111ander." "As you wish," Jenna replied. She turned her head as the scanner began its work. She couldn't bear to watch it destroy this man, but he had left her no alternative. The Doctor's face twisted in pain as he felt the scanner enter his mind. It felt as though long, icy fingers were entering his brain, tearing every scrap of information possible from him. He fought its power as long as he could, but the strain soon became too much even for a Time Lord. He slumped unconscious to the floor of the detention cell. Jenna turned around and looked at the inert form sadly. If only she hadn't listened to Darvon. But if Darvon was right, if this man had been responsible for the deterioration of their orbit ... Well, she'd have the results of the scan in a few moments. Darvon entered the detention cell, the lines on his old face seeming to 19
have grown deeper. "I'm sorry," he began apologetically. "It seems that I was wrong about the Doctor. The scan results show that he was telling us the truth. He is -- or was -- an innocent passer-by." "You're telling me that I destroyed an innocent man." "Upon my recommendation, Jenna," he reminded her. "I'm the Commander," she replied wearily. "The final choice and ultimate responsibility are mine. I could have rejected your recommendation." "In a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the squares of the lengths of the other sides," a voice said distinctly. Darvon and Jenna whirled around to see the Doctor's smile beaming up at them from the floor. They watched in amazement as he first sat up and then pulled himself to his feet. "Fatal error," the computer's voice said calmly. "Stabilizer failure is imminent." "It seems you've got a bit of a problem," the Doctor commented. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance." The Commander looked at her science officer. For once he was silent. "Very well, Doctor, if you think you can help. The engine room is this way." The Doctor examined the engines critically. "A bit antiquated," he noted, "but it does have possibilities." He smiled as he began working on the engines. "What are you doing?" the chief engineer asked. "That isn't going to do any good." "Don't be so certain," the Doctor repl ied. "If I'm right, this ought to take care of your stabilizer problem and give you the thrust you need to break out of orbi t." "What if you're wrong?" "There'll be a rather dazzling display of fireworks." The Doctor smiled. "Don't worry. I'm never wrong." Somehow the engineer wasn't quite convinced. This strangely-dressed man obviously wasn't a member of the service and probably didn't even know the first thing about engines. Still, both the Commander and the science officer insisted that he be allowed to try. With only seconds left, they didn't have anything to lose by letting him at least try to help. "Keep your eyes on that monitor screen," the Doctor told the engineer. "Doctor: We've got an incredible power surge:" the engineer exclaimed. "More than enough to break out of orbit." "I to 1d you tha t I'm never wrong," the Doctor rep 1i ed. A short time later, the Doctor, Jenna and Darvon stood outside the TARDIS. "Doctor, I can't tell you how much we appreci ate all you've done for us," Jenna said. "We could use you as part of our scientific team." "I'm flattered, Commander, but I'm already committed." He unlocked the door of the TARDIS. "Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Darvon asked. "I'm sure. You shouldn't have any more trouble with your stabilizer." He opened the TARDIS and stepped inside. "Good-bye, Commander, Darvon." "Good-bye, Doctor," Jenna called. Her eyes widened as a peculiar noise came from the blue box and it began to dematerialize. "I guess I was wrong when I thought he had limited intelligence," she told Darvon. "A sign of a good commander, to be able to admit when one was wrong," Darvon noted. He glanced back to where the TARDIS had stood. "Pity he couldn't have stayed longer," he sighed. "We could've learned a lot from him."
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TROUBLE WITH TEENAGERS Part One -- Zardon Eileen Jones The Ooctor looked through the TARDIS viewscreen and frowned. The jungle surrounding him didn't look much like Earth. Still. he didn't want to jump to any hasty conclusions. A quick look around wouldn't hurt. He grabbed his coat from the coatrack and took a few tentative steps outside, leaving the door open. Unknown to him, his arrival had not gone unnoticed. A slender, attractive, blonde girl hidden behind some trees stepped out of the jungle once the Doctor had moved a little way from the TARDIS. She approached the strange blue box and cautiously slipped through the open door. "We11, ali ttle scout round wouldn't be a bad idea." the Doctor decided. He went back to the TARDIS and closed the door. unaware that he now had a stowaway. "Oh. my goodness~" the girl exclaimed when she saw the control room. "How can something so small on the outside be so big on the inside? Well, I might as well have a look around since I'm here." She paused by the control console. "No, Trisha, don't touch anything. You don't know what any of this does." She opened a door and found the TARDIS was even bigger than she'd imagined. "This thing must go on forever~" "My first impression was right. This isn't Earth at all." the Doctor muttered as he returned to the TARDIS. "I did think I'd gotten it right this time~" The Doctor made an adjustment on the controls and the TARDIS dematerialized. In another part of the ship, Trisha suddenly realized that it had begun to move. She entered the control room cautiously and saw a tall, curly-haired man at the control console. "Hello~" She tried to sound brave. The Doctor looked up, startled. "Well. well ~ A stowaway~ What's your name?" "I'm Trisha Gordon. Who are you?" "I'm the Doctor." "Doctor Who?" "No, just Doctor will do nicely." He frowned. "Now I suppose I'll have to change course and take you back to where you found the TARDIS." "The TARDIS?" "This is the TARDIS," he told her. "Now. as I was saying before you changed the subject, I suppose I'll have to take you back." "Oh, you don't have to do that. I was getting pretty tired of that place anyway. So where are we headed now?" she asked pleasantly. "We? I'm heading for Earth." Trisha smiled what she hoped was an irresistab1e smile. "Sounds great, Doctor. I'm anxious to visit Earth." "Oh? Why does Earth interest you?" "That's where we -- my parents and I -- were headed. They were part of a scientific team. returning to Earth after a ten-year term of service. I was born during that time. so I've never seen Earth myself. Well. we ran into a storm in space and crash-landed back on that planet where I found your TARDIS. Both of my parents died in the crash. I still don't know how I survived. I spent five years on that planet -- ever since I was eight -- with nobody to talk to except for the ship's computer." She forced back the tears that threatened to make an appearance. "So you must be ab1e to unders tand why I.' d 1ike to "0 to Earth." ~ 22
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"Yes, I can. What city and what year?" "Chicago. 2534." "Ah, Chicago, lovely city." "You've been there?" "Gh, yes, but it was long before your time. I'm sure it's changed since then. " Trisha frowned. "You mean you travel through time as well as space?" "Yes. I'm a Time Lord." Tri sha had never heard of the Time Lords before. "So you can go anywhere you want in space and time?" "Theoretically, yes. But sometimes the TARDIS has a mind of her own. I eventually do get where I want to go, although not necessarily when I want to go there. But I'm almost always within a millenium, give or take a century." "So much for seeing Chicago of 2534," Trisha muttered. "Yes, yes, I think I've got it this time:" the Doctor noted triumphantly. "Chicago, 2534." He opened the TARDIS viewscreen. "No harm checking before we go out," he told her. They had landed on the outskirts of a large, gleaming, metallic city. While it looked fascinating, it definitely was not Chicago of 2534. This city obviously had a technology far beyond that of Earth in 2534. "I think you missed again, Doctor," Trisha conmented, frowning. "So I have. Let's find out exactly where and when we are." The Doctor checked a few readings. "Well, I've got the right time -- if we were on Earth, it would be 2534. Seems, though, that I still have the wrong place. We're only four or five light-years away, so at least we're still in the neighborhood." "It looks interesting, even if it isn't Earth," Trisha noted. "Can we look around as long as we're here?" The Doctor smiled and nodded his head. They stepped out of the TARDIS cautiously. The Doctor looked around . "Always look both ways before leaving the TARDIS," he admonished. "Remember that." "Don I t worry, Doctor. I won't forget." They'd barely left the TARDIS when they were SUddenly surrounded by unfriendly-looking guards. "Hello, gentlemen: Could you please tell us where we are?" the Doctor asked cheerfully. "You're in a restricted area," one of the guards replied. "Queen Vyla will determine your fate." "Unfriendly chap, isn't he?" the Doctor remarked to Trisha. "Very," Tri sha rep 1i ed. "I really must see to the chameleon circuit on the TARDIS," the Doctor muttered as they were led away. "It certainly tends to get me into a great deal of trouble with it stuck as a police box." They were taken into a glistening building that appeared to be made of solid gold. They were brought to the main room. Seated on an enormous throne was a tall, beautiful, golden-skinned woman. "Your Highness, we have captured two tresspassers," one of the guards informed her, bowing as he did so. The other guards bowed also, and by prodding Trisha and the Doctor, indicated that they should do likewise. Trisha and the Doctor bowed . "Bri ng the pri soners closer." The Doctor quickly took control of the situation. "Lovely place you've got here. A bit primitive, but still rather nice. We'd really love to stay
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for a bit, but we have places to go. people to see. Haven't we, Trisha?" "Oh, yes. We only meant to stay for a minute anyway." "You will be silent in my presence until I give you leave to speak." the woman ordered. "Now. how did you get here and why have you come?" "Actually, we didn't mean to come here at all. We were headed for Earth. and. well, sometimes my TARDIS has a mind of her own. I'd love to stay and have a chat. but if you'll just let us go. I'll reset the coordinates and we'll be off." The Doctor smiled pleasantly. "Not a very convincing 1ie. I wi 11 ask you again: how did you get here and why have you come?" "I already told you," the Doctor replied. "If you choose not to believe me. I can't be held responsible for that." "Perhaps you have heard of the great scientific knowledge of Zardon and have come to steal it." "My good woman." he began. "Queen Vyla:" she interrupted haughtily. "Queen Vy1a," he began again. "you may believe Zardon has great scientific know1edge, but it's sti11 quite primitive by my standards." Vy1a found herself intrigued. Could there truly be a planet more advanced than Zardon? "Zardon is the most scientifically advanced planet in the galaxy. Where do you come from? What planet is more advanced scientifically?" "Ga11ifrey. " "Gallifrey? I never heard of it." "Probably not. The High Council of the Time Lords generally frowns upon intervention in other cultures. although I believe we have an obligation to come to the defense of weaker races." "You're a Time Lord? Does that mean what I think it means? You have the ability to travel through time as well as space?" "Yes.1I
"Fascinating. How did you achieve such a feat as time travel? My scientists have been trying unsuccessfully to discover the secret." "Well. it's not really difficult. If you know what you're doing, of course." "Do you have a name. Time Lord?" "Doctor. " "That's it? Doctor?" "Yes. I like it." "I suppose you do. But I think you deserve a more distinguished name. I much prefer Doctor. Royal Consort of Queen Vy1a of Zardon." The Doctor smiled. "Well. I'd hate to have to change the name on my Galactic Express card or my official passes. Thanks all the same, but I think I'll just stick to Doctor." "Doctor. I don't believe you understand. I have at last found a man who is my intellectual equal. You will have the honor of being my consort." "Oh. I'm sure it's a great honor and I'm very flattered. But you see. I have a strict policy of not dating outside my own species." he replied quickly. "Perhaps I should put it another way. Doctor. Either you remain as my consort or your young friend remains as my slave." The Doctor glanced at his young companion. How could he leave her in a place like this as a slave? On the other hand, how could he marry such a vain. ruthless and probably cruel woman? Whatever choice he made would be the wrong one. "Doctor ..." Trisha began. "It'll be all right." he tried to assure her. To himself. he added. "I hope." 24
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"Guards, take them away," Vy1a ordered. They came to a junction in the corridor. Trisha was taken one direction and the Doctor another. "Doctor:" Trisha cried, obviously frightened. "It'll be all right, Trisha. Trust me:" he replied . The Doctor looked around his new surroundings carefully. He was in a very large, luxuriously-furnished apartment, Obviously Vy1a set great stock upon comfort, Still, anyplace that one was unwillingly confined was a prison, no matter how comfortable it was. "I must say, this is the nicest prison I've been detained in," he commented to Vy1a when she entered a short time later. "Doctor, this isn't the prison. This is the apartment that will be yours once you agree to be my consort," "Well, as a prison it's very nice but when it comes to home, there's no place like the TARDIS," "You can go back to your TARDIS," Vy1a reminded him, "just as long as your young friend stays here as my slave. Perhaps a visit to her -- she is in my prison -- will help you decide." One of her ever-present guards stepped forward to direct the Doctor to the prison. He smelled the prison before he saw it. Whatever happened, he couldn't let Trisha stay there -- even if it meant marrying Vy1a. The prison was dark and dirty as well as smelly. He'd expected as much. From what he could see, most of the prisoners looked to be scientists. The guard directed him to Trisha's cell. "Doctor~" Trisha cried, throwing herself into his anns. "Are you all right?" He reached into one of his pockets. "Here, have a jelly baby." "Thanks. I'm okay, I guess. What are you going to do, Doctor?" "I can't leave you here as a slave, Trisha." His face showed his distaste of the prison and the condition of the prisoners. "You mean you're going to marry Queen Vy1a?" The Doctor found that thought horrifying. "I'd rather have been vaporized on Gallifrey:" "So what do we do now?" "I don't know yet, Trisha. But don't worry, I'll think of something." He smiled and patted her shoulder. "Just stay here." She forced herself to smile. "Where would I go?" The Doctor returned to the apartment. He found Vy1a still there waiting for him. "Did you have a nice visit with your friend?" "Oh, yes, we had a lovely chat." "And have you come to a decision?" "Not yet, my dear Vy1a. Marriage is a big step, you know. I wouldn't want to rush into it without giving it some careful thought." "I'd advise you not to think too long. While you're thinking, I'll allow you free access to the capital of Zardon. With your friend safely in my prison, I'm sure you won't be leaving Zardon." She smiled wickedly. "And just to be sure, your TARDIS will be under constant guard." The Doctor left the apartment and wandered through the city, deep in thought. "I've got to free Trisha without marrying Vy1a. But how? If I'm caught tampering with anything, I could very well be signing Trisha's death warrant~" The Doctor's wandering had not gone unnoticed. "Docto,:,~" .. He turned slowly, cautiously. A petite, dark-haired g1rl stood behlnd hlm, 25
half-hidden in the shadows. "How did you know my name?" "There are many eyes and ears in Queen Vy1a's palace. My name is Kareen and you look like you could use some help." "As a matter of fact, I probably could. But why would you want to help me?" "Because as a native of Zardon, I know exactly what Vy1a is like. She's a ruthless tyrant. All her wealth, all her knowledge has come from robbing the people of Zardon. My parents served her as her slaves and both died in her prison when she no longer had any use for them. I'll help you, but I do have a price for my help." "What price?" "When you and your friend leave, take me with you. If Vy1a finds out that I helped you escape -- and I'm sure she will eventually -- she'll have me executed." "I can't let that happen. You're more than welcome to come with us." He ran a hand through his dark curls. "Now all I need is a p1an. Do you have any idea where the main power generator is located?" "Go straight ahead one block, turn right and go straight ahead two blocks. You can't miss it." "Thank you. I'll meet you back here in two hours." The Doctor looked around cautiously as he entered the building containing the main power generator. He examined the generator thoroughly. He smiled at the simplicity of the circuitry. "This shouldn't be difficult at all," he noted. "Just cross the right wires, throw the right switch and the capital city ought to be in the dark for some time." Two hours later, the Doctor met Kareen back where he had first met her. "Kareen, do you know anything about cross-circuiting power generators?" he asked. She shook her head. "Not a thing, Doctor." "Good. Then this will be an educational experience for you." He smiled and his bright blue eyes lit up as he explained his plan to the girl. A short time later, he returned to the apartment. "My dear Vy1a, how good to see you again ~" he cried when he saw the queen. "It seems 1ike it's been hours." "It has," she replied somewhat icily. "Are you any closer to making a decision?" "My dear, I would be an absolute fool to turn you down. Why, I could easily spend the rest of my lives in your laboratory." "I'm glad to see you've come to your senses. I'll make the arrangements immediately. By this time tomorrow, we'll be happily married." "What about Trisha?" the Doctor reminded her. "I promise you she'll be set free after the ceremony -- not before." She started to leave, then turned around and flashed him a disquieting smile. "Until tomorrow, Doctor." "I hope my night vision is as good as I think it is," he muttered after Vy1a left. "Otherwise I might end up as her consort~" The following day, nearly the whole city turned out for Queen Vy1a's wedding. The Doctor forced himself to act excited about it. He couldn't let on to Vy1a that he planned to leave Zardon soon -- taking Trisha along with him. An electronic beep announced that the ceremony was about to begin. Hidden inside the generator building, Kareen heard the beep and knew she had only a few seconds to carry out the Doctor's instructions. She stared at the maze of wires and circuits and hoped that she had remembered correctly what he had told her to do. A flash followed by silence and darkness told her that she had 26
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succeeded. . In th~ ass~mbly hall, the beeping had barely died down when all the power ln the entlre Clty went out. In the ensuing confusion, the Doctor scrambled for the door. "Thank goodness I have a superb sense of direction:" he thought as he slipped out the door and headed toward the prison. Scent alone probably could have directed him to the prison, he realized distastefully. He moved in silently, like a cat about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. "Trisha," he whispered. "Over here, Doctor," came the soft reply. He fished around in one of his enormous pockets and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "I'll have you out in a minute," he assured her. Kareen's words about her parents dying in Vyla's prison came back to him as he opened Trisha's cell. Working rapidly, he opened as many of the other cells as he could. A short time later, they met Kareen outside the prison. "We've got to hurry," the Doctor told the girls. "It won't be long before they've repaired the genera tor." The trio ran from the city, heading for the safety of the TARDIS. But the Doctor had forgotten that Vyla had ordered a constant guard on the machine. "Oh, no," he groaned. "I've got an idea," Kareen told him. "Trisha, follow my lead." She stepped out into full view of the guards. The other girl followed obediently. "Excuse me," Kareen began, her lower lip trembling, "but we seem to have lost our way." She looked at the guards with sad brown eyes. "Could you help US?II
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"We might be able to if you told us where you wanted to go," one of the guards replied. "Well, that's the problem," Trisha pointed out. "We're not sure where we're going because we don't know where we are." The two guards exchanged confused looks. "You must have a destination in mind," one of them said at last. Kareen started to sob. "We're lost~ Don't you understand? We're lost:" "Can't you help us?" Trisha begged. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Don't cry," one guard told them. "Of course we'll help you." Queen Vyla may not have had any compassion, but her guards did. The sight of two helpless and frightened girls moved them. And after all, the owner of the blue box was at that very moment marrying Vyla. They could afford to help these girls. "You probably don't know where we are either," Kareen replied. She began to cry even harder. From his hiding place, the Doctor watched the performance with amusement. The poor guards didn't stand a chance. The harder they tried to comfort the girls, the harder the girls cried. TARDIS key in hand, the Doctor crept slowly out of his hiding place and inched toward the TARDIS. Flashing the girls a triumphant smile, he unlocked the door and slipped in. Suddenly, the girls stopped crying and straightened up. "Thank you for your help," Kareen told the guards politely. "I think we know where we are now." Still in a slight state of confusion, the guards didn't notice the girls enter the strange blue box. A peculiar noise brought them back to attention. They watched in helpless amazement as the TARDIS vanished before their eyes . "Queen Vyla isn't going to like this," one guard muttered. "I should say not," the other agreed gloomily. The guards exchanged worried glances. They disappeared down an alley and 27
were never heard of again. Inside the TARDIS, the center column of the console moved up and down after the Doctor set the coordinates. "Next stop -- Chicago, 2534." "That's what you told me last time:" Trisha reminded him. "Travel broadens the mind, you know," he replied, smiling. His smile suddenly turned to a frown as a loud beeping filled the console room. "Doctor, what's wrong?" Kareen asked. "We're picking up a distress signal," he explained grimly.
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to be continued ...
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ADDRESSES OF INTEREST
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Doctor Who Fan Club of America P.O. Box 6024 Cherry Creek Station Denver. CO 80206 Doctor Who Production Office c/o BBCtv Wood Lane, London W12 8QT England Tom Baker c/o London Management 235/241 Regent Street London W1A 2JT England
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