Doctor Who: Space War (11 page)

The Master laughed. ‘What a prosaic expression! He went outside, indeed. No doubt to check the weather?’

‘To get at you,’ she said, with as much venom as she could muster. ‘I imagine he’s making his way towards the flight deck.’

The Master unlocked the gate set in the bars. ‘Come out.’

Jo stayed where she was. ‘Why?’

‘Because I’ll blast you stone dead if you don’t. Miss Grant. It may not have occurred to you, but although the Doctor may be useful to me, you are totally useless. There are men with an eye for a girl with a pretty face, adventurers with a touch of pity for the innocent victim of a situation. I am not one of those men.’ His voice became menacing. ‘Come out of that cage in five seconds or stop existing!’

Jo came out of the cage. ‘What now?’

‘Down to the air-lock.’ The Master prodded Jo with his blaster gun. ‘Get in there! ‘ He swung open the air-lock door, pushed Jo inside, closed the door and went to stand where the television eye could see him. ‘Already on the flight deck, Doctor? Miss Grant is inside the air-lock. Unless you surrender immediately I shall open the outer door of the air-lock from the control here. Miss Grant will be sucked into space—’

His concentration focused on the television eye, he failed to notice when the Doctor crept along the corridor from for’ard. With a quick chop. the Doctor knocked the blaster gun from the Master’s hand. The Master whirled round to face his adversary.

‘What an ingenious fellow you are, Doctor.’

The Doctor, who had discarded his space helmet on the flight deck, commanded, ‘Release Miss Grant from the air-lock.’

The Master looked down at his blaster gun on the floor. Catching the glance, the Doctor kicked the gun further away. The Master licked his lips nervously. ‘Just as you say, Doctor—’

Feigning surrender, the Master suddenly spun round to the Doctor with a clenched fist. The Doctor staggered backwards, but regained balance in time to catch the Master by the neck. The Master drove his elbow into the Doctor’s stomach, but ignoring the pain, the Doctor slammed a heavy blow at the side of the Master’s head. The Master reeled towards the air-lock and fell to the ground, apparently almost unconscious. Then he sprang nimbly to his feet and put a hand on the control that operated the outer air-lock door. ‘Kick that blaster gun across to me,’ he screamed, ‘or we say goodbye to Miss Grant!’

‘You couldn’t do that.’

‘Want to try me? I shall count to three. One... two...’

The Doctor kicked the blaster gun down the corridor. It stopped at the Master’s feet. He picked it up.

‘Thank you, Doctor. At last you are beginning to show some sense—’

A profound clang vibrated through the entire ship. While they fought and threatened, some other craft in Space had locked on to the Master’s spaceship.

‘We have company,’ observed the Doctor. ‘Your Ogron friends?’

The Master looked distinctly worried. ‘No. I’ve no idea who it is.’

‘Then I suggest you be hospitable, old chap. We are probably heavily outnumbered.’

As they watched, the air-lock door slowly opened. Jo, white-faced with fear, came out first. Immediately behind her was a Draconian Space captain. The Doctor went quietly up to the Master, relieved him of the blaster gun and put it to one side.

‘Welcome,’ said the Master, though his voice was a little hoarse. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure?’

The Draconian captain looked along his green snout at the humanoids. ‘Why have you violated the Draconian frontier in Space?’

‘I apologise most deeply,’ answered the Master quickly. ‘My prisoners tried to escape. They caused the ship to be thrown off course.’

The Draconian captain gave a short hissing sound. Then he spoke again. ‘Disputes between Earthmen are not my concern. Owing to the many insults and provocations against the Empire of Draconia, a state of emergency has been declared. Diplomatic relations with your empire no longer exist. You have violated Draconian Space. The penalty is death. I shall take you to our planet where you will be executed in public.’

Two Draconian soldiers trained their blaster guns on the three prisoners through the bars. A Draconian flight crew was now in command of the Master’s spaceship, heading it full speed towards Draconia.

‘Personally, I’m quite happy to go to their planet,’ said the Doctor. ‘I shall tell the Emperor what you have been trying to do.’

‘You really think he’ll believe you?’ sneered the Master.

‘It won’t be my first visit there,’ the Doctor replied. ‘I was able to help them once when they were in trouble.’

‘How good of you,’ the Master scoffed. He turned to Jo. ‘It astounds me how you can put up with him, he’s so sickeningly
good
.’

Jo turned away, ignoring the Master.

‘Oh well,’ he said, ‘if we’re going to get huffy with each other, I might as well catch some sleep. Call me when we get there.’ He lay down on one of the bunks, rolled over to face the wall. Unseen by either the Doc-tor or Jo, the Master produced from his tunic pocket a tiny black box and pressed the button on its side. A light in the box began to flash off and on.

A million miles away across the vastness of Space, a speck of light on a monitor screen flashed off and on in the flight deck of an Ogron spaceship. One of the two Ogrons at the controls noticed the flashing light and pointed.

‘Him call for help.’

His companion, a huge Ogron with arms thick as most Earthmen’s thighs, turned to look at the screen.

‘Him call—we go!’

Working great clumsy levers, the Ogron captain boosted the ship’s rocket motors to full speed.

On the Planet of Draconia, the Prince strode into his father’s great throne room at the Royal Palace. He was glad to be back home after his time as Draconian Ambassador to Earth. With the recent severance of all diplomatic relations between the two Empires, he and his staff had been forced to leave the Earth Embassy.

The Emperor, his green flesh wizened with age, looked up in surprise. Even his own son was required to seek an audience before speaking to him.

‘So, father,’ said the Prince as he entered, ‘once again the Earthmen have invaded our Space!’

The Emperor hissed, then spoke in a fragile, high-pitched voice. ‘You will address the Emperor in the proper manner.’

The Prince obediently took a step back and bowed. ‘Your pardon. May I have permission to address the Emperor?’ He mounted the three steps to the throne and kissed his father’s claw. ‘My life at your command.’

The old Emperor nodded, satisfied now with his son’s behaviour. ‘One day you will be Emperor. Then you will appreciate the importance of formality.’ He paused, drawing in air through his nostrils. ‘Yes, I am aware that an Earth ship crossed the agreed frontier in Space. Prisoners from that ship are being brought to me.’

‘Surely we shall now declare war upon Earth,’ said the Prince. ‘Let me lead your battle fleet to crush them! ‘

‘They too have battle fleets, my son. Such a war could bring down both Empires.’ The Emperor had never forgotten the enormous loss of Draconian life in the last war with Earth.

‘Not if we strike first,’ replied the Prince with enthusiasm. ‘Then we shall be the victors.’

‘In such a war there are no victors.’

‘But father,’ implored the Prince, ‘the nobles of the Court are demanding action. The throne depends upon their support. Emperors have been disposed of before when they displeased the great Draconian families.’

The old Emperor was silent. Although the position of Emperor passed from father to son, he knew from Draconian history that weak Emperors in the past had been suddenly, sometimes violently, removed from office, when they lost the support of Draconia’s nobles.

‘I shall question these Earthmen myself. I have already sent for them.’

‘And waste more time listening to their lies?’

The Emperor looked keenly into his son’s eyes. ‘Sometimes I think you might be the first to depose me.’

‘Never! I am your willing servant, father. I only wish to warn you—’

A Court official hurried into the throne room. ‘May I have permission to address the Emperor?’

The Emperor nodded.

‘The prisoners, sir, have arrived.’

‘Then let them be brought in,’ replied the Emperor.

The official hurried out.

‘They are bound to lie to you,’ said the Prince. ‘They’ll want to save their own lives.’

‘We shall see,’ said the Emperor. ‘We shall see.’

The captain from the Draconian battle cruiser that had caught the Master’s ship over the frontier came in with the Doctor, Jo and the Master. ‘I bring the prisoners, sir.’ Five armed guards entered behind the trio, blaster guns held at the ready.

The Doctor stepped straight towards the throne. ‘May I have permission to address the Emperor?’ He took a step closer, hand held out to take and kiss the Emperor’s claw. Three of the guards stepped forward.

‘Wait!’ said the Emperor. He waved the guards aside.

‘Thank you.’ The Doctor took the Emperor’s claw and kissed it. ‘My life at your command.’

The Draconian Prince was outraged. ‘This is an insult! He mocks our ways!’

The Doctor turned to him. ‘Don’t I know you from Earth? You were the Draconian Ambassador there.’

‘How dare you address the Emperor in the manner reserved for nobles of Draconia!’

‘I
am
a noble of Draconia,’ said the Doctor. ‘The rank was conferred on me by the fifteenth Emperor.’

The Prince hissed loudly. ‘The fifteenth Emperor reigned five hundred years ago!’

The Master saw his opportunity to step forward. ‘Your Majesty, do not be taken in by so absurd a story. This man is a dangerous criminal.’

‘Be silent!’ The Emperor raised his claw angrily. Then he turned to the Doctor. ‘There is a legend of one from Space who assisted the Emperor of five hundred years ago at a time of great trouble. But you cannot be that person. No Earthman lives so long.’

‘The man you speak of, Your Majesty, was he not known as the Doctor? Did he not help your people overcome a great plague which came from Space?’

The Emperor nodded, scratching his snout. ‘That is the legend.’

‘The race from which I come lives longer than any Earthman, Your Majesty. Moreover, we have the power to travel both in Space and in Time. Believe me, I am the Doctor.’

‘Even if I accept your claim,’ said the Emperor, ‘you have broken our laws. Why did you violate Draconian Space?’

‘If I may explain, Your Majesty,’ said the Master, before the Doctor had time to reply, ‘this man was—and still is—my prisoner. Perhaps I can show you my credentials—’

The Doctor cut in. ‘It is true I was brought here as a prisoner, Your Majesty. Yet I came here willingly. This man, who pretends to be some Commissioner from one of Earth’s dominion planets, is behind a plot to provoke war between Earth and Draconia. He is a renegade of my own race, and he is using creatures called Ogrons to attack your ships and those of Earth.’

The Master laughed. ‘He is not only a criminal, Your Majesty. He is also mad!’

‘Ogrons?’ said the Emperor. ‘It was Earthmen who have been attacking our spaceships. They have been seen many times.’

‘No,’ cried the Doctor, ‘your people have seen Ogrons, who appeared to them as Earthmen because of an hypnotic device.’

Jo piped up, ‘It’s true, Your Majesty. And when Ogrons attacked Earth ships, Earthmen saw them as Draconians.’

The Prince hissed very loudly. ‘Silence! No female may speak in the presence of the Emperor.’

Jo said, ‘What a stupid rule. Still, anything to oblige.’

‘If what you say is true,’ said the Emperor, ‘it would explain much. We have lived in peace with the Earthmen for many years. Then, suddenly, they began to raid our spaceships. When we protested they said we were attacking their ships.’

The Prince said, ‘Was that not to cover up their own attacks?’

The Emperor ignored his son’s remark. ‘Doctor, what action do you suggest?’

‘Meet with the Earthmen. Combine with them to discover the truth.’

The Court official hurried back into the throne room. ‘May I have permission to address the Emperor?’

‘Yes?’

The official bowed. ‘Your Majesty, an Earth spaceship seeks permission to land in the palace space port. By radio they say they are on a special mission from the President of Earth.’

‘This is a trick,’ said the Prince. He looked up to his father’s throne. ‘I implore you not to allow them to land! We should rather blast them from our sky!’

‘I will hear what their President has to say,’ said the Emperor. ‘I grant my permission.’

The Court official bowed and hurried away.

‘Thank you, Your Majesty,’ said the Doctor. ‘Only if Earth and Draconia will work together can we arrive at the truth.’

‘I also wish to applaud Your Majesty’s wisdom,’ said the Master, who seemed more cheerful since news of the impending arrival of an Earth spaceship. ‘No one could be more devoted to peace than I am. As a commissioner for Earth’s Interplanetary Police, I have devoted my life to the cause of law and order, which can only be maintained in a state of peace.’

The Doctor grinned, ‘Are you feeling all right, old chap?’

‘Only in a time of social and international stability,’ the Master went on, ignoring the Doctor, ‘can society deal with criminals such as this man and this unfortunate girl.’

‘What cheek!’ Jo exclaimed. She pulled a face. ‘Oh, sorry, I forgot that mere females aren’t allowed to speak in His Majesty’s most regal and high-and-mighty presence, so I’ll try and control my natural tendency to expect to be regarded as an equal even though I am just a girl—’

‘Silence!’ screamed the Prince.

The Prince’s protest was drowned by the roar of a spaceship landing in the Palace grounds.

‘Once that ship has landed,’ said the Doctor, ‘we’ll see who is the real criminal.’ He turned to the Master. ‘’They’ll check up on those phoney credentials of yours, you know.’

‘I await the arrival of my colleagues with the utmost confidence,’ the Master replied. ‘Believe me, once they are here all my problems will be over.’

As the Master spoke, Jo started to hear the strange humming sound. ‘Doctor, listen. That sound!