Zenig realised that they must have found the ship. He activated a control on his belt and the airlock appeared. He made his way up the walkway.
As Veena brought her little fighter-craft in to land at the edge of Plymouth Hope, Zoe could see that things had changed in the main colony settlement. One of the giant shuttlecrafts was still parked at one end of the town and a whole host of prefabs had now been erected in the same area. This new development stood in stark contrast to the original; prefab buildings, decorated with antennae and solar panels without any consideration for Back to Basics Back to Basics principles, or even sympathetic aesthetics, it was purely functional. principles, or even sympathetic aesthetics, it was purely functional.
Veena let her vehicle taxi into the shadow of the shuttlecraft before she applied the brakes, switched off the engine and brought it to a halt. Billy Joe, who had been silent throughout the flight, overawed by the technology no doubt, leapt from his seat.
"I want to see Grandpa," he demanded. Zoe nodded and together they went off in search of Kartryte. "Thanks for the lift, miss," Billy Joe said as they climbed down from the wing of the aircraft. Veena smiled. "Any time," she said and watched the pair of them walk away. She looked over towards the area where her people were establishing their own base and then back towards the original Plymouth Hope. She couldn"t put a finger on the reason for her strange mood but she felt rather disconnected. It was almost as if she no longer felt comfortable around her own people. She knew that they had a job to do and that the job was important but she also felt something for the people of the colony - both factions - and their lives here on Axista Four, which were about to change forever.
With a heavy sigh she began to make her way towards the cl.u.s.ter of prefabs. A junior officer, seeing her approach, saluted smartly; Veena responded automatically and asked for a status report.
The meeting that Zoe was witnessing was a far less formal affair. She and Billy Joe had found Kartryte in what had been his office, sitting staring into s.p.a.ce. When they"d walked through the door he"d stood, mouth open, unable to find any words. Billy Joe had clearly felt the same way. Zoe had to wipe away a tear as the two men embraced in a bear hug of such ferocity she feared that the old man might break in two.
Finally, the two had broken apart, their faces glistening with tears.
"Don"t you ever run off like that again, boy, you hear?"
"I won"t, I promise," Billy Joe insisted.
Kartryte turned to Zoe. "Do I have you to thank for the boy"s return?"
"Me and the crew of the Hannibal Hannibal," Zoe explained.
Kartryte"s face contorted with a dark scowl. "I don"t like to owe them anything," he said bitterly.
"I can understand your feeling like that," said Zoe kindly, "but they are just trying to do their job. And they did save your life, I understand."
"I know they did, and don"t think I"m not grateful, but they"re changing everything..." complained the old man.
"Being sheriff doesn"t count for much when you"ve an army on your doorstep."
Zoe glanced at Billy Joe. "Actually I wanted a word with you, if I may, about the... situation."
Noting her look, in the direction of his grandson, Kartryte caught her meaning - she wanted to talk to him alone.
"Billy Joe, why don"t you get home and get cleaned up?
Take my horse - he"s tied up outside."
"Are you sure? I can do that later."
"Son, I don"t want to offend you but you need a good wash.
Now get yourself home this minute and do as you"re told."
For a moment, Zoe thought that the boy was going to argue as instinct took over, but Billy Joe merely nodded and went on his way. Kartryte sat back at his desk and indicated a chair that Zoe could sit in.
"So, what do you want to tell me?" he asked.
The Doctor and Kirann had watched more of the Tyrenians"
story and it did not make for pleasant viewing. The Tyrenians had retreated into their bunker and the humans had established their settlement ignorant of the existence of either the bunker or the ma.s.sive but now empty Tyrenian ship. And so it had been for nearly a hundred years.
That is, until the breakaway group of humans had split from the main settlement and had headed directly into the area south of the original landing site, which had been declared a no-go area by the survivors of the crash. There the so-called Realists had discovered the wreckage of the Tyrenian colony, such as it was, and had decided to set up their own base in the same locale, cuckoo-style. Then, quite recently, Max, exploring the cave systems, had come across the bunker. Even then the aliens had slept on and would have continued to do so but for the appearance in the system of a s.p.a.cecraft. This had been registered by one of the satellites that had been deployed by the Tyrenians 100 years earlier and a signal had been sent. The Tyrenians had begun to wake...
It was almost too much for Kirann to take in. It was more than just a shock; it was a slap in the face. Her father"s dream was shattered. The colonisation of this planet should never have gone ahead.
The Doctor waited while Kirann struggled with the new information. He had suspected something like this he"d been sure the damage to the colony ship had been as a result of some kind of s.p.a.ce battle - but he hadn"t guessed that the Tyrenians had been here first. He couldn"t help but feel sorry for the aliens - they weren"t monsters; they were just like the humans, travellers looking for a place to call home.
Militaristic they might be but they weren"t evil, not like most of the monsters he"d encountered recently. In some ways the Tyrenians reminded him of his friend Lethbridge-Stewart and his new UNIT organisation. The Doctor was laughing to himself at the thought when he felt a sudden pressure in his lower back and hot breath on his neck.
"Hands in the air, human," ordered Zenig.
"Well actually, as a matter of fact," began the Doctor, strictly speaking I"m not human..."
"Just put your hands up." By now Kirann had realised what was happening and had turned to look in their direction, her weapon in her hand. The Doctor raised his hands slowly.
"Drop your weapon," Zenig spat at her. Kirann hesitated.
"Do as he says," suggested the Doctor gently and, after a moment"s hesitation, Kirann let the gun slip from her hand and she kicked it over to Zenig"s feet.
"Consider yourselves prisoners," Zenig announced. "One false move and I"ll kill you both. Understand?"
Both the Doctor and Kirann nodded to show that they did.
"Come with me," ordered Zenig. "I want to take you to Commander Lorvalan."
As they left the room the Doctor noticed something that he"d missed when they had first arrived: a rack of data crystals exactly like the one Kirann had given him was fixed to the wall. Obviously the Tyrenian ship used a compatible data storage system and would have a machine capable of reading his crystal; unfortunately he had only realised this after Zenig had captured them. The Doctor bit his lip in frustration; he would have to be patient a little longer. Zenig had captured them. The Doctor bit his lip in frustration; he would have to be patient a little longer.
The Tyrenian took them out into a corridor and then into a much smaller room. He positioned the Doctor and Kirann on a raised platform, set some controls on a console and then stepped on to the platform itself while keeping his weapon trained on them the whole time. Moments later, to Kirann"s astonishment, she felt briefly faint and the room went blurry.
Kartryte listened carefully as Zoe told him the full extent of the refugee crisis that Axista Four was about to confront.
With her remarkable memory skills Zoe was able to reel off a long list of planets, colonies and s.p.a.ce stations and the precise number of refugees from each. The scale of the problem was overwhelming; Zoe could see the old man struggling to take it all in. The information that Cartor had given to Freedom and Dee had been economical with the truth to say the least. A few thousand was a long way short of the actual eighty thousand that Zoe had discovered, but even the few thousand that Cartor had mentioned would have been impossible for the colony to accommodate as it was. This was more than a new wave of colonists; it was a flood, a deluge that would change the face of Axista Four forever.
When Zoe had finished her account, Kartryte looked saddened but also resigned. "Perhaps this colony was doomed from the start. By Ransom himself."
"Because he insisted on this Back to Basics Back to Basics philosophy?" philosophy?"
asked Zoe, puzzled.
"No, no, although that didn"t help of course." Kartryte looked her in the eyes. "I think you should know the truth,"
he stated.
Zoe said nothing and let the old man speak.
"I"m not the sheriff any more and frankly I don"t want to be.
But I"m still the custodian of the colony"s secrets, one of the duties of the office. We take an oath you know, to uphold the principles of Back to Basics Back to Basics; I don"t know who came up with it.
Not Ransom I reckon but probably one of the Gen-One guys, the survivors of the crash. As sheriff you swear to uphold the rules of the colony but it"s a hypocritical role because you have to be guardian of this..."
Kartryte opened up what appeared to be a cupboard to reveal a secret room, a room that looked totally out of place in the wooden-framed building that housed the sheriff"s office. To Zoe"s eyes it looked as if a room from the colony ship had been transposed into this building wholesale: it was a sterile-looking, technological Aladdin"s Cave.
"The main AI of the colony ship, the living memory of what occurred at Planet Fall. And our colony"s greatest shame,"
Kartryte announced. "Would you like to know more?"
Jamie was too far away from Max to help him in any way; he could only look on in horror as the alien delivered his blow.
But the maddened Dyselt never connected; instead he himself was thrown backwards. Jamie twisted to see who or what had intervened and found himself looking directly at another of the aliens, this one dressed in a smart uniform, an energy weapon in his hand. Jamie recognised the alien"s features - it was one of the pair that had tried to "rescue" him.
Jamie a.s.sumed the gun must have been on some kind of stun setting as the mad creature quickly got to its feet and launched itself across the room.
Lorvalan realised his mistake instantly; stunning Dyselt wasn"t really an option, not in this state. And there was no cure for the condition once it had progressed this far. He slipped the setting on his weapon to something more deadly but before he could get another shot off Dyselt was on him, sinking his teeth into his commander"s neck like a rabid animal. Lorvalan felt a sharp pain and the warmth of his own blood splattering his face. Without immediate medical attention the wound could be fatal and Dyselt was attacking him again. Lorvalan fell heavily, losing blood rapidly now.
Dyselt stood over him, blood dripping from his fangs, and a blood l.u.s.t in his eyes. With fading strength Lorvalan pushed his gun deep into the chest of his killer and pulled the trigger. Dyselt flew into the air, a dead weight and then came down hard and didn"t move again. But Lorvalan wasn"t aware of the moment; he was already dead.
Jamie hurried over to Max. "Are you okay?" he asked. Max managed to open his eyes. "He got me across here," he muttered, lifting his arm and displaying a savage red tear in his side.
"Can you walk?"
"Not without help."
Jamie looked around for something to use as a makeshift bandage but there was nothing useful to hand. He ripped off his shirt and tore it into strips, bundling some up, he placed them over the wound and then used the rest to tie his attempt at a dressing in place. Then he helped Max to his feet and they moved towards the exit, circling round the two dead aliens.
Zoe winced as the tiny needles pierced her skin. She was getting "hooked up", to use Kartryte"s rather apt description, to the memory systems of the salvaged AI. She had sat in the console chair and allowed Tam to strap her wrists into place.
A further band of connectors went around her head. Tiny needles protruded from the wrist and the forehead band and suddenly Zoe no longer was aware of her location at all. Nor even of her ident.i.ty. She had become one with the computer log, one with the colony ship itself.
Zoe had never felt anything quite like it. Her sense of self was gone but in its place was something glorious, something wonderful. She was was the colony ship and it felt great. She was in the depths of s.p.a.ce, flying at incredible speeds past the outer planets of the system. On the planet surface, as a wreck, the ship had looked clumsy, heavy, a lumpy, ugly creature, but that was all in the future. Here, in its natural environment, the ship was as graceful as a bird, slipping through s.p.a.ce with ease. And Zoe was that ship, she could feel the countless tiny impacts of small meteorites and other s.p.a.ce debris on her hull. At some level, deep inside herself, she knew these were recorded sensations from over a hundred years ago but for now Zoe was lost in the moment and the exhilaration. the colony ship and it felt great. She was in the depths of s.p.a.ce, flying at incredible speeds past the outer planets of the system. On the planet surface, as a wreck, the ship had looked clumsy, heavy, a lumpy, ugly creature, but that was all in the future. Here, in its natural environment, the ship was as graceful as a bird, slipping through s.p.a.ce with ease. And Zoe was that ship, she could feel the countless tiny impacts of small meteorites and other s.p.a.ce debris on her hull. At some level, deep inside herself, she knew these were recorded sensations from over a hundred years ago but for now Zoe was lost in the moment and the exhilaration.
Kirann staggered a little and reached out to the Doctor for support. "Matter transport?"
The Doctor, who didn"t look at all phased by the transfer smiled. "Technology you"ve abandoned at this moment in time, isn"t it?"
"I think I know why - I feel like my stomach has been turned inside out!"
Zenig gestured with his gun. "Less talking. Move this way."
The Doctor gave Kirann a quick wink of encouragement and moved in the direction indicated.
"Doctor!" Jamie couldn"t believe his eyes. Of all the people he would have wished to see right now, the Doctor was top of his list. He propped Max up against a console and hurried forward. The Doctor looked a little troubled, however, and Jamie stopped short. "I"m not alone," explained the Doctor, and Jamie could see movement behind his friend. A human woman appeared, quite a good-looking one, Jamie thought, if she would only try to smile a little, but then he saw the reason for her expression; behind her, carrying one of the energy weapons they favoured, was one of the aliens.
With a rough shove, the Tyrenian pushed Kirann and the Doctor over to join Jamie and Max.
"You"re trespa.s.sing," he announced. "Where"s the Commander?"
"If you mean that wee hairy fellow you were with earlier he"s back there," Jamie nodded in the direction of the ante-room where the bodies of the dead creatures were lying in a pool of blood, "but he"s not very alive."
Zenig"s eyes narrowed. "You"ll pay for that."
Jamie was looking around and doing some simple calculations. Max might be out of it but as far as he could see they were three against one. Not great odds but not impossible.
"Hey, doggie," he called.
"The name"s Zenig, human."
Take a look around, Zenig. Aren"t you a feeling a bit lonely?
Your pals are both dead. How long are you going to last?"
Zenig smiled broadly, with a sudden confidence.
"Quite a while human, quite a while."
Jamie suddenly became aware that the Doctor and the woman were looking around the room with anxious expressions. And then he saw why. From the shadows at the edge of the room figures were emerging. Tyrenian warriors.
Lots of them.
Jamie gulped. Suddenly the odds didn"t look quite so good.
EPISODE SIX.
Chapter Sixteen.
The air shimmered in the midday sun, making the details of the landscape blurred and indistinct. In the distance, Cartor could see the mountains, which appeared to be floating in the air. To his left he could see a large lake. Somewhere out there in unknown territory was the enemy; an alien menace that stood in the way of the successful conclusion of his mission. His orders were to secure the planet for the arrival of the refugees, no matter what it might take.
He had expected some resistance to the new colonists but had not expected to be fighting a war. Especially not one at the beck and call of Administrator Greene. But he couldn"t even do that until he located the enemy.
"Do you have the signal or not?" Cartor demanded of his marine commander, Hogarth, who looked a little embarra.s.sed at the direct question.
"There was some interference," he confessed. "The mountains contain some peculiar mineral deposits, and the signal from the tracking device did jump about a little. We have it now."
"Where is he?"
"In a cave system the colonists told us about. Three klicks from here."
Cartor considered the intelligence for a moment. The fact that some of the colonists were suspected of being inside the aliens" base complicated matters. Greene wanted him to order a full attack but instead he would have to settle for a search and rescue mission.
"Commander, we"ll go in," he decided. "Find the colonists, get them out of there, get as much data on the aliens" base as we can, and then get out. In and out as quick as possible."