"What you said to Kirann and the others... About what happened at Planet Fall. It wasn"t exactly the same as the version I got from the computer"s memory."
"Wasn"t it?" replied the Doctor, innocently.
"No," continued Zoe. "No it wasn"t. According to the computer, Ransom had had known about the droids and when he recognised the Tyrenians for who and what they were, he had stood back while the battledroids wiped them out." known about the droids and when he recognised the Tyrenians for who and what they were, he had stood back while the battledroids wiped them out."
"Really? Is that what the computer said?"
"It"s what the records show. So Ransom wasn"t the great hero everyone makes him out to be. He was willing to go along with genocide..."
The Doctor looked up from his instruments and smiled kindly.
"Really, Zoe, it was all a long time ago. Even computer memories can "cheat"."
"But if the colony was built on a lie don"t they deserve to know that?" Zoe persisted.
"Sometimes," the Doctor suggested, with infinite patience and wisdom, "sometimes it"s actually better to let the legend stand.
Zoe was about to argue further, when the inner door swung open and an angry-looking Jamie returned clutching a small chocolate bar.
"Doctor, you"ve got to do something about that machine - it"s still turning out the most disgusting food I"ve ever eaten."
"In that case," said the Doctor, "let"s see if we can"t find somewhere else to go for lunch, eh?"
And, with that, the Doctor smiled to himself and pushed the dematerialisation control. The TARDIS began a new journey into the infinite possibilities of creation.
Somewhere, an infinite amount of time and s.p.a.ce away, or perhaps only a nano-second or micron away, the same s.p.a.ce-time craft was also travelling through the Vortex.
"Professor!"
Ace was angry. She"d come back to the console room, wondering why the TARDIS was no longer in flight, and found it empty, save for the abandoned Five-Hundred-Year Diary lying on the Doctor"s chair. Moments later, the doors had opened and Ace had a fleeting glimpse of some kind of s.p.a.ceship interior before the Doctor had grasped the red-handled door control and pulled it down to close them.
"Ah, Ace. There you are. Just had to pop out on a little errand. Nothing to worry about. Did you want something?"
Ace was waving the leather-bound book in her hand.
"You said you didn"t know where it was!" she complained.
The Doctor made an attempt to look apologetic. "Yes, I did, didn"t I? Well, I must have found it. Never mind, eh? You don"t want to worry about all that history. All in the past, isn"t it? Dusty relics and all that, isn"t that what you said?
Let"s just get on with the here and now, don"t you think?"
The Doctor started setting co-ordinates and had put the TARDIS in motion.
"But what about Axista Four? What happened in the end?"
Ace demanded.
"In the end? Axista went nova and the planet became a fireball, but not for millions of years."
"I meant about the colony. Ransom"s dream."
"Oh that. Like I told you, legend has it that it had a long and happy existence; a really successful venture."
"But did the legend lie?" Ace persisted.
The Doctor"s eyes twinkled. "Of course not. Why would it?"
He finished adjusting the controls on the console and strode over to his seat. Ace was still flicking through the pages of his diary. He"d have to make sure that got lost again as soon as possible.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Ace?"
"What was "the terrible Zodin?""
The Doctor sighed. "Now there there was a legend..." was a legend..."
About the Author.
COLIN BRAKE has stopped counting the years now and is resigned to never being very tall. Colin worked as a BBC Script Editor from 1986 until 1992, during which time he made efforts to steal Andrew Cartmel"s Dr Who Dr Who writers to work on writers to work on EastEnders EastEnders and named horse races in the series and named horse races in the series Trainer after Telos and Mondas. Which was nice. after Telos and Mondas. Which was nice.
In 1989 Andrew Cartmel invited Colin to visit the studio recording of Ghost Light. Ghost Light. During the evening Cartmel introduced him to Sylvester McCoy and suggested that he might be his successor as the During the evening Cartmel introduced him to Sylvester McCoy and suggested that he might be his successor as the Doctor Who Doctor Who Script Editor, thus ensuring that this never came to pa.s.s. This was, of course, the so-called Cartmel Masterplan. Script Editor, thus ensuring that this never came to pa.s.s. This was, of course, the so-called Cartmel Masterplan.
As a freelance television writer Colin has written scripts for various programmes including Bugs, EastEnders, Family Bugs, EastEnders, Family Affairs, Crossroads Affairs, Crossroads and and Doctors. Doctors. He contributed a short story to He contributed a short story to Decalog 3 Decalog 3 and wrote the Eighth Doctor novel and wrote the Eighth Doctor novel Escape Escape Velocity Velocity which introduced Anji Kapoor and, apparently, entirely failed to provide a suitable climax to the "Earth Arc". which introduced Anji Kapoor and, apparently, entirely failed to provide a suitable climax to the "Earth Arc".
But hey, the Doctor got the TARDIS back - what more did you want?
Colin lives with his wife Kerry in Leicester, along with his two small children, Cefn and Ka.s.sia, and far too many books.
Acknowledgements
You wait for years for someone to do Dr Who - The Western Dr Who - The Western and then two come along in quick succession. So thanks to Dale Smith for getting in first with the splendid and then two come along in quick succession. So thanks to Dale Smith for getting in first with the splendid Heritage. Heritage.
Thankfully this book is a totally different take on the theme, or at least I hope it is!
Thanks also to Justin, Sarah and all at BBC Books for the encouragement, the commission, the advice, the editing and all the other stuff they do. Special mention for Justin"s plot a.s.sists and for persuading me not to call it "Sleeping Dogs"!
Thanks also to the clever bean-counter at BBC Worldwide who decided to reduce the output of the Dr Who Dr Who range, the net result of which for yours truly was that I got to write this book over a very busy three months spanning Christmas 2002 rather than over the previous summer when I had much less work on! Oh well, these things are sent to try us! range, the net result of which for yours truly was that I got to write this book over a very busy three months spanning Christmas 2002 rather than over the previous summer when I had much less work on! Oh well, these things are sent to try us!
Thanks, as always, to my wonderful wife, Kerry, who put up with me and my moods as deadlines hurtled towards me at unpleasant speeds, causing me to work all sorts of odd hours, and copy-edited with her usual efficiency and occasional brutality. (Yes, honey, I do know what a comma is for; I just forget sometimes in the mad heat of creativity, all right?) As usual any similarity between any of the characters in this book and any real person is one of those weird coincidences of life, so don"t sue and don"t get upset.
Finally a note to my old friend Bleddyn Williams: it"s about time your name was on a book spine, buddy; pull your finger out!
Cheers.
Colin Brake, March 2003