There was a body there, a human, which had clearly been killed by a Rutan. I took control of the communications room.
Interrogation of the humans present revealed that the dead body had been killed on the solar yacht after its arrival on Beta."
"Explanation?"
"A second Rutan must have been concealed on the ship."
"Or the first reproduced," said the admiral, "pa.s.sing on all its knowledge."
"My interrogation also revealed that the Rutan, wearing, no doubt, the shape of the dead human, had taken ship for Sentarion."
The admiral"s fist crashed down on the desk. "You bring me disturbing news, Commander Steg. Is this operation compromised or not? I must know."
"There is worse news still," said Steg. " Tiger Moth Tiger Moth is also en route for Sentarion chartered by the Doctor." is also en route for Sentarion chartered by the Doctor."
The admiral sat quite still for a moment, absorbing the news.
"The Doctor has a habit of appearing when there is a crisis in Sontaran affairs. Always he interferes, never to our benefit.
Suggestions, Commander Steg?"
"Compromised or not, the Sentarion project must go on we are committed now. Give me a new a.s.sault craft and a new crew and I will go to Sentarion at full speed and investigate the situation. The War Wheel can follow close behind me."
Steg waited while the admiral considered. His own reputation as well as Steg"s was now at stake. Success would mean immortal glory, past failures forgotten. Failure meant death, and worse still, disgrace.
Steg was a veteran with valuable experience of this mission but his success had been qualified. Would the admiral gamble on him once again, or appoint some new commander?
He became aware that the admiral was studying him closely.
"Are you functional, Commander Steg?"
"The medical team has given me a full efficiency check. At my own request I have been given the maximum emergency power burn, regardless of the possibilities of permanent damage."
"Present health status?"
"Currently there is slight impairment of motor function, extensive tissue damage and some discomfort. But I am still capable of functioning at peak efficiency for the duration of this mission."
Admiral Sarg studied him for a few moments longer. "Very well. We shall proceed as you suggest. I shall give you our fastest a.s.sault craft and a crack a.s.sault team. Try not to lose them this time, Commander Steg."
Steg saluted. He turned and, lurching only slightly, marched from the room.
Lisa Deranne entered the control room of Tiger Moth Tiger Moth and found the Doctor busy at the scanner. and found the Doctor busy at the scanner.
"Nearly there," she said. "Soon be time to come off automatic. What are you doing?"
"Well, you know I"m going to Sentarion, to pick up Bernice Summerfield? First I"ll have to find her."
"One woman on a whole planet?"
The Doctor smiled. He had a very nice smile, thought Lisa, and dismissed the thought as irrelevant. This odd little man was a customer not a friend.
"Exactly but it"s not quite as bad as it sounds. She"ll be somewhere near the University. And if she"s in trouble, which she probably is by now, I can locate her with this." He produced something that looked like an old-fashioned pocket watch and opened it. A light pulsed steadily. "Yes, she"s already signalling," said the Doctor. "I"ve succeeded in programming your scanner to receive her signal on the same frequency. We can establish her general location with the scanner, and track her down precisely with this once we"ve landed."
Lisa took her place in the command chair and flicked the com-switch. "All crew stand by. We are about to leave hypers.p.a.ce."
"If I might a.s.sist?" murmured the Doctor, and slipped in the seat beside her.
"I take it you"re a fully qualified s.p.a.ce-navigator, Doctor "
She broke off. "I know, you"re a fully qualified everything.
"We are leaving hypers.p.a.ce now!"
Her hands moved over the controls, correcting and stabilizing, with the Doctor checking instruments at her side.
Reality blurred, and she had the usual feeling that every cell in her body had turned inside out.
Tiger Moth flicked into existence in orbit around Sentarion. flicked into existence in orbit around Sentarion.
The Doctor hurried to the scanner. It showed a stylized map, with, at its centre, the spires of Sentarion City.
"An excellent piece of navigation, Doctor," said Lisa.
"Well, it is the only city on the planet!" The Doctor adjusted controls and a light pulsed in the very centre of the city.
"There"s Bernice," murmured the Doctor. "In the middle of things as usual. I"ll set the course, Captain, if you"ll steer.
Three degrees north..."
Lisa"s hands moved over the controls. On the scanner, Sentarion City swam steadily nearer. They moved closer, and found themselves over a great shining dome.
"She appears to be in the Temple itself," said the Doctor.
"Which means that she really is in trouble. Captain Deranne, can you land us in that garden beyond the Temple? Not too close to the Temple itself, but not too far either?"
"All part of the service, Doctor." Lisa"s hands moved surely over the controls.
"Then let"s go down and see what she"s up to!"
Minutes later the ship touched down.
The Doctor and the others gathered by the airlock.
"I must warn you," said the Doctor, "the fact that we"ve landed in the Temple grounds means that we"ll be going into considerable danger."
"What"s all this we?" said Lisa Deranne. "You may be going into danger, Doctor. I"m staying with my ship. I got you here, and if you survive I"ll take you back, but the charter fee doesn"t cover heroics."
"I wouldn"t expect it to," said the Doctor. He turned to Kurt.
"What about you?"
Kurt hesitated for a moment. Finally, he made a sweeping gesture that took in both Lisa and the ship. "Soriy, Doctor. Got to protect my investment!"
"Come on, Doctor," said Roz Forrester impatiently. "Let"s go and get Benny. Ready, Chris?"
"Born ready," said Chris.
"See you soon, I hope," said the Doctor. He led Roz and Chris from the ship.
Lisa and Kurt looked at each other for a moment.
"Let"s go to the control room and get ready for instant blast-off," said Kurt. "If I know the Doctor they"ll be back with half the planet on their tails."
As they walked along the corridors towards the control room Lisa said, "You wanted to go with them."
Kurt shrugged. "I wanted to go with them and help the Doctor find his friend. I wanted to stay here and look after you. I can"t do both I chose you."
Lisa stopped. "You can still go."
"No," said Kurt. "I can"t. Let"s go to the control room."
The Doctor, Roz and Chris moved cautiously through the lush tropical gardens.
"Be on your guard," warned the Doctor. "These gardens are part of the Temple itself sacred ground. We could be killed just for being here."
"What else is new?" growled Roz.
Suddenly a shiny black shape hurled itself through the air at them, shrieking fiercely.
Chris and Roz both fired when it was still in the air, and the creature was dead when it hit the ground.
The Doctor bent to examine the body, noting the long sharp proboscis protruding from the narrow head.
Roz looked down and shuddered. "What the h.e.l.l is that?"
"Bloodsucker beetle," said the Doctor. "I imagine they act as temple guards."
"You mean they"re intelligent?" said Chris.
"Oh yes," said the Doctor. He bent down and pulled at the cloak wrapped around the insect"s body. "It"s an insectoid civilization here on Sentarion." He looked round. "I"m surprised there aren"t more of these things about. Maybe something"s distracting them."
"I do hope so," said Roz.
"These aren"t the dominant species though," said the Doctor, as they moved on. "There are some intermediate insects, but the real rulers are the Sentarrii giant soldier ants."
"Terrific," said Roz.
"Don"t worry," said the Doctor. "They"re dedicated to peace and scholarship unless something"s stirred them up, of course."
They forced their way through a clump of towering ferns and came out into a little clearing. There before them arose a vast shining dome.
"There it is," said the Doctor. "The Temple. Whatever"s happening, it"ll be happening there. Come on."
They moved steadily forwards.
Bernice Summerfield was at the centre of things at last.
She was close to the heart of Sentarion"s most sacred secret. Now she was wondering how long she could survive there.
After its dramatic transformation, the glowing sphere had addressed its terrified worshippers in a strange burbling voice.
"Take me to the Sanctum."
It had floated towards the Temple, followed reverently by the Lord Chancellor and his attendants. The Harrubtii, clearly overawed, had fallen back.
No one took the slightest notice of Bernice. She supposed that when a G.o.d returns, the odd blasphemer is neither here nor there. She felt that she could have walked free from the Temple without anyone even noticing. But where could she go? And how could she miss the final revelation whatever it was?
Unable to resist her curiosity, she hurried after the Lord Chancellor.
When she reached the Temple, she found the Lord Chancellor and his attendants by the entrance to the great dome, gathered reverently about the glowing sphere.
"Reveal the Sanctum," ordered the glowing sphere.
The Lord Chancellor slid back a hidden panel and his two forelegs moved over the controls. For a moment nothing happened.
Then, with a faint rumbling, a vast section of the wall of the great dome slid back in two halves, revealing a s.p.a.ce filled with glowing alien machinery.
Bernice stared into the vast shining cavern with a feeling of total awe. The machinery seemed to be made of spun crystal, with elaborate whorls and loops, complex structures and pillars and towers. Here and there light ebbed and flowed, and there were pulses of power. There was no noise, nothing moved, all was cool and silent. The control room she supposed it must be a control room was beautiful.