Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken

by Christopher Bulis (pdf)

  Chapter1

  TheDerelict

  The steady tolling of the bell brought Samantha Jones back to the TARDIS's consoleroomatabreathlesssprint.

  She'd been exploring a dark, twisting, flagstoned corridor, which she was reasonably certain had not been there the day before, when the first sonorous warningnotesreverberatedthroughtheship.Othervesselsmighthaveemployed

  buzzers or sirens to alert their crews; the TARDIS had bells that would have graced any church tower. They communicated a sense of alarm far better than manymoreraucousalarmsSamhadheard.

  Completingatwo-hundred-metredash,Samburstintotheunlikelyexpanse

  oftheconsolechamber.

  'Vortex discontinuity,' the Doctor said in answer to her unspoken question, withoutlookingupfromthecentralconsole.

  'Victorianironworkgothic'hadbeenonephrasethathadcometoSam'smind

  shortlyaftershe'dseentheimprobablechamberforthefirsttime.

  'Jules Verne meets Canterbury Cathedral' had been another - once she had recoveredfromherinitialshock.

  The chamber's edges were dimly lit by assorted candelabra, torches and oil lamps, which Sam noted did not seem to burn down or need refilling quite as often as they should. In their soft pools of light were gathered an eclectic collection of easy chairs, side tables, statues, clocks and curios. Towering bookshelves and stacks of dark wooden drawers almost obscured the walls.

  Carelesslyscatteredrugssoftenedtheflagstonefloor,whichgavewaytoparquet

  only in the chamber's very centre. Here was set the TARDIS's main control console,archedoverbysixmassivelatticegirderswhichmetaboveittosupport

  the upper half of the device the Doctor called the time rotor. This was a transparent cylinder in which two sets of glowing blue rods, like matching clustersofstalactitesandstalagmites,rhythmicallyintermeshedanddrewapart.

  Thelowerhalfofthemechanismwasenclosedbyahexagonalcontrolboard,

  and it was around this that the Doctor bustled. A Christmas-tree selection of multicolouredlightsflickeredandpulsedashethrewswitchesandlevers,tapped

  brass-rimmed dials and consulted the kind of tumbler displays Sam had only everseenelsewhereonanantiquefruitmachine.

  Itwasabsurdandimprobableandyet,somehow,itworked.

  AsSamcrossedthefloortotheconsoleshefeltatremorrunthroughtheship

  andgrabbedoneofthegirders.

  'ShouldIstartgettingworriedaboutnow?'sheaskedmildlyabovethethrob oftheconsoleandthestilltollingbell.

  Even as the Doctor flashed her a quick reassuring grin the ringing ceased, leavingonlyanechoinherears.Thefranticpulsingofthecontrollightsslowly settled.

  'We'renotabouttobesuckedintooblivion,ifthat'swhatyoumean,'hesaid.

  Thenheaddeddisconcertingly,'Atleast,notintheforeseeablefuture.'

  Unfortunately, as Sam knew only too well, when you travelled with the

  Doctorthefutureoftenarrivedearlierthanyouthought.

  'Sowhat'sthepanicabout,then?'

  'Anydiscontinuityinthespace-timevortexisalwaysapotentialhazard,'the

  Doctorexplainedashepulledthemainmonitordownonitsheavyspring-loaded

  lazy-tongmountovertheconsole.Animagegrewonitsscreen.

  Itwasaflickering,coiling,writhingthing:asthougharainbow-huedsnake

  wasonfireandsheddingitsburningskins,eachofwhichformedothersnakes

  thatcoiledbackonthemselvestomergewiththefirstsnakeagain.

  Samfeltaknotformingbetweenhereyesasshetriedtomakesenseofwhat

  shewasseeing.Afterafewsecondsshegaveup.

  'Of course, this is only a four-dimensional approximation of a fifth-

  dimensional cross section of a multidimensional phenomenon,' the Doctor

  explained helpfully, continuing to stare at the apparition without apparent discomfort.

  'Soit'sapsychedelicartist'snightmare,'Samagreed,squintingattheobject

  againthroughsplayedfingersandfrowningindisapproval.'Butwhatdoesitdo?'

  'Well, it can disrupt the TARDIS's flight path as a storm at sea would a sailingship.Itcould,forwantofabetterword,sinkusifwegottooclose.

  So, like any hazard to shipping, it must be charted. If it's a natural phenomenonitsmagnitudeanddriftmustbeplotted...'Hepausedtotapadial.

  'Ifit'sartificial,itmustbeinvestigated.'

  'Andthisone'sartificial?'Samsaid.

  TheDoctorsmiledbroadly.'Iratherthinkso.'

  It was a beguiling and dangerous smile. It spoke of a passionate delight in discovery,ofintensecuriositycoupledwithboundlessenergy,ofoldknowledge

  andnewhorizons.NobodyelsecouldwearitquitethewaytheDoctordid.

  'UnfortunatelyIcan'tplotitsparametersproperly,'headmitted.'Butitseems

  tohaveatleastoneextensionintonormalspace.We'11havetoestablishitsco-

  ordinatestheretofixastationpoint.'

  Theconsolelightsreflectedinblueeyessetinaleanface,withsomethingof

  the look Sam had once seen in a character in a Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

  painting. His wild, shoulder length, curling, light-brown hair accentuated the impression, as did his frock coat and wing-collared shirt, pinned grey cravat, brightly patterned waistcoat and narrow trousers. He fitted his surroundings as wellasanysurroundingscouldfithim.Amanoutoftimeandyetofalltimes.

  Asteadilydeepeningmechanicalpulsationreverberatedthroughtheconsole

  room.They were descending from the complex of higher dimensions, which

  enfoldedallspaceandtime,tothosemundanefourinwhichSamhadspentmost

  ofherlife.Thepulsationfelltoabasstone,therewasadullboomingthud,then silence.

  'Wherearewe?'Samasked.

  'Temporally in the year 3123 by your calendar. Physically we're several

  hundredlightyearsfromEarthindeepspace.Somewhereclosebyshouldbethe

  interface between the hyperspatial aspect of the vortex discontinuity and real space.'

  She stared at the monitor. For a moment it displayed only a scattering of stars shining hard and untwinkling in the void. Then, as the external camera panned,anobjectcameintoview.

  It was a cylindrical form with a curious projection rising from its mid-section,likeasegmentofsomevastmachine.Therewasascalegridalongthe

  bottomofthemonitorscreenandSammadeaquickcalculation.

  'It'sbig-overfourthousandmetreslong.'

  'Atleastthat,'theDoctoragreed.

  Sam frowned and adjusted the monitor controls so that the image of the strange vessel swelled and overflowed the edges of the screen as she zoomed in.Therewasnosignofanyinteriorilluminationfromportholes,orofnavigation lights.Inthepalestarglowitshullappearedoveralltobeadullgreenandwas

  formedofnumerousraisedplates,scale-likeslabs,nodulesandbranchingpipes.

  Here and there she saw tints of maroon, brown and occasionally sil
ver. Flared ringsorflangesencircledbothendsofthecentralshaftlikemonstrousbracelets.

  Eight tall spires or horns radiated perpendicularly from each of them into space.Theconningtower,orwhateveritactuallywas,thatrosefromthemiddle

  oftheshaftresembledaconicalstackofvariouslysizedplates,piercedthrough

  by several vertical pipes rising from the main body of the craft. The not altogether agreeable image came to her of a tree stump smothered in bracket fungi.

  Either the TARDIS or the alien craft must have been drifting, for, as Sam watched,theendofthemassivehullslowlyturnedtowardsthemandshesawit

  was hollow. The interior was a tunnel large enough to drive a supertanker through.Butapparentlyitdidnotrunthelengthofthecraft,fortherewereno

  starsattheotherend,onlyafathomlessblackness.

  Thewholeaspectofthecraftwasunfamiliaranddeeplyalien.

  "That'sfunny,'Samsaid."Thenearendofthatship,orwhateveritis,looks likeit'soutoffocus...'Shepeeredcloserandcaughtherbreath.'Doctor,doyou know,Icanseestarsthroughthefuzzyhalfofit?'

  'No,butifyou'llsingitI'llhumalong.'Hisexpressionbecamemomentarily

  apologeticunderSam'switheringglare.'Itappearstobetranslucentbecausepart

  ofthecraftisextendingintohyperspace,'heexplainedmoresoberly."That'sthe sourceofthediscontinuitywedetected.'

  'Haveyoueverseenanythinglikeitbefore?'

  'No.ButthenevenIamnotfamiliarwitheveryvesseleverputintospace.'

  'Isn't there some sort of data file you can check? Jane's All the Galaxy's Spaceships,sortofthing?'

  "There is, and I consulted it while you were gawping at our find. Nothing likeitislisted-butthennoteveryshipgetsregistered.'

  Sam felt the great hulk looming intimidatingly at them. She took a deep breathandtriedtosoundoffhand:"ThenIguesswe'lljusthavetocheckitout forourselves.'

  'Unfortunately,thatmightnotbepossible,'theDoctorsaid,frowningatthe

  console displays. "The craft's emanating an unstable and very powerful energy fieldinrealspaceaswellasthehigherdimensions.ItmeansIcan'tmaterialise the TARDIS much closer to it than this. However, as you may have noticed, we're moving towards it at a steadily increasing velocity.The craft must have considerablemasstoinfluenceusatthisdistance.'

  'Willwehitit?'Samasked,hervoicebetrayingnothingofthealarmshefelt.

  'Fortunatelyno.Duetotheinterferencewematerialisedwithsomeintrinsic

  motion.That, combined with the attraction of the alien ship, has put us on a hyperbolictrajectory.We'llmakeourclosestapproachinhalfanhourorso,then

  pullawayagain.'

  'Well, have you got any spacesuits with flight packs on board? We could buzzoverandtakeacloserlookwhilewepassit.'

  'Possibly... somewhere,' the Doctor said absently, running his lean quick fingersoverthecontrolslikesomemaestropianist.'ButI'dliketofilteroutsome of this interference first. It might affect the flight pack circuitry at close range, anditwouldn'tdotogetourselvesmaroonedoverthere,wouldit?'

  As he worked, Sam idly tracked the monitor image about, examining the

  alien craft curiously. What was its purpose? That huge central shaft couldn't possibly be a drive tube, could it? Perhaps the whole thing was some sort of spacegoingdrydock.

  Then a twinkle of light beyond the edge of the craft caught her eye. The image on the monitor shrank as she zoomed the camera out to encompass a widerangleofspace.Twoothershipsappeared,standingoffonoppositesides

  of the alien vessel. And even on this long view she could see internal lights sparklingonthem.

  'Doctor,we'vegotcompany.'

  The Doctor looked up, his eyes narrowing.'So we have. Apparently

  somebody else detected the same energy disturbance we did. How long have theybeenhere?Iwonder.'

  'Perhapsthatthingbelongstothem.'

  'Idon'tthinkso.Thoseshipsareofquitedifferentdesigns.'

  Samenlargedthepictureandsawimmediatelywhathemeant.

  The ship on the left of the alien craft had a slender, gleaming white hull decorated with green and red livery stripes. Several rows of large observation windowsglowedalongitssides.Atleastthreedomesroseoveritsupperdecks

  and within them she could see what looked like greenery and the sparkle of water. Everything about it suggested luxury, grace and, improbably in airless space,streamlinedspeed.Clearlyapassengerliner.

  Theshipoppositeitandnearertothemwas,bycontrast,anunprepossessing,

  dull, grey, compact bullet. Pods mounted on short outriggers ringed its tail sectionwhileunidentifiableteardropblistersbrokethesmoothcurveofitsnose.

  Lights showed from a mere handful of portholes. There was nothing graceful about its lines, merely functional efficiency. It looked nastily like a warship, Samthoughtuneasily.

  Evenasshewatched,thewarship-ifthatwaswhatitwas-rolledslightly

  towards the alien craft. One of the hull blisters split apart to reveal a point of blue-whitelightwithinit.

  'Force-beamprojector,'theDoctorsaid.

  Afaintpathofsparklingradiancesprangintobeingbetweenitandthelarger

  ship, like dust motes caught in a beam of sunlight. It flickered about the strangelytexturedhull,butdidnotseemtoquitetouchit.Afterhalfaminutethe beamwascutoff.

  'No luck,' the Doctor observed.'The interference is preventing them locking on.They'llhavetoriganactualtowlineiftheywanttomoveher.Ah,the

  'stryingitnow.'

  A beam, projected from a hatch in the liner's hull, also scattered across the alien ship without apparently finding any purchase.After a few seconds it too wasextinguished.

  'Ithinkthey'reaspuzzledaboutthatshipasweare,'theDoctormused,his

  handsdancingacrossthecontrols.'Iwonderifthey'rediscussingthematter..."-

  Acrackleofstaticissuedfromaspeakergrille,thenadistortedvoice.

  'Ship-to-ship channel,' said the Doctor, making some fine adjustments. The speaker'swordsbecameclearer.

  '...amistakeonyourparttothinkwehavegivenupjustyet,Commander,'

  saidawoman'svoicefirmly.'Wearenotrelinquishingourclaim.'

  'There's a visual signal as well,' said the Doctor. The external view on the monitorfadedintoanindistinctblurforamomentandthenresolveditselfinto

  the head and shoulders of a strong-featured woman of about fifty, wearing a merchantnavycaptain'suniformandadeterminedexpression.

  'May I remind you,' she continued, 'that we discovered this derelict within thebordersofourprotectoratezone,andunderinterstellarconventionwehave

  firstrightstosalvage.'

  'Leaving aside the fact that we also have claims on this sector of space,' a man'svoicerespondedscathingly,'mayIinturnremindyou,CaptainLanchard,

  thatdiscoveringavesselfirstdoesnot,legally,grantyouexclusiverightstoit.'

  TheDoctorflashedabrightgrinatSam.'Let'sseeifIcanconjureupasplit

  screen.'

  Thescreenimagedividedintotwotoshowaman'sheadandshoulders.

  Samsmiledweakly.'State-of-the-art.Impressive.'

  The man on the screen was also in uniform, but one of a darker and more severecutthanthewoman's.Hecon
tinued:'Untilyouhavesucceededinlanding

  aboardingpartyormakingasecuretow,wetoomayattemptsalvageaslongas

  ouractivitiesdonothazardyourship.'

  'Commander Vega,' Lanchard said stoutly, 'I am pleased to hear you are so familiarwithFederationlaw,eventhoughyouarenotasignatorytoitsstatutes.

  Itrustyouwillabidebyitsrulingsinthismatter.I'msureyouwouldn'twantany wordofanyinfringementsofthatlawtoreachtheFederationcouncil.'

  'As I'm sure neither would you,' Vega replied smoothly, 'in the current circumstances.'

  'Thenyouwillallowustocontinuewiththesalvageunhindered?'

  Vega smiled coldly. 'You don't seem to have had much success so far,

  despite your so-called superior technology. Perhaps we shall have better luck.

  Meanwhile we shall be observing your actions closely -just in case you should suffersomemishap,forinstance.'

  'Isthatathreat?'Lanchardsnappedback.

  'Not at all,'Vega replied unabashed.'But in uncertain situations such as this, dealingwithalientechnology,accidentsdohappen.'

  'Oh dear,' sighed the Doctor, and voiced his concern at the same time as

  Lanchard.

  'Thatsoundslikeathreattome.'

  'ButwhyshouldIfeeltheneedtothreatenyou?Afterall,whatthreatdoesa

  merelinerposetoafullyarmedfrontlineNimosianwarship?'

  Lanchardsmiledcoldly.'CommanderVega,aswearenotactuallyatwar,I

  trust that the relative strengths of our vessels will remain academic. Please remember there are over two thousand civilians on the Cirrandaria , some of themFederationcitizens.'

  Vegasmiled.'ImightpointoutthattheFederationwillnotlookkindlyupon

  someonewhorisksthesafetyoftheircitizensbyattemptingtosalvageanalien

  vesselwhich,inallprobability,willprovequiteworthless-'

  Avoiceinterruptedhim,speakingsoftlyfromoff-screen.Heturnedbackto

  face Lanchard with a scowl further darkening his stern features. 'It seems I underestimatedyou,Captain.Wereyoukeepingmetalkingasadistraction?'

  'Whatdoyoumean?'