believedlifewaswhatyoumadeitandifitwentwrongitwassomebody'sfault-
probablyyourown.Exceptinherowncase,ofcourse,whensomebodyelsewas
toblame.
'DoyouthinkitmightbegoodbusinesstocheckonMsSchollander?'hesaid
casually.'Asaprospectiveclient,Imean.Seethatshe'scometonoharm.'
'Yes, that might be a good idea. But don't be too long, Lester,' she said absently, looking at a message flashing on the room's infopad. 'Well really, they'veputbacktherestaurantopeningsbytwohours...'
LesterslippedoutandmadehiswayquicklytoIngrid'scabin.Hefoundan
apologeticstewardjustleavingandIngridlookingpaleanddrawn.
'Areyouallright?'heaskedanxiously.
Sheforcedaweaksmile.'It'snothing.Iwasjustlockedinmyroomwhenthe
callcamethroughtoabandonship.'
What?'
'Somebody seems to have played a badly timed practical joke on me. They
alsosabotagedmyphonesoIcouldn'tcallforhelp.IsupposeI'mluckyoneof thosecreaturesdidn'tfindme.Theysaidtheywereterrifying.Thestewardonly
heardmebangingonthedoorafteritwasallover.'
'Butwho'dwanttodosuchathing?'Lestersaid.'Howcouldanyonewantto
hurtanybodyasniceas...Imean,itcouldhavebeendangerous.'
She smiled at him. 'You are kind,' she said. And she kissed him on the cheek.
***
'Wherewereyou,Don?Youhadmethinkingthey'dtakenyouwiththem.'
Arcovian'sfacewasapictureofconcernasheconfrontedDelrayinthedoor
of his cabin. Delray said simply, 'I had some thinking to do, Evan. I was all right.'
'Thinking! While those ghouls were tearing the ship apart! Don, you don't lookright.It'sworryaboutLyset,Iknow.Yougottaseethedoctor.'
'No.It'ssomethingImustsortoutformyself.Justleavemealone.Please.'
'Youwon'tdoanything...foolish,Don?'
'I've been doing foolish things all my life. But I'm not feeling suicidal, if that'swhatyoumean.Thatwouldbethecoward'swayout...andIthinkI'vegot
pastthatstage.'Andheclosedthedoorfirmly.
Ofcoursehewasnotreallyalone.Nowhecouldjustmakeoutagreyfuzzy
shape on the floor, but he no longer feared it. He now knew what it was and, thoughtheknowledgesickenedhim,hewasbeyondfear.
Theburstofsoundandlightthathaddriventheotherghostsawayhadnot
removed them. The voice had cried in pain while the thing on the floor had howled.Buttheyhadnotlefthim.Perhapstheyhadcourage.Itwasmorethan
hehad.
'Finewords,'saidthevoiceinsidehishead."Thinkyoucanliveuptothem?'
'Idon'tknow,'Delraysaidhuskily.
'YoutookEvanforgranted,buthewasbetterthanyoudeserved.Butyou'll
neverbeabletomakeupforthat.'
'Iknow.'
'DoyouknowtheghoststookyoungDanEngers?'
Delraysankhisheadintohishands.'No...nottheboy.'
"That'sright.Theonewhothinksyou'rearealhero-'
'Shutup!'
'Youcan'tshutmeup.You'restuckwithmeforever.'Therewasasuspicion
ofabitterchuckle.'Maybelonger.'
'WhataboutLyset?'heaskeddesperately.
'Maybeit'stoolateforheraswell.Thatdependsonyou.'
'Whatdoyoumean?'
'Lookonthebed.'Thevoicewassuddenlyleaden.
'What?'
'Justdoit.'
He walked stiffly through to the bedroom. He knew there was something
terriblethere,buthealsoknewhehadnochoiceWhenhesawwhatitwas,all
theguiltandanguishwithinhimwasreleasedinacryofutterdespair.
Chapter26
CommandDecision
'CommanderVega,'the Moderatortheycalled theDoctorsaid, hisearnestface
fillingthescreen,'youhavedemonstratedyourcommonhumanitybycomingto
the aid of the Cirrandaria . Now follow that impulse through to its logical conclusion.Verysoonweshallbetakingashuttleintothehyperspatialcorridor
thathasbeenopenedthroughthecentreofthealienvessel.Ifyouhavemanaged
tomodifyashuttleofyourown,willyoucomewithus?Ifwecanpassthrough
successfullyitshouldallowaccesstothefarsideoftheinterfacewhereyourlost men may very well have been taken. If any have survived you may be able to rescuethem.
'Weshalltransmitaschematicdiagramofarelativelysimpledevicecalleda
normalises which can be used to alter the phase state of the creatures we have called "ghosts". It does them no permanent harm but it does make them more vulnerable to conventional weapons and even physical attack. If you can
replicatethesedevicesyouwillbeaswellprotectedasweourselves.'
Faylesaid,'Yousimplywanttheprotectionofoursuperiorfirepowertohelp
yourecoveryourownpeople.'
'YoursuperiorfirepowerisuselesswithoutthedeviceIhavementioned,'
the Doctor pointed out. "The logic of organising a joint mission is inescapable.'
'Whenourfleetarrives-'Fayleretorted.
'Youwillloseevenmorebravelivesinafutileefforttofightsomethingyou
donotunderstand,'theDoctorinterrupted.'PleasebelievewhatIamtellingyou.
Trytothinkbeyondtheprejudiceswhichhaveshapedyourlivesforsolong.This
isnotaprizeforeitheryouortheEmindians.'
Vega had to admit there was something compelling in his words. But the thoughtofajointventurewiththeEmindianswasdisturbingtosaytheleast.'I
willconsideryourproposal,Doctor.Youshallhavemyanswerinonehour.'
The Doctor smiled warmly. 'Thank you, Commander.' His image was
replacedbythecircuitdiagramofthenormaliser,whichVegahadrelayedtothe
engineeringdepartment.Thenhe
turnedtoFayle.
'Well, do we join with the Emindians on this? We haven't much time to decide.Ourowninstrumentsshowthatthediscontinuitywithinthealienshipis
slowlydecaying.'
'The Moderator is very persuasive and silver-tongued, Commander,' Fayle
said. 'He may even be sincere. But I cannot trust any arrangement in which Rexton is concerned. Has the Moderator succeeded in purging him of
his"prejudices"?Ithinknot.'
'No.Butwillweletourpridepreventusfromrecoveringourlostmen?'
'Assoonasthesecondshuttleisreadywecangoourselves.'
'ButthatwouldmeangoingwithouttheDoctor'ssupport.Ifeelheisaman
withuses.PerhapsIshouldhavebeenmoreopenwithhimearlier.'
'Ifyoumeanabouttheattemptedalieninfiltrationwesuffered,itwouldhave
beenasignofweaknesstohaveadmittedit,Commander.'
'So, unwarned, they were infiltrated in turn and we had to put our ship at some small risk to rescue them. Innocent lives were lost unnecessarily. Is it surprisingthatIfeelacertainresponsibility?'
'YouhaveshowntheEmindianseveryleniencyinthecircumstances.'
'DoyouthinkIhavebeentooaccommodating,MrFayle?'
Fayle's face set.'It would not be my place to say, Commander, unless I believed your actions directly endangered the success of the mission or the safetyoftheship.'
'Doyoudoubtmycompetence...orloyalty?'
'No,Commander.Ionlysaythat,ifthechoicehadbeenmine,Iwouldhave
pursuedadifferentcourseofaction.Iknowwheremydutylies.'
'Yes, we both want what is best for Nimos. In the end it comes down to makingtherightchoice.'Helookedatamonitorwhichshowedtheliveimageof
thealienship.'Butwhatistherightchoicewherethatthingisconcerned?Ihave abadfeelingaboutit.IfwewinitforNimos,willhistorypraiseorcurseus?'
Therewasadiffidentknockonthecabindoor.
'Enter,'saidVega.
Rask Chen came in. He looked acutely embarrassed but determined. He
stood before them stiffly 'I request special permission to send a hyperwave messagetomybrother,sir,'hesaid.
'Yourbrother,'saidVega.'He'sontheStarfire,isn'the?'
'Yes,sir.'
"The ship is on active duty in a potential danger zone, Lieutenant,' Fayle remindedhim.'Channelsarekeptclearforofficialtrafficonly.'
'Ihavecheckedtherelevantregulations,sir.Personalcorrespondencemaybe
sentincasesofspecialneedattheCommander'sdiscretion.'
'Oh,'saidVega.'Andwhatisyourspecialneed,Lieutenant?'
'Iam...concernedaboutmybrother'shealth,sir.'
'Isheill,then?'
'NotthatIknowof,sir.'
"Thenwhatareyoutalkingabout?'
Chen'sexpressionbecamemoreintense.'Iamjust...worriedabouthim,sir.'
'Do you mean some sort of intuition?' Fayle asked. 'Have you suddenly
developedsecondsight?'
Fayle glowered at the young officer, his look saying more eloquently than words what he thought about his troubling them with such nonsense at a time likethis.ButChenstoodfirm.
'Idon'tbelieveso,sir.Ijusthaveastrongfeelinghemayhavesufferedsome
sortofinjury.'
Vegaconsideredtheyoungmanforalongmoment.
'Isyourconcerninterferingwithyourwork,Lieutenant?'
Chenhesitated.'Itisadistractionattimes,sir,'headmitted.
"ThenintheinterestsofcrewefficiencyIwillpermitthecall.Justkeepyour messageshort,understand?'
'Yes,sir.Thankyou,sir.'
Vegapassedontheauthorisationtothecommunicationsroomandwatched
Chendepartwithasmile.Faylehoweverwasfrowning.
'YouthinkI'mbeingoverindulgentagain?'Vegaasked.
'I think the crew are letting their imaginations get the better of them. This uncertaintyisnotgoodformorale.Weneedtotaketheinitiative.'
'I intend to do just that, Mr Fayle. I think I will take up the Doctor's offer.
You will have command of the ship while I'm gone.' 'You mean to lead the missionpersonally,Commander?''Doesthattroubleyou,MrFayle?Doyoufeel
unequaltoyourpart?'ThequestioncaughtFaylebysurprise.'No,Commander,
ofcoursenot,'hesaidquickly.'But-'
'Nobuts.Iamaccompanyingtheexpedition.Iwanttolearnthetruth.
AccordingtotheDoctorthatvesselcreatesatunnelthroughhyperspace.That
wouldmakeitaveryvaluabledevice,butisitthemiracleitsounds?Isthatwhat Rextonisafter,oristheresomethingelse?
Whateverthethingisthathascostsomanygoodlives,Iwanttobesureit
hasbeenworththesacrifice.'
Before the hour was up two hyperspace messages were received by the
Indomitable . One was a personal response to Rask Chen, simply assuring him thathisbrotherwasperfectlywell.Thesecond,incodetoVega,gavedetailsof
theshipsthatwereontheirwaytosupporthisposition.Duetorefittingdelays
on the Starburst it had been replaced at the last minute by its sister vessel, Starfire.
Chapter27
GardenoftheLost
LysetcouldhavesimplywalkedawayfromShoafterthearmyofwingedghosts
hadpassedintothetunnel.Butpityforthewretchedmanheldherback.
After firing up at the grey horde until the power pack of his gun was exhausted,Shohadscrabbledhiswayintoafoldintherocksandcurledupina
balllikeafrightenedchild.Iftheghostsnoticedhisvolleyofwildshotstheydid not respond to them. Presumably they had more important business elsewhere.
Inaminutethelastofthemvanishedanditseemedthattheywerealoneinthe
vastcavernonceagain.
Lyset cautiously edged over to Sho and tried to rouse him but he simply curled up tighter. He was obviously in shock, perhaps unable to face his own fear.ItwaspainfultoseeevenaNimosiansoldierreducedtosuchastate.
Shesatbesidehim,keepingwatchforanynewdangerwhiletryingtowork
out what to do next. In the light gravity she could possibly have carried him somedistance,butwhichway?Theirsuitoxygenwouldn'tlastforever.
Theywouldhavetoreturntothealienshipiftheycouldn'tfindabreathable
atmosphereelsewhereonthislumpofrock.Unlesstherewasanartificialsupply
somewhereshewasdoubtfuloftheirchances.Fromitsgravityshesuspectedthe
place was a minor asteroid, so there was no possibility of its having a natural biosphere. Did any of those tunnels dotting the cliffs about her lead to pressurised chambers? If they did, was the air breathable? And who controlled thisplaceanyway-theghostsorsomeotherforce?
Shewasnotsurehowlongshesatthere,butshewassuddenlyrousedfrom
her deliberations by Sho. He got to his feet, pulling her up beside him, and touchedhelmets.
'Nowweshallreconnoitretheenemybase,'hetoldher.
Shegapedathiminamazement.Notawordabouthiscollapse.Noquestions
or excuses. She saw him look at the power warning light blinking on his gun withevidentsurprise,andmechanicallyreplacethebatterywithafreshonefrom
hisbackpack.Hedoesn'tknowithappened,shethought.
He'sdenyingiteventohimself.
They set off along the levelled track that ran across the cavern floor to the nearestofthedarkopenings,aslightflickofthetoesbeingenoughtocarrythem forward in the fractional gravity. The mouth of the tunnel was four metres across, its rough edges trimmed smoothly back in places. Perhaps it had originallybeenanaturalvolcanicventmodifiedtosuitotherneeds.
Therimandmountingofaheavycircularblastdoorhadbeenfittedtoit.
Butthedooritselfnowstoodflungwide,twistedandrippedalmostinhalfas
though by an explosion. The tunnel beyond was dimly illuminated by widely spacedredemergencybulbssetinitsceiling,butotherwiseitwastotallybare.
Astheystarteddownit,Lysettookonelastlookbackatthecavernandthe
alienship.WhatshesawmadehergrabSho'sarmandshout,'Run!'
Theghostlyhordewaspouringbackoutoftheinterdimensionalcorridor.At
leastShodidnottryanyfutileheroicsthistime.Heranwithher.
So it was that neither of them saw the craft carrying Sam drop clear of the returningswarmandsmashintothecavernwall.
***
Sam came to feeling desperately sick and dizzy, automatically feeling her suit andhelmetforanysignofdamagebeforeshewasfullyawake.Butallseemed
intact.ShewasontheDreamstoneMoon.Shewas-
Sheblinkedandforcedhereyesbackintofocus.Wherethehellwasthis?
She couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few seconds, she
realised,becauseabov
eherthelastoftheghostsweredisappearingintothecave mouths,caughtinthesoftredlightofthehyperspacetunnel.Andoneofthem,
sherealised,wascarryinga
flguremuchsmallerthantheothers.
CoulditbeDanEngers?
Thepairvanishedintoatunnelonlyacoupleofhundredmetresfromwhere
shelayevenasshewriggledoutofthecoldwindingsofthewarriors'
net. She still had the normaliser in her hand. Pushing herself upright, thankfulforthelowgravity,shetotteredunsteadilyafterthem.
***
They had run several hundred metres and taken three side turnings before Sho signalledahalt.Lysetlookedanxiouslybackthewaytheyhadcome,butthere
wasnosignofpursuit.
Cautiouslyshefeltthesideofherhelmet.Shehadgrazeditagainsttheside
ofthetunnelwhenshehadboundedtoohighinthelowgravity.Asshedidso
she became aware of a low hissing over her earphones. The impact must have throwntheexternalswitchofhersuitradio.Butwherewasthecracklefromthe
alienship?ShetappedthesideofherhelmetuntilShounderstoodandswitched
hisownseton.
'We must be insulated from the interference effect by separation and the intervening rock; he said tersely, when they had established communications.
'Butyouwillmaintainradiosilence.Othersmayhearus.
Reduceyoursignalstrengthtominimum.'
They tramped on, Sho scouting each corner and intersection before they
turned it. At the fifth of these he stiffened as though in surprise. Lyset peered curiouslyoverhisshoulder.
Therewasafeeblyglowingsignmountedoveranalcovehalfwayalongthe
nextstretchoftunnel.Itwasaveryfamiliarsymboltoanyonewhohadworked
inspacesuitsforanylengthoftime:ayellowcubewithalargeO2
displayedoneachface.
Within the alcove was a rack containing oxygen canisters, suit batteries, waterreservoirrefillsandsqueeze-tubehelmetrations.Therewereafewgapsin
theracksandathinfilmofdustovereverything.
'Thisisoneofyourbases,'Shogrowled,examiningtheitems.
"Thisisstandardoverhalfthesector,'Lysetretorted.'They'llfityoursuitas wellasmine.'
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 21
