'Isawyoubothwithhimtheotherday.Youmustknowher.'
'Yes,Iwaswithyourhusbandtheotherday,buttherewasnootherwoman.'
'Don'tlietome,youstupidgirl!Whatareyoutryingtohide?Istheresome
sortofconspiracybetweenthethreeofyou?'
Theyoungerwoman'smouthsetinafirmline.'Look,I'mverybusy.Incase
youhadn'tnoticedtherearealotofpeopleherewhoneedhelp.Whydon'tyou
stopbrowbeatingthatpoorhusbandofyoursandlendahand?Youmightlearna
bitofhumilityalongtheway.Anddon'tcallmeastupidgirl!'
'Howdareyouspeaktomelikethat!'
But Ingrid Schollander did not shrink or turn away. Instead she stepped closerandsaid,'IcanspeaktoyouhoweverIlike.Ithinkyouareaveryselfish woman,andIdon'tknowwhyLesterhasputupwithyouforsolong.'
Rhonda was not used to being defied. Suddenly she felt terribly afraid that thisjuvenile,sofullofthewarmthRhondaknewshelacked,andherunknown
co-conspirator would somehow steal Lester from her. In a sudden panic she thrustoutahandtopushheraway.
She honestly had not realised she'd picked up an instrument from the tray besidethebed.Itwasasthoughherhanddidnotbelongtoher.Thethingfitted
neatly into her palm and hummed slightly as she clenched it tight. It slid so easilyintothemiddleofIngridSchollander'schest.
For a moment the young woman looked at her with wide surprised eyes,
reaching up as though in disbelief to the handle of the instrument protruding from her chest. Then with a single and oddly slight gasp of pain she fell backwardsontothebed.
Rhonda stared down at her for perhaps ten seconds, seeing the dark stain spreadingacrossthefrontofIngrid'soverall.Thensheedgedoutofthecubicle
through the curtains. A few people glanced at her curiously. They must have heardsomethingoftheirargumentbuthadbeentoobusywiththeirownduties
to investigate.They didn't know what had happened.They wouldn't know until somebodyopenedthecurtainsagain.Inthegeneralstateofthingsthatcouldbe
severalminutes.
Numbwithshock,faceexpressionless,Rhondawalkedbrisklypastthemand outintothecorridor.
She had to think. This was not something she had planned. How would it affect them socially? Lester's career would be damaged. Did they know
somebodywhocouldhelpthem,toexplainthatithadallbeenanaccident?
There was something sticky on her hand. She held it up and saw it was blood.Therewasasmearonthesideofherdressaswell.Therealisationhelped
decideherpriorities.
Firstshemustwashandchange.
***
Fayle entered Chen's cabin with the most peremptory of knocks. Borix, who'd beensympathisingwithChen,excusedhimselfandmadeadiscreetexit,leaving
Chen standing uneasily before the Indomitable's second in command. Fayle
came straight to the point. 'In a few hours we shall have enough shuttles protectedfromtheinterferenceeffecttomakeamasslandingonthealienship.
TheEmindianswillprobablytrytostopus.OnewayortheotherIneedevery
singlememberofthecrewtobeatfullstrength.Yourrecordhasbeenexcellent
uptonow,Chen,soI'mgivingyouonelastchancetoexplaintheproblemand
pullyourselftogether.
Otherwise I'll have you declared unfit for duty and sent home for
reassessment.Doyouunderstand?'
'Yes,sir.'
'Canyouguaranteetogiveonehundredpercenttothisship?'
Chenlookedwretched.'Iwantto,sir...buthewon'tletme.'
'What?'
Chen'seyesseemedtobefocusedatsomepointoverFayle'sshoulder.
'Hekeepstellingmetogetoutofhereorelsewe'reallgoingtodie.Iknowit
can'tbewhoitseems,butIcan'tmakehimgoaway.Ionlyheardhimatfirst,
butnowI'mbeginningtoseehim,too.'
'Whatareyoubabblingabout,man?'
'My brother!' Chen shouted back.'I know he's on the Starflre, but he's also hererightnow.Iswearit!Andhe'sonlygotonearm!'
Faylegapedathimindisbelief,thengrowinganger.'You'refinished,Chen.
You've let that ship get to you. Can't you manage without imagining your brother'sheretoholdyourhand?There'snoplaceintheserviceforweaklings...'
And to emphasise his last point he stabbed a scornful finger into Chen's chest.
Acoldhandgraspedhiswrist,twistedhisarmbehindhimandslammedhim againstthewall.Faylespunaboutinablazingragetofacehisunseenassailant, onlytohavethefuriouswordsboilingupinsidehimdieinhisthroat.
Aman-shapedshadowseemedtostandinthecabinbetweenhimandChen.
Faylecouldn'thelpbutnoticethattheshadow'sleftarmwasmissing.
***
Lanchardwasintheshuttlebaytowelcomethecraftthathadjustarrivedfrom
theKorgon .The party included not only the engineers that Prothero had
promised, but relief medical staff, too. At last the military were showing they were good for something besides posturing, she thought.Then a call came
throughfromGilliam.
'Captain,oneofourcivilianhelpershasbeenmurdered.Wethinkweknow
whodidit...'
***
Lester Plecht hardly had time to register his wife's return to their compartment beforeshehadsweptthroughtothebathroom.Hefolloweddiffidentlyafterher,
determined to make up for the earlier row. If only she would listen to him for once.
To his surprise he found she had torn off her dress and had flung it on the floor. It had a dark stain on its side. Rhonda was bent over the sink scrubbing furiouslyatherhands.Thewaterwasrunningpink.
'Rhonda...what'sthematter?Haveyouhurtyourself?'
Sheturnedaghastlydrawnfacetohim,evenasshecontinuedwashing.
Flatwordstumbledout.'Itwasanaccident...Ididn'tmeanit.Sheshouldn't
havespokenbacktomelikethat.Itwasveryimpolite.'
'Who,dear?Whataccident?'
'Butsheprobablyhaditcoming;schemingtotakeyouawaylikethat.Must
findthatotherwoman.She'llconfirmit.'
'Rhonda...haveyouhurtsomebody?Who?Tellme!'
Her eyes suddenly wouldn't meet his. "That... Ingrid person you were so friendlywith.Itwasanaccident.Ididn'tknowwhatIwasdoing...'
Lesterfeltthelifedrainoutofhim.'Isitbad?'heaskedfaintly.
'Idon'tknow...Ithinkshemaybedead.'
'"Maybe"...?"Don'tknow"?Youmeanyoulefther?Youdidn'tgethelp!'
'Itwastoolate!'
'Youmean...'
'Yes,allright,shewasdead!SoyouseeIcouldn'tgetinvolved.Thinkwhat
peoplewouldsay-'
Lester hit her with the force of all the little resentments that had grown withinhimthroughtheyears.
Rhondafelltothefloor,herhandgoingtoherbleedinglip,tooamazedby
hisactiontomakeasound.Helookedather,thenathisfist.Forthefirsttime everhe'dshutherup.Forthefirsttimehehadhercompleteattention.
Forthefirsttimehemattered.
Asthoughinadreamhesteppedforwardandgraspedherbythehair.
***
When Castillo and a couple of security men arrived two minutes later, Rhonda Plecht was lying unconscious in the bathroom, her face i
n a growing pool of blood. Her nose, several teeth and her jaw had been broken as though by a frenziedassault.Therewasnosignofherhusband.
***
Lester Plecht ran desperately through the Cirrandaria's maze of passenger-deck corridors. The ship's routine had been so disrupted they were not that busy.
Thosefewpeoplehepassedonlystaredathimcuriously.
Hewasappalledatwhathehaddone.Ifonlyithadbeensimplyrevengefor
Ingriditmighthavebeencrudelyjustified.Butthathadbeenonlythespark.It
had really been his own revenge. Now he had made himself as bad as Rhonda anddestroyedthememoryofIngrid'sbrief,uncomplicatedfriendship.Hehadto
getaway.Buthowcouldhe?Wherecouldhego?
Ashestumbledonitseemedthatharshthroatylaughterfollowedhim.
***
Admiral Mokai studied the tactical display on the screen in the Starfire's battle roomimpatiently.Theydarednotgettooclosetothealienship,thefocusofall theirattention,untiltheyhadnegateditsinterferencefield.
Therefore neither side could form a proper close protective globe around it becauseitlimitedtheirroomformanoeuvre.Sobothcapitalshipswereholding
station more or less on opposite sides of it, shielded by a constantly shifting screenofsupportingcraft.Eachwatchingtheotherincasetheyleftsomesortof
tacticalopening.
How could the Commander of the Indomitable have undertaken a joint
mission to the alien ship with the Emindians? Mokai wondered. Unless he had some idea of gaining an advantage by it. His second, Fayle, had not been very helpful,andhadhintedthathiscommanderwasgoingsoft.ButFaylesounded
bitterandresentful,sohowreliablewashisopinion?Mokaicursedsoftlyunder
hisbreath.Howwashesupposedtofightifhecouldn'trelyonthequalityofthe menunderhim?
Thecivilianlineralsoposedaproblem.Ashuttlehadbeensentacrosstoit
from the Korgon .'Who or what had been in it? If hostilities broke out the Cirrandariawouldhavetobetakencareofascleanlyaspossible...
Histhoughtswereinterruptedbyamessage.
'Urgent call from the Indomitable , sir. Officer commanding says he has receivedsomesortofwarning.Hesaysthere'sgoingtobeadisaster.'
'What?Where'sthissupposedtocomefrom?'
'Asourceonourship,apparently.'
'Onourship?Themanmustbemad.'
'Hedidsound,er...alittleexcited,sir,'theoperatoradmitted.
***
Lester found himself on the deserted lifeboat deck. There was still debris from theattackincorners.Afewsmall,lost,personalscraps,darkstainsthattherobot cleaners had not yet been able to lift from the expensive wooden deck boards.
Oppositehimwastherowoflifeboathatches.
Herushedtothenearestandhauledonthehatchhandle.Itopenedeasilyand
hescrambledinside,slammingitshutbehindhim.Hedidnotknowtherewere
safety locks to prevent what he was attempting unless the abandon ship alarm hadbeensounded.Butthesehadnotresetaftertheirpreviousactivation.
He'd seen enough of the internal layout earlier to know where the controls were,andstrappedhimselfinbeforethem.Normallyeverylifeboatshouldhave
beenmannedbyatleastonequalifiedcrewman.Buttheyhadbeenconstructed
with emergencies in mind and the possibility that, in extreme circumstances, they might be operated by untrained personnel. The essential controls were large,easytooperateandveryclearlymarked.
Hereleasedaprotectivecover,threwaswitch,twistedalargeredhandleand
punchedagreenbutton.
'Launchingsequenceactivated,'cameanimpersonalsynthesisedvoice.'Brace
forejection.Five,four,three...'
***
Thealertsoundedonthebridge,butbythenitwastoolate.Thelifeboaterupted intospaceinacloudofgasandfragmentsofsealingstrip.
ImmediatelyitturnedbyitselfandheadedforthenearestEmindianship.
***
Insidethelifeboatthecomputervoicesaid,'Autohomingactivated.'Lesterstared atitaghast.Hedidn'twantittotakehimtoanEmindianship.Hewouldjustbe
broughtbacktotheCirrandariaagain,tofacereality.Hiseyesfelluponabutton markedOVERRIDE.Hepressedit.
'Target overridden. Selecting new objective.' The lifeboat swung round
towardsthenext Emindianship.'No, no!Youstupid machine,'Lestershouted,
hittingtheoverride
again. Then he thought he heard the same laughter in his ear that had followed him along the corridors. But he could see the whole ulterior of the compartmentfromwherehesatanditwasquiteempty.Butitdidn'tfeelempty.
Insteaditbegantofeelverycold.
***
The Emindian task force, alerted by the Cirrandaria , tried to capture the waywardlifeboatwithatowbeam.Butthesmallcraftprovedanunexpectedly
elusivetarget,almostasthoughtherewassomethingaboutitthatwaspreventing
theirbeamsfrommakingafulllock.
***
Mokai broke off his somewhat confused conversation with Fayle when the
strangeanticsofthelifeboatwerebroughttohisattention.
'Soundamberalert,'heordered.'Theymaybetryingsomething.'
***
As all the Emindian ships had been eliminated from the autopilot's options, it dutifully hunted for a new safe haven for its passenger, and promptly turned towardstheNimosianfleet.
Had he been thinking clearly Lester would never have allowed the boat to continueonitsnewcourse.Butbynowhewashardlythinkingatall.Hismind
filledwithvaguenotionsaboutclaimingpoliticalasylum.Allhewantedwasto
befreeoftheintolerableburdenofwhathehaddone-andwhathehadlost.
'Youcan'tgetawayfrommethateasily,'saidaraspingvoiceinhisear.
***
'Scanners,what'sinsideit?'Mokaidemanded.
'Can't be certain, Admiral. Looks like a standard Emindian lifeboat, but it readsoddly.LikenothingI'veseenbefore.'
'Putabeamonitandholditclearofus.'
'Can'tgetaproperlock,sir!'
'Impactintwentyseconds,sir!'
Mokaiscowled.Therewasonlyoneoptionleft.
***
Lesterwasonhiskneesscrabblingatthemainhatchofthelifeboat,notcaring
that,evenifhecouldhaveopenedit,hewouldhavebeenblownoutintospace.
Hefeltastabofcoldinhisarmandturnedfearfuleyesupward.
Ashadowwasformingoutofthinair:ashimmeringgreyimageofawoman
inaplainsmockwithacuriouslyindistinctface.
A translucent hand reached up and peeled off the bandages and he saw the ruinofherface.
LesterhadthetimeforonefinalscreamofterrorthatmingledwithRhonda
Plecht's ghostly, slurred laughter, before the Nimosian fighters blasted the lifeboatintoincandescentvapour.
Chapter33
TheCirclesofHell
The Doria sped back through the long tunnel to the cavern that held the alien ship.Bendixwashunchedoverthecontrols,hisfacecreasedwithanxiety.
'Whatcanwedotochangeanythingiftherewasonlyeveronealienship?'
heasked,keepinghiseyesfixedstraightahead.'We'veseenwhathappened
toit.YouheardtheDoctor.'
'TheDoctor
isaself-confessedliarwhomasqueradedasaModerator,'
Rexton retorted. 'Would you believe every word he says? Besides, the
original ship we salvaged was badly damaged.This one is perfect, without any signofrepairwork.Theymaybelinked,somehow,buttherearetwoofthem.'
'Butheknowsabouttime.'
'Doesthatmeanheinvariablytellsthetruth?Andevenifheissomesortof
timetraveller,wouldyougiveupwithoutafightiftherewastheslightestchance ofsavingEmindar?'
Bendixwaveredvisibly.'No,sir.Notwhenyouputitlikethat.'
'Good man. Just get me to the ship and I'll do the rest. If they really have cleareditofthosemonstersweshouldhavenotrouble.Ifthereisgoingtobea
war,Emindarisgoingtohavetheweaponitneedstowin!'
Rexton knew that his time had come. It was as though all his life had just beenapreludetothismoment,whenhisactionsmightshapethefutureofentire
worlds.Hewasgoingtomakeadifferenceatlast.
***
Within his narrow world, Sho was as contented as he could ever be. He was going into battle at the head of a combat team. All they'd needed was a good talking to to get them back into shape and focused on the mission again. They werereallyrespondingtohisleadership,almostasthoughtheywereobeyinghis
thoughts.Hedidn'tcarewhethertheyweredeadorsomethingelse;atheartthey
werestillNimosiansoldiers.
HerealisedtheystillhadtheEmindianwomanwiththemandbrieflydebated
leavingher.Butshewasnoburdeninthelightgravityandtherewasstillabitof life left in her. He would need to find a few more like her to keep the men strong.Hemightevenfindauseforherhimself.
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 26
