shipanymore.It'squitesolidnow.'
TheDoctornoddedsolemnly."Thisisit,Sam.We'reenteringthecoreofthe
probabilitynexus.'
Chapter35
Nexus
Rextonrecoveredfromthestomach-wrenchingsensationofthetransitiontofind
the wraiths he had been holding at bay had vanished.The central well of the tower shaft was empty of them and also any sign of the interface. Shakily he crossed over to where Bendix was resting against the edge of a control panel.
Theexternalscreenshowednosignofthecavern,onlystars.Therewerebright,
irregular,movingpointsamongthemthatcouldonlybeships.Heclappedhim
ontheback.
'Welldone,Bendix.Now,wemustgetthefilmawaysafely.'
Bendixwascautiouslycheckingtheexternalviews.'Therearealotofships
outthere.MustbetheNimosiansaswellasourfleet.Howarewegoingtoget
thefilmtothemiftheycan'tpickusup?'
'Ianticipatedthatpossibility,'Rextonassuredhim,unslinginghisbackpack,
'andtooktheprecautionofbringingthisfromyourship'sstores.'
He pulled out three short sections of tubing which he snapped together to formadeviceresemblingamilitaryhand-heldrocketlauncher.
'Anemergencyhomingrocket,'Bendixsaid.'Ofcourse.'
'I have arranged that our forces should be on the alert for one,' Rexton explained, removing the precious film cartridge from his pocket and fitting it into the chamber in the body of the small missile. "They will also be ready to developthefilm,scanandtransmititattopspeed.Alwaysthinkahead,Bendix.'
Hefittedtherocketintothefiringchamberandslungthelauncheroverhis
shoulder.'Now,downthroughthecentralshaftandalongtothenearestexternal
hatchway...' His eye caught a control marked HATCH CENTRAL LOCKING.
Hepressedtherelevantbutton,openingthem.'That'llsavetime.'
Bendixsuddenlylookedanxious.'Whatabouttheghosts?'
'They disappeared as we made the transition.' 'I suppose they went back to theCirrandaria'.Helookedattheexternalscreens,buttherewasnosignofthe ghostcraft.
'Comeon,'saidRextonimpatiently.
***
Thetwoopposingfleetswenttomaximumalert.Neitherhadmodifiedshuttles
readytolandonthealienshipandtowbeamsstillfailedtolockontoit,sothe onlyoptioneachhadwastodenyittotheotherside.TheCirrandariawasalsoa
problematicalpieceinthegameandittoohadtobetakenintoaccount.Asboth sides jockeyed for the most favourable tactical position, shuttles from the Korgonwerelaunchedtowardsthecrippledliner.
***
'Two Emindian landing craft are outside demanding entry to the shuttle bay, Captain,'
Lanchardsighed.'Withoutthemainengineswecan'toutrunthem.Betterlet
theminbeforetheyblowthedoors.'
'Sorry,'saidVega.'Ourpresenceherehasn'thelped.'
'Ithinktheyweregoingtodothisanyway.'Shehesitated,thenasked,'Wasit
reallyasbadasyousaidoverthere?'
'Yes,itwas.'
'Andwewereboththere...asghosts?'
'Yes.Iknowitmustseemunbelievable.'
'Thetroubleis...Idobelieveit.Ifelttherewassomethingwrongwhenwe
firstseteyesonthederelict.'Shetookadeepbreath.'Excuseme,Ihavetotell everybodywhat'sgoingon.'
Sheopenedthegeneraladdresssystem.
'This is the Captain speaking to all passengers and crew. The situation outsideisgettingprettytenseasyoumayhaveseenforyourself.Thisshiphas
beenplacedundermilitarycontrolandweareabouttobeboardedbyEmindian
soldiers. For your own safety, put on your emergency suits and stay in your cabinsoranyinnercompartmentsoftheship.'
'May I?' Vega asked, and took over the microphone. 'Vega to all Nimosian personnel on the Cirrandaria . Do not engage the Emindian troops. We do not wanttostartawaronthisship.'
HefinishedandlookedatDoctorandSam."Thisiswhenitbegins,isn'tit?'
'Ithinkso,'theDoctoradmitted.
Lanchard said.'I was considering asking you to evacuate as many of the
passengersasyoucould,butitlookslikewe'verunoutoftime.Thanksforwhat
you've done, but this isn't your concern any more. You might as well leave in thatmachineofyoursbeforeourtroopstrytostopyou.'
'We'regoingdowntotheTARDISbutwe'renotleaving,'theDoctorsaid.
"Theremaybesomethingwecandotostoptheveryworsthappening.
We'llseeitthroughwithyou.Comeon,Sam.'
Sam looked desperately at Vega and Lanchard. Any words would be
inadequate, but she couldn't just leave in silence.'Good luck; she said quickly,
andhurriedaftertheDoctor.
***
Standing on the hull of the alien ship, Rexton scanned the two groups of twinklingdotsonoppositesidesoftheskywithbinoculars.
'There'stheKorgon!hesaid.
Bendix handed him the launcher. He shouldered it, took aim at the distant targetandfired.Asimple,solid-fuelfirststagepropelledthesmallrocketclear of the alien ship's gravitational field. Five kilometres up, the homing system wouldcutinanddirectittowardsthenearestEmindianship.
Rexton watched the flare of its tail jet vanish into the darkness, then threw theemptylaunchertubeaside.'Now,backtothecontrolroom.'
'Shouldn'twewaitouthereforrecovery?'
'No, Bendix, we take advantage of circumstances.The film is only a
safeguard.Nowwecantryfortherealprize.'
'Sorry?'
'Wehaveashipthatcanquiteliterallygoanywhere.'Rextonsmiledgrimly.
'We'regoingtoseeifwecantakeithome.'
***
Emindian marines spread efficiently through the Cirrandaria, taking stations at key points and firmly shepherding frightened passengers out of their way. A young lieutenant took possession of the bridge.To his surprise he found
LanchardsharingadrinkwithVegainherdaycabin.
'Sinceyou'vetakenovermyshipyoumightaswellsitdown,'Lanchardsaid
withcarelessamicability.
'Commander,youaremyprisoner,'thelieutenanttoldVega.
TheNimosiandidnotappearintheleastconcerned.'No,we'reallprisoners,'
he replied tonelessly. He gave the lieutenant a very disconcerting appraisal. 'I wonder:haveyoueverusedanetandtrident?'
***
They reached the TARDIS just ahead of the tramp of heavy boots. Sam felt it waslikerunningaway,butitwasreassuringtobesafeinsideitswallsagain.The Doctorcrossedtotheconsole.
'Good,thecapacitorsarealmostfullycharged,'hesaid.
'Whatareyougoingtodo-usethenormalisereffect?'
'No, that only temporarily disrupts their bodily patterns. We need to do something more fundamental. Did you notice, during the fight in the starport, that none of the ghosts entered the TARDIS, even though they were swarming aroundit?'
'Yes.TheEngerseswouldn'tcomeineither.'
"TheinterioroftheTARDISisshieldedfromnormalspace,soitmustsever
the ghosts' link with their intradimensional phase band. They lose their individual patterns. With the power boost, I'm going to try to duplicate that effect outside the TARDIS across as large a volume of
space as possible. It shouldcompletelydisrupttheplaneinwhichtheghostsexist.'Heglancedather
asthoughappealingforunderstanding."They'lldie.'
Samjuststoodthere,takingitallin.'It'llbeamercy,'shesaidfinally.
"That'swhattheywant.'SherememberedVega'sdisintegratingface.
'Believeme.'
The Doctor nodded slowly and returned to his controls and the monitor
whichhehadlinkedtoCirrandaria'ssystems.
Samfrowned.'Willwehavetogoback...Imeanforward,tothespaceportto
findtheghosts?'
'No. I think they'll come to us,' the Doctor said. "The probability nexus is evidentlyunstableandthatmayhavesomethingtodowiththenatureandorigin
oftheghosts.It'salsowhyIdarenotrestorethemtofullrealityevenifIcould.
Only their phase-shifted state has allowed them to interact with their former selves to the degree they have for this long. But if they became more real, or enoughofthemcometogetheratthesametime,itcouldbedisastrous.'
Sam stared at him, eyes wide in realisation. 'And if youdid fully restore them..."The Doctor nodded.'Double occupancy of the same part of space-time..."
Heclappedhishandstogetherviolentlyasifbywayofdemonstration.
'Yes.Itwouldtakeatremendousreleaseofenergytodimensionallyshiftan
entirestarshipsofaroutofphasewithrealityastheCirrandariawas.
One of the few possible sources would be the energy released when two
identicalbodiesmeet.'
The full implication struck Sam. 'You mean... they did it to themselves all along?'
'Ithinkso,Sam.Andveryshortly,they'regoingtodoitagain.'
***
ThemessagerocketspedintotheheartoftheEmindianfleet,cutitspowerand activateditsbeacon.ItwasswiftlydrawnintooneoftheKorgon'sports,where
thefilmcartridgewasextractedandrushedtotheimaginglaboratory.
***
Mokaireceivedacallfromthehangardeck.
"Thetwomodifiedlandersarenowcrewedandreadytolaunch,Admiral.'
'Well done,' Mokai acknowledged. 'Communications, code signal to fleet:
Insertion Plan Delta. Launch landing craft on confirmation.' He stared at the image of the alien vessel on the screen. 'We're going to take that ship for Nimos.'
***
Sternby watched the launch of the landing craft and manoeuvring of the
Nimosianfleetgrimly.
'They'regoingintoassaultformation,sir.'
'Areourcraftreadyyet?'Sternbydemanded.
'Anotherhour,sir.'
'Not good enough! We can't let them get down there. Open a line to the Starfire.'
Mokai'sfaceappearedonthescreen.
'TherearestilltwoEmindiancitizensonthealienvessel,'Sternbytoldhim.'I
state for the record that they are a prize crew, making that vessel Emindian territory.Youhavenorighttolandonher.'
'Youhavenoproofwhatsoeverthattheyareonboard,'Mokairetorted.
'However, I assure you that, should our landing party encounter them, they willbeproperlytreatedandreturnedtoyourcarepromptlyandunharmed.
Unlessyoucaretosuggestthattheshipiscrewedbythese"ghosts",itisstill aderelictandopentosalvagebyanywhocantakepossessionofher.
Mokaiout.'
Sternby stared at the blank screen for a moment, then opened a channel to theimaginglaboratory.
'Hasthefilmdatafromthemessagerocketbeenprocessed?'
'Yes,sir.Weareencodingandtransmittingontheultrachannelnow.'
'AnypersonalcommunicationfromGeneralRextonwiththefilm?
'No,sir.'
That was typical of the man, thought Sternby - his only concern was the
mission.Well,nowhisownorderslefthimonlyoneoption.Onnoaccountwere theNimosianstobeallowedtotakepossessionofthealienvessel.
HethoughtRextonwouldunderstand.
'Missile control, target the alien ship. Main batteries, one salvo each, set warheadstomaximumyield.Firewhenready.'
***
The missiles streaked towards the great bulk of the alien ship, to be met by a waveofantimissileinterceptorsfromtheNimosianfleet.Onlytwogotthrough,
and the interference field caused them both to detonate short of their target. A hundred metre circle of hull skin was fused and warped, while a blast wave of vaporisedmissilecasingshooktheship'scentraltower.
Thelandingcraftandtheirescortbrokeofftheirfirstrunandcircledclearof
their target. Counterstrike missiles leapt from the Nimosian ship's launch tubes towards the Emindian fleet, while waves of darting fighters dived out of the night to engage their opposite numbers. Incandescent beams and pulses of multigigawattmagnitudestabbedacrosstheinterveningspaceasthetwofleets'
heaviestprojectorturretsexchangedfire.Anothermissilesalvospedawayfrom
theKorgontowardsthealienship.
Thefirstbattleofthewarhadbegun.
***
Rexton and Bendix clung to the edges of the control panels for support as the shiptrembledundertheonslaught,buttheykeptonwiththeirtask.
Therewasnoneedtostatetheobvious.Theyhadverylittletimeleft.
***
Samturnedasidefromthemonitorimage,feelinghottearsofrageanddespair
prickinghereyes.
'Whatcanwedo?'
'Nothing,'saidtheDoctor.'Ourwarningandtheactionsoftheghostshaveall
becomepartofwhatwesoughttoavoid.Itwasinevitable...butwehadtotry.
Allwecandonowislimitthesuffering.'
***
Three black-hulled Nimosian assault craft, having flown a long evasive arc around the conflict zone, intercepted the Cirrandaria , which lay a little back from the cluster of Emindian ships. They clamped on to its hull and cutting beams rapidly and efficiently sliced through external service hatches, opening thewayforthemarinesthemselves.Theypouredin,dividinguptotakespecific
sections of the ship. They were met by fierce resistance from the occupying Emindian soldiers and the advance faltered, degenerating into a corridor-by-corridorstruggle,thenfinallyabloodyhand-to-handcombat.Attheheadofone
oftheseinfiltrationpartieswasCorporalTalekChen.
***
In his cabin on the Indomitable , Fayle felt the surges of power as the ship manoeuvred,andtheconcussionasitdischargeditsgunsortookhitsagainstits
shields.Buthenotedallthiswithacuriousdetachment.
His encounter with the thing in Chen's cabin had, in a few seconds, turned his certainties upside down. He had tried to report the incident objectively and had been relieved of his command for his trouble.And now, even though they werefightingtheEmindians,itnolongerseemedtomatter.
Perhapsitwasjusttheeffectofshock,butheappreciatedforthefirsttime
that there were greater mysteries and possibilities out there than he had ever dreamedof.Itputmundanelife,withallitsfearsandhatreds,intoperspective.
Nowhewaited,slightlyimpatiently,tofindoutwhatwouldcomenext.
***
In his own cabin Rask Chen listened to the pounding as the spirit of his brothersaid,'Sorry,Rask.Itried...'
ThenextconcussionthrewChentothefloor.
***
'I th
ink I have Emindar on the target screen,' Bendix said. 'It's locked in, correctingforspace-timedistortion.'
'Offsetbyonemillionkilometres.Wedon'twanttoarriveonthesurface."
'Done...Ithink.'
'Nowsettemporaldisplacementbackoneyear,'saidRexton.
'What?Butwecan'trisk-'
'Our forces did not have time to finish the repairs and master the full
functionsoftheothership.Wewillgivethemtime,sotheywillbeready.Doit!'
'ButI'mnotsureaboutthecalibration-'
Theshiptrembledagain.
'Wehavenotime,Bendix.We'lltaketheriskforEmindar'
'It'lltakeacoupleofminutes-ifwehavethatlong.'
Rextonlookeddesperately overthecontrols. Therewerestill somanythey
hadn'texamined.Thepanelthey'dusedearlierhadonlynegatedthespace-time
separation between the ends of the ship. Now they needed to move just a few kilometresthroughspacealonetogetclearofthebattle.
ThenhesawthesignthatreadNODES:REAL-TIMEPHYSICAL
DISPLACEMENTEFFECT.
Didthatmeanwhathethought?Therewasonlyonewaytofindout.'We're
goingtotakeevasiveaction,'hesaid.
Space contorted around the ship as the gravimetric potential grew between theendsofitsmainhull,thenstartedtoflowpastit.Tomaintainanequilibrium theshipmovedforwardwiththemaincontrolmoduleleading,steadilygaining
speed. It ploughed its way through the heart of the battle, ships of all sizes scatteringbeforeitshugebulk.
***
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 29
