'Delray's ghost proved that the nexus is not yet in perfect equilibrium,' the Doctorsaid,astheywatchedandwaitedfortheCirrandaria'sdoppelgänger.'The
ghosts'timelineatleastcanchange.Delrayrememberedadifferentsequenceof
eventsinwhichLysetWynterhaddiedthroughwhathefeltwashiscowardice.
Soheinfluencedhisformerselftobehavedifferently,andineffectswappedhis
lifeforhers.Atinychange,onthecosmicscaleofthings,butsignificant.'
'Butiftheghostsaregoingtoannihilatetheirformerselvestostartthewhole
cycleoffagain,won'ttheybefinishedanyway?'Samwondered.
'I can't be certain of that, in their altered state.That's why I'll release the energypulsejustafterthey'vemadecontact.Atleastwecanbesurethey'llbeat restthen.It'sjustamatteroftiming.'
'Doctor,' Sam said slowly. 'What if you did it early? Stopped them from turning themselves into ghosts in the first place? Then they won't be there to sendthealienshipback,sotheEmindiansandNimosianswon'tbeheretofight
overit...'
Shesawthelookinhiseyes.'Youarethinkingaboutit!'
Shesawthatfamiliardangeroussmileplayabouthislips,defyingtheterrible
senseofinevitabilityanddoomthatSamhadfeltlyingheavyuponthem.
'Itwouldbeaterriblerisk,Sam,'hesaidquickly.'Iwouldn'tdareconsiderit, except we know space and time are mutable at this point. Yes, it might just work.There'Ubesomeotherconfrontationandthewarwillhappenanyway
-thatcan'tbechanged.Butatleastthesepeoplemightescape.Butitcould
bedangerousforustoo.'
'Goforit!'Samsaidwithouthesitation.
***
In the Cirrandaria's sickbay, which had become an emergency centre for the treatment of wounded from both sides, Dr Gilliam was sealing the stump of corporal Talek Chen's left arm, which had been blown completely off by an Emindianblasterbolt.
***
Onthebridge,Lanchardsawthewar-tornskyclearalmostmagicallyinfrontof
them. And out of the void came the alien ship. Head on. They were looking straightdownintoitsgapingmouth.Themarinelieutenantwastoodistractedby
thebattleinsidetonotice.
Lanchardordered,'Hardtoport!'
Nothinghappened.
"Thrustersareinoperative,Captain,'thehelmsmansaid.
'Engineroom,weneedthrustercontrol!'Lanchardshoutedoverthecomlink.
Onlythesoundofgunfirecamebacktoher.
She looked helplessly at Vega, then at the screens.The perfect circle of darkness was swelling by the second. But deep within it was a pale glowing form.Vegarealisedwhatitwasevenashefelttimeclosingin.Theacceptanceof
destinyenfoldedtheminastrangecalm.
'IjustwishIcouldhavebeenonmyownshipattheend.'Vegasaid.'Atleast
youwillkeepyours,Captain.'
'You'll always be welcome on the Cirrandaria , Commander Vega,' said
Lanchard.
***
Sam pointed at the monitor. "The ghosts are inside the alien ship! Won't its interferencemessthingsup?'
'Notaslongaswedon'ttrytodematerialise,'theDoctorsaid.'Getready.'
Hisfingerwashoveringovertheswitchthatwouldreleasethevastreserve ofpowerstoredwithintheTARDIS.
***
Rexton saw the Cirrandaria lying immobile directly in their path. They were goingtocollideandhecoulddonothingaboutit.
Hedidn'tknowhowtosteer.
'Now,Bendix,now!'heroared.
Desperately Bendix hit the last of the buttons, just as the viewscreen was obliteratedasthoughtheyhadbeenenvelopedbyafirestorm.
***
Whether it had been a Nimosian or Emindian ship was now impossible to
tell.The blazing mass of wreckage crossed the path of the derelict, grazed the forwardendofitspipe-encrustedhullandbrokeupintoadozenlesserfragments
and a cloud of smaller debris. The fringe of this silent avalanche struck the centraltower.
***
RextonandBendixdivedthroughthemainentranceofthecontrolmoduleasa
balloffirerolledintothecentralshaftafterthem,fillingtheairwithfluttering fragmentsofburninglabelsblastedloosebytheShockwave.Awindpickedup
as air began to escape through the damaged tower modules. They scrambled down the ramps towards the lower levels as the complex assembly of
waveguidesandenergygridsbegantocollapse.
Sparksshoweredoverthemfromshortedcontacts.Pulsesofenergydanced
wildly. On the second level the silver mesh conduit leading to the temporal laboratoryfilledwithflickeringgreenfire.
As they ducked under it the structure collapsed, knocking them to the
ground. Primary polarised temporal energy washed over them and sparks
crackledbetweenthem,theirbodiesactinglikeshortedelectricalterminals.
Bendixfelthissuitshredanddisintegrateabouthim,themetalcorroding,the
plastic cracking and flaking. His joints stiffened, his skin wrinkled. His cry of terror became a choking feeble whimper. Rexton thrashed wildly as his own clothing turned to powder and dirt, then rolled out of the beam and under the guardrailing.AsanotherfireballblastedwhatwasleftofBendixtoash,Rexton
fellkickingandscreamingdownthecentralwelloftheshaft.
In the space-time corridor directly under him hung the ghostly form of the Cirrandaria.
***
OntheTARDIS'smonitortheysawtheCirrandariaenvelopedbythealienship
and its doppelganger appear to hurl itself towards them.An instant before they mettheDoctorpressedtheswitch.
TheTARDIS'slightsdimmed.
At that same moment the continuum twisted about them according to
Bendix'slastcommand.
***
Theunitsofmeasurementstoredintheuncalibratedtargetingsystemofthealien
shipwereneither standardyearsnor kilometres.Theshipwould neverreachits
intendedobjective.Butasitfellthroughhyperspaceavortexbeam,actuatedby
itsdamagedsystems,didflickerbrieflyintolife,reachingouttotouchapointin timeandspacebeyondandbeforetheco-ordinatesset.
Thenitfadedandwasgone.
Chapter36
ToBeginAgain
PalestarsburnedinagreyvoidabouttheCirrandaria,whichitselfwasnowa
pallid insubstantial thing.After an interval the ghost ship's main drive was activated, and it began its timeless journey towards home and inescapable destiny.
***
Sam and the Doctor watched it depart from the TARDIS, which was hanging invisibly on the fringe of hyperspace. The Doctor's face was pale and pinched withregret.
'Wefailed,'hesaid.'It'sallstartingagain.'
'Well,'Samsaid,feelingtheweightofhissorrow,'atleastwetried.'
'Iknow.'Helookedattheconsoledisplays.'Therewasahugesurgeofenergy
alongthespace-timecorridor.Rextonmusthavetriedtomovethewholeship.'
'Wherearewenow?'
"Theenergysurgeinteractedwiththefieldweemitted.We'vebeenprojected
alittleoverayearforwardintimeandseverallightyearsclosertoEmindar.'
'WhatabouttherealCirrandaria'Andthefleets?'
The Doctor operated the controls and the TARDIS dematerialised. Sec
onds
later they appeared amid a thinning cloud of tumbling debris. A piece of hull platedriftedpastwithsomeletteringstilllegible:Indomitable.Abloatedcorpse cameintoviewandSamturnedherheadaway.
'Notasingleshipsurvived,'theDoctorsaidtonelessly."Theyfoughttothe last,eventhoughtheprizetheywerefightingforwasgone.Inayearitwillbe
the end for both their worlds. The phase-shifted Cirrandaria will arrive at Emindar to find a dead port and the repaired derelict.They'll use it to try to changethepastanditwillallbeginagain.'
'Allbecauseofonealienship,'Samsaid.Thenshefrowned.'Weneverfound
outwhereitcamefrom.Whobuiltit?Somethingthatsizedidn'tjustpopoutof
nowhere.'
'Inawayitdid,'theDoctorsaid.'Yousee,theuniverse'saccountsareonly
audited, so to speak, at the beginning and the end. Sometimes a little can be borrowedinbetweenandreturnedagainwithoutupsettingthingstoomuch.The
alienshipisnevercreatedordestroyed,justrepairedbytheEmindianswiththe
information Rexton sent them, which he got from the labels they put on the
instrumentsinthecontrolroom,whichtheymadefromhisdata...andsoon.His final efforts must have sent it back, damaged and with its power depleted, to wheretheEmindiansfirstfoundit.Andsothecyclecontinues.'
'Butitmusthaveabeginning.'
'Pickanypointyouwant.Theshipwasshapedwithinthenexusbythehopes
andfearsofthepeoplewhowouldlaterfightoveritinresponsetoitspotential.
Anendlesscycleoffeedbackmakingdistortedwishestangible.Thatwaswhyit
wassofullofcontradictions:thelockcodeandthenonsensicalinscriptions,the waycertainequipmentwouldorwouldn'twork,theinteriorbeingsuggestiveof
alienoriginsyetsoaccessibletohumans.'
'It'sstillhardtotakein.'
'TheTARDIShasrecordeditstimepaththroughthenexus.Youcanseehowit
interacted with everything else,' he said absently, touching a few controls. A graphical image appeared on the vast, holographic display in the ceiling above them.
Itresembledasloppilytiedmulticolouredbowwiththreeloopsofdifferent
lengths,Samthought.Adark-bluebandranacrossthedisplay,slopingupfrom
lefttoright,andwascrossedinthemiddlebyarisingcurveofdarkgreen.Both oftheseranoffthehazyedgesoftheprojection.Fromthepointtheycrossed,a
small loop of pale green rose upward, a larger loop of red rose to the same height, then dropped well down, while a thin loop of yellow hung to the very bottomoftheimage.Archingalongthevastdisplaywasagraduatedtimescale
withanarrowpointingupward.
Sam realised the Doctor was staring at the image with an expression of wonderanddelightspreadingacrosshisface.
'Wehaven'ttotallyfailedafterall,Sam,'hesaid.
'How?What'sitallmean?'
'The blue line is the TARDIS's time track and the dark green is the
Cirrandaria's. The red loop is the alien ship, while the pale-green loop is the phase-shiftedCirrandaria-theghostship,ifyouwill.Butlookcloselywhereall thelinescross:theheartofthenexusitself...'
Hezoomedinuntiltheknotatthecentreoftheimagedominatedtheirview
andpointeddramatically.'See:thetimelinefortheghostshipcurvesup,merges
withthatofthealienshipbutendsjustasitcrosses
ours.Itdoesn'tjoinitself.Itisn'tactuallyaclosedloop.Thepulsewehave
justseenmusthavebeencreated
afreshbytheenergysurgefromthealienship,notbymutualannihilationby
itsdoppelganger.Iwaswrong-
butthecyclehasbeenbrokenanyways.'
Sam was trying to understand while peering intently at the screen. 'It looks like the ghost Cirrandaria's track branches off from the real Cirrandaria's as it crossesours.'
'Reality divided about the TARDIS inside the space-time corridor,' the
Doctorsaid.'Apparentlyitwasourpredestinedroleinthenexustohelpcreate
faint copies of the Cirrandaria and its crew - and then to destroy them. The ghosts were never their future-selves doubled back in time. Their duplicated pattern must have reacted against some smaller object inside the corridor, so they became less substantial themselves. Then it was simply a matter of action and reaction throwing themselves forward in time.' Sam felt confused relief.
'Wellaslongasthey'reatrestnow.'Shelookedatthediagramagain.
'Wait a minute. The real Cirrandaria's time track runs off the top of the display.'
TheDoctorwasbeamingbroadly.'Iwaswonderingwhenyou'dnoticethat.
Obviouslyitreactedagainstthealienshipitself,whichhasbeenprojectedback
thirtyyearsorsofrom3123whenweencounteredit.Therefore,beingoflesser
mass,theCirrandariahasbeenthrownquitealotfurtherforward...'
***
The Cirrandaria was in orbit about Emindar. Lanchard and Vega stood side by sideonthebridgeasthe
scannerdatacamein.Thecommandersoftheassaultforceswerewiththem,
buttheywerenolongerfighting.Thereseemedlittlepointnow.
'Theremainsofcities...afewpocketsoflow-levelradiation...buttheairand
seaareclean,'Lanchardsaid.
Sheturnedtocommunications.'Stillnothingonradioorhyperwave?'
'Someveryfaintsignalsonhyperwave,Captain.Can'tquitemakethemout.'
'AndnothingontheNimosianchannels?'Vegaasked.
'No,sir.'
LanchardlookedatVega.'So,wherearewe?'
Before he could answer a distant rhythmic whirring sound became audible, growingintoaharshgroaning.Withadullboomingthud,afamiliartallbluebox
materializedinthemiddleoftheroom.AdoorinthesideopenedandtheDoctor
andSamsteppedout.
‘Wehadtosaygoodbyeproperly,'theDoctorsaidbrightly.
Vegarecoveredhisvoicefirst.'Whathappenedtoyou?Wherearewe?'
'According to our instruments,' Sam said with a grin, 'it's the fifth
millennium. You've travelled a little over a thousand years into the future. The
Doctorsaystimehasbeenmoreforgivingthanusual.’
TheDoctorindicatedtheblueandwhiteworldonthescreens.
‘Emindarhasnotbeenresettled.Infactthiswholesectorhasbeenmoreor
less forgotten by the rest of the galaxy since the war. Let’s say you’ve had a secondchance.Notmanypeoplegetthat.Itwon’tbeeasy,ofcourse,butyou’ve
gottheresourcesofthisshipandwhatyoucanfinddownthere.Andyourown
courage, of course.’ He consulted his pocket watch. ‘But we have to go – and you’vegotalotofworktodo.Goodluck.’
‘Goodbye,’saidSam.‘MakesureDanhasagoodworldtogrowupin.’
‘I...’Lanchardbegan,stillsoundingdazed.Thensheseemedtopullherself
together.‘Yes,’shesaid.‘Yes.Ipromise.’
With a wave Sam stepped back inside the TARDIS. The Doctor paused on
thethreshold.
‘Incidentally, the history books say that look after the war Emindar was rebuilt by settlers of unknown origins.’ He smiled. ‘I think we know who they werenow.’
TheTARDISwasbackinitsnaturalelement,ridingthedimensionwindsof
deep hyperspace.
The Doctor’s eyes had that faraway look in them again.
‘Vanderdeken,’hemutteredtohimself.
‘Who?’Samasked.
‘ThemythicalflyingDutchman.Thecaptainofaghostship,doomedtosail
theseaseternallyattemptingtodoubleabouttheCapeofGoodHope.Abitlike
Cirrandaria’sghostlytwin.’
‘Butatleastitisn’tforeverforthem.Thankstoyou.’
‘Isupposeso,Sam.’
‘And the real passengers and crew of the Cirrandaria still have a chance to make good. It’s better than nothing.’ She frowned at the nexus graphic still glowingonthemonitor.‘Youneverexplainedwhattheyellowlooprepresents.
Itgoesevenfurtherbackintothepastthanthederelict.’
‘That must be whatever balanced the ghostly version of the Cirrandaria
forward.’
‘Oh,what?’
‘Something of equivalent mass. The ghosts weren’t very substantial, so It couldhavebeenquiteasmallobject.’
‘Anditwillcyclearoundforeverlikethealienship?’
‘Yes, that’s a closed loop.’ A quizzical expression came over the Doctor’s face.‘Withoutabeginning...oranend.’
Epilogue/Prologue
POLICEHEADQUARTERS,MELCONVILLE,NORTHBERRON,
EMINDAREXCERPTFROMNIGHTPATROLLOG:17thto18th
JUNIS,3072
01.23: Responding to call from residents in 104th Street Lower West District with Officer Sabrinus. Unidentified lights and sound reported. Concern over possibleexplosion.Investigatedlocality.Inservicewayatrearofapart,block3
foundmalechildapprox.7or8yearsofage.Childwasdressedinragssopoor
theydisintegratedtothetouch.Heappearedphysicallyunharmedbutconfused.
Didnotrespondcoherentlytoquestioning.Couldnotgivenameorexplanation
forhispresence.
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 30
