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13th Incarnation
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 20, 2022 13:06:13 GMT
A fresh thread for a fresh take on my old idea, what is the Doctor was the Bad Guy? Cross-posted from alternatehistory.com.
In The Beginning. As the Diary of DWRPG puts it¹, "every villain needs transport, a good weapon, a trusty multi-tool and minions". Well in his first incarnation the Doctor has maybe two of those.
His TARDIS, once a sturdy, if utterly obsolete, Type 40, suffered badly breaking through the Transduction Barrier around Gallifrey; the navigation sub-system was shot, the internal defenses mostly gone too. Even the chameleon circuit looked likely to fail at any second. Luckily the course was engaged before the nav-system was fried.
Lucky too that the violence of his escape would have caused such a feedback wave through the Vortex that the Time Lords wouldn't be able to track him, assuming they really wanted to. With further good luck they might have assumed him dead, killed in the multi-dimensional implosion of his stolen TARDIS. He looked over at 'Susan' as he'd dubbed the creature he thought of as his grand-daughter; what those idiots back home had described as 'an Abomination' and sentenced to destruction. He'd show them...
Anyway they'd be landing soon. He'd chosen the city of London on Earth in the mid 1990s as they measured time there; about twenty years after the Revolution. It was a chaotic, cosmopolitan time with plenty happening as the first generation to grow up in relative freedom reached adulthood. Plenty of intrigue too as the first generation of new politicians and bureaucrats tasted power and chafed under the EuroFed strictures and Indian economic dominance Ah, they'd landed. Without bothering to check the display or operate the scanner he opened the doors and went outside. And stopped dead in shock. This was wrong.
It was supposed to be August, but it felt colder. At first he tried to convince himself that he'd just missed his destination by a few months. But the air was wrong too, with a smoky, almost gritty, character to it. He turned around to look at the TARDIS and the shape the external shell had taken confirmed his worst suspicions.
It was a police box, in the red livery of the National Constabulary; on top was the housing for a television surveillance camera, on the front a warning about curfew violations, and their associated penalties, and on the sides were propaganda posters; Service to the State and Unity is Strength were the slogans.
He'd arrived decades early, under the fascist British Republic. Oh dear, this was bad.
1. That'd be Issue 14, the Villains special. Available here if anyone is interested. It's a fanzine about Doctor Wgo gaming and RPGs.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 20, 2022 13:09:44 GMT
OK, it seems I was too optimistic. This board will not let me embed more than one image per post for some reason.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,760
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 20, 2022 13:16:42 GMT
Though A Glass Darkly.
How it started, why it started and where it’s going. Well this little project started over in the Doctor Who AITAS² forum³ when a poster called thereviewer suggested a three-way crossover of Doctors; one being canon, one gender reversed and one evil. For some reason this appealed to me⁴ and I started on this project over there eight years ago⁵. I hadn’t planned on going into the level that that I have done, but I tend to be a bit obsessive. And then pressure of work and life caused a hiatus, during which time I've added to my notes.
Initially, for the First Doctor era I stuck with most of the canon stories in the same order, dropping a couple (like The Edge of Destruction that wouldn't have worked⁶). Later on I re-wrote more and more of them in later eras as I became more confident. Some day I may redo the earlier incarnations completely.
Influences.
- Thereviewer, it was his idea.
- Siskoid's Seasons of Who influenced the format and without his example I probably never would have started this little project.
- The Expanded Whoniverse. There were a lot of good ideas there, along with some awful dreck. I've used bits from the Expanded Universe, both one-off ideas and elements that fit into the continuity that I’ve devised, e.g. Ben Aaronovich's Transit which describes well the era between the Martian attacks and the Dalek invasion.
- Continuity. I'm a big fan of continuity and tying stories together into a structure. This is something canon Who is often terrible at, which annoys me. Greatly. No that most media series are much better. But in this case I can maintain continuity as I see fit. Dropping bits I don't like. There are a few aspects of canon that I dislike, so I've just dropped them. So the Whoniverse has no Zarbi or sonic screwdriver (a term I irrationally detest), <spoiler>doesn’t appear and <spoiler>appears only briefly.
- Enhancing bits I like. I may be the only Who fan who liked The Dominators; I thought they were a good idea and so I've used them multiple times. This may be down to reading the novelisation many years before seeing how terrible the TV story was, though the idea wasn't bad and Zoe was cute.
- Niklas Jansson's Doctor Who redesign project (link) also influenced my re-use of them, and inspired some of the background to the fourth millennium setting.
- You can blame <spoiler>'s Kameradenwerk equivalent on my watching of Secret Army and Kessler as a child, plus The Boys from Brazil and The Odessa File. Though I didn't realise this myself until jezmiller pointed it out.
- History and worldbuilding. I'm hugely in favour of proper, detailed, worldbuilding. I like David Weber's Infodumps⁷. I prefer worlds, however alien and/or fantastic, to be plausible, reasonable and consistent. Likewise I like to see a proper historical background for science fiction set in the future. I've tried to do this with the EDC Whoniverse.
- Time travel. The ability to twist one's personal timeline, cheat by providing information, aid and resources to oneself and otherwise mess with causality via time travel fascinates me. It's not used that much in canon Who (Blink being an excellent exception) but was used more in the EU.
- One question I was asked (in the previous iteration of this universe) is why create an evil version of Britain in the Whoniverse. There are a couple of reasons for this; I wanted a slightly alternate history and had some elements researched (the death of Churchill, the invasion of the New Confederacy and a fascist Britain) for other projects so I decided to re-use them. However fundamentally it was a philosophical choice; Doctor Who is so linked to Britain, such an important part of British popular culture that if one was evil, it seemed right (even essential) that the other would also be so.
- Likewise if the Doctor is evil the Daleks or their analogue, should not be. I wanted to avoid using the Infernoverse; while I'm a huge fan of David McIntee's work the world he described in The Face of the Enemy just didn't fit with what I wanted to create. That said I've deliberately kept a couple of elements as a homage, for example the execution of the Royal Family in 1942.
- Other inspirations were Images of Oceania and its reboot Let's All Go Down the Strand here; both are alternate histories based on Orwell's 1984 where Britain descended into totalitarian dictatorship (as in the book) but the rest of the world didn't. Britain became a North Korea analogue with the populace fed an utterly false version of reality. The old (and unjustifiably obscure) TV series 1990 and The Guardians were also influences on the setting.
- If the Doctor is evil, and Britain too, what else in the Whoniverse had had its polarity reversed? I've gone with most of his companions (a couple aren’t that changed from canon), UNIT (or a analogue of it anyway)
In the Beginning. The Doctor arrives on Earth, specifically the Shoreditch region of London, early in the winter of 1962 and departs about a year later. I haven’t set any adventures in this period, but there’s room. His initial plans, once he gets over the shock of landing thirty years early, are to survive, fix the TARDIS and advance his plans for conquest. Survival means keeping a low profile, not just from the authoritarian police state he’s stuck in, but also from a Gallifrey not entirely indifferent to his departure. His experiments in genetic and cybernetic "enhancement" of Susan were looked upon with horror and disgust, and his departure was hurried. Though his immediate problem is that authoritarian police state; it’s on its last legs, he has no papers or background, there’s the Republic Security Force to worry about. And he has no means of escape, given his damaged TARDIS. Even when he does leave Britain (perhaps with a couple of locals unwillingly on board) he's got a TARDIS he can't direct, and limited resources with which to carry out his grandiose plans.
And that's about that. In the original version I mixed alternate version of the adventures of the Doctor and his minions with worldbuilding, I'll probably continue that here. Expect updates to be irregular and sporadic.
A note on 'Earth Six'. I am a games (of the tabletop RPG type) and I've played Doctor Who games back to the FASA version; indeed I currently run two games (The Thing in the Basement and The Adventures of the Achronic Omnibus). There is some cross-over. In one long set of adventures a group of time travellers encountered interlopers from, and later visited, a parallel Earth in 1981 where Britain was a disaster-ridden wasteland of warlords, the mind-blasted slaves of a rogue AI and people desperately trying to survive. That is a different dystopian Britain.... Despite the EDCverse being developed as an RPG world this never really happened.
Notes. 1. The original version of which is here. 2. Adventures in Time And Space. The name is now defunct.... 3. Found here, feel free to join us. 4. No amateur psychoanalysis please, I share my life with a professional. Who plays AITAS..... 5. Obligatory "Aaaargh I'm getting old". 6. Can you say 'Total Party Kill'. 7. And I'm willing to say it publicly.
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Post by grinch on Dec 20, 2022 13:37:44 GMT
If you don’t mind me asking, how different will this reboot be from the original idea of the Evil Doctor Verse?
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 20, 2022 15:44:58 GMT
If you don’t mind me asking, how different will this reboot be from the original idea of the Evil Doctor Verse? It'll be better, stronger, faster..... Well maybe not faster.
But I'm in a different place today, so you can (probably) expect longer rewrites, a few more stories for the early Doctors, more deviation from the canon, more continuity and more weird time travel effects.
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Post by grinch on Dec 21, 2022 17:49:45 GMT
This is pure blind speculation on my part but I imagine that come this Doctor’s final incarnation, that instead of eventually managing to rule the universe would actually end up meeting a sticky end.
Either by the hands of Koschei or perhaps even this universe’s good Valeyard who (in perhaps a nod to the original plans for The Ultimate Foe) would trap the pair of them forever in some time loop, locked in an eternal struggle?
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,760
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 21, 2022 21:10:52 GMT
This is pure blind speculation on my part but I imagine that come this Doctor’s final incarnation, that instead of eventually managing to rule the universe would actually end up meeting a sticky end. Either by the hands of Koschei or perhaps even this universe’s good Valeyard who (in perhaps a nod to the original plans for The Ultimate Foe) would trap the pair of them forever in some time loop, locked in an eternal struggle? Or he could start stealing bodies. Or persuade the Time Lords to grant him a new cycle. Though, TBH, I haven't actually planned that far ahead....
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Post by grinch on Dec 21, 2022 21:18:18 GMT
This is pure blind speculation on my part but I imagine that come this Doctor’s final incarnation, that instead of eventually managing to rule the universe would actually end up meeting a sticky end. Either by the hands of Koschei or perhaps even this universe’s good Valeyard who (in perhaps a nod to the original plans for The Ultimate Foe) would trap the pair of them forever in some time loop, locked in an eternal struggle? Or he could start stealing bodies. Or persuade the Time Lords to grant him a new cycle. Though, TBH, I haven't actually planned that far ahead....
Hah! That's fair enough, as I said it's more just speculation on my part. I could actually someone such as Koschei or possibly Mortimus successfully killing off the Doctor. Only for the Time Lords to have to resurrect him to act against a greater threat. Bit like the Master's fate in the EU I suppose.
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13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 21, 2022 21:19:26 GMT
OK, the next part. It's annoying that links, embedded images and similar don't carry over and need to be recreated manually. Though the one image per post limit is even more annoying.
The Matter of Britain¹.
Life in the Republic in 1962-63
In the early sixties the Republic is still staggering on, still one of the second tier of Great Powers, more my dint of willingness to resort to measures that most other consider uncivilised² than anything else. Technologically backwards (an educational system geared towards obedience and the classics does that) and isolated (mainly by deliberate policy of EuroFed who are relying on isolation and separation as a containment technique). Few colonies are left and the butchers bill to keep them is high.
Surrounded by unfriendly states, with uncertain loyalties internally (the Scots continue to be restive despite the Pacifications) the Republic is an almost classic example of the police state, with various factions played off against each other by the Protector. Culturally it's also a backwater, by the status of any nations who considers itself civilised. Britain is poor, dirty and isolated. London is the 'Dirty old town' of song³ . The Empire is gone; the nation has few friends and no real allies. But a lot of enemies.
- Amongst the middle classes, and upper lower class, there’s an obsession with keeping up appearances.
- The National Constabulary and the Republic Security Force keep the populace under pretty tight control, occasionally aided by the armed forces. However undesirables often simply disappear rather than reaching trial. And of course after a stint in one of the Detection Centres everyone confesses....
- The RSF is a mainly paramilitary gendarmerie; it also assimilated MI5 functions for internal security, and runs the DCs and some 'mainstream' prisons.
- In London, another other industrial cities, foke [smog] is still common, there’s a shortage of oil (imported as the North Sea deposits are still unknown) and coal continues to be burned on a huge scale. There's plenty of nuclear too, fission only currently but fusion is on the horizon, albeit a rather dirty D-D type. Electricity blackouts are also common, at least in certain areas.
- Propaganda is ubiquitous, posters are everywhere and radio and television (a RBC monopoly of course) range from subtle to overt propaganda.
- The smart people realise the end is coming and are making plans; internal politics within the various arms of the state
are vicious. Lower down people still try to escape, and rather more than the government would like succeed. - The regime is desperate for a miracle, or at least an edge in the ongoing Winter War; hence the SSD and its interest
in alien technology and other potential game changers. Of course the European Federation is quite aware of this; the business in Wales in '59made the Republic's desperation very obvious. - 'Special' matters are the purview of the RSF's Special Services Directorate; they handle matters like alien contacts, psionics and general weirdness⁴.
General Themes and Motifs of the era.
- No-one can be trusted. All organisations of any size, complexity and (especially) power contain multiple factions working to their own ends.
- Various attempt to develop new energy/food/material sources, sometime involving alien technology, and often risky.
- Occasional use of nuclear or chemical weapons to deal with alien threats. Partially this is a holdover from the Eastern War, where a dozen or so crude nuclear bombs were employed. (There's a general consideration of nuclear weapons as tactical problem solvers rather than citybusters). Chemical weapons also far more accepted (also used extensively against the 'Russian Hordes').
- Humans are expanding outward, into space and the previously unknown areas of the planet.
- Faction fighting within the British government is endemic and dangerous to those enmeshed in it.
- Britain is even more wedded to Imperial (i.e. non-decimal and non-metric) currency and units than historically; the stone, half-crown and gill live on.
- Drabness and shortages. While there is no official system of rationing there are pretty much constant shortages of imported and luxury goods, and even some staples.
- People with skills are trying to leave Britain, despite strict border controls. Those who are discovered end up in various forms of detention.
Notes. 1. Thanks to Messrs Newman and Byrne for the title. 2. At least since the fall of the New Confederacy and the resulting.....unpleasantness. 3. Though not in public of course; not if you know what's good for you. 4. Think UNIT with ready access to nukes and willingness to use them.
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13th Incarnation
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 21, 2022 21:20:37 GMT
Or he could start stealing bodies. Or persuade the Time Lords to grant him a new cycle. Though, TBH, I haven't actually planned that far ahead....
Hah! That's fair enough, as I said it's more just speculation on my part. I could actually someone such as Koschei or possibly Mortimus successfully killing off the Doctor. Only for the Time Lords to have to resurrect him to act against a greater threat. Bit like the Master's fate in the EU I suppose. Perhaps, though there won't be a Dalek-Time Lord 'Great Time War'. I believe I've expressed my opinion on that...
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 21, 2022 21:25:54 GMT
OK, the next part.
TRIGGER WARNING This post contains references to sexual abuse.
Dusk and Departure.
Almost a year after their involuntary landing on Earth the Doctor and Susan had carved out a niche for themselves, with the unwilling assistance of Isaac Magnus Foreman, owner of a scrapyard and garage not far from where they'd landed. A man who also dabbled in dealing in stolen property and assisting the constabulary with their investigations.... They'd kept a low profile, the local situation being awkwardly between periods when it would have been easier to establish themselves; detailed records were kept, but computerisation was limited and rather difficult to alter due to their primitive nature. The Doctor had created identities for them as Foreman's niece and her grandfather, but they generally stayed in isolation. One exception to this was Susan's attendance at the local school.
Susan, who appeared physically a teenager, was enrolled in Cole Hill Secondary School, mainly due to a nosy neighbour of Foreman's who mentioned the matter to the authorities, prior to her unfortunate death. Considering that attempting to avoid conventional schooling would merely enmesh them in a further web of bureaucracy the Doctor submitted with bad grace and allowed Susan to attend school. All went well, or as well as schooling can go for an alien who knows little that her peers take for granted, until a prank in which Susan had played little part went wrong and a teacher's car was damaged. In a detention supervised by the notorious 'Ape' Oakhurst several boys and girls were beaten severely. However when the detention ended, Oakhurst instructed Susan to remain behind. That's when matters got messy.
When the lecherous teacher attempted to molest her Susan reacted instinctively and violently. Worse, she then did a poor job of hiding the corpse. Practically running from the school grounds Susan fled back to the relative safety of 76 Trotters Lane.
An hour or so later a teacher working late correcting essays finally decides to head home, and stumbles over the mutilated, barely recognisable, corpse. Barbara Wright is initially shocked, though not all that surprised as she knew Oakhurst's reputation. Curious at the nature of the man's injuries, including his torn out throat, she wonders if the death may be connected to her mysterious pupil, a girl simultaneously clueless about real life, but possessed of amazingly detailed knowledge of some aspects of history. Finding her colleague and occasional lover, Ian Chesterton also in the building, the pair obtain Susan's home address and follow her, pausing on the way for Ian to visit his boarding house for a 'souvenir'.
In Trotter's Land they find a small house attached to the scrapyard. But their entry is noticed by a patrolling constable and the officer stumbles on a confrontation between Barbara and Ian, and the Doctor and Susan. Glimpsing Susan the two teachers followed the terrified girls into the cellar of the house, and into an open police box, where they meet her 'Grandfather'. Characteristically Ian pulls a gun but is disarmed by Susan, revealing her non-human nature to the shocked teachers. However before the Doctor fried Ian, the police constable arrives and is instead toasted. Instead of killing the intruders the Doctor gives them a choice; he and Susan will be forced to depart, his repairs to his 'ship' incomplete, the two teachers have a choice "Come with me, or stay here for the authorities. And you know what that means".
Unwillingly accept his offer and enter the TARDIS.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 21, 2022 21:28:11 GMT
The Lost Tribe.
Barbara and Ian have only a few minutes to gape at the seemingly magical technology that surrounds them, the myriad of rooms that somehow fits into the tiny shell of a police box before their first trip in space-time is over. That interval was still sufficient for Ian to argue with the Doctor ("Doctor Foreman?" "Who?") and dismiss the idea of a time-space craft. The Doctor's derisive dismissal of human technology (and especially that of "Your backward little island") annoys Ian. Sensing trouble in the offing Susan warns him that his pistol won't function in the TARDIS¹ and the teacher seethes quietly.
Assured that the trips will be a brief one (“Calibrating the navigational computer my boy”) the travelers are startled when there is a fireworks-like display of electrical sparks and explosions from the central console. The Doctor's obvious concern is not reassuring to any of his involuntary passengers... The Doctor’s navigational skills have failed him; worse the trip of about a half-million years, overloads the primitive electrical parts he's used for repairs. This necessitates a rapid evacuation of the craft to the cold, dark, outside world. But at least the air is breathable and free of electrical fumes.
When Barbara and Ian recover from their amazement they explore the rugged, not to say bleak, area where they have landed. Ian is dubious of the Doctor's explanation that this is in fact Britain². Soon they encounter a tribe of primitive humans and demonstrate the effectiveness of firearms to them. However neither Ian nor Barbara have much ammunition³. Soon the travellers are embroiled in a three-way power struggle within the tribe, to whom fire was a strange and wonderful thing. Za, son of the previous tribal leader feels that leadership is his by right, but his father died without teaching him the secret of making fire. His main rival is Kal, who was adopted from another tribe as a child⁴ and seeks to change the longstanding ways of the tribe. Aloof from the squabbling men is the third power, the Old Woman, priestess of their tribal deity, Orb. Due to prophetic dreams she feared fire, and plotted to stop the tribe from rediscovering the secret. Some instinct⁵ caused her to fear and hate the time travellers and she opposed them at every turn, insisting that the hunters confined them to the shrine cave⁶. There Barbara is horrified to find neat stacks of skulls and mounds of bones; something that is worsened when Susan helpfully points out the that all the skulls appear to be cleft in half.
Soon the Doctor grew bored with the tribal squabbling and the antics of his new minions and formulates an escape plan, mainly relying on Susan's superior physical abilities (He also mentally resolves to carry his burner at all times in future, to deal with insolent primitives.). The remaining ammunition for Barbara and Ian's weapons⁷ scares off the hunters long enough for the party to return to the TARDIS, where the self-repair systems have been working.
So, a brief trip to prehistoric Earth ends with several Neolithic humans killed; luckily for the Web of Time the tribe of Gum was due to be exterminated in a rockslide anyway and none of the archaeologists will believe the metal particles embedded in the bones were bullets. At least until they excavate what's under the shrine cave⁸...
Notes. 1. Which is actually true. The internal security systems and weapon-suppression field are working just fine. 2. The earliest humans (more-or-less) in what is now Britain date to around 800kY BP. However the earliest evidence of actually controlled fire in use in Britain is around 415kY BP. The history of the control of fire by humans and proto-humans is long, complicated, disputed and fascinating. 3. Poor Planning and Preparation Predicts Piss Poor Performance. 4. After they were brutally massacred and the children taken. The abiding principle of the period being "They are not part of our tribe. Therefore they are competition for Resources and must be beaten to death with a blunt object." (Thanks JB) 5. Or was it just 'instinct'? 6. A delightful little cave with the main entrance blocked by a large rock. The interior is unusually cold and the decor is best describes as 'charnel house'. 7. Ian carries a souvenir of his State Service, a .38 Webley automatic (i.e. a semi-automatic pistol; the standard BR military sidearm, nine round magazine). Barbara took the constable's .38 Sterling revolver, he didn't need it. 8. Insert obligatory "Doo, doo doo doo" music here. But that is a tale for another time....
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Post by grinch on Dec 22, 2022 12:12:40 GMT
Is the thing that’s buried under the shrine cave meant to be a reference to the Silurians?
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 22, 2022 16:33:34 GMT
Is the thing that’s buried under the shrine cave meant to be a reference to the Silurians? Nope I have other plans for an unsuspecting archeologist many years afterward. But a good guess grinch.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 25, 2022 16:03:18 GMT
The Dead Planet.
After departing prehistoric Earth the TARDIS spends almost a week in, well wherever it spends duration when outside space-time¹. While the Doctor attempts to repair the craft's systems, Susan does double duty guiding the humans around the capsule's systems and helping her creator. Luckily she doesn't need much rest. After six days of work the TARDIS finally materialises somewhere. Ian and Barbara are worried and consider jumping ship, if wherever they've arrived is remotely suitable. But one look at the external scanner disabuses them; they've arrived on a desolate and irradiated planet. In fact the levels of ionising radiation are so high they suggest massive nuclear warfare in the none too distant past. Looking over the coordinates of their destination the Doctor finds a memory stirring, something about a race of all conquering cyborgs... So after issuing anti-radiation drugs² and giving them time to equip themselves he leads his minions out to explore³.
A quick survey locates a strange, even wondrous, metallic city, full of smooth curves and strange geometric artworks. Not long after they begin exploring they are met by a trio of odd machines, shaped somewhat like rounded, tapering, cylinders, about five feet high, topped by rotating domes. They call themselves Dals and claim to be one group of survivors of a long ago war that employed biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, along with some the humans cannot understand⁴. Their ancestors survived and developed the 'travel machines' when they now employ to move around and interact with the world. The Doctor is ecstatic; clearly these Dals are the created he remembers, destined to conquer much of several galaxies. But with him at their head they will achieve so much more.
The travellers spend a half-a-day or so, in Earth time, interacting with the Dals, learning about their society, history and technology. They have achieved orbital space-flight by means of the gravity polariser but have little capability for further travel⁵. Soon, despite himself, the Doctor begins to have doubts; he proposes an alliance to the Dals, with his help, and leadership of course, they will expand, conquer and rule. Alas his memory is quite wrong and his attempt to exploit the peaceful, and rather timid, cyborg Dals fails. After Ian kills one of their leaders⁶, the remaining Dals arm themselves and drive the aliens out of their metallic city. They also send out parties to investigate and secure the Aliens’ ship
Someone should have paid more attention to his Galactic History studies....
Outside the city and cut off from the TARDIS the party encounter the second intelligent race on Skaro, the brutal, race-purity obsessed, physically perfect Thaleds. Both races are the descendants of the survivors of a lengthy war centuries earlier. In the Thaled encampment the humans witness the ‘cleansing’ of newborns showing signs of ‘imperfections’.
The Thaled encampment is sparse; the Dals are unwilling to exterminate the Thaleks but occasionally take measures to prevent them establishing significant industrial capacity, as this could allow them to threaten the Dal cities.
In a temper the Doctor decides to give up the whole plan up as a bad idea; however he finds that the Dals have removed his TARDIS to their city. Unable to recover it unaided, he promises the Thaleds his assistance against the Dals if they help him and his minions recover their spacecraft. The Thaleds agree, planning (of course) to betray the aliens and capture them. The Doctor locates one of the old Thaled wartime bunkers, still buried after centuries, and aids them to recover advanced weapons.
Using his technical skills and the equipment recovered from the bunker the Doctor suppresses the Dal city's sensors and allows the invasion force to enter it undetected. They two old enemies fight amongst the laboratories, procreation chambers, artworks and studios of the city. While both sides are distracted the Doctor uses the city's scanners to locate his TARDIS, which he had neglected to describe to the Thaleds. Pausing for the Doctor to set one of the city's neutronic reactors to overload, they enter the the safety of the TARDIS. While great slaughter happens around the, the travellers flee Skaro.
But now the Dals and Thaleks know of space travel, aliens and time travel; they will return. Meanwhile, within the TARDIS, Ian and Barbara are worried; the Doctor's knowledge is decidedly fallible and potentially inaccurate; this is not reassuring to his travelling companions.
1. That'd be the Vortex. However no-one has given Ian or Barbara a beginners guide to temporal theory. While there is an English language, first edition, collectors copy of Thomas Noon's Introduction to Polytonic Etiology (on actual physical paper) that work presupposes about five centuries of education in physics beyond that of 1963. 2. There is no messing about with mercury links. This Doctor doesn't cajole and deceive, he orders. 3. He's a ruthless, megalomaniacal psychopath , not an idiot. 4. Nanotech, radiological, Z-bombs, kinetic impactors, blits, et cetera. Plus some real exotica. 5. Skaro's stellar system is sparse, it has no significant satellite, and it's star is an old Population I one. Hence space travel has little in the way of easy destinations beyond orbit. 6. Early Dal travel machines were not intended for warfare and are generally unarmed and lightly armoured. 7. "Promises made to Aliens have no validity".
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 25, 2022 16:13:51 GMT
The World at War.
Originally broadcast in 1973 the epic pan-European television documentary series was commissioned to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the end of the Eastern War. In its time the most expensive, and most watched, and most celebrated television series ever made. A driver both for the then nascent 'video-disc' system, mainly for the educational market¹, and for the use of Esperanto, it was the first major television series available in that language after a major campaign by the Esperanto Institute². Until the revised version of 1998.
In the first edition there were 42 parts, originally broadcast weekly across the EuroFed.
From Peace to War. A general overview of the war, it's causes and consequences.
A New Russia. The fall of the Social Democrats during the Big Slump and the rise of the New Imperialism.
The Shadows Grow Long. Russian meddling, espionage and other pre-war activities
Distant War. In 1939 the rumbles of war are are seemingly far distant from the metropoles of Europe, but some people can see what is coming.
The Baltic's Fall. The shockingly quick Russian seizure of the Baltic States and the lack of coordinated European response to Russian aggression.
Polska. The Russian attack on Poland, and the German, Spanish and French declarations of war that followed.
United [We Stand] . The coordination of national responses to the war, initially under the League of Nations, leads to the beginnings of European unification in response to the Russian threat and their path on the way to the Confederation.
Sisu. The brutal Russian invasion and occupation of Finland
Stop Line. The Polish/German/European forces halt the Russian advance
Counters. The initial round of limited counter-offensives
Total War. By 1942 it is apparent to everyone that the war will be neither quick nor easy, both sides move to full scale war effort.
Quite Early One Morning. The full-scale invasion of Russia, on a front from the Arctic to the Mid-East
Meanwhile in the East. Japanese meddling and intervention.
Men at War, Women at Work. The social impacts of the war and the effects on women.
Frightfulness (Gas!). The use and impact of chemical weapons, from phosgene and the various mustards to the new nerve agents, and their effects, both immediate and long term.
At Sea. The naval war, including coastal raids and bombardments, amphibious operations, submarines, commerce raiders, infiltration operations and more.
Bombing and Burning. The bombing campaign with specific coverage of the Volgograd firestorm³.
The Matter of Britain. The concern over British intervention and the plans and measures taken to prevent and counter it.
The Sea Wolves. The Russian submarine and raider campaign
Science at War. The new developments and their contributions to the war effort.
The White Desert. The upper Baltic and Arctic campaigns
Vulcan. The Russian amphibious invasion of Iceland.
Plague! Biological warfare, real and not⁵.
In The Shadows The war of resisters, guerillas, spies and saboteurs⁶
Home and Hearth. The life of civilians at home
Dissent. Those who resisted the new regime in Russia and what happened to them.
Advance! The EuroFed forces drive deep into Russian territory
Stalemate. In the winter of '45 the advance falters and a stalemate seems inevitable.
Breakout. The brilliantly planned Operation Jardin and the myriad of elements that contributed to it's success.
They Also Fought. Stories from the small nations that fought in the war; Ireland, Denmark, Mexico et cetera.
Aftermath. The war is over. What now? Covers the peacekeeping, nation building, famines plagues, ethnic movements and other consequences
The Reckoning. The Confederation states meet to decide the fate of Russia.
From War to Peace. Demobilising the forces and their return home, changing the economy back to peace-time.
Rebuilding. Creating the new states in the former Russian Empire.
Unnecessary Persons. The Russian murder campaign against those who didn’t fit the state’s views of Slavism, religion and Russian ethnicity.
Superbomb. The development of nuclear weapons, their use (including the debate about targets and demonstration), and the aftermath
Whirlwind. War Crimes investigations and trials.
Memories. Those who lived through the war speak of their memories of the time.
Men of War. Portraits of some individuals, soldiers to generals
Men of Peace. Post-war stories of veterans and how the war changed them
All our Yesterdays. The views of contemporary people on the war
The Autumn War. Professional historians put the war in context.
The World at War 2. Re-released in 1998 with new editing, numerous new episodes and further contributions from those surviving interviewees. In glorious digital high-definition. Helped create the DHD disc market and still remains the best seller of all time.
New episodes are italicised.
The War To End All War. Overview of post-war events and the lack of subsequent major wars
Rise Of Totalitarianism The various reactions to the Big Slump, the disintegration of the United States and the tendency towards authoritarianism.
Uncivil War. The various internal conflicts in the 1930s
From Peace to War. A general overview of the war, it's causes and consequences.
A New Russia. The fall of the Social Democrats during the Big Slump and the rise of the New Imperialism.
Forge of the Russians. The programme of ‘forced draught’ industrialisation, it's effects on society and production.
The New Samurai. The political upheavals in Japan and the strange death of an emperor.
The Shadows Grow Long. Russian meddling, espionage and other pre-war activities
Gambits Across the Globe. The various attempts by the New Russian Empire to destabilise other countries before the war officially began. Includes material recorded with Elsbeth Schragmüller before her death in 1973 that wasn't used originally.
The Unknown War. Internal ‘consolidation’ in the New Russian Empire
Distant War. In 1939 the rumbles of war are seemingly far distant from the metropoles of Europe, but some people can see what is coming.
The Pace Quickens. Fearing economic collapse and internal unrest Russian plans accelerate.
The Baltics Fall. The shockingly quick Russian seizure of the Baltic States and the lack of coordinated European response to Russian aggression.
Polska. The Russian attack on Poland, and the German, Spanish and French declarations of war that followed.
Take Up the Gauntlet. The creation of the political will to stop the Russian expansion
United We Stand. The coordination of national responses to the war leads to the beginnings of European unification in response to the Russian threat and their path to the Confederation.
The Lion Whimpers. Britain responds, but, beset by internal problems and the beginning of The Troubles, does noting.
Sisu. The brutal Russian invasion and occupation of Finland
The Onslaught Slows. The war is slower and most costly than planned, logistics trump rhetoric.
Depths and Despair Can Europe stop the onslaught? Covers the various 'Peace with Honour' movements and deliberate incitement of Defeatism.
Stop Line. The Polish/German/European forces halt the Russian advance
Counters. The initial round of limited counter-offensives
Japan Decides A study of the various Japanese plans, the internal factions and their schemes.
Total War. By 1942 it is apparent to everyone that the war will be neither quick nor easy, both sides move to full scale war effort.
Quite Early One Morning. The full-scale invasion of Russia, on a front from the Arctic to the Mid-East
Mid-East The forgotten front of the Middle and East, the importance of access to oil and British meddling.
Meanwhile in the East. Japanese meddling and intervention.
Men at War, Women at Work. The social impacts of the war and the effects on women.
Gas! Gas! Gas! The use and impact of chemical weapons, from phosgene and the mustards to the new nerve agents, and their effects, both immediate and long term. Noted for the colour footage of Russian testing of chlorine trifluoride and other agents on prisoners.
At Sea. The naval war, including coastal raids and bombardments, amphibious operations, submarines, commerce raiders, infiltration operations and more.
Bombing and Burning. The bombing campaign with specific coverage of the Volgograd firestorm³.
The Matter of Britain. The concern over British intervention and the plans and measures taken to prevent and counter it.
The Sea Wolves. The Russian submarine and raider campaign.
Science at War. The new developments and their contributions to the war effort. Expanded to cover certain devices still secret in 1973.
The White Desert. The upper Baltic and Arctic campaigns
Vulcan. The Russian amphibious invasion of Iceland
Plague! Biological warfare, real and not⁵.
In The Shadows The war of resisters, guerillas, spies and saboteurs.
Home and Hearth. The life of civilians at home
Dissent. Those who opposed and resisted the new regime in Russia and what happened to them.
Guerre Éclair The theoretical basis for the mixed, high speed, mechanised warfare that characterised the European response in the later war.
Advance! The EuroFed forces drive deep into Russian territory
Destination: Petrograd. The plans for the invasion of Russia.
The Cauldron. But the advance is not cheap, or easy.
Stalemate. In the winter of '45 the advance falters and a stalemate seems inevitable.
War in the Air. The development of aircraft and related technologies, including helicopters and reaction jets. Double length and filled with reconstructed and new material.
Codebreaking. The cryptographic war, the use of computers and the importance of almost unknowns like Ludgate and Hayes.
Breakout! The brilliantly planned Operation Jardin and the myriad of elements that contributed to its success.
Clash of Titans. The last large scale battles of the war, some of the largest and bloodiest ever.
Destination Moscow. The final assault and the brutal street-fighting.
To the Last Man, Again and Again. The Russian resistance begins to crumble.
They Also Fought. Stories from the small nations that fought in the war; Ireland, Denmark, Mexico et cetera.
The Writing On The Wall Russian defeat seems inevitable. But not necessarily...
The Beast in the East. The last phase of the war and its horrors.
A Star in the East The superbomb is unleashed
The Noose Tightens Under nuclear, chemical, explosive and incendiary bombardment Russia seems finished.
Poising the Dagger The plans for the last great push.
Aftermath The war is over. What now? Covers the peacekeeping, nation building, famines plagues, ethnic movements and other consequences
The Reckoning . The Confederation states meet to decide the fate of Russia.
From War to Peace Demobilising the forces and their return home, changing the economy back to peace-time.
Rebuilding. Creating the new states in the former Russian Empire.
Unnecessary Persons. The Russian murder campaign against those who didn’t fit the state’s views of Slavism, religion and Russian ethnicity.
Superbomb. The development of nuclear weapons, their use (including the debate about targets and demonstration), and the aftermath about targets and demonstration), and the aftermath. Expanded with new material, and new views.
Making Things Right. Trying to create stability, justice and peace in the former Russia.
Whirlwind War War Crimes investigations and trials.
Memories. Those who lived through the war speak of their memories of the time. Expanded greatly to double length.
Men of War. Portraits of some individuals, soldiers to generals
Men of Peace. Post-war stories of veterans and how the war changed them
All our Yesterdays. The views of contemporary people on the war
The Nature of Fascism Discussion on why Russia went the way it did. Often considered the weakest episode of the series.
Devils' Bargains? A discussion of the implications and consequences of the deals with Japan and Britain that allowed the European states to focus their resources on Russia.
The Autumn War Professional historians put the war in context.
The Autumn War 2 And again, with more distant perspectives and different beliefs.
1. The scholastic versions were somewhat toned down. 2. The EI is a major target of conspiracy theorists in this world, especially in the British Republic where it is painted as some sinister body directing events and pulling strings around the world, but they're just nonsense of course... After all the Brits say the same about the SSE, don't they? 3. Still somewhat controversial in '73, but a new generation was a little squeamish about incinerating half-a-million people. 4. This footnote not used.... 5. Actually quite a few biological attacks weren't really attacks but accidents or effects of war. However there are always conspiracy nuts. 6. This was controversial stuff, as people admitted planning and carrying out what might well be considered terrorist acts. But, hey, it was during a war.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 25, 2022 16:15:17 GMT
Journey to Cathay.
Another abrupt departure¹, makeshift repairs performed without proper components and a self-repair system that functions intermittently, it's really no surprise that only a couple of days after leaving Skaro the Doctor's TARDIS develops a serious fault in the navigational control systemthat leaves it racing through the Vortex into the deep future, where strange thing lie in wait and even Time Lords fear to venture. Sensible ones anyway.
Fearful of the consequences of materialising in an uncharted area of time the Doctor desperately triggers and emergency materialisation, using the coordinates of his previous visits to Earth as a basic for calculation. Abruptly the capsule shudders back into real space, reality shimmering dangerously within the craft, systems overloading yet again. And, again, the time travellers are forced to exit the craft to escape the failing life-support systems and smoke that the damaged systems are producing, to take their chances in the desolate, snowy, and mountainous terrain outside. Though at least they have time to grab their go-bags. The world outside is both harsh and magnificent, an unspoiled wilderness of snow covered rocky peaks. It's also very, very cold. And the air is thin by the standards of Ian and Barbara.
Exploring the area to find a suitable campsite the quartet are surprised by a group of armed Asian men, carrying bows, swords, spears and other medieval weapons. Immediately there is a confrontation and when a couple of the warriors seem about to attack they are the victims of weapons centuries more advanced. Things seem likely to degenerate into a battle, especially when Tegana, the leader of the group, denounces the travellers as evil spirits and sorcerers. Unusually it is Barbara, who recognises the warriors as Mongols, who manages to calm matters, claiming that the party are indeed sorcerers (the Doctor's incineration of a twitchy Mongo archer reinforces the point). While uneasy discussions continue a European man joins the group and reprimands Tegana. Soon Barbara recognises the bearded stranger as the famous Venetian traveller, Marco Polo.
The Doctor becomes interested at this point, seeing in Polo a useful contact, someone who can provide an introduction into the court of Kublai Khan and hence another opportunity for conquest. The travellers ask if they can join the caravan to Cathay and for Polo to arrange transport of the TARDIS, which they claim is their flying machine, temporarily cursed by a malign enchantment.
Polo is enthusiastic about bringing these strangers to the Great Khan, seeing and opportunity to burnish his own prestige, and perhaps gain release from the Khan's service and permission to return to Venice. He uses his influence to have them treated as honoured guests, allowing the Doctor and Susan to continue making repairs (well supervising the automated systems mainly).
Simultaneously the Doctor studied the Khanate and Kublai Khan and plots to use him to establish a global empire, with him as the power behind the throne naturally. The travellers reinforce their credentials as sorcerers, impressing the locals with novelties like LED torches, Kell lamps, matches, firearms, a shimmer knife and a medical kit. Soon most of the caravan accepts then as honoured guests of Kublai Khan’s emissary, Marco Polo, as they travel the Roof of the World and prepare for the trk across the Gobi desert. Susan becomes quite friendly with Ping-Cho, a teenage girl from Samarkand intended for an arranged marriage with one of the Khan's elderly advisors. Well almost everyone; Tegana is still suspicious, and humiliated by his failure to capture the travellers. He's also aligned with Kublai Khan's warlord nephew, nephew Kaidu Khan², from whom he has secret instructions to attempt the assassination of his patron's uncle.
After the caravan enters the great desert Tegana makes a number of attempts to slow their progress and kill the strangers and Polo; attempting to poison the water barrels (which is frustrated by a sandstorm), plotting with bandits to attack the caravan (frustrated by the time travellers and their weaponry) and eventually holing the water barrels. This last attempt is more successful, stranding the group days from any caravanserai and in danger of dying of thirst; luckily the Doctor thinks of running a pipe into one of the TARDIS's swimming pools.
Eventually, after two months of travel, the caravan reaches Khagan and the Doctor finally meets Kublai Khan. When they arrive at the Khan’s palace much intrigue ensues, and several opportunities for use of the Doctor's toxicological and pharmacological skills (Ping-Cho's elderly, would-be husband, reacts badly to an aphrodisiac, his heart almost explodes and he vomits blood over a teenage concubine). The great leader is a far different man from his grandfather³, an urbane and intelligent man of great force of personality. He's confused, and somewhat amazed, by the supposed sorcerers but such things are not unknown in the Khanate⁴. He puts his advisors to work studying the newcomers, their ways, and their gadgets. Meanwhile he plays backgammon with the Doctor, who finds him extremely strong willed and resistant to hypnotic influence. The Doctor's fortunes at the gaming table wax and wane, and he's in danger of losing his TARDIS....⁵
Ian had never trusted Tegana, and believed him responsible for the troubles that beset the caravan; in Khaganhe continues to investigate and eventually annoys Tegana sufficiently for as assassination attempt to be made. Unfortunately for Tegana, Ian kills several of his attackers and then summons the palace guards, whom he convinces to take him to the Khan, just in time to interrupt an assassination attempt on him with the aid of Marco Polo.
The Doctor is of two minds; the TARDIS is now operational, partly at least, but he's still hopeful of being able to control the Khan and build an empire. Until he hears one of Kublai's advisors, a Buddhist monk newly arrived, mention a document pertaining to "devils with two hearts". Suddenly worried, the Doctor summons his minions and quickly escorts them into the TARDIS.
And in another part of the palace complex, Marco Polo completes the entries in his diary; how strange recent days have been.
1. As I mentioned previously there is no adventure equivalent to Edge of Destruction due to the probability of TPK. 2. Correction of a historical error in the show. 3. That's be the less urbane but undeniably effective Ghengis. 4. Given the prevalence of aliens and other weirdness in human history, pretty much every organised society had someone to manage such matters, human history is littered with 'investigating agencies'; the Legion of Smoke, Shadow Directory, LONGBOW, Torchwood, Paladins, Secret Congress, UNIT, Vigiles Umbrum, et cetera. 5. Not that he'd be inclined to honour such a loss.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 25, 2022 16:17:03 GMT
The Sea of Death.
With the TARDIS's systems working better than they have since departing Gallifrey the Doctor is in a good mood for once, and gives his involuntary crew a tour of the ship. After only getting lost a few times they now know far more about the interior of the mysterious craft, though not much at all about where it, and the Doctor and Susan, came from. Ian and Barbara begin to relay, and start making a couple of suites into something approximating home, while caching weapon, equipment, supplies and valuable for contingencies. After a few hours they're awoken by the sound of the materialisation alert and they grab their gear and head to the console room.
They arrive to find the Doctor and Susan examining the scanner and various sensor readouts and arguing about what the readings mean. The TARDIS has arrive don a small island, with a large glassy tower in almost the centre; in the background there is an intermittent, unusually high, level of complex electromagnetic radiation around Delta-14 on the Hurnfield scale¹, that appear to be decaying from a once far greater level. A few kilometres beyond the island there is a mass of hurricane-like winds that surround it completely.
Naturally Ian and Barbara have no idea what this means until the Doctor can be persuaded to enlighten them; it's a form of energy at almost the same frequency as the humanoid brain, some sort of large scale telepathic field. Judging from the current levels it's possible than the planet was once blanketed, via ground and orbital relays, with such a field "Why?", asked Barbara, practically and obviously. The Doctor has no real idea, but is reluctant to admit this, "Perhaps some form of artificial hive mind? With everyone on the planet able to communicate". "Think of the possibilities....", his expression is almost beatific.
Recovering himself, the Doctor heads to a workshop to fabricate 'neural blocks' in case the telepathic field resumes. After issuing these small collars to everyone he opens the capsule's doors and ushers everyone outside.
The view from the scanner didn't do the island justice, it has a strange, stark, beauty, covered in volcanic rock and sharp-edged sand particles that appear to be work done volcanic glass. It takes the travellers about twenty minutes to reach the tower, and twenty more to examine its surroundings, but no way inside can be found. Annoyed the Doctor continues to examine the exterior while the others wander to the shoreline and examine the sea
At the shore Ian soon finds that the ocean is not merely water but also contains tiny forms of life that eat away anything that comes into contact with it, rapidly reducing it to tiny particles², Susan refers to them as 'nano-machines", almost cell sized artificial creations. Ian and Susan speculate that the ring of wind that encompasses the island is another security measure. Exploring further Susan discovers five small mini-submarines, made of some clear, crystal-like material. One has the remains of an occupant, partially digested by the nano-machines in the water; a humanoid of large stature, dressed in a suit of some rubberish synthetic material and armed with a knife and a pistol crossbow, made from the crystal material of the submarine.
The trio head back towards the tower to rejoin the Doctor and notify him of their discoveries³. While looking for the Doctor, Susan is attacked by one of the infiltrators, who makes the mistake of attempting to hold her at knife point. Moments later he is extremely dead and Susan shouts to the others. When they arrive Barbara is shocked by what Susan has done⁴ while Ian and the Doctor examine the body. A few minutes later their examination is disturbed by the arrival of three more of the rubber-suited intruders. Ian draws his pistol and shoots, only to find his firearm doesn't work; the Doctor's burner is likewise impotent. Susan grabs the knife from the creature she'd killed and throws it into the throat of the one aiming a crossbow at the travellers, before launching herself at a second. Ian grabs the crossbow from the original corpse and shoots the third intruder in the shoulder, to allow for interrogation. A moment later there are three corpses and an intruder emitting moans of pain, which increase at Ian gets to work on him. But before he says anything useful there is a burst of foul-smelling, green foam from his mouth.
Taking stock of the situation the travellers are surprised to see a door opening in the seemingly uniform wall of the tower. Grabbing the knives and crossbows they enter. Inside the tower is starkly metallic, somewhat reminiscent of city of the Dals⁵, and the soon discover they are being guided to a certain chamber inside the tower. Arriving in the central chamber the party find a large space filled with desks and workbenches on several levels and a single humanoid in white robes to greet them,
The man identifies himself as Arbitan, Keeper of the Conscience of the planet Marinus. His explanation is long-winded and rather self-serving; he claims that almost a century past the scientists (or at least one group of them) of the planet developed a giant, artificially intelligent, computer to manage the planet, and equipped it with a network of telepathic signal generators to ensure the populace were incapable of deceit, violence, and other manifestations of 'evil'.⁶ Though it did prevent the wars that looks like making the planet uninhabitable. But some fifteen years ago the system fell apart when a cult leader named Yartek, who'd recruited a number of the genetically modified super-soldiers to his cause, developed a method of blocking the psionic signal; they could rob, rape, burn, enslave and kill at will, the populace reduced to impotent sheep by the Conscience. Reluctantly the scientists decided to deactivate the Conscience, while Arbitan and some others attempted to develop a method of effecting the Voord with the technology.
This he has now done. Unfortunately without the five circuit keys to the Conscience the psionic amplification net cannot be reactivated and Arbitan has only one, the other four are scattered around the planet. He'd dispatched the last of his followers, but none have returned, or communicated with him. He pleads for the party's aid. Naturally the Doctor rebuffs him. Arbitan sighs and reveals that in a corner of the laboratory is their TARDIS, brought there by matter transmitter and encased in a force field; if they don't cooperate they will be stranded on the island too. The Doctor draws his burner and attempts to incinerate the insolent fool, but find it still doesn't work. Arbitan explains that the tower and surrounding are is protected by a weapon deactivation system⁷. Reluctantly, and planning a terrible vengeance, the travellers agree to Arbitan's bargain
Arbitan gives them four personal transmats, pre-programmed for the locations of the four keys. After examining the equipment in the tower and bagging a few items (stun guns, hypno rays, communicators et cetera) the travellers depart to their first destination.
Arriving the magnificent city of Morphoton the travellers are amazed by the splendour, comfort and resources of the community. At least until Barbara accidentally activates her neural block and sees the terrible truth; the city is no paradise, but rather a decaying, degraded ruin, its inhabitants lulled into docility by a variation on the psionic field of the Conscience. Barbara finds Sabetha, one of the agents Arbitan had dispatched, and his daughter, and her lover Altos. Ransacking the city, and stunning waves of entranced locals sent against them, the party find the dark secret behind Morphoton; the city is ruled by a cabal of almost dead leaders, whose brains were removed from their aged bodies and now live on in life-support tanks. After Ian smashes one of the cases and kills the thing inside, the Doctor has a better idea; he destroys the brain-cases connections to the outside world but leaves the rest of their systems intact. He also destroys the psionic field, after collecting a few parts and notes for his own use. The rulers of Morphoton will live on for a long time, screaming silently in the ultimate sensory deprivation tank.
Breaching the cardinal ruler of "Don't split the party" the Doctor, Altos and Susan head to the 'Screaming Jungles' while Ian, Barbara and Sabetha proceed to the city of Millenius, once the greatest metropolis of the planet.
The Screaming Jungle proves to be well named, covered in very heavy vegetation, but plants that were mobile, hostile and telepathic, but the three travellers fought their way through these defences and found an entry into a ruined temple that had been used as a horticultural laboratory years before, where scientists had developed the telepathic plants. There third circuit-key lay on a plinth right in the open; naturally the wily Doctor was not taken in and an examination revealed that the key was a fake, and taking it triggered a trap. After exploring the temple they discovered the real key lay in a desk drawer in part of the laboratory underground.
Simultaneously Ian, Barbara and Sabetha arrive in Millenius and almost immediately ended up in jail; Ian was accused of murdering a man named Eprin and the others as his accessories. The city used another variation of the psionic technology ubiquitous on Marinus, allowing a computer to read minds and detect guilt. Unfortunately in this case the Justice Machine declared Ian guilty of murder and sentenced him to a gruesome death, while Barbara and Sabetha were sentenced to fifteen years of slavery.
Meanwhile having not received any message from Ian's group the Doctor and his companions head off to the Wasteland of Ice in search of the final key. There they are menaced by mechanical soldiers and tricked by a mad trapper named Vasor, who wants Susan as his wife⁸. Her Gallifreyan physiology proved resistant to Vason's drug and Susan again demonstrated her abilities, leaving his eviscerated corpse on the ground and finding the fifth key. After ministering to the Doctor and the apparently utterly useless Altos, the travellers depart to meet the others in Millenius.
There they are enmeshed in the trial. While the Doctor is pretty uninterested in the fates of Ian, Barbara and Sabetha he needs all five keys to get his TARDIS loose from Arbitan. And having the old man's daughter enslaved probably wouldn't go down well either. So he must go head to head with the Justice Machine. His ego rather enjoys the courtroom drama, and the chance to show a supposedly infallible machine can be manipulated; the Doctor, assisted by Susan, find sufficient evidence that contradicts the verdict that the sentences are postponed and a new hearing arranged. There the Doctor uses the Justice Machine's mind reading abilities to discover that the Prosecutor, a man named Eyesen, is actually the murderer and has the last key. Ian and the others are released and the group travels back to the Island of the Conscience.
On the island Yartek and his followers have not been idle; the Citadel has been breached and the Voord have captured Arbitan, who is being brutally tortured as the others arrive. The Doctor and his minions face off against the Voord and he offers the rebel leader a deal, his TARDIS and some of the tower's technology, for the keys. Yartek agrees and after Ian, Barbara and Susan enter the capsule, much to the disapproval of Sabetha and Altos, who are restrained by the Voord. The Doctor passes the five keys to Yartek and departs, without even staying to watch the slow execution of Arbitan. The way is now open from Voord to enslave the planet; the Doctor will get his revenge.
1. Anyone get the reference? OK as I sais in the other thread it's an obscure one, from the old FASA scenario The Hartlewick Horror. 2. Look, an acid ocean that doesn't have obvious effects on the atmosphere is silly. 3. Yea, some sort of portable communications device would make sense. 4. She really shouldn't be, having seen Susan in action, but it can take a while to accept a petite, pretty, teenage girl is a killing machine. 5. Make of this what you will.... 6. What exactly 'evil' is, is very much in the eye of the beholder. 7. Not unlike the interior of the TARDIS. 8. A bad choice, the Doctor would probably have handed over Barbara or Sadetha without demurring, but Susan is actually useful.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 25, 2022 16:18:03 GMT
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Post by grinch on Dec 25, 2022 21:11:57 GMT
Merry Christmas to you as well Catsmate!
And as always, I’m continuing to enjoy this. I’ve already mentioned I’d quite like to reference this universe when it comes to writing up The Unbound team I have planned but I’ll have to think of an excuse to get Mortimus and the Gang to visit this alternate universe of horrors.
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13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 26, 2022 13:30:59 GMT
Strangers in Space.
After a few hours outside reality the TARDIS materialises more-or-less randomly, the Doctor having no further plans for the moment, other than punishing Susan for ending his previous scheme¹. Once the craft materialises the Doctor notices that it is still in motion, obviously they have arrived on, or in, a moving vehicle of some kind. Studying the motion suggests they are in distant orbit of a planet. While the TARDIS's navigational systems are still uncertain he's reasonably sure that they're somewhere on the fringes of the First Terran Empire in the twenty-eighth century, during its Third, and final, Expansion. Rather before the final Decadent Phase and the eventual fall of the Empire in a couple of centuries. An era with possibilities. Susan's punishment can wait a while.
The external scanner shows the bridge of a starship, a relatively small one to judge by the rather cramped control centre but the display is repeatedly disrupted by some form of interference, suggesting advanced technology being used to jam it, or powerful and unshielded energy fields in the vicinity. While the readouts show no obvious hazards, the gravity is Earth normal (if artificial), the air is a breathable mix (sans Argon) and there is is no detectable hazards, the Doctor hesitates. But that's why he has minions.
He informs his crew of their status, omitting the potential hazard, and Susan suggests simply going outside, while Barbara is pouting still from her demotion from goddess-hood. Naturally Ian is impatient to see where they've landed this time and wants to got out. So teh Doctor opens the doors and lets the impetuous human be his willing canary, smiling to himself. After a few minutes the Doctor exits the TARDIS and locks it.
Outside the control centre is dimly lit and cool, and seemingly deserted until Susan finds the bodies of a man and a woman strapped into the seats and calls the Doctor. He examines them and rapidly becomes puzzled. The bodies are still warm, but show no signs of life nor any of death, sphincter release or decay. They both wear the issue wrist-coms of the Terran Survey Service, but they're also dead, despite using synthetic isotope cells that should last a millennium as their backup power source. The Doctor becomes uneasy, there are suggestions of advanced technology in use.
Suddenly the male crew member, whose uniform has the three bands of a full commander and the name tag Maitland, stirs, moving slightly and groaning almost inaudibly The time travellers crowd around him as he animates, and he gestures at a box mounted on the wall bearing a red circle on its grey shell. Susan grabs the box and opens it, bringing it to Maitland. Metallic cable-like tentacles extend from the medical kit and attach themselves to the commander. After a moment he convulses and the tentacles retract into the box. After a moment Susan repeats the process with the woman, whose names appears to be Richmond and has two and a half stripes on her cuffs. The automatic medical kit does its work again and in a few minutes both officers are alive and talking, though still dazed.
The Doctor introduces himself (as "Doctor Smith, an independent researcher") and questions the pair. They're ITSS officers on a missile to explore a solar system on the edge of Terran space, near to territory controlled by a species called the Sensorites, who've managed to avoid incorporation into the Empire for over a century. Ships sent out here have tended to disappear without explanation, including a task group of the Imperial Landsknechte Corps and a SSD squadron This ship, the ISS Bright Seeker, was sent out with a volunteer crew to again attempt contact. After more questioning Richmond admits that a long-range sensor array showed signs of unusual materials in the asteroid belts of this system, with deposits of 'strained materials'² formed during extreme stellar events, which are valuable to starship engineering. If the crew can arrange for mining rights, or annexation of the system, they stand to become very rich and very well connected.
Unfortunate of the ten people on the ship only four are still alive and well; the Adjudicator who represented EarthGov and the psionic specialist who'd accompanied her died in space before they exited hyperspace. A third man, someone who'd survived a contact with the Sensorites years earlier, but who couldn't speak of his experiences, killed himself shortly afterward, smashing his head repeatedly on a bulkhead. The engineer had become obsessed with getting the ship operational and died while trying to get them working. Two others went catatonic when they entered a distant orbit of the unnamed planet and were put into cryo-pods. Other that Maitland and Richmond only John Darnell and Freddy Bates remain. The Sensorites boarded the ship out of nowhere, Richmond speculates that they used an advanced transmat system that the Earth ship wasn't shielded against. Only Darnell has interacted with them, they avoid the other surviving crew. Periodically the crew members fall into a deep coma-like state, she assumes it's also down to the Sensorites.
Meanwhile in a dark corner of the bridge, adjacent to the TARDIS, three vaguely humanoid figures in protective suits are watching the discussion while one of their number examines the TARDIS with a portable scanning device. Without any sign of communication the creature produces a tool and passes it repeatedly over the TARDIS door. Their job done two of the figures vanish, leaving the third to continue observation.
Barbara is gleeful to hear that the ship is from Earth and questions the pair about Britain, learning that Earth is now one administrative zone with London encompassing much of the southern part of England, though Maitland refers to the city having been rebuilt "after the Invasion". The Doctor interrupts her and attempts to focus on matters at hand while Richmond, whose given name is Karol, takes the medical kit and heads off to find the other crew. Bored with the talking, Ian accompanies her.
The Doctor is concerned. Unfamiliar, thanks to his damaged memory, with the Sensorites he's concerned that they have demonstrated advanced technological capabilities, more than he wants to deal with. He's also developing a slight headache, which he recognises as a reaction to nearby telepathy. He wants to obtain a psionic block, or leave the area entirely. Striding over to the TARDIS, and completely missing the figure standing less than a metre away⁴, he finds his key won't open the TARDIS door. Startled he examines the lock and find that it has been tampered with. By the Sensorites obviously. But how? And why? This suggests some knowledge of Time Lord technology. How the Doctor is scared. And stranded.
Elsewhere on the small ship Richmond has located Darnell and Bates and resuscitate them safely before bringing them o the bridge for a council of war. When they, and Ian, arrive they find the Doctor pacing the deck, furious. His precious TARDIS had been tempered with! And they're stuck here. After a few minutes of argument the decision about what to do next is taken from their hands. A communications system activates and an image of a trio of Sensorites appears in the holographic display. The leader of the triad speaks and informs the travellers that all eight of them will be moved to a reservation on the planet, there to live out their lives. While the humans, and Gallifreyans, protest the image winks out and an instant later they are all standing in a large open area with human style furnishings.
As the eight captives, or seven of them at least, assess their options the Doctor fumes silently and hatches a plan. Going into one of the private rooms in the reservation he speaks aloud, assuming he'll be under surveillance, and claims to be a Time Lord and demand to speak to the Sensorite leadership, implying the wrath of Gallifrey will be forthcoming otherwise. He sits and waits. A few minutes later one of the wall panels becomes a holographic screen, displaying a triad of Sensorites, though these beings are wearing sashes carrying what teh Doctor assumes are insignia of rank. "Time Lord, you have entered our space without invitation, in breach of the agreement between our peoples. Why have you come" The Doctor is startled by the revelation of a formal agreement between the Sensorites and Gallifrey, but bluffs furiously. "My business is not with you but rather with the humans. Their Empire is in a critical period and I am on a mission from the High Council". There is a pause for a minute or so until the Sensorites reply. "The humans have repeatedly attempted to breach our space. Their efforts have been, and will continue to be, internal matters for us". The Doctor replies, "Indeed but those actions have consequences in the wider galaxy, consequences that concern Gallifrey". "We wish merely our peaceful isolation continue. The humans covet our mineral wealth". The Doctor nodded, so probably did the Time Lords. Temporally stressed materials were extremely useful in temporal technology. He decided that it was time to quietly retreat from the situation. "I understand and accept that. If I am granted access to my TARDIS I will remove myself from your space". Remembering his bluff he hurriedly added "And the human scouts as well, of course". There was a lengthy pause, several minutes this time. Then the Sensorites replied. "Your offer is acceptable to us. However there is another matter for you to deal with first. A previous human vessel exploded in orbit of this planet, approximately one Terran year ago, but a number of humans survived in escape capsules. Shortly afterwards we began to experience a new form of sickness and we assume the humans are responsible. Remedy this problem and you may all leave, never to return". Seeing no real choice, the Doctor agreed. "I will need by assistants, and the services of the humans may be useful". Returning to the main chamber he explained matters, or a version of them, to the others.
The next day the Doctor began operations. He demanded, and received, all the data on the sickness that had been effecting the Sensorites. The symptoms were odd; neurological issues, spasms, incapacitation, brain damage and death. Curiously it didn't seem to spread in the manner expected of a transmissible disease, but rather cluster in a number of sites on the edges of the planet's main city. Based on his extensive toxicological knowledge the Doctor suspected a poison. Meanwhile he sent out the humans, plus Ian and Barbara, in pairs to try and find the stray humans. Hopefully they'd react better to their own kind. Susan he kept with him as an assistant. But why could the telepathic Sensorites not simply locate the humans by their psionic signatures. He questioned the Scouts about the last mission to the system, did they know anything about it? None of them was aware of a Terran ship being lost so recently. Maitland said that it was a pity that Adjudicator Tersen was dead, as she might know something. This was the eureka moment.
The Doctor requested the Sensorites transport him to the orbiting ship, to gather information, and supply him with a scanning device. On the Bright Seeker the Doctor located the dead Adjudicator's body, placed in a freeze tube for return to the order, and her percomp. It wasn't difficult to find the implants in her body, basically a form of sheathing on her nervous system and encasing her brain, a crude form of psionic shielding. Cracking her computer was also child's play; Tersen had details of a prior mission, launched by one of acronymic agencies that proliferated in the Empire. The crew, several of which were criminals selected for the task, had received similar modifications.
Meanwhile Susan analysed the samples retried by the humans, and the Sensorites and located the cause; Beryllium poisoning. The similarities between that element and magnesium caused the Sensorite biology to metabolise it similarly, but the lighter metal was neuro-toxic to the aliens⁵. She reported her finding to the Doctor, who was busy building an electronic contraption. He nodded and informed the Sensorites, suggesting they scan for the metal around the areas effected. A few hours later the Sensorites contact the Doctor to inform him that they have found quantities of impure beryllium salts in various locations and they are being removed for disposal. Their leaders than him for his efforts, and enquire about the humans. "I suspect that those humans who survived to land on this planet are insane, partially at least due to surgical modifications performed on them to screen them from your telepathy. However I have a device that can locate them".
Later that day, accompanied by a number of Sensorite warriors the Doctor and his minions track down the feral human survivors, one three of whom survive. The Sensorites stun the ferals, and transport all the humans to the Imperial ship. The crew place the previous mission survivors into suspended animation for the return trip. The TARDIS lock is repaired and the Doctor and his party enter their ship, while the Bright Seeker heads back to Terran space with the Sensorite warning.
1. And expect more than a "jolly good smacked bottom". 2. These are unusual and very rate materials, like Zeiton-7, formed by the interaction of extreme gravity fields that twist conventional atoms through the higher dimensions. Primitive cultures use it as an exciter for hyperspatial and warp-drive propulsion, long range transmats and similar devices. More advanced cultures understand its true value in constructing temporal and dimensional technology. 3. Molybdenum is boring, and plentiful in asteroids. 4. Psionic mind occlusion is very useful, if you can manage it. 5. Beryllium is toxic to humans, but typically effects the respiratory system.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,760
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 26, 2022 13:32:51 GMT
The Land of Fear.
Moderately satisfied by his adventure with the Sensorites, while he'd failed to build a base in the Terran Empire he'd managed to successfully bluff the Sensorites and use the threat of the Time Lords to handle the situation to his advantage, rather than be imprisoned, or worse, handed over to Gallifreyan justice. Plus he'd 'acquired' some of the Sensorites psionic technology. Yes, overall a reasonable outcome. But where would they land next. Optimistic for a change the Doctor attempted to set the coordinates for late twentieth century Earth, perhaps he could rid himself of these irritating teachers and find some more suitable minions?
Alas it was not to be, as the TARDIS missed it's point of aim by several hundred kilometres, and two hundred years, though after the craft materialises in a field this isn't immediately apparent. At least until Susan scans the radio spectrum and finds a distant lack of artificial signals. Annoyed the Doctor grabs his satchel and gestures his minions outside. A little exploration is what they need¹.
After a few minutes of walking the quartet find a farmhouse, seemingly deserted, and enter in search of information. Before they enter Ian hears a noise and grabs a teenage boy, whom he interrogates for information about where it is they've arrived. He learns that they're in France, about twelve kilometres from France. Before Ian can find out more the boy pushes him over and escapes. Not fast enough to outrun a .38 Webley bullet.
In search of more information they enter the farmhouse. While the Doctor potters around, examining the furnishings, Barbara assesses the place and guesses they're around 1800, while Susan locates a locked trunk and forces it open. Inside are clothing, correct for the period and enough for a dozen people of various sizes, parcels of food containing bread, cheese, sausage and salted meats, plus a few bottles of wine, along with paper, pens and writing materials. While the three travellers discuss this find the Doctor heads up to the small attic. Barbara's talk with Ian and Susan is interrupted by the crump of the Doctor's body falling to the ground, and a guttural command to raise their hands. Facing they are two disheveled men and the large muzzles of four flintlock pistols, cocked and ready to fire.
Helpless the trio are tied to chairs and interrogated by the men, who they soon learn are named D’Argenson and Rouvray, and appears to be plotting against the Revolution. Barbara attempts to persuade the pair that she and the others are merely travellers and are not involved with French politics but, while Rouvray seems willing to accept this, his partner doesn't believe them and suggests slitting their throats. While the counter-revolutionaries argue, Barbara pleads and Ian and Susan test the strength of their bonds. Ian has taken to carrying a flat knife in a forearm sheath² and attempts to free it. Susan is confident she can break free, her captors having underestimated her, but waits for the correct moment.
A noise outside provides a momentary distract, while D’Argenson and Rouvray have their attention elsewhere Susan snips the cords that bind her, but remains sitting. A moment later the room is full of soldiers,scruffily and ununiformly attired, but muskets aimed at everyone. Susan hesitates, while she might survive the volley (only two weapons are pointed in her direction), the humans would assuredly be killed. For a few minutes Rouvray debates with the sergeant in charge of the troops, questioning the value and morality of the Revolution. While his arguments seem to be getting through, and the troops lower their weapons, D’Argenson becomes more and more agitated until he loses his nerve and bolts. He dies in a hail of musketry. When Rouvray leaps up he too is cut down.
While Susan and Barbara are shocked into momentary silence, Ian attempts a bluff and thanks the soldiers for their rescue but the sergeant is having none of it and tells the trio that they will be taken to Paris for the judgement of his superior, Captain Lemaitre. They certainly look like Royalists. And Ian sounds English so he's guility of that at least. They'll be examined by the Captain. Then they'd be meeting the Red Widow³. At this Susan springs up form her chair and grabs one of the soldiers, only to be felled by a lucky buttstroke from one of his fellows. She and the others are bound and taken to a cart outside for the trip to Paris.
The cart trip is indeterminable⁴, Ian and Barbara are bound and dumped on top of assorted boxes and other loot, and Susan is at best semi-conscious for the journey. An hour or so after they depart the Doctor returns, painfully, to consciousness. Staggering around the farmhouse for a few minutes until his Gallifreyan physiology has recovered he surmises what has happened. To the Dark Star with them, he'll cut his losses and leave. Susan might have been useful but she was showing signs of compassion and passivity. And worse, disobedience. He walks out of the farmhouse and back to his TARDIS. Only to find his key missing. He'd forgotten to take it with him. After a moment's panic he remembers that Susan has a spare. Cursing fluently in Old Low Venusian he realises that he'll have to track down the others and rescue them, or at least Susan. Or find their bodies and possessions and retrieve the key.
Frantically searching his pockets the Doctor finds his TARDIS homer; while it's designed to track the time machine with a little modification it should be able to locate the key, at short range at least. In the mean time he has a walk ahead of him, and is cut off from his ship's resources. But some of the material in the farmhouse, left by the soldiers, might be useful
Meanwhile in Paris justice, as understood in Revolutionary France, has been done and seen to be done. Ian, Barbara and Susan have been tried and convicted by a court with distinct marsupial characteristics. The sentence is, naturally, death. Unfortunately there is something of a backlog, due to the illness of one of the Famille Sanson⁵ so they'll have to wait their turn to die in the Conciergerie Prison. No need to waste food on them in the meantime. Ian is dragged off and dumped into a cell, with only a moderate beating for being English. Susan and Barbara are taken to a different cell and one of the gaolers is quite willing to let them escape in a day or two, if they are "nice" to him. Barbara knees him in the groin⁶ and the pair are dumped into their cell⁷.
Ian recovers consciousness in significant pain to find another Englishman attempting to tend to his injuries. The man is named Webster and takes Ian into his confidence; he's actually an agent of the British government who was sent to Paris to locate a fellow spy named James Stirling that his identity was known and he must flee. Unfortunately he doesn't know Wesster but only the name of an inn where Stirling and his contacts gathered. Buoyed this this potentially useful news Ian decides to escape; most of his possessions, including his pistol, have been taken but he still has two knives, which his captors have unaccountably missed⁸, one in the forearm sheath and one in his boot⁹. When a guard opens the door the pair attack him and Ian kills him easily. In the corridor outside Ian uses Webster as a shield to absorb the musket fire of another pair of guards and runs off, thankful for a relatively easy escape.
Not noticed by Ian is the lurking presence of Captain LeMaitre, the the master of the Conciergerie, who has witnessed his escape. Ian is discreetly followed by LeMaitre's guards as he flees,
Thanks to a passing cart and a little hypnosis the Doctor has made good time to Paris. And the soldiers at the farmhouse had missed the trunk of clothes and supplies, some of which he'd taken along. The paper had allowed him to forge a number of documents and the clothes, none of which fitted him well, he sold to a tailor in exchange for more suitable clothing, those of a Regional Officer, complete with coat and hat. The obsequious tailor refuses but is no match for the Doctor's imperious willpower and does as he is instructed. The Doctor triangulates the signal from Susan's TARDIS key.
Meanwhile, in the Conciergerie Susan and Barbara are take from their cell at gunpoint, manacled, and loaded onto a cart with a few other prisoners, for the short trip to the guillotine. Two other cars and a dozen or so guards are also dispatched. Outside the prison another cart waits, the driver (Jules) and his companion (Jean) talking quietly and wondering what had become of the third member of their group. While the distance is short, given the number of spectators thronging the streets makes progress slow. When one of the horses pulling the cart of Susan and Barbara throws a shoe there is an argument between the driver and the leader of the escort. The driver refuses to continue until his horse is properly attended to. Finally the sergeant gives in and the rest of the force continue, while the disabled cart is moved to a side street, with four soldiers to guard it, while the driver takes the horse away to a farrier. A few minutes later Jules and Jean reach the stopped cart. In a brief and brutal point-blank attack they kill the guards and use their keys to release the prisoners; most flee but the rescuers grab Susan and Barbara and lead them away.
Back at the Conciergerie the Doctor has bluffed his way in with a mixture of manner, paper, correct clothing and some hypnotic influence. There he met with LeMaitre, and accompanied the governor of the jail to a meeting with Robespierre himself, member of the Committee for Public Safety and architect of the Reign of Terror. Impersonating a deputy from a rural province, the Doctor discussed the political situation so adroitly that Robespierre insisted he return the next day for further consultation, LeMaitre offering him guest accommodation overnight in the prison.
Susan and Barbara were taken to a safe-house operated by the counter-revolutionaries, and are joined by Ian and Leon, the latter having found Ian asking questions at an inn they frequented. Suspecting Leon to be the mysterious Stirling Ian arranged to meet him at a disused church that night. Unfortunately Leon was a revolutionary spy and he attempted to capture Ian, who was rescued by Jean. The latter had followed Ian after he saw him sneaking out of the safe-house, thinking him to be a spy. While this is going on the safe-house is raided by the revolutionaries and Susan and Barbara are recaptured while Jules escapes.
Brought back to Conciergerie Barbara is threatened with torture if she doesn't reveal who the counter-revolutionaries are, where they're based, who their leaders are, and other information she simply doesn't know. Luckily the Doctor is present and quickly forges a document remanding her and Susan into his custody, taking her and Susan to a chamber deep in the bowels of he prison for interrogation "where their screams won't disturb anyone".. He also obtains the prisoners' possessions, which include some anachronistic weapons and devices, and the all-important TARDIS key. He's now ready to leave Paris and return to the TARDIS, but Susan and Barbara want to find Ian. Their confrontation is brief, interrupted by the appearance of Captain LeMaitre who informs the Doctor that he knows the Doctor is a fraud. The Doctor draws his burner, and Barbara her revolver but LeMaitre warns them that there are soldiers outside and they cannot escape.
LeMaitre reveals that he is in fact the mysterious Stirling and arranged their escapes. He wants them to help him spy on a secret meaning between a senior revolutionary, Paul Barras, and another party, whose identity he wants to learn. After this he's heading back to England, and offers them safe passage and the location of Ian, which he knows through his network of contacts among the counter-revolutionaries. The Doctor is intrigued; he has been struck by the possibilities of his own meeting with Robespierre to alter the course of the Revolution to his own ends. Barbara, who has a good idea of the identity of the third party whom Barras is meeting remains silent; she wishes to retain Ian as a useful ally in the TARDIS.
Agreeing to the scheme the Doctor, Susan and Barbara travel by carriage to an inn outside the walls of Paris named the Sinking Ship, where they are met by Ian, Jean and Jules. They conceal themselves in and around a stable where Barras meets with a young army officer with a distinct Italian accent. Barbara smiles to herself as she recognises Napoleon Bonaparte. The pair had developed a plan to overthrow Robespierre, and have put it into operation. Annoyed the Doctor realises that Robespierre will soon have no value as a contact¹⁰, and the situation in Paris will rapidly degenerate into a chaos that is of no use to him, unprepared as he is. So he signals his followers and they depart in one of LeMaitre's carriages, to return to the TARDIS.
In Paris the Reign of Terror comes to a messy and complicated end and the rise of Napoleon begins, though he is tainted by suggestions of Robespierrism for the moment.
1. This is where he forgets one rather important detail....
2. He's starting to learn. This is based, or at least inspired by, gaming and it's the sort of thing I'd expect a PC to do.
3. Actually it seems that JDC may be wrong on this; while Madame Guillotine had many nicknames there is no contemporary evidence for this one.However I like it.
4. Less than three hours, but things seem longer when you're the helpless prisoner of a bunch of uncouth revolutionaries with torture and execution to look forward to.
5. Hereditary executioners to the French Crown, and later worked for the revolutionaries. Charles-Henri, who should be handling the executions, was a proponent of teh guillotine and other "modern" methods. They were easier on him and his brothers and caused less wear-and-tear on the tools of the trade.
6. She may be picking up bad habits from Susan.
7. Probably a strategic mistake.
8. I blame poor staff training.
9. He's also still got his boots, even more unexpected.
10. Robespierre and others were arrested on Sunday 27 July 1794.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,760
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 26, 2022 13:35:44 GMT
And, out of sequence I'm afraid, the TARDIS visits Mexico.
The Day of Darkness.
What could possibly go wrong with impersonating gods in a culture given to blood sacrifice?
After departing the planet Marinus¹ the Doctor pauses his TARDIS in the Vortex for a few days, to allow his minions to recuperate and for him to analyse the odds and ends he looted from Arbitan's laboratory. Some very interesting technology there, the psionic field generator could be most useful... And the personal transmats also, once they are reprogrammed and equipped with a suitable local reference frame . Meanwhile Ian wondered if the Doctor would have allowed him to bring Sabetha along as a souvenir; they done it on his State Service.
Eventually the Doctor feels he's done enough with the recovered technology and grows somewhat bored; feeling generous he indulges a request of Barbara and attempts to land in historical Earth. And amazingly this even seems to work, the Doctor confidently estimates they've arrived in 1432, to which Barbara and Susan immediate respond by discussing the Hook and Cod wars² and the Lithuanian Civil War.
Activating the external scanner the view is less interesting, they've arrived in some sort of deserted, dark, stone room, without sufficient light top examine their surroundings well. Impatient as usual Ian opens the doors and strides out, falling over a wooden box and swearing volubly, to the Doctor's amusement. Susan and Barbara gather some lights and also head outside, followed by the Doctor, muttering to himself.
The lights reveal that they're in a large tomb, complete with sarcophagus. A little effort from Ian and they open it's lid, to reveal the moderately desiccated remains of a man in elaborate dress and jewelry. Barbara promptly grabs an armlet and tries the heavy bauble on. She explains to Susan that they have arrived not in Europe but in Central America, probably Mexico, late in the Aztec civilisation. Barbara is quite an expert on the Aztecs, they were a specialty of hers at college, a fascinating mix of beauty and brutality, mixing great works with human sacrifice. They'll be gone soon, swept away by the arrival of the Conquistadors in their search for gold. The Doctor is listening to Barbara and quite intrigued by the possibilities; with some effort perhaps the European conquest could be stopped, and a base for further subjugation of the Earth established. He's quite taken with the idea, a bloody sacrifice always seemed to appeal to the masses, hence the public executions he and Susan had attended in England.
While Barbara is examining the contents of the tomb, and Ian is moodily banging at things, Susan studies the drawings incised into a wall of the tomb, thinking there was a pattern there. There is, and tapping on certain of the images triggers a beatifically constructed pivoting door, with a stone slab weighing tonnes. Calling to Barbara , Susan sticks her head outside to see. Barbara is fascinated, the possibility of seeing the Aztecs up close captivates her and she pushes past Susan to go outside. Susan decides to get the others before going out; while she's gone the stone slab pivots down, sealing the doorway.
Outside Barbara finds the area deserted, she's standing almost at the top of a step pyramid. Below is a large and magnificent city. Fascinated by the experience, her first 'real' time travel, she doesn't notice the large men coming up behind her until her arm is grabbed. Face to face with a group of Aztec warriors and an elaborately dressed man leading them, Barbara is warned that violation of the sacred tomb of the High Priest Yetaxa is punished by death. In the warriors' grip she can't get at the stun gun or revolver she's carrying....
Inside the tomb the Doctor is annoyed³ and decides to follow Barbara so he instructs Susan to open the door and the trio set off in search of the wayward teacher. Outside they pause for the Doctor to examine the sacrificial block, complete with blood channels. Ian merely comments that there are better ways to execute people, which triggers an argument with Susan, who reminds him that the sacrifice was for the glory and honour of the gods, not merely a gory spectacle. Ian snorts derisively. This argument distracts the three travellers from seeing, or stopping, the slab pivoting down, closing the way into the tomb.
A few minutes later, as Ian bangs purposely on the tomb wall, Barbara reappears, not wearing an elaborate gold filigree and feather headdress and escorted by an elderly man in Aztec dress, whom she introduces as Autloc, the High Priest of Knowledge⁴, with an escort of warriors. The priest welcomes "the servants of Yetaxa" and bows to Barbara. Queried by the Doctor Autloc says there no way into the tomb from this side. Barbara, the armlet she wear prominent, suggest that they follow Autloc to the city for the moment.
As the descend the pyramid the travellers talk quietly among themselves⁵ about ways to reopen the tomb and gain access to the TARDIS. At the base of the pyramid Autloc is accosted by Tlotoxl, the High Priest of Sacrifice and his equal in status. Bowing to Barbara and her servants he passes the travellers on to an acolyte while he confers with his fellow priest. Susan's enhanced hearing allows her to pick up much of the conversation between the priests, Tlotoxl is suggesting an immediate human sacrifice to placate the gods and end the current drought, while Autloc believes the rain will come without the sacrifice.
In the city the travellers are provided with luxurious (by local standards) apartments and left alone. Barbara is ecstatic about seeing the Aztecs up close but Ian is less enthusiastic and wonders if they can force their way back into the tomb, he and the Doctor inventory their possessions in search of a away but find little of immediate use. Barbara suggests that her position, Autloc believing she is a manifestation of the goddess Yetaxa, will allow her run of the city and perhaps a way back into the tomb. Susan is less optimistic, reminding her that as the avatar of a goddess she will be expected to be all-knowing, and thus cannot ask many questions.
Their discussions are interrupted by the arrival of the High Priests who introduce themselves and explain that there is a great drought in the land, and that the rain god will be honoured at the following sunset in order to bring the rains again. She is to be introduced to the populace at that time as well. Her servants will be allowed to walk freely among the people; Barbara intruduced Susan as her handmaiden, the Doctor as her priest and Ian as a mighty warrior. When the high priests have left the group is reasonable satisfied with their position; the Doctor especially as he'll have the ability to study the local culture for exploitation. He muses about ways to induce rainfall.
The next day the travellers wander the city. Tlotoxl suggests that as a mighty warrior Ian will be the perfect commander for the Aztec army, which amuses the teacher. Autloc opposes this, as teh current commander, Ixta, is one of his supporters and he sees a political maneuver by Tlotoxl. Ian is garbed in the ceremonial robes of a Eagle Warrior and informed that he will manage the sacrifice that sunset.
The Doctor is having a more relaxed say, having been taken to the Garden of Peace, a location for the elderly, where they may live in peace. The Garden is mainly a study area, those living there are much sought after for their experienced counsel. There the Doctor meets a woman named Cameca, a person of wit and intellect. Alone with her the Doctor pumps her for information about the tomb of Yetaxa and leans that the son of it's builder is alive, and a warrior under Ian's command. At teh Doctor's request Cameca agrees to arrange a meeting.
That evening the sacrifice is carried out, a young man willingly goes to his death, his heart cut out while Ian holds him down. As predicted by Tlotoxl soon after warsd it begins raining' the drought is over. Barbara is introduced to the populace as the manifestation of Yetaxa and the crowd bow to her as she praises the wisdom of Tlotoxl. The travellers rest and plan.
The next day the Doctor discovers that the warrior he wishes to question about a secret way into the tomb is in fact Ixta, the man Ian is due to fight for command of the Aztec army. Ixta claims to have secret drawings made by his father, and demands that the Doctor have Ian repudiate command in exchange for them. The Doctor considers this, but demands that Ixta prove he has such drawings first. Ixta angrily strides off, and the Doctor suspects he has no useful plans. Meanwhile Susan gets married. The upcoming eclipse would be celebrated by another sacrifice and the victim, the Perfect Victim, whose requests cannot be denied, has chosen to marry the handmaiden of Yetaxa. Susan is not happy about this this, though Ian find it amusing. Less amusing is the series of fights between him and Ixta over command of the army and in the end he needs a small poison injector supplied by the Doctor to prevail. Ian ends the day sore and exhausted. Finally the Doctor also becomes engaged, his sweet tooth and enjoyment of chocolate, mixed with ignorance of local customs, leading to his betrothal to Cameca. However he does learn that there is a secret passage into the tomb and plans to find it the following day. With the equipment in his TARDIS he should be able to establish himself as ruler of the Aztecs and create a power base.
With Autloc's power weakened by the seeming success of Tlotoxl's sacrifice the high priest determines it is time to eliminate his rival for power; that night one of the elite Jaguar Warriors loyal to him attempts to murder Autloc in him sleep. But the high priest is still awake, musing on the divinity of Yetaxa and sounds an alarm before he is mortally wounded. Ian, out exercising his aching muscles (and helping the Doctor find teh hidden entrance to the tomb), is one of those who respond and recognises one of assassins who are killed by the warriors as someone close to Tlotoxl. But the high priest denies this. Suddenly there is another mighty fracas at the temple. The Perfect Victim has found his new bride rather unforthcoming and is screaming in agony after she castrated him. Tlotoxl is aghast and demands that she and Ian take the place of the Perfect Victim. They don't seem willing and the high priest orders them imprisoned. Ian draws his pistol and shoots Tlotoxl. Wary of the thunderbolt weapon the warriors circle him until Susan stuns them. Watching quietly from the shadows the Doctor is furious and fetches Barbara to see if her divine authority will save his plans. It doesn't.
The town is soon awakened and chaotic. Fearing for their lives the travellers race for the pyramid and the TARDIS. While his minions hold off the Aztecs the Doctor locates the secret passage and they negotiate the passage into the tomb.
As the mob of warriors follow them, made wary by gunfire and stun guns, they witness a red box disappearing.
1. Why yes, the original serial was written by Terry Nation, what gave it away?
2. One of those weirdly named wars in European History that had a major influence on the creation of what is now The Netherlands. For the purposes of the story this is utterly irrelevant however.
3. But that is pretty much his default state of mind.
4. Yes I know this is a rather inaccurate depiction of Aztec society. This footnote will not be repeated.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 26, 2022 13:37:27 GMT
OK, this is now basically up-to-date until I finish The Catar Horror, the episode I'v replaced Planet of Giants with
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Post by grinch on Dec 26, 2022 14:05:02 GMT
It's nice to know that even in the most horrible of alternate universes, the Sensorites are still fairly reasonable.
I do wonder as to the implications of the Sensorites having an alliance or at least peaceful agreements with the Time Lords. Is it meant to suggest that, much like their Ood cousins in the main universe, the Sensorites possess some level of time sensitivity?
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 26, 2022 18:30:29 GMT
It's nice to know that even in the most horrible of alternate universes, the Sensorites are still fairly reasonable. I do wonder as to the implications of the Sensorites having an alliance or at least peaceful agreements with the Time Lords. Is it meant to suggest that, much like their Ood cousins in the main universe, the Sensorites possess some level of time sensitivity? I have plans for them to return, in fact as one of the more reasonable of the galactic powers. And not with any of the Ood connection that Davies added in.
Also Janet Leigh, in The Man from UNCLE can be blamed fro today's little glitch.
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Post by grinch on Dec 26, 2022 20:06:55 GMT
It's nice to know that even in the most horrible of alternate universes, the Sensorites are still fairly reasonable. I do wonder as to the implications of the Sensorites having an alliance or at least peaceful agreements with the Time Lords. Is it meant to suggest that, much like their Ood cousins in the main universe, the Sensorites possess some level of time sensitivity? I have plans for them to return, in fact as one of the more reasonable of the galactic powers. And not with any of the Ood connection that Davies added in.
Also Janet Leigh, in The Man from UNCLE can be blamed fro today's little glitch.
I like that. Are they presumably isolationist in stance? With their psychic abilities preventing anyone from trying to invade or conquer them? I take it when they make a conscious effort to get involved, that’s when you know things are bad.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 26, 2022 21:28:59 GMT
I have plans for them to return, in fact as one of the more reasonable of the galactic powers. And not with any of the Ood connection that Davies added in.
Also Janet Leigh, in The Man from UNCLE can be blamed fro today's little glitch.
I like that. Are they presumably isolationist in stance? With their psychic abilities preventing anyone from trying to invade or conquer them? I take it when they make a conscious effort to get involved, that’s when you know things are bad. Isolationist and stable. Managed population. A mindset that is rather alien to humans. An old and advanced civilisation, one of the Temporal Powers. Rational and controlled but that does not mean pacifistic.
If you meet a group of them away from home then it's either a diplomatic mission or something is, as you say, about to go terribly wrong. As in horrors from the Dungeon Dimensions or from the early universe erupting to eat your souls.....
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 1, 2023 13:44:57 GMT
And now a trip into Lovecraftian horror. In place of Planet of Giants, the next scenario in the classic Who sequence I give you the Catar Horror. This is basically bacuse I simply can’t bring myself to redo Planet of Giants,. I retain some level of faith in real science, and while I can go so far to embrace the Whovian science-fantasy I draw the line rather before humans being miniaturised by “excessive space pressure during materialisation”.
In the original version of this project I simply skipped the story entirely and proceeded directly to World's End. But I'm not quite ready for that yet. So here is a completely different story, based on one of the Adventures of the Achronic Omnibus¹, adapted (with some assistance from the rest of our gaming group) for a different cast. It’s set in the fictional village of Catar in Norfolk² in 1896, which is somewhat after the history of this universe and the mainstream Whoniverse diverged, but not to the extent that events are greatly changed; while the survival of the Brazilian Empire, the slightly longer career of Otto von Bismarck and lack of Belgian control over the Congo are will have significant consequences there are not apparent in a British backwater in the late Victorian period.
The Catar Horror - Part One.
After departing Revolutionary France the TARDIS spent several days in the Vortex and its occupants spent the time in various ways. The Doctor alternately schemed and fumed; Barbara and Ian discussed their life in quiet corners and planned for the future. Susan recovered from the concussion she’d suffered from the impact of a musket butt and relaxed.
Eventually the Doctor noticed, after it being mentioned by Susan, that the TARDIS was on a definite course rather than merely drifting passively in orbit in the Vortex. Finding the ship unable to leave the course it was now on alarmed him, and some frantic manipulation of the controls left him worried; something was pulling the TARDIS towards it and he couldn’t escape³. Choosing a moment before the external influence dragged the TARDIS back into normal space-time he activated the materialisation sequence
Things did not go smoothly, to put it mildly. The fault locator board lit up with dozens of blue and indigo warnings of widespread system faults; even the doors opened unexpectedly, only the external force field preventing those in the control room from being destroyed by the energies manifested outside. The capsule’s interior bucks around, and those inside are thrown around alarmingly. Finally the unusual materialisation is complete and the crew take stock.
No-one is seriously injured, though there are plenty of contusions and minor cuts. The TARDIS is intact and most secondary systems are functional, though they have no idea where or when they’ve landed⁴. The external scanner is damaged, life support is working, and most of the sensor suite is not functioning. And the main drive is seemingly fine, but will not respond. One detail the Doctor doesn’t mention is that most of the internal security systems are offline, including the weapon-suppression field. If his press-ganged humans learn this, they might get ideas….
The Doctor works frantically, barking orders to Susan and even to his human crew, to the extent they are capable of useful work. Eventually he gives up. Most of the systems can be fixed, in time, by the redundant auto-repair systems but the time drive is offline because of an external influence. Something is keeping them here.
Rapidly and decisively he takes stock of the situation and explains to his minions; they need to locate and disable whatever is keeping them here, but first they need to find out where here is. So some reconnaissance is indicated. He instructs them to prepare themselves. Opening the TARDIS doors the four step out cautiously into the darkness.
Outside it’s dark. Really dark by the standards of city-folk like Barbara and Ian. And quiet as only the countryside can be. It’s also damp, though not actually raining, and cold. Ian takes a deep breath and detects a touch of smoke; otherwise it seems like the English countryside in winter. He scans their surroundings and tweaks the strap of the Whiting machine carbine hanging from its sling at his chest. Around them is, well, nothing much; vegetation and trees, muddy grass. No sign of life, no light other than the dim crescent moon and the few stars visible through the cloud, no path or track.
Taking out a boxy device from his satchel the Doctor scans it around, eyes on the small display while they others stare into the darkness⁵. After a minute or so he snorts and gestures to his right, “Over there, about a hundred and fifty metres”, and sets off. Five hundred feet Ian mentally translates as they follow the Doctor’s lead. He’s taken out a torch and activates it on its second lowest setting; Barbara follows suit and nervously checks the holster at her hip. Susan says nothing, quieter than usual, and watchful, seemingly troubled by the atmosphere around them.
A couple of minutes cautious walk takes them to an embankment, grass covered soil and stones. The Doctor gestures curtly to Ian and the latter climbs up the ten feet or so to stand gingerly on top and look down. “It’s a railway line”. The Doctor nods, “Do you see anything?” Ian switches his torch’s light up and directs it down to the four bright rows of metal tracks a few feet below. He replies “No, nothing much. I’m going to drop down and take a closer look”, and does so before the Doctor replies, steadying his pack as he lands. It all looks like a typical railway, crushed rock, wooden sleepers, rails, some assorted debris. He calls back over the embankment, “The rails are clearly in use but there doesn’t seem to be much here”.
He walks along the track, scanning the torch around but finds nothing and returns to his start. Repeating the process in the other direction. Aha, he finds a crumpled newspaper. Ian crouches down and carefully unfolds the damp mass in the torchlight. Much of the newsprint is damaged but he can make out the name, the Eastern Daily Press, the headline (about a huge storm hitting Brighton) and the first paragraph of an editorial (fulminating about allowing ‘personal locomotives’ on roads). It’s dated the 7th of December 1896
Ian climbs back up and hands the paper to the Doctor, who grunts. “Yes we’ve arrived in East Anglia in 1896. That paper must he recent, it wouldn’t have lasted long”. He stops and looks around at his minions, “But we don’t appears to be the only time travellers around here. There are at least two others in the vicinity”. Barbara and Ian are astonished, they had no idea there were any other time travellers, other than the Doctor and the ‘lords’ Susan had referred to a couple of times. Susan spoke, “Are they others, from home?” Something in her tone seemed to disturb the Doctor a little, for he started at her for a moment before replying. “No, these seems to be much less sophisticated craft. They were probably dragged here by the same force that pulled us in”.
1. My primary AITAS gaming group.
2. I spent some time in Norfolk, mainly in Norwich, years ago and found it a pleasant if odd place. Lots of interesting weird history too, useful for gaming.
3. His first impulse in that the Time Lords have caught up with him (Spoiler: they haven’t) and they’re pulling him to one of their officially non-existent bases far from Gallifrey.
4. Not much change there.
5. Though only Susan could actually see anything that might be there.
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 1, 2023 13:46:45 GMT
The Catar Horror - Part Two
The Doctor tells his minions that he’s detected signs of temporal energy sources in two locations and now has enough data to triangulate one of them fairly closely. He still can’t locate the phenomena that’s keeping the TARDIS here, it may only react to attempts to leave this time period. It’s about three kilometres away, west-north-west from their position by the railway. He proposes that they investigate it first, it may be another stranded time traveller, or someone investigating the effect that’s stranded them. Barbara and Ian don’t say much in reply, they’re still considering the notion of other time travellers. Susan is distracted, her head cocked, and suddenly blurts out “There’s a train coming”. She’s right, though it takes a minute for the others to hear the sound; a rather old-fashioned, but appropriate for the period, steam train passes by at speed, pulling several passenger and goods carriages¹. “We can’t be that far from civilisation”, Barbara quips².
They resume their walk, the humans rather reassured by knowing where and when they are. If they really had to they could escape the Doctor and make new lives here. It takes more than half-an-hour to reach the location the Doctor is searching for, not helped by the light rain that started halfway through their trip. At least they prepared well for this adventure. Coming through a patch of woodland the travellers can see the coastline and the sea in the distance, perhaps six or eight miles away. Much closer is something strange; in an open space in the woods is a metal tower. Around six metres wide and perhaps twelve high, made from some dark, dull but undeniable metallic material, and utterly out of place. Around the tower is a ring of tall poles, each with a slight blue glow, fencing off a circle around twenty metres across. This must be the other time traveller; it’s certainly odd enough. Even odder than a police box.
The Doctor repeatedly attempts to get more information from his scanner but the tower seems to have a jamming field, he can gain no more than vague readings of mass and energy, and a slight distortion in space-time in the area. There is no sign of anyone around but obviously the structure in inhabited by someone, because when they are still what Ian estimates is forty feet from the fence they are lit up by a spotlight on the top of the tower and the TARDIS party stops in shock. “Can we help you?” an amplified female voice booms out.
The Doctor snorts and advances to the fence-line. “I am Doctor John Smith, like you a traveller in time, brought to this period by some sort of accident. There are my associates”. He stops and waits from a response. A couple of minutes later and he is joined on the other side of the fence by a tall young looking woman of confident mien, accompanied by two men who stay a pace or two behind her.
The woman is easily, Ian estimates, six feet tall and with an athletic build, dressed in a dark outfit of shirt, jacket and pants, with high books. She has short dark brown hair and a Mediterranean complexion and could be any age from late twenties to fifty. She walks with a swagger that seems unconscious and a feline grace. There’s a handgun holstered at her belt, with a large sheathed knife and other devices and he’s fairly sure there is another weapon under her jacket.
The men are different; the taller one seems quite young and has dark skin and short cropped dark hair. He’s also armed and has a short baton like device in one hand. The other man is shorter, seems older with grey shot dark hair, and pale skin. He wears glasses with opaque dark lenses, though there is no sign he’s blind. He also has at least two handguns, plus a slung rifle that Ian doesn’t recognise, though it resembles the Number Nine he’s used in his Army days³. However he’s carrying a device that looks similar to the scanner the Doctor was using.
The trio stop, the woman about six feed from the fence, the others slightly further back. The tall man watches the Doctor’s party closely, concentrating on Ian whose hand is on the grip of the Whiting⁴ he carries. The woman starts the conversation, “I am Laverna, formerly of the Time Agency, now an independent operator. My….associates and I were pulled out of the Vortex here by some effect and have established a camp to assess matters”. She stopped, obviously awaiting an answer.
“I am from Gallifrey, my TARDIS was also pulled off course. Do you know anything of whatever it is that effected our craft?” the Doctor replied.
Surprisingly it was the shorter man who replied, “It appears to be an intermittent distortion in the local fabric of space-time, a change in the overall quantum structure of reality and variability in temporal energy flux hereabouts”. Barbara has no idea what this means, though it sounded bad. The man continued, “I’m already seeing signs of Fortean Flickers⁵ manifesting, in additional to time travellers being draw here. I suspect if the matter is not remediated soon there will be cascade failure in reality. Perhaps locally, though it could spread”.
“So Time Lord, do we join forces and investigate whatever this thing is before, as Cillian here suggests, Norfolk gets even weirder that it already is?”. The woman was smiling broadly, showing white teeth. She seemed genuinely amused, thought Ian. He felt a stirring of arousal, but forced the urge down. Now was not the time for such thoughts.
The Doctor considered the offer. These people, Freetimers⁶ evidently, could be useful, certainly they seemed to have better equipment at their disposal than his TARDIS had available. “Yes. I propose a temporary alliance, we work together to deal with whatever effect is detaining us here, neutralise or destroy it. And work together to prevent anyone else preventing this”. Laverna tilted her head to one side and seemed to consider the offer before agreeing. She asked the Doctor, “Do you need transport? We have an air-raft inside that could hold us all. It would beat walking with our gear”. He replied, “Yes, that would make sense. I believe it is several kilometres to the site of the phenomenon?” The younger man answered, “It appears to be within the village of Catar, about twenty five kilometres south east from Norwich, and about ten kilometres roughly north from here” Ian racked his memory, he’d been stationed near Norwich years before but had never heard of this Catar place.
Cillian spoke again, “There appears to be another temporal craft of some sort on the other side of the village, around twenty kilometres away and inland. The energy signal is very weak though. By the way, I am Cillian, you know Laverna and the big silent guy is Achel”. Laverna spoke, “And if I’m not mistaken this is Yakov”.
A small…., well vehicle, Ian decided, glided to the ground near them. It must be the ‘air-raft’ she’d spoken of. It was smaller than an Army lorry and much sleeker, angled panels and rounded corners, very aerodynamic, about twenty feet long and ten wide, a bit lower than it was wide. No obvious weapons. It must use some sort of anti-gravity, there was no sign of motors, not much noise either. It stood on long skids that seemed to have extended from the flanks. A pair of doors opened at the back and a ramp dropped down.
“Shall we go?” invited Laverna.
1. The late express to Norwich in fact.
2. Something of a matter of opinion, this is Norfolk. 3. That’d be the Enfield Pattern 47, basically the EM-2 bullpup of our history firing the .270 cartridge. There is no concern with NATO standardisation or US prejudices in this universe.
4. For the Whiting machine-carbine, think the OTL Sterling sub-machine gun, lightweight, folding stock, side magazine et cetera.
5. Temporal oddities, places where reality is think and other times can ‘leak though’, radios pick up broadcasts from a half-century ago, doors that lead to rooms that aren’t there, a garden where the weather is three hours ahead of next door. Things like that.
6. Independent time travellers, unaffiliated with government, university or other agency. Something of a fractious, disruptive bunch.
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