Part 18 (1/2)
Zenig realised that they must have found the s.h.i.+p. He activated a control on his belt and the airlock appeared. He made his way up the walkway.
As Veena brought her little fighter-craft in to land at the edge of Plymouth Hope, Zoe could see that things had changed in the main colony settlement. One of the giant shuttlecrafts was still parked at one end of the town and a whole host of prefabs had now been erected in the same area. This new development stood in stark contrast to the original; prefab buildings, decorated with antennae and solar panels without any consideration for Back to Basics Back to Basics principles, or even sympathetic aesthetics, it was purely functional. principles, or even sympathetic aesthetics, it was purely functional.
Veena let her vehicle taxi into the shadow of the shuttlecraft before she applied the brakes, switched off the engine and brought it to a halt. Billy Joe, who had been silent throughout the flight, overawed by the technology no doubt, leapt from his seat.
”I want to see Grandpa,” he demanded. Zoe nodded and together they went off in search of Kartryte. ”Thanks for the lift, miss,” Billy Joe said as they climbed down from the wing of the aircraft. Veena smiled. ”Any time,” she said and watched the pair of them walk away. She looked over towards the area where her people were establis.h.i.+ng their own base and then back towards the original Plymouth Hope. She couldn”t put a finger on the reason for her strange mood but she felt rather disconnected. It was almost as if she no longer felt comfortable around her own people. She knew that they had a job to do and that the job was important but she also felt something for the people of the colony - both factions - and their lives here on Axista Four, which were about to change forever.
With a heavy sigh she began to make her way towards the cl.u.s.ter of prefabs. A junior officer, seeing her approach, saluted smartly; Veena responded automatically and asked for a status report.
The meeting that Zoe was witnessing was a far less formal affair. She and Billy Joe had found Kartryte in what had been his office, sitting staring into s.p.a.ce. When they”d walked through the door he”d stood, mouth open, unable to find any words. Billy Joe had clearly felt the same way. Zoe had to wipe away a tear as the two men embraced in a bear hug of such ferocity she feared that the old man might break in two.
Finally, the two had broken apart, their faces glistening with tears.
”Don”t you ever run off like that again, boy, you hear?”
”I won”t, I promise,” Billy Joe insisted.
Kartryte turned to Zoe. ”Do I have you to thank for the boy”s return?”
”Me and the crew of the Hannibal Hannibal,” Zoe explained.
Kartryte”s face contorted with a dark scowl. ”I don”t like to owe them anything,” he said bitterly.
”I can understand your feeling like that,” said Zoe kindly, ”but they are just trying to do their job. And they did save your life, I understand.”
”I know they did, and don”t think I”m not grateful, but they”re changing everything...” complained the old man.
”Being sheriff doesn”t count for much when you”ve an army on your doorstep.”
Zoe glanced at Billy Joe. ”Actually I wanted a word with you, if I may, about the... situation.”
Noting her look, in the direction of his grandson, Kartryte caught her meaning - she wanted to talk to him alone.
”Billy Joe, why don”t you get home and get cleaned up?
Take my horse - he”s tied up outside.”
”Are you sure? I can do that later.”
”Son, I don”t want to offend you but you need a good wash.
Now get yourself home this minute and do as you”re told.”
For a moment, Zoe thought that the boy was going to argue as instinct took over, but Billy Joe merely nodded and went on his way. Kartryte sat back at his desk and indicated a chair that Zoe could sit in.
”So, what do you want to tell me?” he asked.
The Doctor and Kirann had watched more of the Tyrenians”
story and it did not make for pleasant viewing. The Tyrenians had retreated into their bunker and the humans had established their settlement ignorant of the existence of either the bunker or the ma.s.sive but now empty Tyrenian s.h.i.+p. And so it had been for nearly a hundred years.
That is, until the breakaway group of humans had split from the main settlement and had headed directly into the area south of the original landing site, which had been declared a no-go area by the survivors of the crash. There the so-called Realists had discovered the wreckage of the Tyrenian colony, such as it was, and had decided to set up their own base in the same locale, cuckoo-style. Then, quite recently, Max, exploring the cave systems, had come across the bunker. Even then the aliens had slept on and would have continued to do so but for the appearance in the system of a s.p.a.cecraft. This had been registered by one of the satellites that had been deployed by the Tyrenians 100 years earlier and a signal had been sent. The Tyrenians had begun to wake...
It was almost too much for Kirann to take in. It was more than just a shock; it was a slap in the face. Her father”s dream was shattered. The colonisation of this planet should never have gone ahead.
The Doctor waited while Kirann struggled with the new information. He had suspected something like this he”d been sure the damage to the colony s.h.i.+p had been as a result of some kind of s.p.a.ce battle - but he hadn”t guessed that the Tyrenians had been here first. He couldn”t help but feel sorry for the aliens - they weren”t monsters; they were just like the humans, travellers looking for a place to call home.
Militaristic they might be but they weren”t evil, not like most of the monsters he”d encountered recently. In some ways the Tyrenians reminded him of his friend Lethbridge-Stewart and his new UNIT organisation. The Doctor was laughing to himself at the thought when he felt a sudden pressure in his lower back and hot breath on his neck.
”Hands in the air, human,” ordered Zenig.
”Well actually, as a matter of fact,” began the Doctor, strictly speaking I”m not human...”
”Just put your hands up.” By now Kirann had realised what was happening and had turned to look in their direction, her weapon in her hand. The Doctor raised his hands slowly.
”Drop your weapon,” Zenig spat at her. Kirann hesitated.
”Do as he says,” suggested the Doctor gently and, after a moment”s hesitation, Kirann let the gun slip from her hand and she kicked it over to Zenig”s feet.
”Consider yourselves prisoners,” Zenig announced. ”One false move and I”ll kill you both. Understand?”
Both the Doctor and Kirann nodded to show that they did.
”Come with me,” ordered Zenig. ”I want to take you to Commander Lorvalan.”
As they left the room the Doctor noticed something that he”d missed when they had first arrived: a rack of data crystals exactly like the one Kirann had given him was fixed to the wall. Obviously the Tyrenian s.h.i.+p used a compatible data storage system and would have a machine capable of reading his crystal; unfortunately he had only realised this after Zenig had captured them. The Doctor bit his lip in frustration; he would have to be patient a little longer. Zenig had captured them. The Doctor bit his lip in frustration; he would have to be patient a little longer.
The Tyrenian took them out into a corridor and then into a much smaller room. He positioned the Doctor and Kirann on a raised platform, set some controls on a console and then stepped on to the platform itself while keeping his weapon trained on them the whole time. Moments later, to Kirann”s astonishment, she felt briefly faint and the room went blurry.
Kartryte listened carefully as Zoe told him the full extent of the refugee crisis that Axista Four was about to confront.
With her remarkable memory skills Zoe was able to reel off a long list of planets, colonies and s.p.a.ce stations and the precise number of refugees from each. The scale of the problem was overwhelming; Zoe could see the old man struggling to take it all in. The information that Cartor had given to Freedom and Dee had been economical with the truth to say the least. A few thousand was a long way short of the actual eighty thousand that Zoe had discovered, but even the few thousand that Cartor had mentioned would have been impossible for the colony to accommodate as it was. This was more than a new wave of colonists; it was a flood, a deluge that would change the face of Axista Four forever.
When Zoe had finished her account, Kartryte looked saddened but also resigned. ”Perhaps this colony was doomed from the start. By Ransom himself.”
”Because he insisted on this Back to Basics Back to Basics philosophy?” philosophy?”
asked Zoe, puzzled.
”No, no, although that didn”t help of course.” Kartryte looked her in the eyes. ”I think you should know the truth,”
he stated.
Zoe said nothing and let the old man speak.
”I”m not the sheriff any more and frankly I don”t want to be.