Part 22 (1/2)

That”s not why I joined up. I”m going to try to stop this before it”s too late. Are you coming?

Zoe didn”t have to be asked twice. They hurried to the fighter craft and were airborne moments later.

From the window of his office Administrator Greene watched the s.h.i.+p take off. He returned to his desk and activated his communicator. ”Major Cartor, Greene here .Your first officer is on her way back. She was just in here making some wild claims about the legitimacy of our current plan of action. I trust I can rely on you to put her right about a few things?”

He waited patiently for an answer, knowing that Cartor hated taking orders from him.

Finally it came. ”Copy that,” confirmed Carter”s voice, evidently speaking through clenched teeth.

”I”m sorry, Major, did I hear you right?”

”I said ”Copy that”, sir,” repeated Carter, almost spitting the final word out. Greene smiled. As long as the chain of command was respected, he was happy.

The Doctor was frustrated; the fight had started, but with the ma.s.s of Tyrenian bodies between him and the action it was impossible for him to see how Jamie was doing. He fingered the small crystal that Kirann had given him - certain that it was an important piece of the jigsaw but not sure what puzzle he was doing. Something about the Tyrenians perhaps? There was something distinctly wrong about them; if only he could put his finger on it. The Doctor noticed that his guard was also paying attention to the fight - perhaps now would be a good time to make a bid for freedom. The lock securing the door of the cage didn”t look very complicated but it resisted all attempts to have the sonic screwdriver used on it. The Doctor searched through his voluminous pockets for an alternative. His fingers alighted on a hairpin, which, once bent into shape, made quick work of the lock. Keeping his eyes on the backs of the Tyrenian spectators, the Doctor slipped out of the cage, closed the door behind him and sneaked out of the hold.

Once in the corridor he relaxed. It was obvious that all the Tyrenians were watching the big fight. The Doctor was torn: should he try to help Jamie or take the chance to investigate the crystal at last? With a slightly heavy heart, he decided that Jamie would have to fend for himself for a moment - he really had had to get some answers from the crystal. He started to explore and quickly came across a room of computer consoles. Inside he saw a couple of boxes of the now familiar-looking crystals. He pulled the one Kirann had given him from his pocket again. It was a perfect match. A glance at the computer consoles confirmed that there was a slot into which the crystals could be placed. to get some answers from the crystal. He started to explore and quickly came across a room of computer consoles. Inside he saw a couple of boxes of the now familiar-looking crystals. He pulled the one Kirann had given him from his pocket again. It was a perfect match. A glance at the computer consoles confirmed that there was a slot into which the crystals could be placed.

The Doctor sat at a console, slipped his data crystal into the reader and began to access the data. ”Oh my...,” he said to himself as the information poured out of the tiny crystal on to his screen. ”Oh my goodness me...”

Both Jamie and his Tyrenian opponent, who had been introduced to him as Gorhay, were beginning to tire now, and from the sounds of the crowd, some of the audience were too.

What should have been quick and clean was proving to be much more complicated. Zenig, despite himself, was impressed. The human had conducted himself well and matched Gorhay in every move. Both gladiators were carrying small cuts and numerous bruises but both, although a little unsteady, were still on their feet. Zenig wondered if there was any honour in declaring the battle void. A quick glance at the crowd of Tyrenian warriors cheering on Gorhay soon put Zenig straight. They had all been loyal to Lorvalan and had been shocked to hear of his death when they had been revived in the last few hours; they needed to see this through to the end.

Jamie staggered and ducked under another vicious swing from his opponent. Both combatants had lost their swords now: the Tyrenian”s had spun off into the crowd Jamie”s still lay tantalisingly out of reach just beyond the line between two of the beacons. A few moments ago Jamie had forced his opponent into the force field and he had been horrified at the sight of the alien shaking in the electrical current. Now, if what he had been told was true, the force field was primed to kill. His opponent had clearly been thinking along the same lines and the fight had become more of a wrestling match, with each of the fighters trying to force the other into the deadly force field. Again, the two of them grappled with each other. The alien had the advantage of height but Jamie had the greater lower body strength. He managed to roll with the pressure, spinning away from his opponent and kicking him behind the knee. Whatever the alien”s physiognomy it was similar enough to Jamie”s own for him to know it would have the desired effect. The alien sprawled forward. For a moment neither of them moved. And then they both saw it at the same time - Jamie”s sword was lying just a foot or so from the alien”s outstretched hand. Both of them knew the risk but if they could endure the pain of the force field for just a split second - long enough to retrieve the sword - they might just get themselves the advantage they needed.

Jamie could almost see the thought going through the alien”s head and was not surprised when he lurched forward, stretching out his arm towards the sword. At the same moment, without Jamie being very aware of his actions, Jamie was also in motion, hurling himself forward, over the p.r.o.ne body of the alien. Like runners reaching for the finis.h.i.+ng tape both Jamie and the alien stretched out towards the force field and their fingers penetrated it at exactly the same time. Blue lighting flashed along their arms, more powerful than before and both Jamie and the alien warrior let out loud screams before tailing inert to the floor.

There was a moment of silence and then a voice breaking it with urgency.

”Let me through, let me through. You must stop this fight.

You must.”

It was the Doctor, holding the data crystal up in one hand like a lighter at a rock concert ballad. The crowd parted for the human and the Doctor could see that he was too late; the fight was over and both gladiators were lying immobile.

”Oh my goodness, no...”

The Doctor hurried into the arena, pa.s.sing without harm through the force field that appeared to have burnt itself out.

”This is all so unnecessary and wrong,” he announced.

Zenig climbed down from the watching platform to join him.

”What are you talking about, human?” he demanded.

”That”s just it,” said the Doctor exasperated. He glanced around, checking that only Zenig would be able to hear his explanation. ”You”re as human as he is,” he whispered, pointing at Jamie. ”There is no Tyrenian race!”

Veena was out of the pilot”s seat almost before her engines had died. As the hatch opened, she jumped down to the deck impatiently, not waiting for the automatic gantry to extend itself from the wall of the flight deck. Zoe quickly followed her, amused that she was, once again, back on Hannibal Hannibal in exactly the same spot that she had made her initial escape from. in exactly the same spot that she had made her initial escape from.

Veena led her through a maze of corridors, determined to reach the bridge in the shortest possible time. En route En route she located a workstation and gave Zoe the relevant clearance to access it. ”See what you can do to countermand the orders to the battledroids. I a.s.sume you can find your way around a computer system?” she located a workstation and gave Zoe the relevant clearance to access it. ”See what you can do to countermand the orders to the battledroids. I a.s.sume you can find your way around a computer system?”

Zoe smiled confidently.”! should think so. Where are you going?”

”To speak to Cartor. If possible I”d prefer him to cancel the attack himself - I don”t like the idea of going behind the back of my commanding officer - but I cannot stand by and let an entire race be destroyed for no good reason. That would make us no better than the Daleks.”

”Good luck!” Zoe called after Veena as she strode away.

Veena acknowledged her with a wave and disappeared around the corner. Zoe settled down to the workstation.

Thankfully, although state of the art, it had an old-fas.h.i.+oned touch-screen input system, which Zoe preferred rather than trying the sensor helmet device again. She started to spin through the core memory systems looking for something that would be useful.

While Zoe was getting into the computer system, Veena was walking on to the bridge. There she found Lieutenant Harvard in the captain”s chair. ”The major?” she demanded brusquely.

”In his ready room, sir,” Harvard responded, sitting up straight where a moment ago he had slouched. Veena headed straight for the door that led to the captain”s private office and waved her wrist at the ident panel. The door slid open.

”Sir?” The room was in semi-darkness. At first she couldn”t see Cartor at all and then she realised that he was sitting at the desk with his chair turned so that all she could see was the back of his head.

”Ah, Veena, I should have expected you to find me...”

”Sir? Are you okay?”

Veena was wrong-footed. She was all fired up for a pa.s.sionate argument and was surprised to find Cartor in such a subdued mood.

”A leader has to lead, Myles. You have to take the tough decisions, you have to know when to stand up for yourself, when to do the right thing.”

”And you always have, sir,” Veena told him, appalled at the level of self-doubt Cartor was suddenly experiencing.

”No. I”ve done what I was told. Always. The good soldier.

Point me at a target and fire. That”s what I am; part of the Federation military machine.”

”No, sir, that”s not true.”

The chair swung round.

”Myles, don”t bulls.h.i.+t me. I”ve been used...” Veena couldn”t make out what was wrong with what she was seeing. Cartor was slumped in his chair, but she couldn”t see why. Was he ill? His eyes flickered as if he was about to fall unconscious but somehow he rallied.

”The droids. They”ve been programmed to wipe them out.”

”The aliens? I know.”

”No, not just the aliens. All of them. The Loyalists, the Realists, the whole d.a.m.n lot. They used to call it scorched earth. Burn it down and start again. Clean slate for the refugees. And nothing left of what came before...” He flagged again and Veena was suddenly aware of some movement at her feet. She looked down and saw something liquid. Thick and red.

”Computer. First Officer Myles override. Lights up,” she ordered. And as the light level rose she realised the true horror of what Cartor had done to himself. A ragged red scar slashed across both wrists and across his chest, his life-blood was pooling beneath the desk. Instinctively she knew that it was too late to do anything for him. He had made his decision and taken his own life. If she was to save the lives of everyone on the planet she would have to hurry.

Jamie”s head hurt. Actually a lot more of him hurt than that but right now it was his head that was at the top of the list.

He blinked his eyes experimentally, shocked to find that he was still alive. ”What happened to the other fellow?” he managed to ask.

”Jamie!” It was the Doctor, delighted to see his young friend regain consciousness.