Part 24 (1/2)

The Martian pointed further into the tunnel network. Along here.'

I seem to recognize this area,' murmured the Doctor. Suddenly he dropped to the floor. 'Footprints. Human ones alongside many Martian ones. Who else is here, Sskeet?' The Martian just carried on forward.

'Benny, where's Savaar?' 'Last seen being escorted at knifepoint towards the temple.'

Already?' The Doctor stopped and looked at the ceiling. He suddenly pointed at Sskeet. 'Sskeet, wait!' The Martian stopped and turned and the Doctor grasped Bernice's hand. 'Benny, go back. Now you know the truth, I need you to rescue Savaar. I don't care how, but discredit Atissa. She's accusing him of a.s.saulting her, which he didn't.'

'What'll you do?'

'Savaar wanted Sskeet to bring me here for a reason. I must go on. But remember, you are still mourning for me. No one, but no one must know that I'm alive. And don't let the Pakhar journalist or Kort know that you know I'm all right.' He looked her straight in the eye. She almost recoiled from the intensity of the stare - his coal-black eyes seemed to bore into her. Wait a minute, surely the Doctor's eyes were blue. Or green . . .

'Benny, trust no one except King Tarrol and High Lord Savaar. I mean that.'

He bounced up and caught up with Sskeet.

Bernice turned away and wandered back into the opening with the wheelbarrow. Which tunnel had she and Sskeet come down? She turned to one but it seemed very dark and looked quite oppressive. No, it can't have been that one. As she stared around her, it seemed as if only one seemed light enough to actually see down. With a shrug, she slowly headed down it.

'But if Savaar's dead, that must mean something's happened to the Doctor!' Ace jumped up from the rather too-comfortable seat she was slowly sinking into.

The Chair of the Galactic Federation frowned. The hologram floating in front of the two of them was slowly rotating, constantly s.h.i.+fting pixels so that they could both see Marshal Hissel's face. Is Ace correct, Marshal? Is everyone on Peladon dead?'

I cannot say for sure, Chair, but High Lord Savaar's orders were explicit. If anything happened to him, I was to contact you and explain that we were returning without any Federation personnel.'

Ace stared hard at the Chair but the aged Cantryan ignored her. I understand, Marshal. Please convey our deepest regrets to the Martian High Commission. I will deal with the Earth Consular and Centaurian MultiBody. To out.'

The hologram dribbled away into tiny pixels and was gone.

'So', growled Ace. 'So that's an Ice Warrior. Brings a whole new meaning to the concept of sh.e.l.l-suits, doesn't it?'

The Cantryan commissioner gazed at her uncomprehendingly. I am saddened by the loss, Ace. My son was among the death toll. That's both my children in three months.'

Ace looked across at him and sat again. I'm sorry,' she said.

The Cantryan crossed to another communication circuit and pressed a few codes. A human face pixeled into existence. 'Guardian's office, can I help?”

Ace regarded the handsome young human oriental facing them.

'Good afternoon, Chen. Is the Guardian of the Solar System available?'

Chen nodded. 'For you, Chair, she is always available.'

There was a pause and Chen's features were displaced and rea.s.sembled as an elderly but haughty human woman. 'Mavic says you wanted me, Trau Chair. How can I help?'

I am sorry to bear bad news on your final day as guardian, Madame Amazonia.'

Amazonia obviously shrugged and the pixels tried to reproduce the movement.

I'm used to it, Chair. And young Mavic here is learning that it comes with the post. What is the problem?'

'Peladon, Guardian. We appear to have lost the entire Federation representation there.'

The Guardian of the Solar System absorbed this and turned away. A second later she was joined by the young oriental. I will make it Mavic's first task to inform the relevant families.' Behind her Chen nodded and brought up his data-pad.

The Cantryan commissioner began reeling off the names.

Ace sunk lower into her chair. Something was wrong but she couldn't put her finger on it. Something about Hissel's wording. His evasion.

'How far are we from Peladon, pilot?' The Martian pilot mentally chided himself. He should have been expecting yet another irrelevant and contradictory request from Hissel. He'd had quite a few since breaking orbit - the strangest being broadcasting a supposedly private communication between Hissel and Io on all available frequencies - and a few illegitimate ones. One hour, thirty-four standard minutes, Marshal,' he sighed.

'Position of dead shuttle in Peladon's...o...b..t?' Thrown by this, the pilot had to scrabble about on his navcom. He punched up the relevant information. Its...o...b..t has decayed. It has already entered Peladon's atmosphere. I suspect Marshal that it has burned up.'

'You suspect incorrectly, pilot. However, it is what you were intended to think. Reverse course, let's get back into orbit but exactly where we were - geostationary. I do not want one millimetre's drift until I give the command.'

The pilot was about to question this when he mentally shrugged. Why bother? Hissel was obviously insane and there was little he could do about it.

Marshal Hissel breathed out gleefully. 'Weaponry?' he hissed into the air.

A hologram of a small Martian with a somewhat overlarge head appeared before him, large red eye-gla.s.ses staring wildly. 'Marshal?'

'Prepare blasters. We may need to engage hostile forces near Peladon. I want everyone to be ready.'

'Sir!' The hologram vanished. Hissel sat back in his command chair. Not long now.

'Landing shortly. Thirty seconds, prepare for a none-too-soft one, guys,'

yelled Cooper. Her hands raced across the navcom. She'd switched to manual, not trusting the computer to avoid all the tiny jags and ridges of Peladon's surface.

The shuttle hit Peladon with a slight thud and skidded briefly but quickly came to a stop.

'Good one,' yelled Lambert.

Here. Yes. This place is ideal. Take me.

Sadler ran a hand through her hair - she had a tremendous headache.

Must have been too much concentration, listening to all those messages between the Bruk and Io.

Townsend unstrapped himself and looked at his troops. Okay, here's the pay-off. We've fooled the Bruk and got down safely. We have about an hour's walk to the back of Mount Megeshra. We should find access quite easy and follow our noses. The boss has had a few weeks to label our route. We go in the back way, unload his treasures and go.'

Sadler looked at the safe-seal in horror. The translucent frontage had gone and the lid of the vacuum case was slightly ajar. Of course - the plasma blast must have knocked out the seal-systems. With the drive-systems taking priority . . . Still, she should have noticed it and told Townsend. She was going to when something made her stop.

No.

Instead, Sadler pushed the lid closed, coughed loudly and patted the vacuum case. And this?'

'Yeah, that. We give it to him. I don't want to hang on to it.'

'You don't mean we're actually doing a legit deal?' asked Cooper, feigning surprise.

Lambert however was genuinely amazed. Okay, so we can sell off the Pel c.r.a.p and make a good profit, but this has to be worth heaps. Can't we just kill him and keep this as well?'