Part 13 (1/2)

The elderly Time Lord coughed for the last time and died.

The Doctor gazed down at his mentor. He felt sad and angry. 'I shall miss you, old friend,' he muttered. 'I shall indeed.'

In spite of having the twins as protection, Hugo and Peri had not had an easy time getting to the TARDIS. They had had to contend with Noma and his troop, who in spite of Mestor's strict instruction that the twins were not to be harmed, had attempted some rather unpleasant things.

Slarn, Mestor's senior chamberlain, had been sent to supervise the action, but instead of being a cautionary influence, had become over-excited and added to the mayhem.

But that was now all over. Azmael had been right when he said that all Jaconda was affected by Mestor's thoughts. Now he was dead, and his control relinquished, the Jacondan guards and courtiers seemed to have lost their drive and motivation. Like lost children, they wandered aimlessly around, confused and concerned as to what would happen next.

All except Slarn. As one of Mestor's most trusted advisers, he was only too aware, once his fellow Jacondans had recovered from their temporary disorientation, what would happen to him. He had been too diligent, too enthusiastic to serve his master and in so doing had made a lot of enemies. Knowing that his next appointment would be with an execution squad, Slarn had tried to bribe Peri and Hugo into taking him away from Jaconda in the TARDIS.

With his mission and career in tatters, Hugo had been tempted to try (after all, six million credits is a lot of money), but the memory of the Doctor's warning that it was more difficult to fly the TARDIS than it appeared, had jolted him into caution.

Slarn had then turned to the twins who were convinced that, for the right price, they could mathematically deduce how to operate the time-machine. Such was Slarn's desperation that he entered into negotiation. By the time the Doctor joined them, they had forced up their price, much to Hugo's chagrin, to ten million credits.

The man who returned from witnessing the death of Mestor and Azmael was very different from the one Peri and Hugo had left behind in the laboratory.

Gone was the vague and erratic behaviour. Gone, too, was the false bravado. The Doctor had now fully regenerated. Peri wondered how the new Doctor would behave and whether he would still want her to travel with him.

As the Doctor ordered the Jacondan guards from the TARDIS, she became aware of a colder, more remote manner to the way he spoke.

Wanting to test how cool and emotionless the Doctor had really become, Peri enquired, 'Now Mestor is dead, what about the people of this planet? We can't just leave them.'

They'll survive. The influence of Mestor is beginning to fade.

Some of the Jacondans have already formed themselves into militia groups and are dealing with the gastropods. I think we have little to fear.'

Fortunately, the Doctor gave a little smile before uttering his last sentence. Peri hoped there would prove to be more smiles and less chilly matter-of-fact logic in the man.

'But who will lead the Jacondans now Mestor is dead?' said Hugo.

'Certainly not Azmael.' There was a brief pause, but Peri wasn't certain whether it was for reasons of grief or effect. Then at last he said, 'Azmael's dead.'

The Time Lord crossed to the console and started to set the coordinates for Earth.

'May I stay?' said Hugo. 'I think I could be of some use here.'

'Really?' The Doctor thought he was mad. But then again, he had noticed Lieutenant Hugo Lang metaphorically measuring himself up for the presidency of the planet.

'I've no reason to go back. People on Earth think I'm dead.'

The Doctor knew that Hugo wasn't the stuff heroes were made from, but then there was more to being a good president than being a hero.

He was also aware that the young pilot was lazy and immature. But then, perhaps in striving to become president, he might accelerate his development, for the Jacondans weren't fools and would soon see through hollow promises and misguided leaders.h.i.+p. If Hugo Lang thought he could bully and deceive his way to the top, he was mistaken. After Mestor, the Jacondans would be very weary of allowing another despot to rule them.

'Go,' said the Doctor at last. 'And good luck.'

Smiling, Hugo shook everyone's hand and departed.

In many respects the Doctor had been wrong in his a.s.sumption.

Although Hugo had momentarily considered whether high office would suit him, his heart was set on something far more basic.

Slarn was frightened of being killed. Whatever else Hugo could do, he was good with a gun. And when someone had ten million credits to spend on simple bribery, Hugo was convinced he could earn some of that money by offering to keep Slarn alive.

As the twins explored the TARDIS, thinking the inevitable thought that it was larger inside than out, the Doctor pressed the master control and the time-machine started for Earth.

Peri watched the face of the new Doctor, as he carefully made his way round the console, making final adjustments to the controls.

He looked tired and a little sad.

'I'm sorry about Azmael,' she said, sincerely.

'Hollow words,' snapped the Doctor. 'You had no reason to like Azmael.'

Although startled and angered by the aggressive response, Peri was more concerned that he was about to have another of his fits. Even so, she wasn't prepared to allow the Doctor to get away with his unpleasantness. 'I wasn't feeling sorry for Azmael,' she said. T was feeling sorry for you.'

The Doctor looked at Peri. 'How can you feel sorry for me? You don't understand how a Gallifreyan experiences grief. Come to that you don't understand me as a person. You don't even know me any longer.'

'That's certainly true,' she shouted, giving full vent to the pent-up fury she had felt since the Doctor's regeneration. 'And I don't think I want to, until you take a crash course in manners.'

The Doctor frowned. 'You seem to forget, I am not only from another culture, but also a different planet from you. I am alien.