‘THE SUNFIRE CHRONICLES: THE RACE OF ENDURANCE’

By Tim Bradley

Featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan Jovanka and Michael Anderson.

Set between ‘Siroto’ and ‘The Shelby Code’.

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Lap One: At the Arena 

The Aepa Som Arena was buzzing!

Many had gathered for the starting point of the Eniotato Circuit in the Second Outer Galaxy.

The annual racing event had been held for the past few centuries. Times had changed in terms of development with Falcon drive and propulsion technology, but the tradition remained. Everyone who attended looked forward to enjoying their local outer space race. Many members of various species unified in the glorious sporting event which kept them invigorated, despite the intergalactic disruptions that occurred around them, including war and cosmic strife.

Nyssa of Traken observed the many attendees passing through the barriers with their VIP tickets. She also saw queues of many attendees coming on the day and purchasing their standard tickets.

The standard tickets’ queue turned out to be longer than the VIP queue.

The Trakenite also observed many attendees purchasing Quissilawag Korn Hotdogs from the concession stands. She was astonished to see an obese squid-like alien purchase twenty Korn Hotdogs. The Doctor advised her that having too many Korn Hotdogs could cause your mouth to burn. She decided not to have one in the end.

The Doctor arrived, exasperated after manoeuvring through the crowds and joined Nyssa.

“There you are, Nyssa,” he panted. “Sorry for being late. Have you waited long?”

“Only for about ten minutes,” Nyssa told him. She looked over his right shoulder. “Are they coming? I thought they’d be right behind you.”

“Don’t worry,” the Time Lord assured her. “Tegan and Michael are on their way. They’ve had a tutorial as well as a suiting up session. I had to make sure everything was in order before we came to rendezvous with you.”

“I hope Tegan will be alright partaking in this race. She was terribly anxious in the TARDIS when Michael offered her to be his co-pilot.”

“I’m sure Tegan will be fine. Michael will look after her anyway. He’s had a fair amount of experience being a motor-racing driver himself, so he said.”

Since Tegan rejoined the TARDIS crew in Amsterdam in 1983, the trio have had many adventures in Space and Time. After brushing with terrors like the Mara and the Vampires, the Doctor and his friends met up with Michael Anderson, a Formula One motor-racing driver, in Japan in 1991. Following a hair-racing adventure involving the Ferrari team principal named Siroto, Michael agreed to join the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan in their TARDIS travels.

Despite having had a few adventures, Michael was getting to be a seasoned TARDIS traveller. The Doctor suggested that Michael should try out a space pod race in the Eniotato Circuit in the Second Outer Galaxy. Michael agreed and the Doctor set the TARDIS controls. The twenty-seven-year-old also offered Tegan to be his co-pilot in the space pod race. She’d reacted with hesitation and panic before she eventually said yes.

Upon arriving at the Aepa Som Arena, Nyssa agreed to wait, as the Doctor escorted Michael and Tegan to be entered in the race.

“Doctor?” she enquired. “How exactly does a space pod race work? I’ve never seen one before to know how it’s done.”

“Space pod racing can be quite dangerous, Nyssa,” the Doctor explained. “The Eniatato Circuit has four different marker buoys within the Second Outer Galaxy. The race goes from here at the Aepa Som Arena to the planet Huigo to the Kourep Nebula to the asteroid field of Baxsis to the Space Station A-E-4 before finally ending up back at the Arena as the finishing point. Four marker buoys, but at high speeds with Falcon drives of 8.9.”

“8.9?! As high as that?”

“Michael should be thankful that we’re not here ten years later. I don’t think he could manage the 10.6 Falcon drive level, despite his racing skills.”

“Are you sure Michael is up to this sort of race?” asked Nyssa, concerned. “I know he and Tegan have had a tutorial, but…”

“Trust me, this is why it took me so long to get back to you. Tegan was asking so many questions. Michael is the one with the cool head, so he should be up to doing the race.”

“Well, if you’re sure…”

The Doctor ignored Nyssa’s concern and looked at her curiously. “Anyway, I hope you’ve kept yourself entertained in the few hours since we parted company.”

“A fair bit to keep my mind occupied, yes,” Nyssa replied, smiling. The time-traveller noticed it was a sad smile. “I’ve been in a café nearby to reflect on things.”

The Doctor knew what Nyssa was on about. She had lost so much as well as her father and her home planet. She had a chance of happiness. It was robbed from her not so long ago.

“Tell me it gets better,” she said.

The Doctor looked out into the crowd. “It gets better.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she sighed, without much conviction.

Just then, Tegan and Michael arrived in their racing gear. They wore black tracksuits. Michael’s suit stood out with red piping on the sleeves, arms, and legs. Tegan’s suit stood out with blue piping compared to Michael’s. It made a change, thought Nyssa, from seeing Tegan in her usual white tube top, white jacket, white shorts and white shoes.

“There you are,” the Doctor cheered, as he and Nyssa went over to greet their friends. “Are you two ready for the off?”

“About ready, yeah,” Michael replied. “I think I’ve got a hang of the racing controls. I’m pleased we had that tutorial. I wouldn’t have known what to do without it.”

“I’m pleased you found it very beneficial,” said the Doctor. “Don’t be misled into thinking it’ll be easy, because it won’t.”

“Don’t worry, Doctor,” Michael assured him. “I’ll make sure Tegan and I are careful on the racetrack. Right, Tegan?”

Michael placed a comforting hand on Tegan’s shoulder. She smiled, but it was soon replaced by a scowl. “I must be mad doing this,” she said.

“Still nervous, Tegan?” asked Nyssa.

“Why did I let you and the Doctor get me to agree to this?” Tegan asked Michael. “I’m not a Formula One racing driver! And this isn’t a race across Toowoomba! It’s an ‘outer space race’ for crying out loud! If I see a horse, it’ll probably be one of the drivers!”

Michael released Tegan’s shoulder. “Come on, cheer up! This will be fun! A fun race, remember? We don’t have to win. Just have a good time.”

“This isn’t one of your video games either! This is life and death we’re talking about! If I make a mistake, it’ll kill us both!”

“I know that,” Michael answered. “I’m not an idiot.”

“That won’t happen, Tegan,” the Doctor assured her. “There are lifeguards in their tiny patrol ships for the space pod race. They’ve got you covered.”

“You hope.”

“I’m surprised, Tegan,” Michael said. “I thought you liked flying once.”

“Who told you that?”

“Well, Nyssa, actually.”

“All I said,” Nyssa interjected, “is that you used to enjoy flying a Cessna on your father’s sheep station. I assume a Cessna is a kind of…” She briefly searched for the word, “plane.”

“When I was a kid!” Tegan protested. “I’ve got flight experience, sure, but I haven’t been able to put much use of it since deciding to become an air stewardess. Look where that got me. I’m out-of-practice. I can’t fly a craft, let alone a spacecraft.”

“Oh, it’ll come back to you like riding a bike,” said the Doctor reassuringly. “You’re a little out-of-practice, but it’s bound to be a skill that’s remained with you since childhood.”

“Alright, Kid Eager,” scorned Tegan.

“Don’t be like this, Tegan,” said Michael, trying to encourage her, “You’ll be great, I’m sure. And I’ll cover for us both if I must. I’ve got the hang of how to pilot a space pod in outer space from that tutorial we had.”

Tegan pouted, folding her arms and becoming silent. It was quite clear she wasn’t happy.

“You were my first choice to be my co-pilot,” Michael continued. “I have faith in you. You wouldn’t want to disappoint me, would you?”

A moment of silence. Tegan gradually looked up at Michael. Her pouting became less. Soon, she softened and smiled.

“No, of course not,” she replied. “I’m sorry, Mike. As I’d say to my Aunt Vanessa, ‘first flight nerves, I guess’.”

“You’ll be fine, Tegan,” the Doctor encouraged her. “Nyssa and I will also be monitoring you on a viewscreen in the viewing gallery as well as on the portable pads we’ve been given in our packs as we arrived. We’ll make sure you don’t go off the beaten track.”

“And if you do,” Nyssa joined in, “we’ll head straight for the TARDIS to save you and Michael. Hopefully, the ship should still be in working order after the Doctor’s repaired it.”

“Yes. Michael, give us a few minutes and we’ll pick you up as soon as possible should the need arise.”

“Hopefully, no mishap will occur whilst we’re on the racetrack,” the young man from Preston said. “Though I admit, even though I’m excited, I can’t help feeling nervous too.”

“Don’t chicken out now, Mikey boy,” Tegan teased. “Fun ride, you said? And it’s just as well I brought this along from the TARDIS.”

Tegan searched one of her tracksuit pockets and brought out a pocket torch. She switched it on to check it was working. The light blared brightly before she switched it off.

“There,” she said, satisfied. “Working perfectly.”

“You don’t need a pocket torch, Tegan,” Michael told her.

“You can never be sure on occasions like this,” Tegan replied, pointing her torch at him. “I might need it should the lights go out in the space pod or if I find myself drifting in space.”

“That’ll never happen, Tegan,” the Doctor assured her, pointedly.

The Australian ignored the Time Lord, as she slipped her pocket torch back in her tracksuit pocket and zipped it. “Come on!” she nudged Michael. “Let’s get going!” She turned to her best friend. “See ya later, Nyssa.”

The two girls hugged.

“We’ll see you back at the Arena once you’ve finished,” said Nyssa, reassuringly.

Tegan turned to the Doctor. “See you, Doc. Keep your promise to look out for us, okay?”

“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re both safe,” the Doctor said. “Now, you two go off and enjoy yourselves.”

Smiling, Tegan headed off to the space pod racetrack. 

As Michael made to say goodbye, he lowered his voice and asked Nyssa, “Do you think I said the right thing? Was it okay for me to say to Tegan that she was my first choice as co-pilot in this space race?”

“I’m sure she appreciated it,” Nyssa assured him. “Tegan needs encouragement like that now and again. It adds to her self-esteem.”

“And you may have possibly helped to bring Tegan out of her personal shell a bit more,” the Time Lord said. “She’s been through a lot. This race should provide a pleasant distraction.”

“I hope so too. Though I must be nuts in agreeing to this dare of yours.”

“You can never fully appreciate racing events without trying various forms, Michael.”

“Come on!” Tegan called nearby. “Why are you hanging back there? We haven’t got all day!”

With a wave, Michael headed off.

Hoping he and Tegan would be safe, Nyssa and the Doctor ended up following the crowds to make for the viewing gallery. They hoped they would get a good view of the race’s starting point as well as a good view of Michael and Tegan’s space pod.

---

Tegan and Michael made their way through the launch bays where all the racers were gathering to board their space pods. Tegan was astonished to see how many racers had turned up. She had a queasy feeling that she and Michael weren’t going to be able to outrun their opponents. But she couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement too.

“What Bay number is ours, Mike?” she asked.

“49, I believe,” Michael replied. “We’re passing 22, see?”

“Let’s hope the space pod is sturdy enough to manage both of us on board.”

“It should do. From what I’ve seen on the vid-screens during our tutorial, our vehicle is a squat green and yellow beauty,” he informed her. “Green is at the front and yellow is at the back. Quite nice-looking.”

“This won’t be like being shoulder-to-shoulder inside a Cessna,” Tegan reflected. “Nor will it be like being inside one of your F1 cars”

“Spot on, Tegan,” Michael warmly commended her. “The space pod should be roomy enough for us to move about in compared to a Cessna and an F1 car.”

“I hope so,” Tegan reflected. She then checked. “Is there an autopilot we can use for comfort breaks and emergencies. I recall that being said in the tutorial.”

“I remember that too,” acknowledged Michael, as he tried to recite what the feminine computer voice told them. “If there’s a need for a Falcon drive engine coil to be repaired during a race, we can put in the request as well as take comfort breaks. We must not use the autopilot to win the race though.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Tegan assured him. “Any abuse in using the autopilot for over 7 minutes will result in the contestants being tracked by the Arena’s security systems. We’d be disqualified from the race.”

“Exactly,” said Michael, impressed. “You memorised that well.”

“It’s good to remember these things to be on the safe side,” Tegan smiled.

Just then, they were greeted by a couple of contestants. One was humanoid and female, and the other was reptilian and male. They both wore black tracksuits, with the humanoid having red piping on hers and the reptilian having blue on his.

“Well, well, well,” cheered the male reptilian, grinning. “We have two freshmen in the race today, dear.”

“We certainly have,” said the female humanoid. “Hello, you two. My name’s Flintoo. This is my husband Nervta.”

“Uh, hi,” Tegan replied, surprised to see the newcomers. “I’m Tegan. This is my mate, Michael. He’s a racing driver.”

Michael couldn’t help but feel a flush of embarrassment before he regained composure. “Yes, that’s right. I’m a very good racing driver, in fact. We arrived just today, Tegan and I.”

“When did you enter your names for the race?” Nervta asked. “Today?”

“Yes, today,” confirmed Michael. “We’ve had our tutorial and we’re just heading for Launch Bay 49 where our space pod is.”

“Who are you two representing? What planet, I mean?”

“Earth,” Tegan answered Flintoo’s question.

“Earth?!” Flintoo was surprised. “I didn’t know there was an entry for that backwater planet outside our galaxy.”

“They did say they arrived today, Flintoo,” Nervta reminded her. “We must make allowances for late entrants.”

“You’re quite right, of course, Nervta dear,” Flintoo nodded. She turned to Tegan and Michael. “Sorry, you must forgive our curiosity. We’re keen to find out who else we’re up against.”

“What planet do you two represent then?” enquired Tegan. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Not at all,” Flintoo said happily. “We represent Huigo.”

“Huigo!” exclaimed Michael in surprise. “You two come from Huigo?”

“I’m a Hazum,” Flintoo established, “and this precious hubby of mine is a Zopian.”

“We’ve been married six years,” Nervta added, stroking his wife’s left shoulder. “The happiest of my life so far.”

“The happiest of my life too,” Flintoo smiled before she kissed her husband.

The Doctor had told Tegan, Michael and Nyssa that Huigo was a paradise between two peoples – the humanoid Hazums and the reptilian Zopians. They learned to co-exist and live peacefully after years of war and bloodshed. They’d become the Huigans and volunteered their world for the Eniotato Circuit annual race ever since. Tegan recalled the Time Lord wishing the same thing had happened for the two Earth races of humanity and reptilia-kind.

“So, are you two looking forward to partaking in the race?” asked Flintoo sweetly.

“Oh yes,” Michael replied enthusiastically. “We’ve never done a space race like this before.”

“And I’m getting butterflies in my stomach thinking about it,” Tegan admitted, nervously.

“Just take your time out on the racetrack and everything will be fine,” Nervta said reassuringly. “Maybe we can keep in touch in the race to make sure you two don’t lose your nerve.”

“What a great idea, my love,” Flintoo said, patting him on the shoulder, before she addressed Tegan and Michael. “We’re very experienced in partaking in a race like this. We’ll help you along and give you some tips if needed.”

“You see, Tegan,” Michael said happily. “A fun race, this is. There’s nothing to worry about. And we’ve made friends already.”

“Yeah,” Tegan murmured. “You’ve still yet to see how I handle things out on the racetrack.”

“You’ll be fine, dear,” Flintoo reassured her.

“They’re going to die out there,” said a voice behind them.

Tegan, Michael, Flintoo and Nervta looked to see a bulky mass of an alien creature slide past them, leaving slime in its wake. He had squelchy pale olive-coloured bloated skin and his face contained huge eyes and a huge mouth.

“Ugh,” Tegan reacted, revulsed. “Who let him in?”

Michael couldn’t help but think of Jabba the Hutt once he saw the newcomer. “What a foul stench,” he uttered, equally revulsed.

“Rugga,” Nervta told him off. “Don’t be cruel to these two. They’re newcomers. Freshmen.”

“So, I’ve noticed,” remarked Rugga ruefully, regarding Tegan and Michael with mild disinterest. “I can tell they’re going to be last in the race.”

“Excuse me,” Michael began to protest before Tegan restrained and shushed him.

“If you weren’t so mean and vain,” Flintoo told him, “you’re likely to have more friends who would support you in your endeavours. You don’t have to be so competitive.”

Rugga shrugged, dismissing Flintoo’s words. “Whatever. I’m off to my pod at Bay #38.” He looked at Tegan and Michael. “Enjoy your failure, you two. I don’t think much of your chances of success.”

At that, Rugga slithered off, continuing to leave slime.

Disgusted and infuriated, Tegan blurted out, “Well, of all the…”

“You mustn’t take any notice of Rugga,” Nervta told them. “He does get cranky like that every time he enters a race.”

“As is usually common for a typical Baxsisan male.”

“Baxsisan?” echoed Michael.

“He’s from the planet Baxsis,” Nervta explained. “Did you not know that?”

“And it’s not just you two he’ll be having a go at,” Flintoo added. “He’s always wanting to get people down so he can make them lose their confidence. That way, he can win the race.”

“Well, I suppose there had to be a mean racer to deal with,” Michael reflected.

“There’s bound to be more like him once we get into the race,” Tegan suggested.

“There’s only him and Liskaur,” Nervta told her. “Oh, that Liskaur is quite a grouch.”

As if on cue, a lanky bipedal alien with scaly skin known as a Kourepan walked past them.

“Morning, Liskaur,” Flintoo greeted. “Great day for a race, isn’t it?”

Liskaur ignored her and continued on his way. Tegan was appalled by how rude he was.

“Apart from Rugga and Liskaur,” Nervta continued, “most of the other racers are friendly – same as us.”

“Anyway, we’d better let you two get to your pod,” Flintoo interjected, stepping back and taking her husband with her. “Good luck, you two. We’ll keep in touch during the race.”

“Enjoy yourselves,” Nervta told them. “Don’t take too many dares and risks.”

“We’ll try not to,” Michael reassured them. “We’ll be careful. Bye, you two.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Tegan added, waving. “Nice talking to you.”

Michael joined Tegan and waved, as they saw Flintoo and Nervta heading off. Eventually, they continued their journey to Launch Bay #49, narrowly avoiding Rugga and Liskaur.

---

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Nyssa waited patiently, as they stood in the viewing gallery with the other spectators. They had their portable pads ready, hoping to keep track of Tegan and Michael during the race. They also checked the viewscreen. The racetrack was still empty.

“Do you think they’ve found their way to their space pod?” Nyssa enquired.

“Oh, I’m sure they’re fine,” the Doctor reassured her. “It’s bound to take a while to settle into their space vehicle. Like settling into a new house.”

“When is the race about to start?”

“About twenty minutes. Don’t worry, Nyssa. Michael and Tegan have probably found their pod by now and are just getting ready to go out on the racetrack.” There was a pause, and then the Doctor continued, “Fancy a Rocton berry smoothie whilst we’re waiting? It’s a juicy recipe from the Kourep Nebula.”

Before Nyssa answered, she overheard two people chatting to each other. They were both reptiles – one male and one female. Zopians from the planet Huigo, according to the Doctor.

“I hope our brother fares well in the race this time,” said the female Zopian.

“He should,” said the male Zopian. “He’s done this race 10 times now with his wife.”

“There’s always a chance for failure, Stra,” the female Zopian told him. “You can’t deny nor dismiss that possibility.”

“And you’re being morbid, Rivta,” Stra told her. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

Letting Stra and Rivta continue their conversation in private, Nyssa turned back to the Doctor. “It seems we’re not the only ones concerned about particular contestants in the race.”

“Space pod races are very dangerous, Nyssa,” the Time Lord reminded her. “There’s always an element of fear to be found among contestants and spectators when an annual race like this occurs. We must trust that Tegan and Michael will be sensible once they’re out there.”

“Yes,” Nyssa acknowledged. “You’re right, of course. We must trust in hope.”

Eventually, the Doctor said, “Now, how about that Rocton berry smoothie?”

---

The race officials had very kindly put Michael and Tegan’s names on the side of the pod, next to the British and Australian flags respectively. The same had been given for Flintoo and Nervta and their pod, with Flintoo having the Hazu flag and Nervta having the Zopia flag. Rugga had his flag placed on his vehicle to represent his Baxsisan nationality as did Liskaur for his vehicle to represent he was a Kourepan.

As Tegan and Michael expected, the pod’s interior was roomy. The ceiling was quite low. They had to lower their heads when passing back and forth from the cockpits to the back area where the engine controls were. They had to wear their crash-helmets, of course. They also wore oxygen masks. Whilst there was an artificial atmosphere and gravity provided aboard the space pod, the oxygen masks were compulsory to provide an air supply to the two contestants participating in the race. This was a precaution in case a breach in the outer hall occurred or one or both pilots was torn into outer space during the race. That way, Tegan and Michael could survive long enough to be rescued by one of the lifeguards in their tiny patrol ships.

“I’ll sit on the left and you sit on the right, okay?” checked Michael, gently. “The left seat’s the main pilot seat, remember?”

“Hey, you’re the racing driver,” Tegan said, raising her hands in submission. “I’ll trust your judgement on what we’re doing.”

“Oh, trust me, Tegan, I’m as nervous as you are,” he admitted. “But I’d like to think I know what I’m doing regarding these controls.”

“I’m sure you do,” said Tegan encouragingly.

“Do you know what you have to do with your co-pilot controls?”

“I believe so,” she replied. “Basically, I just follow your movements when you move your joystick or something. It’s just a pain to wear these cumbersome masks.” She adjusted her oxygen mask slightly to make it comfortable around her nose and mouth.

“Don’t worry, Tegan,” Michael assured her. “It’ll be like a second skin to you. I should know. I wear a crash helmet, visor, and a mask every time I enter a race on Earth.”

“Thank you, Mikey boy, that is so encouraging,” said Tegan ruefully, as she sat down in her co-pilot seat.

Michael followed suit, as he sat down in his main pilot seat. “Besides, the cockpit controls should match to what we’ve experienced in that simulation during our tutorial.”

“Oh, that tutorial was a lot safer compared to being in here,” Tegan remarked.

“You enjoyed that tutorial, didn’t you?” Michael teased gently.

“All I’m saying is, I hope what we did in that tutorial will apply in the same manner in outer space on the racetrack.”

“The Doctor said we shouldn’t expect the race to be easy,” Michael reminded her. “I’m going to take that seriously when we’re out there.”

“I’m relieved to hear it,” said Tegan, nervously.

“First flight nerves again?” he asked.

Tegan shook her head. “I’m sorry. My previous anxieties are resurfacing, aren’t they? I wish I could be like Flintoo. She seemed confident about doing this space race compared to me.”

“Well, she would be, wouldn’t she? She and Nervta have entered these space races more times than us.”

“I’ll try putting my anxieties aside whilst in the race, I promise,” Tegan reassured her friend. “I don’t want to let you down and disappoint you.”

Michael gently tapped her on the arm and said confidently, “You won’t let me down, Tegan. I know you won’t. You’ll be a pillar of strength for me all the way.”

“Thanks, Michael,” said Tegan, smiling. “I feel better hearing you say that.”

Tegan and Michael soon saw fellow space pod racers getting into position at the starting line, including Flintoo and Nervta. Flintoo waved eagerly to them as they drove past, and Tegan and Michael waved back. They also saw Rugga and Liskaur in their vehicles driving past. Rugga gave a dismissive shrug whilst Liskaur completely ignored them. Michael hoped they wouldn’t cross paths with them too much.

“Shall we make our way to the starting line, Michael?” Tegan asked. “We don’t want to set off at the back, do we?”

“You’re quite right, Tegan,” Michael agreed. “Hold on tight.”

Gently, Michael began piloting the space pod to the starting position. The main controls were a challenge and he had to figure out which was for going forward and which was for reversing. Tegan helped him out with her co-pilot controls to steady the pod. Soon in line with other space pod racers, Michael and Tegan breathed sighs of relief.

There were about ten space pod racers in total, including Michael and Tegan, Flintoo and Nervta, Rugga, and Liskaur. Each space pod varied in size. Michael was pleased that he and Tegan were in their squatter green-yellow space pod, although Tegan found it a little unnerving that some of the space pods were larger than theirs. Flintoo and Nervta’s space pod was slightly bigger, being blue and rectangular. Rugga’s triangular space pod towered above everyone else’s, accommodating the size of his bloated body aboard. Liskaur’s vehicle was pretty standard and very bland with red piping along the sides.

Michael assured Tegan that their vehicle was sleeker and could manoeuvre past many of the other space vehicles once they traversed through the racetrack. 

Tegan wasn’t convinced. “This must be the craziest thing I’m doing,” she admitted. “Trust me, I’ve done crazy things in my life when travelling in the TARDIS, but nothing like this.”

“Come on, Tegan!” said Michael encouragingly. “You told me not to chicken out, remember? We’ve got this far, so…”

“I wouldn’t want you to think I’m a coward.”

“No, of course not. I wouldn’t reduce you to that level.”

“Thanks!”

“I mean… Let me try again. I know we haven’t known each other for very long but…”

“Yeah. Sometimes it feels like we’ve known each other for years. TARDIS travel can do that to you, I think. It felt like we’d been nannying Adric all his life…” She cut herself off.

Michael continued, gently, “I’m glad you became my co-pilot. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to do this race alone.”

“That’s partly the reason why I agreed to join you, I think,” reflected Tegan. “The thought of you doing this race alone frightens me. If something terrible happened to you…”

Tegan trailed off again, thinking of something else. She, Nyssa and the Doctor had lost two male travellers in their TARDIS travels – Adric and Marc. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing a third one. Adric, though, had died on Briggs’ space freighter, screaming into the Earth. Was that why she’d been so timid?

“Tegan?” Michael asked.

It took a while for Tegan to answer. She looked at him and smiled. “I’m glad you’re not doing this alone, Michael. I’m honoured to be your co-pilot. We’ll make a right ripper of this day yet.”

Michael smiled and placed a hand on Tegan’s. “Thank you for saying yes. I’m glad I’ve got someone to keep an eye on me.”

Appreciating the kind gesture, Tegan placed her other hand on his. Eventually letting go, they soon returned their attention to the forward viewscreen and the controls.

“I hope the other pod racers won’t be too competitive,” Michael remarked. “They should give us first-time racers a wide berth, shouldn’t they?”

“Hopefully, they’ll abide by the rules once we’re out there,” Tegan said. “Even at high speeds and in the vacuum of space, surely no-one can be excessively cocky.”

“Well, as we discussed before, try to enjoy the experience and the fun. You never know, we might find this exhilarating. We might want to do it again.”

“Oh no! Thanks, but no!” Tegan raised her hands defensively. “Once is enough for me. It’ll be a miracle should we survive this.”

“Just as you say,” Michael surrendered. “But you never know. Being out on the racetrack can be addictive.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Tegan ruefully. “I’m made of strong stuff! More than you and anyone else thinks, including the Doctor.”

“Hmm, we’ll see about that, won’t we?” Michael teased, smirking.

Tegan couldn’t help but smirk back.

Just then, they received a call on the intercom, as it blared out loud. Tegan saw it was Flintoo and Nervta trying to make contact with them, according to one of the dashboards of her control station. She pressed a button and answered their call.

“Hi Tegan; Hi Michael,” greeted Flinton at the other end. “Just wanted to wish you both well.”

“Thank you, Flintoo,” replied Michael happily. “We appreciate you two looking out for us.”

“Give us luck, why don’t you?” Tegan cooed cheerily. “We’ll need plenty of it, Mikey and I.”

“You have all our luck in the Eniotata Circuit,” answered Nervta. “We’ll meet up with you back at the Aepa Som Arena. Compare notes on how we did in the race.”

“That’ll be great, that,” said Michael happily. “Won’t it, Tegan?”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Tegan joined in. “Looking forward to any constructive feedback you two may have on us for being such rubbish race drivers.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, Tegan dear,” Flintoo reassured her. “Now we’d better let you two get back to it. Keep focused, take your time and good luck!”

“Yes, good luck, you two,” chimed Nervta. “See you soon.”

With that, they hung up. Tegan felt a little better as she and Michael readied themselves.

---

Lap Two: The Race Begins

The tannoy announcer rang out, echoing across the Aepa Som Arena. “Attention! Attention please! All race participants for the 79th annual Eniotata Circuit race. Would you please take your positions? The race will begin in five minutes.”

---

Taking the cue, Michael gripped the pilot controls. They vibrated under his fingertips.

Tegan also gripped the co-pilot controls.

They could hear the growling echo of their space pod’s Falcon drive. The fierce echoes of the other space pods’ Falcon drives nearby too. Tegan assumed they were in an atmospheric bubble which allowed them to hear the space pods’ engines compared to not hearing them so well in the vacuum of space. Michael and Tegan checked their safety belts to make sure they were fastened correctly and tightly.

Satisfied about their safety belts, Michael turned to Tegan and lent out his right hand, “Good luck, fellow pilot!”

“Thanks, Mike.” Tegan took his right hand and shook it, “You’re nuts, but it’s been nice knowing you.”

“Race commencing in…five…four…three…two…one…zero!”

At zero, Tegan saw the stop light changing from red to green.

Within seconds, Michael and Tegan were off. They felt they had jumped out of their skin once they propelled forwards at an incredible speed. Michael kept his grip on the pilot controls, as he drove him and Tegan through the space ways, past many fellow space pod racers on their left and on their right.

A surge of panic overwhelmed Tegan. But soon, she saw how well Michael was doing with piloting the space pod. They zoomed past many space pods without crashing in an instant.

“You know what? This might not be as bad as I thought.”

“That’s the spirit, Tegan!” Michael cheered. “Just have fun and keep your hands on the co-pilot controls as we go!”

---

Back at the Aepa Som Arena, the Doctor and Nyssa watched among the spectators in the viewing gallery. They saw the racers zooming across the racetrack on the main viewscreen.

“Michael and Tegan seem to be doing very well so far,” Nyssa checked her portable pad. “They’re about third place in the race.”

“Yes, they are,” the Doctor concurred, verifying on his. “I’m quite surprised by that. For a beginner, Michael has picked up well on how to handle being in a space pod race compared to being in a Formula One race on Earth.”

“Tegan’s skills as a former plane pilot must be complimenting Michael in this endeavour.”

“Yes, I suppose they must be. Michael must have persuaded Tegan to come out of her shell a bit more after all.”

“And I suppose his playing video games have helped in this regard.”

“Video games?”

Nyssa teased the Doctor’s confusion. “Michael told me and Tegan how much he’s into playing them.”

“Ah, I see.” The Doctor paused momentarily. “Yes, well, playing video games in the nineteen-eighties and nineteen-nineties is a stark contrast compared to partaking in a space pod race in one’s future.”  

“I’m sure, Doctor.”

---

Aboard their space pod, Tegan and Michael kept checking their progress in the race via the space pod’s dashboards. They made sure that the fuel gauges were steady and at half-level. At this point, they were a far distance away from the Aepa Som Arena in the racecourse. 

Having reached third place in the race, they were about to zoom past their first marker buoy, which was the half-green and half-desolate planet called Huigo. Tegan and Michael had seen pictures of the planet during their tutorial. They found it surreal and beautiful with its green and yellow patches all over the surface.

Tegan became startled, as she looked to see one of the racers zooming past. It was Rugga in his triangular space pod. She saw him giving a shrug and a wave before he flew off.

“Rabbits!” Tegan cursed, put-out they were now in fourth place. 

“Now that’s just showing off,” snorted Michael.

“And we were doing so well!” Tegan added.

“Don’t fret, Tegan,” Michael assured her. “You’re enjoying yourself, that’s the main thing.”

Tegan looked at Michael and gradually smiled. “Yeah, of course,” she laughed nervously. “I didn’t realise how much fun this would be. The controls are a challenge to handle, but I’m getting a thrill out of doing this, I can tell you.”

“That’s good,” the young man said happily. “Glad to hear it. I’m pleased I’ve got you geared into something like this.”

“It certainly keeps my mind off other things,” Tegan acknowledged. “Thanks, Mikey!”

At one point, Tegan and Michael were up against Flintoo and Nervta’s space pod. They playfully competed with each other. Soon, Tegan and Michael overtook Flintoo and Nervta. Tegan thought it was too easy.

“I wonder why our newfound friends let us overtake them,” Tegan remarked.

“I suspect they’re sizing us up,” Michael suggested. “They’re bound to catch up eventually.”

This proved to be the case, as Flintoo and Nervta’s space pod overtook them in an instant, and without warning.

“Hey!” Tegan cried, protesting. “We deserve to be ahead of those two!”

They soon received a communication from Flintoo via the intercom. “Come on, you two,” she said, ruefully. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“Indeed,” concurred Nervta heartily. “Don’t slow down. We wouldn’t want to think you’re slacking, right?”

“Oh, we’ll show you how better we can be,” Tegan jibed, as she switched off the intercom. “Come on, Mikey boy! Let’s catch up to them as quickly as we can!”

“With pleasure, Tegan,” Michael cheered, as he pushed the main thruster controls.

---

“Do you think Michael has settled by now?” Nyssa asked. “I mean, is he comfortable being a TARDIS traveller?”

“Give him time, Nyssa,” the Doctor assured her. “I’m sure he’ll grow to enjoy life aboard the TARDIS.” He fell silent for a moment. “I just hope things with him will be significantly different and better handled compared to how things turned out with Marc.”

Nyssa saw the sad expression on the Doctor’s face. She had to be careful with how she said things next. It was a sensitive matter to handle, like treading over fragile glass.

“Doctor, what happened with Marc. It… well, it wasn’t…”

“Wasn’t my fault?” the Time Lord interjected, challenging her gently “Was that what you were going to say?”

She fell silent. For the Trakenite, this wasn’t an easy conversation. They had been through so much and lost so many people. Nyssa knew how much this hurt the Doctor as much as it hurt her. The Doctor was contemplative, as he fell silent.

Eventually… “It seems to be a pattern in our travels, doesn’t it? Certain members of our family have gone and with different fates. Adric. Marc.” A pause. “Billy.”

The Doctor knew how much this hurt Nyssa as much as it hurt him. She breathed deeply and gradually calmed.

“I’m sorry, Nyssa. I shouldn’t have pointed that out…”

“It’s alright, Doctor,” she interrupted. “What happened with Billy…” She trailed off. The memory was too much. Eventually, she tried to cheer up. “I’m sure he’ll want me to be happy with the friends I have. You, Tegan and Michael.”

“Perhaps we’ll see Billy again,” he tried to reassure her. “Time travel, you know?”

“But you wouldn’t be able to save Billy like you couldn’t save Adric,” she reminded him.

A pang of pain inside. “No,” he sadly answered. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. You understand why, Nyssa?”

Nyssa didn’t say anything for a moment. She was processing her emotions before reaching a reasoned reply.

“For the same reason we never saved my father. How can I expect to see Billy again, knowing that I won’t?”

The Doctor looked at Nyssa. He had no answer for her. Once she realised that, she turned away. Seeing the hurt in her eyes, the Doctor gently placed a hand on her right shoulder to reassure her.

“I’m sorry, you’re right, that was a foolish sentiment on my part,” he said. “I do know this. Billy would have wanted you to live, not just survive. He was never so selfish he would want you to suffer without him. True?”

“True.” Nyssa couldn’t help being teary-eyed.

No-one can fill in Billy’s shoes, she thought.

“Give it time, Nyssa,” the Time Lord continued. “Just…” He faltered for a moment. He wasn’t sure how to phrase what he was going to say next. Eventually, he decided not to say it and instead repeated, “Just…give it time.”

Another moment of silence. Gradually, Nyssa brushed her tears away with her left hand, sniffing as she did so.

“I haven’t told Tegan about Billy yet,” she said. “There hasn’t been any time to tell her what we were doing in the time she left and came back to us.”

“You don’t have to tell her anything if you don’t want to,” he said. “What you had with Billy was precious. It’s yours to share with whoever you want.”

Nyssa weakly smiled. “We were talking about Michael, weren’t we?”

“Yes! Yes, we were,” the Doctor concurred. “As I was saying, I’m sure he’ll grow to enjoy life aboard the TARDIS. By that, I mean, of course we’ll take him on more adventures to get into the spirit of things. Maybe he’ll enjoy visiting New York on Earth somewhen. It’s been quite a while since I last visited America. Hopefully, the Empire State Building…”

Just then, the Doctor trailed off, distracted. Nyssa noticed how distracted he was. It then dawned on her that the crowd of spectators were shocked and horrified.

Nyssa gently tugged the Time Lord by the left arm. “Doctor, what’s happening? Why is everyone starting to panic?”

“Look at the main viewscreen, Nyssa,” he told her.

Nyssa looked to see. She then noticed a spherical object had joined the race. It zoomed across the space track. At first, Nyssa thought it was one of the space pod racers and it was catching up to its fellow competitors. 

Gradually, it dawned on her that this wasn’t the case.

The space pods in the race had Eniotato Circuit labels on them with numbers attached to identify the entrants in the race. It was clear that the spherical object’s exterior had no label nor number on it.

“That space vehicle isn’t one of the participants.”

“Quite right, Nyssa. And if you look very closely, it’s not a typical space pod.”

Nyssa re-examined the space vehicle, before it came into focus on the main viewscreen.

“Sontaran!” she claimed. “It’s a Sontaran scout ship!”

“Yes, Nyssa,” the Doctor confirmed. “Most definitely a Sontaran scout ship.” Then it dawned on the Time Lord instantly. He slipped on his glasses to take a closer look. Nyssa noticed how horrified he was. “And Tegan and Michael are soon about to be in trouble if we don’t get to them!” He put his glasses away. “Come on!”

Seeing the Doctor run off, Nyssa made to follow before she noticed the two Zopians, whom she’d heard talking behind them earlier, named Stra and Rivta, clearly distressed.

“What’s happening, Stra?” Rivta asked anxiously. “What is that ship doing in the race?”

“It’s not one of the contestants, Rivta dearest,” Stra answered. “I don’t know what’s happening either.”

“Let’s hope Flintoo and Nervta will be fine and nothing serious will happen,” said Rivta.

Nyssa wanted to reassure them that things would be alright. That she and the Doctor would sort out this crisis. But she struggled to find the words, knowing that when a Sontaran was involved, things didn’t always work to a happy and satisfying resolution. She sensed dread in the air.

“Come on, Nyssa,” the Time Lord called to her. “Hurry up! We’ve got to get back to the TARDIS immediately!”

Acknowledging, Nyssa continued to follow the Doctor, leaving the anxious Stra and Rivta in the viewing gallery.

---

Things seemed to go well for Tegan and Michael. They got into third position again with Rugga still ahead of them, and Flintoo and Nervta on their tail. They were catching up to Rugga whilst he attempted to overtake the lead, who happened to be Liskaur. 

“It’s a shame we can’t use anything to outrun our opponents,” Michael remarked. “Like in a video game.”

Tegan laughed and scoffed. “You and your video games.”

“Well, if we had a can of space oil or something like it,” suggested Michael, “we could dump it across the space-track and it could spread, getting one of our fellow racers to slow down and be off-track.”

Tegan couldn’t help but gasp. “That’s a heck of a cheat.”

“Cheating perhaps.” Michael then grinned. “But it’s okay to be a bit wicked to make the race more fun, right?”

“You’re not serious?”

Michael laughed at her astonished expression. “I’m pulling your leg, Tegan. I wasn’t seriously considering it.”

Just then, a loud thud echoed behind them. Tegan and Michael fell silent.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Tegan looked behind her at the engine controls. “That was definitely a thud! Must have come from one of the engine terminals.”

“Or perhaps it was Flintoo and Nervta bumping into us,” Michael suggested.

“No, it wasn’t them. I know it wasn’t,” she insisted. “That sound could have also come from one of the cupboards.”

“Probably nothing. Just keep to the controls and relax.”

Michael sensed her uneasiness, and he couldn’t help feeling a little nervous too.

“I’m going to check.” Tegan unfastened her safety belt and got up out of her co-pilot seat, checking her oxygen mask and crash helmet were intact.

“Tegan!”

“Just give me a moment. I’ll let you know if it’s something or not.”

“But I’ll have to…”

“You’ll manage. Just keep to the controls and relax.”

Michael heard the mocking tone in Tegan’s voice. “Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Well done.”

Ignoring Michael, Tegan made her way to the engine controls.

Approaching them, she couldn’t see anything out-of-place. The engine controls seemed to be functioning normally. There were no warning sounds, which Tegan was quite relieved by.

“Anything?” Michael called.

“Engine controls seem okay,” she answered. “Nothing’s been tampered with.”

“Good! What you heard was probably something that fell to the floor. Yeah, that must be it! You heard a pencil or a pen fall to the floor.”

“Well, if it was a pencil or a pen, I can’t see it where I am.”

Tegan looked to one of the cupboards, situated in the far corner on the left of the pod’s engine section. She reached out towards one of the door handles.

“I’m just checking this cupboard, Michael. Maybe when I return to the controls, I’ll say to you that you’re right and I was wrong.”

“Happy news all around,” was Michael’s reply.

Tegan opened the cupboard. She cried out in shock once she saw what…or rather who…was inside.

---

The Doctor and Nyssa faced an obstacle, as they couldn’t get back to the TARDIS, parked in Shuttle Bay #16 aboard the Aepa Som Arena. They were blocked by a middle-aged woman called Athena Yung, who led her security detail.

She crossed her arms. “Sorry, sir, but we were alerted to an unauthorised participant…”

“Please,” the Doctor interrupted, “if you’d just let me get back to my ship.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Yung said, “but we must keep everyone safe in the Arena.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense, therefore, to let us evacuate?”

“And, of course, for security reasons, no-one is to leave until the crisis has been resolved.”

“But our friends are out there,” Nyssa interjected. “There’s a Sontaran spaceship in the race and their lives and every other contestants’ lives are in danger.”

Yung held a finger to her throat-microphone. “Control. Positive classification on unidentified vessel. Sontaran spacecraft. Positive threat to safety of the Arena. Take immediate action.”

“We can help resolve this matter for you,” the Doctor continued. “If you’ll just let us gain access to the TARDIS…”

“And go where? Do what? Why?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Sontarans enjoy a good brawl,” the Doctor sighed. “More lives means a greater potential for casualties. I’d prefer to keep this personal.”

“Then you know the pilot of the unidentified vessel?”

“Only by reputation,” the Doctor lied.

Yung groaned, rubbing the wrinkles under her eyes. “Doctor, if you can’t give me anything more than that, I insist that you stay here.”

The Doctor exhaled. “Am I unqualified?”

She looked up at him. “We are Aepa Som Security. It’s our risk to take, not yours.”

“I understand that, but…” 

“You have a desire to help, I recognise that. But you also have an innate bias that has to be taken into account. Your friends, as you’ve said, are out there. Be assured, we’ll do everything in our power to bring them back to the Arena safe and well. Now…” She gestured. “Please wait with the other guests in the viewing gallery. We’ll keep you posted and updated on our progress in this matter.”

Just then, a security officer – a young man – approached her.

“Excuse me, Ms. Yung,” he said.

“Tell me good news, Nick,” she said.

“Jay has detected an unidentified mass in one of the entrant’s vehicles. Entrant #49, he said.”

“The squat green and yellow vehicle?” Yung checked.

“That’s the one,” Nick answered. “It appears there might be a stowaway on board.”

Nyssa leaned in and whispered to her friend, “That’s Tegan and Michael’s vehicle.”

The Doctor nodded.

“What did he mean ‘stowaway’?” Nyssa asked.

“We’ll worry about that later,” the Time Lord told her, as he addressed Yung again. “Ms. Yung please, if you’ll just let us help you…”

“Nick, have these two escorted back to the viewing gallery,” Yung told him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “We’re having two security probes intercept the unauthorised vehicle in the race. We’ll make preparations to set out and pursue the…”

“…Sontaran spaceship, I believe these two called it…” added Yung. “As well as Entrant #49 to determine whether there’s a stowaway aboard or not.”

“Understood.” Nick then turned to Nyssa and the Doctor. “Come on, you two. You heard what Ms. Yung said…”

The Doctor held up his hands in surrender. “No, no, it’s alright,” he sighed, deflated. “We’re going, we know our way back.” He turned to his young friend. “Come on, Nyssa.”

The Time Lord led the Trakenite back the way they came. Satisfied they were heading back to the viewing gallery, Nick decided to get on with the rest of his duties.

“What are we going to do, Doctor?” asked Nyssa, quietly. “We can’t just abandon Tegan and Michael to whoever that Sontaran is.”

“I have an idea of who it is we’re dealing with,” the Doctor whispered back. “We’ve dealt with him before, I believe.”

“What did Ms. Yung mean by ‘bias’?”

“Part of her concerns are that we might have our own agenda. Use this attack to help Tegan and Michael cheat.”

“That’s so…”

“Cynical? It’s not personally meant, I feel. She’s a security officer, Nyssa. Cynicism is part of her occupation.”

“And ours?”

“Remains the same.” The Doctor nodded, “I’ll explain my suspicions about this once we get inside the TARDIS.”

“But how are we going to get past the security detail?”

“We’ll have to light a fire under them somehow. We just need a distraction long enough to stop Ms. Yung and her team seeing us and gaining access to the Ship,” the Doctor pondered aloud. Then an idea occurred to him. “And I’m going to need your help to achieve this.”

“My help?” Nyssa became intrigued.

The Doctor led Nyssa, as they headed out of the shuttle bay area.

---

“Tegan, are you alright?” called Michael, concerned. “What’s happening? Did you find something back there?”

“Who are you?!” Tegan demanded. “Where did you come from?! How did you get in here?!”

“Who are you talking to? Tegan, please tell me! I can’t see where I am at the controls!”

“There’s a woman here with us, Mike!”

“What?!”

“Yeah! A blonde-haired woman is sitting in one of the cupboards next to the engines!”

Like Michael and Tegan, the woman was dressed in a racing tracksuit. Except whereas Michael had red piping and Tegan had blue, the woman had green piping on her tracksuit. She also didn’t have a crash helmet nor an oxygen mask to protect her.

“It’s alright,” said the woman earnestly. “There’s no need to be afraid. I won’t hurt anyone.”

“You’re a stowaway!” Tegan proclaimed. “A stowaway aboard our space pod in the middle of a space race!”

“There’s a very good reason why I’m a stowaway,” the woman declared. “Now please, try not to panic, m’dear.”

“I’m not panicking. Who said I was panicking?”

“No-one. I heard your thoughts just now.”

“What?!” Tegan reacted confused, and then she realised. “Can you read my thoughts?”

“Yes,” confessed the woman.

Tegan shut her eyes and tried to focus. “Read this then.”

“I’m afraid you’re like an open book, m’dear,” the woman told her. “Your panic overrides your emotions and it’s making it difficult for you to block your thoughts.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t give it a good try,” Tegan snapped back.

“Tegan, you’d better bring her in here,” Michael suggested. “She can’t sit in that cupboard.”

“Right,” Tegan acknowledged, before she turned to the woman, nervous. “Now! You get up! Come with me! And don’t try anything!”

“There’s no need to threaten me. I’ll come. If you could just help me up…”

Tegan helped the blonde-haired woman up out of the cupboard and to her feet. Very soon, the woman was escorted into the main cockpit area by Tegan where she met up with Michael. Michael turned to see her, surprised before he returned his attention to the forward screen.

“Goodness, you weren’t joking, Tegan!” Michael remarked. “You did find a woman in a cupboard in the back!”

“I’m pleased you find me dazzling, young man,” the woman said.

“What?” Michael reacted surprised as he turned to the woman. “W-W-What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“You find me dazzling and pretty, don’t you?”

“I… I didn’t… I didn’t say you were dazzling and pretty!”

“I heard your thoughts.”

“Pardon?”

“Okay, butt out. What’s the deal here?” demanded Tegan. “Are you some kind of psychic?”

“I am, actually, yes,” the woman answered, smiling.

“Don’t like psychics. They charge a bomb and tell you what you already know.”

“Who exactly are you?” asked Michael. “How come you’re aboard our space pod?”

“My name is Becceri. I’m from the planet Sarfenia. I’m a Graecelan. As to how and why I stowed away aboard your space pod, well, you see…”

But before Becceri could continue, the space pod jerked violently. Michael, Tegan and Becceri found themselves propelling forwards before they regained their balance.

“Cripes, what was that?!” exclaimed Tegan.

“I’ve no idea,” replied Michael. “Was that turbulence we just experienced?”

“Trust me, I know air travel where I come from, being an ex-air stewardess and all. Air travel might not be exactly space travel, but I’m sure that wasn’t turbulence.”

“Oh no!” Becceri realised, suddenly afraid. “It’s him! He’s caught up with me!”

“Who’s him? Who are you talking about?” queried Michael.

Suddenly, another violent jerk occurred. Michael, Tegan and Becceri propelled forwards again, except this time, Tegan and Becceri found themselves on the floor. Michael felt bruises on his sides and stomach once he’d been pushed against the main pilot controls.

---

In his scout ship, the Sontaran was determined not to let Becceri out of his sight. He piloted along the space racetrack in the Eniotato Circuit. He fired upon the space pod containing his target, attempting to disable the engines and slow it down. It wasn’t working as he intended, since the space pod was evading his shots every time, following his first two failed attempts. The Sontaran guessed that the pilot had become clever in evading his attacks. Or else Becceri was helping him or her.

“You will not escape my clutches so easily, Becceri of Sarfenia,” he grunted. “One way or another, you will be in my custody!”

---

“That confirms it,” declared Tegan. “Not turbulence! We’re being attacked, aren’t we?”

“Can you show the rear view of the space pod using these controls?” asked Becceri, indicating the co-pilot terminal. “We can see what’s going on outside via that.”

“Good thinking,” Tegan said. She knew how to switch to the space pod’s rear view on the forward screen after getting used to the co-pilot controls. “Michael, keep your eyes peeled and your attention focused.”

“Don’t worry, Tegan. I’ll keep our space pod steady. Just don’t switch to rear view for too long, okay? I’ll need the forward view again.”

Acknowledging, Tegan made her way over to the co-pilot terminal and sat down with Becceri beside her. She noticed a couple of space pods she didn’t recognise zooming past, and immediately thought they were properly in fifth place in the race by now. Flintoo and Nervta’s space pod hadn’t overtaken them and she noticed, according to the dashboard, that Rugga was still trying to overtake Liskaur’s vehicle, despite the chaos occuring. 

Pressing a few buttons, Tegan saw the forward screen switch from front view to rear view in an instant. Becceri gasped in horror once she saw what was behind them.

“I was right,” she said. “He’s caught up with me. Again! And I truly thought I’d lost him.”

“Who’s caught up with you?” asked Michael.

Tegan recognised what Becceri saw. She was shocked to see the spherical object catching up to them and what it meant.

“Oh no!” she groaned, despairingly. “It can’t be… It’s not…”

“Yes, I’m afraid it is,” Becceri confirmed, sadly. “It’s a Sontaran scout ship.” Pausing for a moment, she went on, “To be specific, it’s Wulfe’s ship. Wulfe the Headhunter.”

---

Back in Shuttle Bay #16 aboard the Aepa Som Arena, Athena Yung and her team kept tracking the Sontaran ship’s movements along the racetrack. It was persistently attacking the squat green-yellow space pod.

“Nick, are the two space probes you sent out nearly there?” asked Yung, anxiously.

“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Nick reassured her. “They should catch up to our interloper soon.”

“Good,” said Yung, relieved. “Check with Jay on our shuttles to disembark for the racetrack. I want us to be out there as soon as possible.”

“To stop the Sontaran ship?”

“In its tracks. And acquire Entrant #49 so we can question the contestants.”

Nick nodded.

Just then, alarm sounds rang out.

“Attention! Attention!” boomed a nearby tannoy. “Fire detected. Fire detected. All please make your way to the designated assembly points. Repeat. All please make your way to the designated assembly points. Attention! Attention! Fire detected. Fire detected… ”

Yung groaned. “Oh, this is something we don’t need right now. Not a fire alarm.”

“We have to attend to our emergency assembly points, ma’am,” Nick gently reminded her. “It’s a compulsory procedure.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” acknowledged Athena, not unkindly. “Thank you for reminding me, Nick. Come on, let’s get going.” She then called out, “Everyone, attend to your emergency assembly points. Quickly now.”

Everyone obeyed, as they made their way out of the shuttle bay.

The tannoy repeated, “Attention! Attention! Fire detected. Fire detected. All please make your way to the designated assembly points. Repeat. All please make your way to the…”

As soon as everyone had exited, the shuttle bay became empty. The tannoy continued to ring out and the alarms blared loudly.

Eventually, the Doctor and Nyssa came out of their hiding place and made their way towards the TARDIS. They checked everywhere to make sure no-one was about, as they drew closer to the blue box.

“That idea of yours to set off the fire alarm systems worked out pretty well,” Nyssa commended her friend. “And no-one got hurt.”

“Thank you, Nyssa,” the Doctor replied. “I’d like to consider safety first before conducting a distraction. We’ve still got to get into the TARDIS though. Now if you’ll let me focus…”

The Doctor began inserting the TARDIS key into the lock. It took a while for him to turn it and unlock the door.

“Hurry, Doctor,” said Nyssa, urgently. “Our distraction may not be effective for long.”

“Trust me, Nyssa,” the Doctor assured her. “I’m hurrying as fast as I can.”

“Oh no,” Nyssa realised.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” the Time Lord asked.

“We’ve got company. Ms. Yung’s back.”

Indeed, Athena Yung had returned to the shuttle bay to make sure everyone had evacuated. Once she saw the Doctor and Nyssa about to get into their blue box, she gasped.

“Hey,” she cried. “Wait, stop, you two!”

It was fortunate that the Doctor managed to open the TARDIS door to let his young friend in.

“Quickly, Nyssa,” he said, urgently. “Inside.”

As Nyssa stepped inside the TARDIS, Yung took out her laser pistol and aimed it at the Doctor, calling out, “I said ‘stop’! I don’t want to use this on you two, but if I have to, I will.”

“Sorry, Ms. Yung,” the Doctor replied. “This is our risk to take, not yours.”

“Out of that box now!” she ordered, earnestly. “Out, I said.”

The Doctor smiled and closed the door once he was inside. Yung opened fire with her laser pistol, but the shot bounced off the blue box. She had hoped to penetrate the Doctor’s vehicle. She was puzzled why it didn’t work.

She tried again, opening fire. Same result. Very soon, the TARDIS dematerialised, whooshing and groaning as she departed from the Arena. Yung was surprised to see the blue box fading in and out like that. She soon spotted the square-shaped mark on the floor that had been left by the Doctor’s Ship.

Eventually, the alarm system stopped. Yung stood still for a while, contemplating what just occurred before Nick returned with a cheerful expression on his face.

“It’s alright, Ms. Yung,” he declared. “False alarm. I’ve switched off the fire alarm system. Some idiot must have tampered with it.”

Yung nodded, knowing who it was already.

“Nick, re-check the space probes,” she commanded. “And make sure Jay has our shuttles ready as soon as possible.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nick acknowledged, saluting. “Right away, ma’am.”

He went over to a computer terminal to check on the progress of the space probes. Thankfully, they seemed to have reached their target.

---

The Sontaran saw the two space probes approaching his ship through the forward window. He became annoyed. 

What is it now?

He soon received a communication call. Frustrated, Wulfe pressed a button on the intercom with one of his stubby fingers and answered.

“What is it?” he bellowed. “Who dares to interrupt a Sontaran and his almighty quest?”

A burst of static and an automated voice answered. “You are violating the rules of the race. You are also unregistered. Cease and desist or we shall have you disqualified with force. This is your first and only warning. Resist and you will suffer the consequences…”

Ignoring the message, Wulfe stabbed at the intercom button to switch it off. 

As a final gesture, the Sontaran decided to turn on the two space probes and blow them up, using the scout ship’s cannons. The probes blew up one by one in an instant. The Sontaran laughed, returning his attention to the space pod before him.

“Nothing can stop me now!” he chortled. “Nothing! No-one would dare to stand in my way!”

---

Lap Three: Danger In Outer Space

“Nick, what happened to the probes?” Yung asked. “Did they reach the Sontaran ship?”

“They did… have,” he replied. “They were on the dashboard but then they just disappeared. No longer registering.”

“Did they blow up?”

“I don’t think so. Our security probes usually are indestructible.”

“Well,” Yung sighed, “into each life a little rain must fall…”

“I’d rather like a pension at the end of the thunderstorm, ma’am.”

“You’ve done well, Nick,” she reassured him. “All you can.”

Just then, the intercom on Nick’s terminal blared into life. He answered it and it turned out to be Jay on the viewscreen.

“Jay!” cheered Nick, relieved. “Have you got good news?”

“Yes, Nick,” the young blond-haired man replied. “Our shuttles are ready for boarding. You can tell Ms. Yung…”

“I heard, Jay,” said Yung, coming up behind Nick. “Well done. Now let’s get out there and stop whatever madness is going on.”

Receiving a pat on the back by Yung, Nick thanked Jay before he switched him off. He soon followed after Yung and joined her to where their shuttles would be for departure.

---

Back in Tegan and Michael’s space pod, the intercom blared loudly. Tegan went to answer it with Becceri beside her. Michael kept his focus on piloting their vehicle in the race.

It of course was Flintoo and Nervta contacting them.

“Tegan!” Flintoo cried, anxiously. “Are you and Michael alright?”

“We’re fine, Flintoo,” Tegan replied. “What about you and Nervta? Are you keeping it together at your end?”

“Just about,” replied Nervta, grunting. “This has never happened before in one of these races, we can assure you.”

“What’s a Sontaran scout ship doing in the middle of our race?” Flintoo demanded. “Why is it attacking your space pod specifically?”

“Trust us,” Michael answered, “we’re as much in the dark about this as you two are.”

“Madam here seems to have all the answers though,” said Tegan, bitterly, indicating Becceri beside her.

“Please don’t be angry,” Becceri pleaded. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“How else do you expect me to react?” Tegan challenged her.

“Who’s that with you?” Flintoo asked, noticing Becceri for the first time.

“I thought it was just the two of you,” Nervta remarked. “The race doesn’t allow for a third contestant in a space vehicle.”

“She’s a stowaway,” Michael explained. “We just found her in one of the cupboards.”

“A stowaway?!” reacted Flintoo, apprehensively. “Oh, don’t let the security patrols catch you with her on board. They’ll likely disqualify you from the race.”

“They’re probably aware that she’s on board already,” Nervta pointed out. “They’re usually good at detecting unregistered masses aboard space pods in a race.”

“Our being disqualified from the race is the least of our worries,” snapped Tegan, interrupting them. “We’ve got a Sontaran on our tail and we can’t shake him off.”

“I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” Becceri insisted. “I thought that maybe hiding myself aboard a space pod and using my mind to create a psychic bubble to block out anyone registering my presence would be enough to steer Wulfe clear.”

“That didn’t work out as you hoped, did it?,” refuted Tegan.

“No,” Becceri acknowledged. “Sadly, it didn’t.”

“I think we can trust her, Tegan,” Michael told her. “She hoped to find safe passage, and it didn’t work in her favour. We must make allowances.”

“Yeah, well, so long as she doesn’t keep probing into our minds, I’m willing to give her a pass,” said Tegan, not willing to trust Becceri yet.

“I’ll do my best to not read your minds so much,” Becceri assured them. “It’s a bad habit to read minds, I know, especially when in a spot of danger.”

“You just help us get us out of this mess we’re in and we’ll make sure you’re safe from that Sontaran as well as keeping ourselves safe,” Tegan told her, indicating Michael beside her.

“I understand,” Becceri nodded.

“Tegan; Michael,” interrupted Flintoo, rather anxiously.

“What is it?” asked Michael, concerned. “Flintoo; Nervta, what’s going on?”

“The Sontaran ship,” Nervta replied. “It’s turned its attention to our space pod and two others who’ve just joined us.”

“How do you mean ‘turned its attention’ on you and two others?” asked Tegan, anxiously.

“I don’t know. But I don’t like it one bit.”

Suddenly, there was a shockwave and it shuddered Tegan and Michael’s space pod quite vibrantly. They and Becceri held onto something to maintain their balance and support aboard the pod.

“What was that?” Tegan cried. “What just happened?”

“The Sontaran ship,” answered Flintoo, terrified. “It just blew up one of the space pods that joined alongside us into smithereens!”

“Oh no!” Becceri realised. “Wulfe’s trying to wipe out obstructions, including any space pods getting in his line of fire!”

“What?!” exclaimed Tegan, horrified.

Michael called out to them, “Flintoo; Nervta, get out of there! Evade that ship!”

“We’re doing the best we can,” replied Nervta. “But it’s not easy.”

“Our vehicle’s become sluggish since that space pod exploded,” Flintoo explained. “It sent a shockwave into space.”

“I know what you mean,” answered Michael, tugging at the piloting controls. “Our pod’s been affected too.”

“Flintoo; Nervta, get out of there now!” shouted Tegan, desperately. “That psychopath is going to blow you up without mercy!”

“It may already be too late for them,” said Becceri grimly.

“W-Wha… What do you mean?!” demanded Tegan, panic rising.

“Check the rear view,” suggested Becceri. “Let’s see what’s happening behind us.”

Reluctantly, Tegan switched the forward screen from front to rear view, and they saw Wulfe’s ship firing upon Flintoo and Nervta’s space pod as well as the second vehicle that sidled up to them on their right in the race.

---

Wulfe had become so frustrated that the space pods got in his way. It was almost like they were deliberately blocking his line of fire. Every time a space pod overtook his vehicle, he would lose his target. His blood boiled. Green blood can boil easily when under pressure.

I’ll put a stop to this!

Very soon, the Sontaran turned his attention from the space pod he was pursuing to fire upon the other space pods in the race. Wulfe relished his victories, and he couldn’t help but smile as he licked his mouth with his tongue.

Once he eradicated what he considered to be obstructions, the Sontaran set his sights again on the space pod he’d been pursuing. It was about to speed up. So must he.

The Sontaran left no stone unturned, as he kept removing his tracks of wherever and whenever he was on a headhunting mission to avoid being captured by those he considered to be his enemies.

There were three space pods blocking his target. One by one, they exploded.

Including poor Flintoo and Nervta’s.

---

Overcome with shock, Tegan switched off the controls for the rear view on the forward screen and it reverted to the front view. Determined, Michael sped up their vehicle. Tegan watched as the space pods’ debris spread into space.

“He blew them up,” Tegan murmured, tears streaming down her face. “Flintoo and Nervta… They’re…dead. We only just met them today.” She struggled to speak through her tears. “And those other racers he blew up… They didn’t stand a chance.”

“We didn’t even get to meet them compared to Flintoo and Nervta,” reflected Michael, sadly.

“I’m so sorry,” said Becceri, heartfelt. “I truly am.”

“It’s Wulfe’s fault, not yours,” Tegan swallowed.

“Tegan?” asked Michael.

“Yes?”

“Do we go on?”

She shivered at her own horror. “Do we have a choice?”

“Alright.” Michael snapped out of it and refocused. “We must get out of that ship’s firing range at all costs,” he declared. “We can’t falter now. Not when our lives are in danger.”

“Wulfe’s about to open fire again,” Becceri realised. “I can sense it from his mind nearby.”

Michael checked the dashboard at his control panel. “The pod’s readings seem to agree with you. There’s a mass of energy building up around his ship.” 

“Quickly, Michael,” Becceri cried. “Port!”

“I know, I know,” said Michael apprehensively.

Michael pushed the pilot controls to the left, and moved the space pod portside just as Wulfe continued to open fire. Thankfully, he avoided the shots and they missed.

“Quickly, starboard!” the Sarfenian cried again.

“With you all the way,” answered Michael, as he veered the space pod to the right.

Once again, Wulfe missed, managing only to hit just above the ship’s engines.

“He’s not blowing us up,” Michael realised. “Those shots being fired aren’t meant to kill us, are they?”

“He’s trying to disable the engines,” Becceri told him. “He wants to board the ship in order to capture me.”

Tegan’s jaw ached, teeth clenched. “He’ll kill us though, won’t he?”

“If he catches up to the pod,” acknowledged Michael. “He might not get that far. Any wrong move he or we make is likely to blow us up no matter what.”

“Port, Michael,” Becceri cried. “Port!”

Michael nodded, as he veered the pod to the left again.

“It’s like Adric all over again,” Tegan despaired. “We’re going to be blown up because of a Sontaran just as he was blown up because of the Cybermen.”

“Tegan, now’s not the time to lose our nerves,” Michael told her. “We have to be focused. Help me out with your co-pilot controls.”

“What’s the point?” retorted Tegan bitterly. “Flintoo and Nervta are dead! What’s the point of carrying on?”

Becceri knelt beside Tegan and held her firmly by the shoulders. “Tegan, listen! I know you’re scared and upset. And this isn’t me reading your mind now, I can see it in your eyes. I’m scared too. So is Michael.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m terrified about all of this,” Michael confirmed.

“But we need you to keep it together so we can survive this,” Becceri continued. “And we will survive this ordeal, m’dear, no matter what. But we can’t do it unless you assist us.”

Tegan’s knuckles were white around the controls. “Michael…?”

“I’m here,” he answered. “Full control. You can let go.”

“Just…” It was a very forceful, very deliberate release of her hands. She turned to Becceri. “Do you know how I met the Doctor?”

Becceri shook her head. “No. How?”

Her eyes drifted to the track. “An old friend of his killed my aunt.”

Michael began, “Tegan…”

“It was a long time ago. A long time. I didn’t even see the body… I found out after the fact. The Doctor…” She ran her hands over her face. “That’s right. Different man, different face, he died, too…”

“Have you seen a lot of death?”

“Enough.”

Becceri’s eyes drifted to the side. “It was the same on my world.”

Tegan found it a struggle to fight back the tears and the despair overwhelmed her.

“Why am I here, Becceri?” Tegan asked. “What am I doing?”

“I can’t answer that for you. Only you can.”

Tegan half-laughed, swallowing a sob. “You know the most aggravating thing about that?”

“What?”

“You’re right.” She sniffed, cleared tears from her eyes and said, “You’re right, of course, sorry.” Clearing her throat, she continued, “We’re not beaten yet. We’ve got a race to win and no Sontaran is going to stop us now. It’s what Flintoo and Nervta would have wanted.”

“That’s right, Tegan,” said Becceri, warmly. “That’s the spirit.”

“Well done, Tegan,” Michael cheered. “Very glad to hear you say that.”

Tegan smiled weakly, as she gradually composed herself.

Soon, she adopted a stern tone, “Well, come on then. We can’t be sulky and moody all day. Let’s get on with evading the Sontaran chasing us.”

Becceri smiled, as she watched Tegan attending to the co-pilot controls and helping Michael out. The Sarfenian hoped that their endeavours would enable them to survive.

---

As soon as they had left the Aepa Som Arena, the Doctor found it a challenge piloting the TARDIS towards Wulfe’s ship.

The manoeuvres he performed had to be precise and succinct with Nyssa helping him out.

Thankfully, they were able to catch up to the Sontaran’s scout ship and maintain a steady path along the space racetrack.

Satisfied, the Doctor went to pull out one of the drawers from the TARDIS console. He picked something out from the drawer and then closed it.

“What’s that you got in your hand, Doctor?” asked Nyssa, curious.

“Just a little insurance,” he informed her. “Something to use to our advantage should you and I or perhaps just me encounter our Sontaran friend in future.” He presented what appeared to be a scanner-like device as well as a canister.

“Our Sontaran friend?” Nyssa reacted, confused. Then she remembered. “You said we’ve dealt with him before, didn’t you?”

“Don’t you recall, Nyssa?” the Doctor queried. “We confronted him when we were in Brighton on Earth in the 1920s.” He then became sombre. “Billy was with us at the time.”

Nyssa recalled and soon shuddered at the memory. “Wulfe,” she realised. “Wulfe the Headhunter. He was trying to apprehend that woman. Becceri, wasn’t it?”

“And the Sunfire Gem, yes,” the Doctor added. “He must still be pursuing her and it, and they’re in the middle of this race.”

It dawned on Nyssa instantly. “Becceri must be aboard Tegan and Michael’s space pod.”

“Exactly!” the Doctor declared. “I sussed out what was going on as soon as that Sontaran scout ship joined the race. It had to be Wulfe.”

“How could you be sure of that?” challenged Nyssa. “It could have been any Sontaran scout ship pursuing our friends in the race.”

“Trust me, Nyssa. I was able to recognise its exterior following the previous couple of times I encountered Wulfe on Neimor and Earth. Even with the Sontaran insignia blazed upon it, and the words, “War is life, and life is war.”

“Very astute,” remarked Nyssa, wryly.

“I also spotted the dent shaped like an X on the ship’s exterior when I put my glasses on,” the Time Lord reminded her. “I put that dent there myself when I was dealing with inserting Wulfe into his scout ship in Coney Wood before he left Earth. It was to remind myself of who we were dealing with should we ever encounter him again.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“Didn’t I? Must have slipped my memory.” The Doctor then noticed Nyssa checking one of her pockets. “Have you got something in there?”

Realising the Doctor had noticed, Nyssa took out and held a black handheld object. “It’s the new ion bonder I was developing,” she explained. “I just finished putting it together before we went out upon our arrival at the Aepa Som Arena. I was going to do some TARDIS repairs with it once Tegan and Michael finished their race.”

“Bring it with you,” the Doctor suggested. “It may be useful for where we’re going aboard Wulfe’s ship.”

“Are you sure?” Nyssa checked.

“Beyond a doubt,” the Doctor replied. “I know how effective your ion bonders can be, Nyssa. Both as a work tool and as a weapon.”

“So, we board Wulfe’s ship and confront him to stop his pursuit of Tegan and Michael.”

“And presumably Becceri, should she be with them,” he reminded her.

“And we have to make sure we stop him blowing up their pod as well as any other pods in the space racetrack,” Nyssa finished. “It sounds straightforward, but I imagine it won’t be as easy as we’d think.”

“Nyssa, it’s Wulfe we’re dealing with. It’s likely to bring back memories for you of our last encounter with him. I’d understand if you’d rather not join me and confront Wulfe…”

“I’m not abandoning you, Doctor,” Nyssa interrupted.

“It won’t upset you?” the Doctor checked. “Especially concerning, err… you know…”

“I’m adamant,” she insisted. “I’m determined to accompany you. Even though Billy’s not with us, he would have wanted me to help you in any way possible. He would have done the same should we have encountered Wulfe again in this manner as well as dealing with Becceri.”

“You’re sure about this?”

“Beyond a doubt,” Nyssa declared, echoing the Doctor earlier. “Billy’s spirit is still with me,” She then reflected. “And I’m sure he’s with you too, Doctor.”

The Time Lord smiled. “Thank you, Nyssa. I greatly appreciate you helping me this way.”

Nyssa smiled back. “My pleasure.”

After a moment’s silence, the Doctor declared, “Right, hold on tight, Nyssa. We’re about to board Wulfe’s ship at any moment.”

Nyssa obeyed, clinging onto the TARDIS console, as she saw on the scanner screen how close they were getting to Wulfe’s scout ship.

---

Wulfe was gratified about getting closer to his target. He was confident about disabling the pod’s engines this time. As soon as he got it adrift, he could board the vehicle without delay.

He eyed the airlock hungrily, knowing that his swagger stick-like rheon carbine would be able to cut through it easily in order to get aboard. He was also aware of the pilots having oxygen masks to protect themselves in space, but that didn’t concern him. He could dispose of them instantly. He also knew that Sarfenians can breathe easily in space and he would be able to acquire Becceri immediately.

Just then, a whooshing, groaning noise, which sounded like the trumpeting of an elephant, echoed in Wulfe’s ship. The Sontaran turned to look behind him, and he saw a blue box materialising, as it faded in and out of existence. He knew who the enemy was inside.

Switching his ship to autopilot, he got up out of his seat and took out his rheon carbine from his side. The Sontaran was ready to tackle his uninvited guest or guests.

“Out from your TARDIS, Doc-tor!” he challenged vibrantly. “In the name of the glorious Sontaran Empire!”

The doors opened and the Doctor and Nyssa stepped out. The Time Lord held the scanner-like device and the canister in his hands. They stopped in their tracks once they saw Wulfe train his swagger-stick weapon at them.

“Ah.”

“This was expected, wasn’t it?”

“Afraid so, Nyssa,” the Doctor acknowledged. “Here, hold this for me, will you?”

The Doctor handed over the canister to her, which she took. He then used his scanner-like device, which bleeped away quite loudly.

“Excuse me a minute, Wulfe,” the Doctor requested. “Won’t be a minute.”

“What are you doing?” demanded the Sontaran, apprehensively. “Tell me what that weapon you hold in your hand is!”

“It’s not a weapon,” retorted the Doctor, smiling. “It’s a camera.”

“A camera?” echoed Nyssa.

“How much harm can this camera do to me?” the Sontaran persisted. “Will it do damage to my internal organs?”

“No, I’m just taking a picture of you,” the Doctor replied. “Hope that’s alright.”

“What?”

The Time Lord ignored the Sontaran’s confusion, as the scanner-like device bleeped away affirmatively. He then pocketed the device and looked cheerfully at Wulfe.

“Hello there, Wulfe,” he greeted. “Long time, no see! At least I think it is. You haven’t changed a bit. Still got the scars last time we saw you in…Brighton, 1925, haven’t you? How long has it been for you since we last met?”

“Take one step further, Doc-tor, and you and your fe-male associate will be dead in seconds!”

“I wouldn’t attempt that, Wulfe,” the Time Lord advised him. “Especially when Nyssa’s holding the canister. The camera might be benign, but that isn’t.”

“What’s inside, Doctor?” the Trakenite asked.

“Something you didn’t know about Sontarans, Nyssa,” he told her. “They can be killed quite easily by coronic acid.”

“What?!” exclaimed Wulfe, horrified.

“Coronic acid?” Nyssa echoed. “Refresh my memory.”

“It causes damage to Sontaran bodies and their space armour, killing them instantly upon contact,” the Doctor explained. “It slowly removes the flesh from their bones whilst leaving the nerves and circulatory system intact. The substance can also produce large showers of white sparks, similar to burning magnesium, when it’s unleashed.”

“And that’s what’s inside this canister?” Nyssa checked. “Coronic acid?”

“A fair amount, yes,” the Doctor confirmed. “Full to the brim, I’d say. A shot fired upon it or if someone like you accidentally dropped it…”

Nyssa fumbled with it, almost on cue.

“My skin would be punctured,” Wulfe confirmed. “Green blood would ooze forth.”

“A gruesome end, wouldn’t you say?” the Doctor remarked.

“You would not use that weapon against me, Doc-tor,” Wulfe defied him. “You are too soft.”

“Are you willing to risk it, Wulfe?” challenged the Time Lord. “I wouldn’t ask Nyssa to deliberately drop it and smash it to the floor, unless…”

Wulfe’s hand trembled as he held the rheon carbine in his hand.

He maintained his cool though, still holding the weapon. “I am not letting you come any closer, Doc-tor,” he defied. “I will not permit you access to the ship’s controls.”

“Leave that space pod alone, Wulfe,” the Doctor told him sternly. “A couple of my friends are aboard. They were enjoying a straightforward race until you showed up.”

“Not my problem,” the Sontaran retorted. “It is their fault for harbouring a fugitive.”

“I assume you mean Becceri of Sarfenia.”

“Tegan and Michael wouldn’t have known that she was aboard their space pod,” protested the young Trakenite.

“No matter,” snapped Wulfe. “She is aboard the space pod whether your friends know it or not! I am determined to acquire her no matter what.”

“Did you have to blow up the other space pods too?” enquired Nyssa, angry and appalled by Wulfe’s actions. “There were innocent people on board.”

“Hindrances!” was how Wulfe answered. “War does not look kindly to bystanders.”

“This isn’t a war you’re fighting, Wulfe,” the Doctor told him off fiercely. “What you did was cold-blooded murder!”

“To you, perhaps. But I saw them dying in the field of battle! You should be thankful they had glorious ways to die in outer space!”

“You’re mad,” Nyssa declared. “Absolutely mad!”

“Far more than that, Nyssa,” the Doctor joined in. “He’s insane!”

“It does not matter what you two think of me,” said Wulfe defiantly. “By all rights, you should not be interfering in the affairs of the Sontaran Empire.”

Instinctively, the Doctor attempted to reach forward, but Wulfe opened fire. The Time Lord gasped in pain once Wulfe struck the skin of his hands.

“Nyssa,” he gasped, as he found himself falling towards her, his hands slipping inside one of her pockets to gain balance.

“Doctor!” cried Nyssa, alarmed and concerned, as she caught him before he fell to the floor. Due to the Doctor colliding with her, she accidentally dropped the canister, and gasped once she saw it thud and roll over towards Wulfe’s feet.

“No, Wulfe,” Nyssa cried, pleading. “Don’t pick it up!”

The Sontaran ignored her, as he picked up the canister. It felt full as he held it in his left hand, but he suspected it didn’t contain the lethal contents as claimed by the Time Lord. Risking it, he shook the canister forcefully.

“No, Wulfe, don’t shake it!”

Sensing the woman’s anxiety, he soon opened the canister. Cautiously, he looked inside, but it didn’t contain the coronic acid as he feared. There was liquid inside and it contained acidic properties, but they were phosphoric and non-lethal.

“What is this?” the Sontaran demanded. “What is this substance?”

“Coronic acid?” Nyssa offered feebly. She knew that the liquid contained in the canister was similar to a soda-like drink – the equivalent of Coca-Cola – and she guessed the Doctor had acquired it from the TARDIS food machine.

Not buying the deception, Wulfe looked at Nyssa thunderously. “You and the Doc-tor lied,” he shouted angrily. He threw the canister to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere.

“Be careful where you throw that,” Nyssa advised, almost flippantly. “You’re going to ruin the floor of your scout ship’s interior.”

The Sontaran trained his weapon fiercely on her. “You know how the Doc-tor’s mind works. Why would he deceive me in such a manner? Tell me, fe-male! I command you!”

“The name’s Nyssa, thank you very much,” she rebutted. “And isn’t it obvious, Wulfe? The Doctor was giving you a chance to back out. He was attempting to negotiate. He wouldn’t have used coronic acid on you.”

“A Sontaran never backs out of a mission,” Wulfe declared. “Nor does he make negotiations with sworn enemies.”

Nyssa knelt on the floor and checked the Doctor, examining the wounds he received. His pulses were faint, and his body seemed lifeless.

“If you’ve harmed him severely, Wulfe…” Nyssa began, angrily.

“Do not be foolish,” the Headhunter retorted. “I have merely stunned him. I have no orders to kill the Doc-tor at this time.”

Nyssa was surprised. “Then why did you stun him?” she asked. “What’s to be gained from this action?” She then realised she wouldn’t like the answer she was about to receive.

“You are his companion,” the Sontaran reminded her. “And you are friends of the pilots harbouring the Sarfenian aboard their space pod. I require you to be my hostage to obtain your friends’ compliance and slow their vehicle to a stop on the racetrack.”

“And you need the Doctor alive to have me be cooperative,” Nyssa realised. “Otherwise, you’ll kill him if I don’t comply.”

“Exactly,” Wulfe replied. “An ingenious tactical strategy, wouldn’t you say?”

“The Doctor was trying to help you, Wulfe,” Nyssa persisted. “There’s no need to resort to these methods…”

“Silence!” bawled Wulfe, as he kept his aim on her. “Get up and do as I say.”

Threatened by the Sontaran, Nyssa reluctantly had no choice but to leave the Doctor’s unconscious body on the floor and be guided by Wulfe and his rheon carbine into the cockpit area. She wondered whether the Doctor had a backup plan following this misfortune.

Wulfe pressed a button on a control panel. Soon, a force field surrounded the Doctor.

“Wulfe!” Nyssa protested.

“Do not fear, fe-male,” he assured her. “The Doc-tor is safe within the force field. But any wrong move and I shall either have him sucked into outer space or have his oxygen supply deprived. Whichever punishment suits you, me or him best.”

Nyssa became more anxious about the Doctor not having the TARDIS to gain access to, since the Ship wasn’t inside the forcefield with him. The Trakenite considered piloting the TARDIS herself, but she didn’t want to risk the Doctor’s life and put him in danger unnecessarily, considering the Sontaran’s unsavoury actions.

“Now,” Wulfe bawled, bringing Nyssa back to his attention. “You shall witness me contacting your friends. They will be easily persuaded to slow down and stop their vehicle once they see you on their viewscreen.”

The Sontaran gleefully returned his attention to the ship’s main controls and switched off the autopilot, continuing to catch up to Tegan and Michael’s space pod.

Nyssa looked back and spotted the Doctor stir slightly whilst inside the force field. A surge of hope filled her. Perhaps Wulfe wasn’t effective in stunning the Time Lord after all.

If only she could reach him and use her latest ion bonder, kept in one of her pockets, to set him free. She hoped that he would be able to find a weak spot in the force field with whatever gadgets he had on him and be unnoticed by Wulfe.

Nyssa then checked her pocket where she kept her ion bonder to make sure it was still there.

It wasn’t.

She then looked and saw that the Doctor was holding the ion bonder in his right hand whilst lying on the floor. He must have swiped it from her pocket once he fell onto her. Astonished by how sneaky the Doctor had become lately, Nyssa hoped the ion bonder would be effective enough once he used it on the force field’s energy grid.

---

Lap Four: Using the Sunfire Gem

Tegan, Michael and Becceri sped along the racetrack. They tried to forget about the destroyed space pods containing fellow competitors like Flintoo and Nervta swirling and drifting into outer space, but it wasn’t easy. Becceri closed her eyes, ashamed and appalled by the actions Wulfe was capable of.

At this point, Michael and Tegan didn’t care about whether they were in fourth, fifth or sixth place. Even as they zoomed past their second marker buoy – the Kourep Nebula – their concerns were on how to escape the nightmare they were in.

“At least we don’t have to go through the nebula,” Tegan remarked, trying to be cheerful.

“Indeed,” Michael concurred. “We couldn’t even if we wanted to. It’s advised not to enter the Kourep Nebula, according to the Eniotato Circuit’s regulations.”

Before venturing out into the race, the Doctor informed his friends that ion storms often occurred in the Kourep Nebula, and it could disrupt a ship’s systems, both navigation and propulsion, if they chanced on traversing through it.

“Is it legal for a Sontaran to blow up space pods in the middle of a race?” Tegan asked, unable to take her mind off the horrors they witnessed.

“I doubt Sontarans are allowed to be participants to begin with,” answered Michael shrewdly.

“Wulfe wouldn’t be interested in a space race such as this,” Becceri informed them. “Even if he were, I’ve read it’s illegal, according to the rules of the Eniotato Circuit, to attack fellow participants. Any attack or disruption made would have the participant disqualified.”

“Did you read the guidebook before you stowed away aboard our space pod?” scoffed Tegan

“Tegan!” Michael told her off.

“I’m sorry, Michael, but it’s hard not to be judgmental about this woman,” Tegan retorted. “Especially with the trouble she’s put us in so far.”

“You’re right,” Becceri interjected. “You shouldn’t trust me. I’ve put you both in great danger.”

“Can you at least tell us who you are?” asked Michael. “As well as why that Sontaran ship would be chasing you? Chasing us?”

Becceri struggled to tell them anything, as Michael kept his focus on piloting the space pod. 

Just then, the intercom blared out loudly. Tegan looked at her dashboard, confused. It wasn’t Flintoo and Nervta trying to call them anymore. It couldn’t be. They’re dead for crying out loud. It certainly wasn’t Rugga nor Liskaur. She squinted her eyes to check.

“Oh no,” Tegan fretted, anxiously.

“What is it, Tegan?” asked Michael, equally anxious. “Who’s calling us?”

“The Sontaran ship, Michael,” Tegan told him. “I believe our Sontaran wants to talk to us.”

“Talk to me, probably,” Becceri pointed out. “You’d better answer, Tegan. I’ll talk to him.”

Reculantly, Tegan answered and soon her dashboard screen flickered into life, showing Wulfe aboard his ship with…

“Nyssa!” Tegan cried, shocked. “There’s Nyssa with him.”

“What?” Becceri reacted, surprised.

“Space pod,” demanded Wulfe. “Are you receiving me?”

“Nyssa’s with Wulfe?” enquired Michael, astonished, maintaining his focus on the piloting controls. “Are you sure, Tegan?”

“I’m positive, Michael,” Tegan insisted. “The Sontaran has our friend Nyssa in his custody.” She squinted her eyes again. “And I can see the Doctor! He’s lying on the floor, stuck behind a force field, I think.”

“What?! A force field?!”

“He hasn’t changed,” Becceri observed, fascinated. “I expected the Doctor to change his face the third time I’d see him.”

“You know the Doctor?” Tegan realised, astonished.

Before Becceri answered, Wulfe interrupted, “Silence, hu-mans!” he bawled. He glared at Becceri menacingly. “Sarfenian fe-male.”

“Hello, Wulfe,” greeted Becceri, not pleased. “Caught up with me again, have you?”

“I do not have time for what you petty hu-man-oids call ‘small talk’,” spat Wulfe viciously. “I have other matters to attend to before I acquire you as my hostage.”

“You’d better not have harmed Nyssa,” Tegan warned him angrily. “Or else you’ll have us to deal with…”

“It’s alright, Tegan,” Nyssa reassured her. “I haven’t been harmed, truly. Don’t stop now. You and Michael must keep going in the race…”

“Silence, wo-man!” snapped Wulfe, almost stabbing her in the neck with his rheon carbine.

“Alright,” Nyssa acknowledged. “I’ll stop talking as long as you leave my friends alone.”

“What happened to the Doctor, Nyssa?” Tegan cried, despairingly. “Why is he lying on the floor behind a force field? Is he unconscious?”

Michael glanced over at Tegan’s dashboard screen for a moment before returning his attention back to the forward screen. It was enough though. He managed to see a slight movement behind the force field where the Doctor was.

“Tegan, I think I saw…”

Becceri hushed Michael quickly. “Quiet, Michael; quiet Tegan, let me handle this.” She looked at Wulfe on the dashboard screen. “What do you want, Wulfe?” she asked, sternly.

“You know what I want, Becceri of Sarfenia,” the Sontaran retorted. “And I want you to persuade your new comrades to slow their vehicle down for me to board it. If they refuse to comply, then their associates…” He indicated Nyssa roughly with his swagger stick-like weapon, to which she squirmed. “This fe-male and the Doc-tor will suffer terrible deaths within five minutes.”

“The Doctor’s not dead then,” Michael realised, hopefully.

“Merely stunned,” confirmed Wulfe. “But he and the fe-male will be dead soon if you do not obey me.”

“Tegan; Michael, don’t listen to him,” Nyssa butted in. “Forget about me and the Doctor, we’ll be okay. You keep going in the race.”

“We can’t abandon you, Nyssa,” Michael told her. “Not like that!”

“Why did you do it, Wulfe?!” demanded Tegan, angrily. “Those racers never meant you any harm. Why did you do it?!”

“Shut up, fe-male!” bawled Wulfe. “The insignificant lives of those racers are of no concern to me. Only the fe-male Becceri’s life is important to me. If you do not comply with my commands, your young friend and the Doc-tor will perish. Your five minutes start now. Do not dither nor deceive me!”

At his end, Wulfe switched off the intercom.

“Heartless wrong’un,” Tegan muttered bitterly. She then thought of her Aunt Vanessa before she burst into tears.

Becceri comforted her by placing hands on her shoulders. Michael kept his focus on the race, concerned about what the outcome would be.

---

Back aboard Wulfe’s scout ship, the Sontaran became satisfied with his efforts in communicating with Becceri and her associates aboard their space pod. He kept his rheon carbine trained at Nyssa’s neck, which nearly collided with her throat.

“For your sake,” the Sontaran said threateningly, “your associates had better not try anything to evade nor out-wit me. Their efforts would be futile if they tried.”

“They won’t adhere to your demands, Wulfe,” Nyssa told him.

“Do not be certain of that.”

“I know Tegan and Michael, and I know what Becceri is capable of. They’re smarter than you think, believe me.”

“Not this time,” Wulfe retorted, gritting his teeth and hissing.

“And you’d better not underestimate me and the Doctor,” she added. “We’re likely to have a few tricks up our sleeves.”

“That is hardly likely,” scoffed Wulfe. “Especially when your friend, the Doc-tor, remains unconscious and stunned.” He looked to see where the crumbled form of the Doctor was behind the force field. “You see?” he pointed out. “Nothing can thwart me. I shall be victorious this time.”

Nyssa ignored Wulfe, as she glanced back at the Doctor. 

The Time Lord was, as he had been, collapsed in his prison. Stomach against the cold of the floor. His arm, however, began to move. Thankfully, Wulfe didn’t notice. He raised Nyssa’s ion bonder, taken from his pocket, towards one of the points in the force field’s prism. It was definitely a weak spot.

Nyssa began talking. “Wulfe, about Tegan and Michael…”

---

“I tell you, I saw the Doctor stir behind that force field,” Michael told Tegan and Becceri. “It was only for a moment, but…”

“We believe you, Michael,” Becceri assured him, placing a hand on his right shoulder as he piloted the space pod. “Hopefully, the Doctor will outwit Wulfe. In the times I’ve met him, I’ve learnt how he can be capable of many tricks, the same as I.”

“That’s all very well,” Tegan hastened, “but how are we going to save Nyssa and the Doctor? We’ve got to help them! We must…”

“I’m sure the Doctor and Nyssa are capable of looking after themselves,” Becceri told her. “You heard what Nyssa said. We must keep going in the race and not worry about them.”

“Is this your psychic abilities working again?” Michael checked. “Can you sense what they’re thinking from here?”

“I can’t read their minds fully from this distance,” Becceri admitted, “but I’m certain that both Nyssa and the Doctor have a plan to distract Wulfe. I’d recommend we go by that.”

“And how exactly are we going to outrun that Sontaran bozo?” asked Tegan, sceptically. “We only have five minutes, he said.”

“Luckily, what I have in mind won’t take more than a minute or two.”

“Oh yes?” enquired Michael, intrigued. “What exactly is it you have in mind?”

Gradually, the Sarfenian woman searched her tracksuit pockets. Tegan looked curiously and suspiciously at Becceri whilst this occurred.

“Wulfe’s been pursuing me,” Becceri answered, “because I have this.”

She showed them a shiny scarlet-coloured, ruby-like gemstone with gold tinges on its sides.

Tegan was amazed and stunned to see the gemstone. “Whoa! You beauty! I have to admit, that’s lovely.”

Michael turned to see it as well, mesmerised. “You’re not joking, Tegan. That is the prettiest gemstone I’ve ever seen.”

Noticing the space pod was veering to the left and at an angle, Tegan called out, “Michael, keep your eyes focused, will you? We’re about to turn right for crying out loud!”

“Sorry,” he apologised.

Michael piloted the vehicle to the right to avoid colliding with the racetrack barrier as they went around the corner, seeing the edge of the Kourep Nebula momentarily. 

Becceri replaced the red gemstone back into one of her tracksuit pockets. “It’s called the Sunfire Gem,” she explained. “It’s a precious item from my home planet. Whoever holds it, they say, can wield unlimited power. If it’s in the wrong hands, it can be for very deadly purposes. That’s why I’m on the run from the Sontaran chasing us now.”

“Because he wants that gem off you?” asked Tegan, sceptically.

“More than that. He intends to capture me as well as escort me back to Sarfenia. The Queen is expecting me there.”

“How did you get the gem in the first place?” echoed Tegan. “I don’t imagine you find something like that by fossicking.”

“I stole it.”

“You stole…?”

“Back.” A sudden regality blushed through Becceri. “I stole it back, I should say. For the people of Sarfenia.”

“On your own?”

Something complex wrinkled her brow. “Eventually.”

Tegan understood. “Power to the people, I say. You’ve done well.”

“How did you end up in the racecourse to begin with?” asked Michael.

Before Becceri could answer, Tegan interrupted, “No, no, Michael, let’s not pester Becceri with questions. She said she had something in mind to outrun Wulfe. We’ve got to use it and take our chances. We must be halfway in the race by now.”

“Being halfway in the race isn’t very reassuring,” Michael told her, keeping his grip firm on the controls. “We’re never going to be able to outrun the Sontaran at the speed we’re at.”

“That’s where my idea comes into play,” the Sarfenian declared. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get under the main control terminal.”

---

Back aboard Wulfe’s scout ship, the Sontaran checked the chronometers to see how much time Tegan, Michael and Becceri had left. The countdown was at 3:30.

“Three and a half minutes until you and the Doc-tor die,” he spat at Nyssa.

Nyssa flinched.

The Doctor observed Wulfe’s hold on Nyssa as he worked to weaken the energy grid of his prison. The ion bonder was doing wonders at present. He kept the volume’s setting very low as he was about halfway getting through the force field’s breaking point.

Seeing the Doctor’s expression to distract Wulfe a bit longer, Nyssa attempted to appeal to the Sontaran. “Please, Wulfe. We can resolve this matter where no-one needs to be hurt. The Doctor said this isn’t a war you’re fighting. Where is the honour in killing me and the Doctor where no tactical advantage can be gained?”

“It is no use trying to dissuade me,” Wulfe interrupted, not turning back to face Nyssa. He kept his focus forward. Nyssa found that a good thing if it meant distracting Wulfe long enough to give the Doctor a chance to break through the forcefield using her ion bonder.

“But think of the advantages you could gain in allying yourself with perhaps the Doctor,” Nyssa stressed. “Whatever arrangement you’ve made with your benefactor, I’m sure it’ll be less fulfilling nor satisfying. To you nor anyone else of your kind.”

“In-correct! The reward I seek to deliver to my brothers-in-arms once I have handled this Becceri-Sunfire Gem business will be glorious! Our troops shall benefit in our military campaigns against the Rutans!”

“You can’t be sure of that. If your alliance with your benefactor is based on a first meeting basis, then you probably haven’t known this person for very long to gain mutual trust. He, she, or they are likely to backstab you once your headhunting mission is complete.”

“You know nothing of these things, fe-male,” bawled Wufle. “I am a Sontaran full of glorious honour. The alliances I make are always carefully considered, according to strategic and military standards.”

Nyssa momentarily glanced back at the Doctor. She saw he was nearly through.

---

Becceri looked out from under the main control terminal. “I don’t suppose any of you has a pocket torch I could borrow, please?” she asked.

Tegan remembered that she’d brought the pocket torch with her from the TARDIS. She unzipped the pocket in her tracksuit. Searching through it, she eventually took it out.

“You see, Michael?” Tegan gently taunted him, showing the torch in his face. “I told you I would need this should the occasion demand it.”

“No need to rub it in, Tegan,” Michael refuted. “And keep that torch out of my face while I’m driving, alright?”

“Sorry I spoke,” scoffed Tegan, teasingly. She then handed the pocket torch over to Becceri. “There you are. Will that do alright?”

Graciously, Becceri took the pocket torch from her. “Thank you, Tegan m’dear. It most certainly will do alright for me.” She then went back underneath the main control terminal.

At this point, Tegan was half-and-half about whether to trust Becceri or not. The Sarfenian seemed genuinely friendly, but Tegan couldn’t help feeling that there was more to her situation than she was letting on. Saying nothing for the moment, she decided to keep alert and observe Becceri at every opportunity.

“What are you planning to achieve underneath the main control terminal?” asked Michael.

“I hope to insert the Sunfire Gem into the main power core,” answered Becceri. “Once it’s inserted, you should be able to charge up and put the Falcon drive into an accelerated rate of speed. Then we’ll be able to get far away from Wulfe as quickly as possible.”

“Wow, really?!” exclaimed Tegan, feeling a surge of hope “That scarlet gem of yours can do that? Boost power to an engine in order to speed a ship up?”

“That’s the hope, yes. I should warn you, I’ve never used the Sunfire Gem to boost a ship’s power and Falcon drive before, but I’d like to think it will work.” She looked at Michael. “How much time have we got left?”

Michael checked the clock on the dashboard of the main control terminal. “Three minutes,” he said grimly. 

---

“Your comrades are running out of time,” the Sontaran pointed out. “I do not see any sign of them being smarter than me yet.” He then studied Nyssa for a moment. “Nor do I see any so-called tricks up your sleeve,” he said shrewdly. “Perhaps the Doc-tor…”

Nyssa became anxious as Wulfe was about to turn his head towards the Time Lord.

Thankfully, the intercom on Wulfe’s ship blared out loud from the control terminal, interrupting them. Nyssa startled, but was greatly relieved. Wulfe groaned, annoyed, as he turned his attention to the intercom and stabbed a button to answer the call.

“Who is this?!” he demanded bitterly. “Why am I hampered with these interruptions?!”

“You should know better than to speak to the Queen of Sarfenia like that,” answered a young female voice. It was bitter and uncompromising.

Surprised, Nyssa raised an eyebrow. She recalled Becceri mentioning the Queen of Sarfenia – her home planet – the last time they encountered her in Brighton on Earth in 1925. That was…her, the Doctor and Billy. She became sad for a moment. She glanced at the Doctor and saw him taking the opportunity to weaken the forcefield further with the ion bonder.

Still, there was no harm in distracting the Sontaran a little further. “Is that your benefactor, Wulfe?” Nyssa enquired. “The Queen of Sarfenia? She doesn’t sound too happy.”

“Quiet, fe-male!” snapped Wulfe bitterly.

“Who’s that speaking, Wulfe?” demanded the Queen. “Who’s with you?”

“I have captured two opponents, Melbud,” he answered. “One is called the Doc-tor – one of the greatest enemies of the Sontaran race! He is travelling with a fe-male associate. They boarded my ship via their own called the TARDIS.”

“Why are they still alive, Wulfe?”

“I ask myself the same question. Wulfe out.” He stabbed another button at the intercom to switch it off.

“That was rude,” remarked Nyssa, ruefully.

Wulfe trained his rheon carbine at the young Trakenite again. “Do not try my patience. It is not wise to be flippant to a dangerous enemy like me.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” she counteracted.

She glanced at the Doctor, who managed to break through the forcefield and switch it off without Wulfe noticing him. He held the ion bonder, as he gradually got up from the floor without making a sound.

Meanwhile, Wulfe examined the chronometer. “Two minutes and twenty-one seconds left,” he read. He then checked the forward screen. “Your associates are still refusing to slow down as instructed.”

“Good for them,” Nyssa cheered, hoping to distract Wulfe a little longer.

“They are fools to think they can defy me,” Wulfe grunted. “Perhaps I should kill you after all to prove I am being serious.”

Wulfe began to charge up his rheon carbine at Nyssa. She held her breath, gradually accepting the possibility of her demise.

Just then, klaxon sirens echoed nearby.

“What in great Sontar!” 

Distracted, Wulfe looked to see two space police vehicles coming up alongside his scout ship. One came up on the left, the other came up on the right.

The intercom blared on again and a middle-aged female voice spoke.

“Attention! Attention, Sontaran ship. This is Athena Yung, chief of security of the Aepa Som Arena. Pull over and stop. You are in violation of racecourse rules. Attempt to resist and we shall take necessary action.”

The Sontaran laughed, mocking. “You will have to be quicker than me, puny scum!”

Just then, Wulfe was struck hard in the back. He hissed and collapsed to the floor. The Doctor had fired the ion bonder on stun setting into the back of Wulfe’s probic vent, causing him to fall unconscious. 

Nyssa exhaled a sigh of relief. “Doctor, I’m so pleased you got out of that forcefield. That ion bonder worked better than I expected.”

“Very handy this, Nyssa,” the Time Lord cheered. “Sorry I swiped it from you earlier, but I figured Wulfe would place a forcefield around us should he have tried to knock you or I out.” He pocketed the ion bonder away neatly.

“Do you know how to access the intercom controls?”

“I should be able to,” the Doctor said, making his way to the intercom. “I’ve familiarised myself with Sontaran technology over the years.” He bit his lip. “And I’ve learnt how to be careful when avoiding booby traps.”

“What are we to do about Athena Yung and the police patrol vehicles?” Nyssa asked. “Do we deal with them as well?”

“One thing at a time,” the Doctor told her. “Perhaps you should go to the back of the scout ship and disable the weapons bay. We wouldn’t want Wulfe to use it once he wakes up.”

“Of course,” Nyssa agreed, obligingly. “Hopefully it should be straightforward enough to disable the weapons bay.”

“Be careful, Nyssa,” the Doctor advised. “Disabling a weapons bay may not be as easy as you or I think.”

“I’ll be careful,” she reassured him. “Do you know how to pilot a Sontaran scout ship?”

“Like I said,” the Time Lord said confidently. “I’ve become familiar with Sontaran technology over the years.”

Accepting the answer, Nyssa made her way to the back of the scout ship whilst the Doctor attended to the intercom and the piloting controls. He kept glancing at Wulfe to make sure he was still unconscious as he worked.

Meanwhile, Athena’s voice spoke again on the intercom.  “Repeat! Sontaran ship, pull over and stop. If you do not comply with our instructions, we shall be forced to immobilise you. This is your final warning.”

---

Tegan and Michael maintained piloting their space pod at full speed. Having passed the third marker buoy – the asteroid field of Baxsis – they hoped they were getting away from Wulfe’s scout ship, as they noticed it had begun to slow down.

“How come Wulfe is slowing down?” Michael wondered aloud. “I didn’t think he’d be the kind of person to give up.”

“As if that matters,” Tegan professed. “The coppers can handle things now. Besides, knowing the Doctor, he’ll probably have found a way to break out of his force field prison to get to Wulfe and stop him targeting us in the race.”

“That Sontaran is relentless. I hope the space police can do their job and deter our recent bully further.”

“I hope so too. Mind you, I get the nagging feeling that things aren’t always good to be true.”

“Becceri, are you nearly finished with inserting your Sunfire Gem?” Michael asked.

“Just give me a minute,” a voice underneath answered. “I’ll have everything ready for us as soon as possible.”

“A minute may not be all we have,” Tegan fretted, as she looked at the dashboard of her co-pilot controls. She saw they had one minute and fifty-eight seconds left.

Just then, the Sontaran scout ship abruptly bumped into the space pod. Michael and Tegan cried out in panic, whilst Becceri remained silent, concentrating on the job she had to do.

“See what I mean?” Tegan stressed. “Our potato-head troll is going doolally! He’s trying to kill us before our time is up!”

“Not if he’s trying to capture Becceri alive,” Michael pointed out. “Perhaps Wulfe is having trouble with piloting his ship.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know, I’m just guessing.” Michael then thought for a moment. “Perhaps the Doctor got out of his prison like you said. Maybe he and Nyssa are currently tackling Wulfe before they can try to rescue us.”

“Wishful thinking.”

“Well, wouldn’t you wish that? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to think that the Doctor and Nyssa are trying to save us at this point in time?”

“Yes, yes, it would be tremendous ‘round about now.”

A warning alarm then echoed. Michael checked to see what was happening. His face, grim.

“Please tell me that isn’t bad.”

“It’s bad alright.”

“Oh, great!” Tegan despaired.

“The space pod’s hull has now weakened. Look, see?” Michael showed the main control terminal’s dashboard to Tegan. “The lines around the pod’s shell are glowing bright red.”

Tegan saw what Michael saw. The red glowing lines were a clear indicator for what was happening to the space pod’s outer hull.

“If we don’t get away from Mr. Grumpy behind us, we’re going to be smashed to pieces.”

“And we’re already at full speed.”

“I know, Tegan. And we can’t get any fast enough to get away.”

“Rabbits!”

At that moment, Becceri returned, coming up from the main control terminal. She saw the anxious looks of Tegan and Michael. “Have no fear,” she assured them. “It’s all ready.”

“Ready?” enquired Tegan. “What’s all ready? What are you talking about?”

“Tegan, if you don’t mind. I need to enter the sequence that will link the Sunfire Gem inserted in the main power core to the pod’s engines. If you’d please give me your seat for a moment.”

“Sure, take it,” Tegan obliged. “By all means.”

She got up out of her chair to allow Becceri to sit in. Once the Sarfenian sat at the co-pilot controls, Tegan kept her eyes on her whilst Michael maintained his control of piloting their space vehicle.

Becceri speedily typed away at the co-pilot’s control terminal. Tegan observed various displays being produced on the dashboards of her control terminal. She was amazed by how efficient Becceri was in what she was doing to connect the Sunfire Gem to the space pod’s main power core.

Whilst piloting the vehicle and keeping his eyes focused on the forward screen, Michael saw Tegan coming up behind him on his left. He guessed that she hoped to be out of earshot of Becceri whilst she worked.

“Do you think she knows what she’s doing?” he whispered to Tegan.

“I hope so,” she whispered back. “Especially if she’s helping us to get away from our Sontaran pursuer.”

“Do you trust her?”

Tegan shrugged apprehensively. “I don’t know. She seems like a good egg so far, but I can’t help having this nagging feeling that something’s not right about her.”

“Believe me, m’dear,” Becceri interjected, ruefully. “I often give that impression.”

Tegan and Michael were surprised that Becceri had heard them. They quickly realised that she’d been using her telepathic abilities again.

“It’s not nice eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, you know,” Tegan told her.

“Sorry, I can’t help it,” Becceri answered. “It’s a habit I can’t shake off. And your whispers aren’t as quiet as you think they are.”

Tegan and Michael became silent for a bit. Michael wondered if she could still hear their thoughts as he focused on piloting the vehicle.

“I can, actually,” Becceri answered, “but I won’t try to disturb you for it.”

Michael felt embarrassed and Tegan became more annoyed. She did her best to block out her thoughts and keep her mind blank, but it wasn’t easy.

Eventually, Becceri finished entering her calculations. “There! Finished!” she declared, as she got up out of the co-pilot chair. “You can have your seat back, Tegan.”

Tegan perspired greatly, as she went to sit back down at the co-pilot controls. 

“Here,” Becceri said, offering her a handkerchief, which she took out from one of her tracksuit pockets. “Have this to wipe your head, m’dear. You need it.”

“Thanks,” Tegan replied, as she took the handkerchief from her and dabbed at her forehead to remove the sweat.

Becceri stood behind Michael and Tegan, as they focused on the forward screen.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Michael, intrigued.

“Do as you would normally do,” said Becceri. “Set the controls at full speed.”

“That’s it?” Tegan enquired, sceptically.

“That’s it, yes.”

“Under fire and probably about to die.” Tegan remarked, tapping Michael on the shoulder. “Just thought you should know.”

Michael hesitated for a moment. Eventually, he said, bemused, “Alright. Let’s set the controls at full speed then.”

Both he and Tegan began setting the pilot controls before Becceri interjected once more, “Oh, yes! Before we set off, you might want to hold tight to something.”

“Hold tight?” Tegan felt nervous.

“Trust me, I don’t know how much power the Sunfire Gem will give us, but I expect we’ll be going incredibly fast once we’ve set the pod at full speed.”

Initially puzzled, Michael and Tegan did as they were bid. After checking their safety belts were fastened, they held on tight to their control terminals. Michael eagerly set the space pod to full speed, and they accelerated at an incredible escape velocity. Tegan felt her teeth falling out. So did Michael. Disconcerted, Becceri tried to hold onto the back of Tegan and Michael’s pilot seats, but she ended up falling back to the floor. The stars sped past around them as they looked out of the windows. They were still in the racetrack, but now further away from the scout ship.

---

Meanwhile, Nyssa returned to join the Doctor at the piloting controls of Wulfe’s scout ship. Thankfully, Wulfe was still unconscious on the floor.

“Doctor, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I tried to disable the scout ship’s weapon systems, but it’s not easy. There’s a keypad that requires me to enter a specific passcode. I assume Wulfe has the access codes for it.”

“No matter, Nyssa,” the Doctor assured her. “I’ve been having trouble trying to pilot this vehicle and slow it down.”

“Was that you jolting it so suddenly?”

“I’m afraid it was. Sorry about that. I fear I bumped into Tegan and Michael’s vehicle accidentally. Hopefully, I haven’t caused too much damage.”

“What about the intercom?” Nyssa asked. “Have you attempted to establish contact with Athena Yung?”

“I’ve tried, but there happen to be safeguards to Wulfe’s intercom systems,” the Doctor explained. “It’s taking a while to decipher them.”

“Perhaps I can help,” Nyssa offered. “I can attend to the intercom whilst you attend to piloting the scout ship.”

“That’d be most appreciated, thank you, Nyssa,” the Doctor replied, gratefully.

Nyssa looked at the forward screen and became surprised. “Doctor, did you say you bumped into Tegan and Michael’s pod?”

“I did, Nyssa, yes.”

“Then where are they?”

“They’re right there,” the Doctor pointed before he looked up and double-reacted to see the forward screen empty, save for the stars. “Great Gallifrey, they’ve gone!”

“What happened to them?” Nyssa asked, astonished that Tegan and Michael’s space pod wasn’t anywhere in sight. She then became anxious. “Surely they didn’t blow up when you weren’t looking.”

“Of course not, Nyssa,” the Time Lord told her. “We would have felt the vibrations of an explosion in space if they did.”

“Then where could they be?” the Trakenite repeated. She then realised. “You don’t think that Becceri could have…you know…?”

“Used the Sunfire Gem?” finished the Doctor. He nodded. “It’s a possibility. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing remains to be determined.”

“At least they’re far away from Wulfe’s scout ship.”

“Yes,” the Doctor concurred. “But how to get to them in the TARDIS along the racetrack remains our next challenge.”

Just then, Wulfe’s scout ship shuddered quite vibrantly and came to a halt.

“Doctor, we’ve stopped,” Nyssa realised.

“Yes, I know,” the Doctor acknowledged. “I believe Athena and her security detail have caught up with us.”

They looked outside to see the space police force vehicles closing in on them.

Eventually, the intercom blared and Athena’s voice spoke. “Attention! Attention, Sontaran scout ship. This is Athena Yung. We have immobilised your vehicle. We gave you a fair warning. Prepare to be boarded.”

---

Lap Five: Wulfe Hitches a Ride

“What’s happening?!” Tegan cried, feeling exhilarated.

Becceri slowly got up from the floor and grumbled. “Couldn’t you have at least waited until I sat in a seat with my safety belt on? I’m lucky I didn’t bump my head on the ceiling.”

“We’re going too fast!” Michael cried. “I don’t think our space pod can cope.”

“Then slow down,” Becceri advised.

“Happy to oblige.”

With that, Tegan and Michael powered down their space vehicle. It gradually cruised to normal speed. They were still within the racetrack, and they both sighed with relief whilst Becceri struggled to stand up.

“We did it!” Tegan cheered. “We got away from that Sontaran! And we’re still in the race!”

“Yes, look!” Michael cried. “We’re passing the fourth marker buoy. The Space Station A-E-4, I believe. See it? There’s its insignia and numberplate on the side.”

“And we seem to be in first place again,” said Tegan happily. “Look at the dashboard.”

Michael looked to see. “Yes, you’re right, Tegan,” he cheered happily. “We’re back on track! First in the race once more! We’re likely to win now!”

“Rugga and Liskaur aren’t going to be pleased when they realise we overtook them,” Tegan remarked. “They’re bound to make complaints.”

“Let’s hope they won’t discover we overtook them using a powerful gemstone,” Michael reflected. “That’s likely to be considered cheating.”

“Don’t worry,” Becceri assured them. “I’ll make myself and the Sunfire Gem scarce before they can find any evidence.”

Tegan then became saddened and silent. Michael noticed how sad she was.

“What is it, Tegan?” he asked, but he quickly guessed. “Flintoo and Nervta?”

“Yeah,” she answered, sadly. “They deserve to be first in the race compared to us. They didn’t deserve to be blown up.”

Michael felt ashamed. He’d been praising the fact that he and Tegan were winning, forgetting that lives, including the two friends they made, had been lost in the process.

“Yes, it is sad, isn’t it?” he declared, pausing to think for a moment. “I’m sorry, Tegan. I didn’t mean to be insensitive…”

“No,” Tegan interrupted firmly. “No regrets, Mikey. They’d want us to win the race, remember? Let’s at least win it in their memory. That’s the least we can do.” She paused. “Maybe we could donate the prize to charity to honour them once we’ve finished.”

“That’s a good idea, Tegan,” said Michael approvingly. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Becceri stood between Tegan and Michael, admiring how thoughtful they were about the lives lost in the race. She reflected on how things currently were on her planet compared to what was happening in the space racetrack.

She then cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind, Tegan, I need to take out the Sunfire Gem from underneath your control terminal. We won’t need it now if we’re to continue the race.”

---

“Shall I try deciphering the intercom system to reply to Athena?” asked Nyssa. “It might be pointless to convince her as to what’s happening, but…”

“Indeed,” the Doctor butted in. “It’s likely she’ll hamper us in our efforts to reach Tegan and Michael’s space pod ahead in the racetrack.”

“You believe that’s where they are,” Nyssa checked. “Still on the racetrack?”

“With any luck, they should be first in the race,” the Time Lord commented. “We’ll make our way to them in the TARDIS as quickly as possible.”

“Won’t it be tricky to manoeuvre the TARDIS through the racetrack to reach them?” Nyssa queried. “As well as dangerous?”

“Possibly,” the Doctor answered. “But we need to get moving to avoid being arrested by Athena and her lot. Come on, Nyssa,” he urged. “Into the TARDIS we go, quickly!”

“Alright, alright, I’m moving,” Nyssa assured him, slightly annoyed, as they made their way to enter the TARDIS.

Meanwhile, Wulfe slowly recovered. He saw his rheon carbine swagger stick-like weapon on the floor before him. Grabbing it, he picked it up and returned it to his left holster.

“What in Sontar…?” he groaned. 

Gradually, he got up, just in time to see Nyssa and the Doctor enter the TARDIS. He took out his rheon carbine from his side again and aimed it at them.

“Halt!” he commanded, groggily. “Halt in Sontar’s name!”

There was no answer, except for the TARDIS doors closing shut. Wulfe opened fire, trying to break an entry into the space-and-time vehicle, but it was no use. He grunted, annoyed.

“No! They shall not get away so easily!”

Getting up, the Sontaran advanced upon the blue box. He clenched and banged his fists on the closed doors.

“Let me in!” he shouted. “Refuse a Sontaran’s command and you suffer the consequences!”

Despite his demands, it was becoming clear to Wulfe that he was being ignored deliberately. Soon, the TARDIS began to dematerialise, whooshing and groaning as she did so.

The Sontaran wouldn’t give up though. Replacing his rheon carbine back in his left holster, he took out a box-like object from his side and placed it on the left side of the TARDIS. Switching it on, it emitted a blue light. He grabbed onto the sides of the TARDIS, determined not to let go. Soon, an energy field was created. It emanated from the box-like device and surrounded the TARDIS. This happened whilst the TARDIS was dematerialising. Wulfe became satisfied that the energy field had been successfully created.

“My triumph is certain!” he declared triumphantly, speaking as if directly into the TARDIS herself. “You cannot protect her, Doc-tor! Becceri of Sarfenia is mine!”

Wulfe held on tight, as the TARDIS whooshed and groaned, fading in and out of existence. The Sontaran faded in and out simultaneously with the energy field placed around the blue box. Soon, the blue box and the Sontaran latching onto it were gone from sight.

Seconds later, the space police force boarded via teleport. Their leader, Athena Young, took in their surroundings, as did her fellow officers, including Nick and Jay. 

“There’s no sign of anyone, Ms. Yung,” Nick observed. “Not even the Sontaran. In fact, this spaceship seems to be empty.”

“How can anyone have absconded so easily?” asked Jay, perplexed. “We didn’t register a teleport of any kind before we boarded.”

“I wonder if that Doctor and his friend were involved,” Yung pondered aloud.

She then looked to see a square-shaped dent in the floor.

“Look, see? They must have been here. That mark on the floor is similar to the one in Shuttle Bay #16. Left by the Doctor’s ship when he and his friend absconded during the fire alarm incident they created.”

“You think that the Doctor and his friend are in cahoots with the Sontaran all this time?” enquired Nick, astonished.

“It’s a possibility,” Yung replied. “Nick; Jay, you two check the back of this ship and make sure we haven’t overlooked anything. The rest of you, with me. We’ll inspect this vehicle thoroughly and uncover what’s been happening.”

Whether Yung and her team found anything of substantial value is debatable. Even to this day, it was a source of bafflement to the local space police force in the Second Outer Galaxy as to how anyone, including the Sontaran, departed so quickly.

---

Tegan and Michael were pleased about the fact that the end of their race was in sight.

The Aepa Som Arena was quite a distance away, but they hoped to reach the finishing point as soon as possible before anything else happened. They also hoped Rugga and Liskaur wouldn’t be able to catch up with them so easily. Becceri was happy to have played a little part in Tegan and Michael’s race. They, in turn, were grateful that she helped them out, especially with evading trouble from the Sontaran pursuing them.

Michael soon noticed Rugga and Liskaur’s space pods catching up to them, according to his control terminal’s dashboard. 

“I should have known our luck was too good to last,” he grunted.  

“And we’re quite a distance away from the A-E-7 Space Station now,” commented Tegan. “It’s a shame we can’t use the Sunfire Gem again.”

“Oh, I’m sure we could,” Michael stated. “But we don’t want to run the risk of being caught out as cheats, do we?”

“And I’d rather not risk using the Sunfire Gem for anything else at this time,” Becceri joined in, tapping the pocket on her left thigh, which contained the gemstone.

“Why not?” asked Tegan. “It hasn’t run out of power, has it?”

“No,” the Graecelan confirmed. “At least, I don’t think it has. On several occasions, I assumed it was limitless in power, but I’ve never tested it to find out.”

“You mean, you don’t know how it works?” asked Michael, perturbed.

“I’m afraid so, Michael,” answered Becceri, sadly. “That’s another reason why I stowed away aboard your space pod as well as trying to avoid being captured by Wulfe. I was hoping to test its limits in order to chance an escape.” She shut her eyes, repentantly. “Just this once, I wish I…” She paused. “I wish I could have…”

“Had more time?” Tegan finished. “You wish you could have had time to figure out how the Sunfire Gem worked?”

“I’ve never been in one place long enough to learn how to use it. I hoped I would have had that time available to me when I was in Brighton on Earth in the 1920s, but it turned out not to be the case. I’ve always had…” She trailed off.

“What?” Michael prompted. “Always had what?”

The Sarfenian searched for the word. Eventually, she continued, “I’ve always had this fear that I’ll be returned to Sarfenia and be ignorant of the gem’s properties. That I’d continue to be like how I started when I stole it in the first place.”

“I see.”

“I greatly apologise for startling you two when I did. At the time, I couldn’t think of another way to escape my pursuer, but…”

“You ended up with us instead,” Tegan finished again. Eventually, she told her, reassuringly, “Well, if you need help from us, you’ve got it. Least we can do.”

“Same goes for me,” Michael joined in.

“That’s very kind of you two, but I can’t put you through any more danger…”

“You can’t refuse an opportunity for help like this, lady,” said Tegan. “Think about it, it may not come again.”

Becceri became silent as she considered this. She gradually looked at Tegan and Michael, and smiled, appreciatively.

“Thank you, both. I will need some help to get away from Wulfe and this sector of space. If you can provide that, I’d very much appreciate it.”

“Good, that settles that then,” said Michael, happily.

“What would you like us to do first?” Tegan enquired, eagerly.

“Firstly, I need to get off this space pod as soon as possible,” Becceri replied. “Once we’ve arrived safely back at the Aepa Som Arena, I must take my leave of you. Can I trust you two to get us back to the Arena safely?”

“Count on us,” Tegan told her. “No doubt about it.”

“And we won’t get in your way, we promise,” Michael assured her. “Do you know where to go to get another spacecraft once we return to the Aepa Som Arena?”

“I believe so. I noticed a space port on my way to where the pod-racers were being assembled. I’ll make my way back there once we return.”

“We’ll try to hold off Wulfe too should he catch us up again.”

“Don’t underestimate him, Tegan,” Becceri warned her. “He’s stronger than he looks and the Nimon horns he wears add to that strength.”

Just then, a whooshing, groaning sound echoed. Tegan and Becceri turned to see the TARDIS materialise inside the space pod. Michael glanced over his shoulder for a moment before returning his attention to the forward screen.

“They’re here, Tegan,” Michael cried, delighted. “The Doctor and Nyssa are here!”

“I never thought they’d get here so soon,” said an equally delighted Tegan.

“It’ll be nice to see the Doctor again,” Becceri declared. She looked at Tegan. “I gather you two know the Doctor very well.”

“We do, yeah,” Tegan replied, mesmerised. “Now I know things can’t be bad from hereon.”

“You seem to know him well too, Becceri,” Michael observed.

“Not really,” the Sarfenian woman admitted. “Just twice I’ve known him.” She then smiled. “But I do consider the Doctor a good friend.”

“You’ll be seeing him soon, don’t worry,” said Tegan, smiling. “This is your lucky day as well as for us.”

As they watched, something troubled Michael as he heard the TARDIS materialise.

“Tegan, I think there’s something wrong with the TARDIS.”

“What d’you mean?”

“It sounds a bit sluggish coming in to land, don’t you think?”

Tegan thought about it for a moment and listened. “Yeah, I get what you mean.” She then studied the materialising blue box for a moment. “Trying to keep up with us, do you reckon?” she suggested

Eventually, the TARDIS landed with a thump. The Ship faced backwards instead of forwards to Becceri, Tegan and Michael.

“Nyssa should be with the Doctor as well,” Becceri remarked. “I recall her being a nice girl last time I met her. It’ll be nice to see her again.” She then thought for a moment. “Does Nyssa still have…?”

Unfortunately, she was interrupted, as a familiar taunting, gruff laugh echoed nearby. Becceri ceased talking, and the laughter sent shivers down her spine.

“Oh no,” she murmured. “He’s here.”

“Who’s that?” Tegan asked, anxiously. She prayed that it didn’t belong to the Master. 

No, wait, it couldn’t be his laugh. It doesn’t sound like it.

Tegan tried to adopt a threatening tone, “Hey! Whoever’s behind the TARDIS, come out and show yourself! We’re not afraid of you!”

“As you wish.” A figure stepped out from behind the backward-facing TARDIS.

Wulfe had let go once the Ship had landed inside the space pod and he switched off the energy field generated by the box-like device, which he took off from the TARDIS and replaced on his side.

He took out his rheon carbine from his left holster and trained it on Tegan and Becceri.

“Tegan, talk to me,” Michael insisted, as he kept his focus on the forward screen. “What’s happening? Who’s joined us?”

“Who d’you think?” snapped Tegan, exasperated. “The Candy Man?”

“Wulfe,” exhaled Becceri. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Tegan noticed how frightened Beceri was. She could see her trembling slightly. Her once rosy cheeks had gone pale. Tegan also saw the knuckles of the Graecelan woman’s clenched fists whiten.

“At long last, Becceri of Sarfenia!” the Sontaran declared. “You have evaded me for far too long, but no more! You are now my prisoner and you are coming with me!”

Tegan stepped in front of Becceri and protected her.

---

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and Nyssa anxiously crowded around the scanner.

“Wulfe, stop this!” the Time Lord cried. “Don’t do something you’ll regret!”

“Sontarans have no regrets, Doc-tor,” replied the Sontaran via the onboard transceiver. “In war, there can be no allowances for regret.”

The Doctor and Nyssa watched, as the Sontaran drew his weapon and turned his attention to Tegan, still standing in front of Becceri.

“Keep away, Shorty,” Tegan warned him, determined not to be outdone. “You don’t want to mess with me. My bark is worse than my…”

Ignoring her, Wulfe grabbed Tegan roughly by the arm. She cried as he threw her across to the other side of the cockpit area like a rag doll. 

“Tegan!” Nyssa cried, anxiously.

“I believe she’s alright,” the Doctor assured her. “Look, see? She’s still conscious.”

Michael, realising what had happened to Tegan, switched the space pod to autopilot. He got up out of his pilot’s seat and made to tackle Wulfe head-on, standing in front of Becceri.

“Michael, what are you doing?!” the Doctor cried, dismayed.

“It’s alright, Doctor; Nyssa,” Michael reassured them. “I’m only putting the autopilot on for a few minutes. I have a black-belt in karate, you know, and I can sort this guy out!”

“Michael, don’t!” Nyssa cried. “He’s too dangerous for you to tackle.”

“A contestant battling me in the martial arts,” Wulfe surmised, eying Michael hungrily. “That’s more like it.”

Anxiously, the Doctor and Nyssa watched, as Michael attempted to use his karate moves to fight off Wulfe. He used an axe-kick, a spinning hook-kick and a flying back-kick to tackle him. Unfortunately, Wulfe was pretty resilient and undeterred by Michael’s efforts.

“Stupid hu-man,” he goaded. “Nobody can beat me – Wulfe the Headhunter!”

Wulfe punched Michael a couple of times in the face. Michael became disoriented and dizzy.

“That’s not fair,” he complained.

Apprehensively, the Doctor ran across to the door control, slammed his hand down on the switch and exited, Nyssa trailing closely behind him.

---

On board the pod, Michael found himself being pulled along and thrown to the other side by Wulfe. Exiting the Ship, the Doctor ran over and caught the young man, neatly. 

“Michael?” the Time Lord prompted. “Michael, speak to me, are you alright?”

Disorientated, the driver answered, “I’m fine, Doctor. Really, I am. I just didn’t expect to be thrown about the room like that.”

“You need to be more careful in future,” the Doctor told him.

Looking up to see Nyssa exit the TARDIS, the Time Lord noticed the Sontaran was about to open fire on her.

“Nyssa, look out!” the Doctor cried.

Wulfe fired his rheon carbine at Nyssa, as she still stood in the TARDIS doorway. Thankfully, she swung herself sideways. The shot pierced the console behind her though.

“Thank goodness,” Tegan breathed, relieved, as she recovered.

“Tegan, are you alright?” Nyssa asked, making her way over to help her up from the floor.

“I’ll be alright, Nyssa,” Tegan assured her. Then she remarked, “That Sontaran must do a lot of javelin where he comes from.”

Realising she had no protection from her new-found friends, Becceri slipped her right hand into one of her tracksuit pockets. There, she grasped a thin silver cylinder, her atomiser of Colemanlucide gas, and took it out.

She pressed the toggle. It was a nose’s breadth from Wulfe’s features. White spray struck his face, and…

Nothing happened. The Sontaran was unaffected. Becceri reacted, surprised and horrified.

Wulfe knocked it from her hand. His three stubby fingers seized around her throat. Becceri gasped for breath, seeing the malicious glint in his eyes.

“How…?” she tried to force out. “How did you…?”

“Did you really think I would not be immune to your attempt of sedation, Sarfenian?” Wulfe goaded. “I anticipated such an eventuality.”

Becceri attempted to tear the Sontaran’s stubby fingers away from her throat with her bare hands, but it was no use. His grip was stronger than she thought.

“Let her go, Wulfe,” the Doctor told him, but the Sontaran ignored his plea.

His threat was simple. “The Sunfire Gem or I will kill you.”

“Then, kill me,” was her response.

“We have Jimrock,” he muttered.

Her eyes darted to Wulfe, his grip tightening across her windpipe.

“Read my mind,” he insisted. “Do I lie?”

Her eyebrows knitted together, lips pursed. She wanted to disagree, but…

“No. No, Wulfe, you don’t.”

Gradually, she reached into the tracksuit pocket on her thigh where the Sunfire Gem was kept. She took it out and held up the gem for Wulfe to see.

Wulfe forcibly snatched the Sunfire Gem from Becceri’s right hand.

He held it up to the light. “So, you value his life after all.”

“Wulfe…” the Doctor almost growled behind him.

Becceri’s eyes flickered to the Time Lord and the Trakenite. “Doctor…Nyssa… This isn’t exactly how I envisioned us reuniting again. Where’s Billy…?”

The Sarfenian gasped, as Wulfe cut her off mid-sentence, tightening his grip around her. 

He threatened the Doctor. “Intervene, Time Lord, and I snap her neck.”

“More senseless bloodshed?” said Nyssa, sickened. “More killings?”

“You Sontarans live very sad lives,” declared Tegan, disgusted.

The Doctor raised his chin. “You have the gemstone, Wulfe. Do you really need Becceri?”

The Sontaran held up a small portable device in his left hand whilst holding Becceri. It contained a red button on it. He grinned maliciously. “Everything has been taken into account. I will return to… or should I say, through… Sontaran space, Doc-tor. From there, well…”

The Doctor took out the scanner-like device he used on Wulfe earlier. He used it on Becceri whilst the Sontaran held her.

“Becceri, where’s Sarfenia?” the Doctor asked her, urgently. “Where’s your home planet? Please tell me!”

“It’s…” Wulfe’s grip tightened across Becceri’s throat. She tried to strangle the words out. The last vital words that would save her from capture and death. “It’s… It is…”

“Far from you, Time Lord.” Wulfe taunted, as he pressed the red button on his portable teleport device.

“Wulfe!” The Doctor leapt forward, almost dropping his scanner-like device.

He and his friends saw Wulfe and Becceri vanish before their eyes.

“Coward,” muttered Michael angrily.

The Doctor became dismayed, as he pocketed his scanner-like device away.

Just then, a warning alarm echoed from Michael’s control terminal.

Nyssa realised, “The autopilot!” 

She ran over to Michael’s control terminal and pressed the button to turn off the autopilot. Thankfully, the alarm stopped.

“Quickly, Michael, take over,” Nyssa insisted. “You need to keep piloting your space pod in the race, remember?”

“Oh, right, yes, thanks,” Michael acknowledged, as he went over to the main controls and sat down in his piloting chair. Fortunately, he was able to get a grip on the controls and steady the space pod along the racetrack.

Nyssa breathed, relieved. “The seven minutes you had for the autopilot were running out,” she explained. “I was able to switch off the autopilot just in time for you and Tegan to keep being in the race and avoid being disqualified.”

“Thanks, Nyssa,” Tegan cheered. “We’re very glad you did that for us.”

“Here, here,” Michael joined in.

Just then, they saw Wulfe’s scout ship zooming past them in outer space. The foursome looked on, discouraged.

“Rabbits,” Tegan swore, quietly.

“And he’s taken Becceri with him,” the Doctor declared. It was a struggle for him to process this somewhat defeat they had.

“Perhaps there’s a chance,” Nyssa suggested, hopefully. “Maybe we can get back to the Sontaran scout ship in the TARDIS.”

“Nyssa’s right,” Tegan joined in. “We’ve got to take a chance, no matter how slim it is. Come on. Let’s get back into the TARDIS before…”

“What’s that smell?” Michael asked, realising its distinct odour. “A sort of…burning, wouldn’t you say?”

Nyssa’s face fell as she remembered. “The console!”

The Doctor forced his way back into the TARDIS doorway. Nyssa, Tegan and Michael heard his disgruntled voice as he spoke inside.

“Damaged. The controls have seized.”

“Well, we can still catch up to him,” Tegan persisted, raising her voice and trying to be optimistic. “If we get started on repairs straight away, we could catch up and then…”

The Doctor came back out of the TARDIS, interrupting her, “You heard him, Tegan! Wulfe will be heading into Sontaran space. It’s not like the Cybermen. A detachment on a single freighter. Androids with their Earthshock bomb. We’re talking about a frontier of Sontaran ships and planets. Fleets and armies. Alone and weaponless, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Why so pessimistic?” Michael asked, keeping his focus forwards.

“I’ve used up my quota,” said Tegan. “The Doctor now gets to use his.”

“This will make three for three now…” murmured the Doctor.

“What’s that in cricket?” Tegan asked.

“A hat trick.” The Doctor looked embarrassed.

“But you have a time machine, Doctor,” Michael protested. “You can travel back in time to stop Wulfe and board his ship to prevent him getting away.”

“You assume the TARDIS is consistently reliable.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Tegan added.

The Doctor winced further to himself, clearing his throat.

Nyssa tugged at his left shoulder. “Doctor, look! Out in space! See?”

Bodies. The bodies of space police force men and women drifting through space.

“Wulfe must have dumped those poor souls off his ship as soon as he and Becceri returned to it,” the Doctor surmised. “Athena Yung must be among them.”

“We must rescue those people,” Tegan said.

“Agreed,” Michael joined in. “We can’t leave them like that.”

“Nyssa and I will attend to it,” said the Doctor, before turning to his Trakenite friend. “Come on, Nyssa. Into the TARDIS we go. You know where the repair kit is. Go on, quickly!”

“Right, Doctor.”

“What about us?” asked Michael.

The Doctor turned back to Tegan and Michael. “What do you mean? You two, continue piloting your space pod to the Aepa Som Arena.”

“Why?” asked Tegan.

The Doctor looked at her. “There’s still a chance for you to win the race!”

---

Lap Six: The End of the Race

As soon as the Doctor and Nyssa departed, Tegan looked to Michael.

“Well?”

“You heard what he said,” the young man replied eagerly. “Let’s continue the race!”

“Right,” responded Tegan, equally eager.

Both held onto their piloting controls, pushing them forward. They accelerated at an incredible speed. They didn’t have the Sunfire Gem anymore, but Tegan felt the thrill and excitement as she and Michael focused, determined to reach the Aepa Som Arena.

They checked their dashboards and realised two space pods were catching up to them.

“We’ve got Rugga and Liskaur on our tails again,” Tegan warned.

“I’ve noticed,” Michael acknowledged. “Don’t lose focus. We’ve got about, what…?” He checked the dashboard. “40 kilometres in space terms to reach our destination?”

Tegan breathed deep, as she held her controls, not letting go. She hoped to enjoy a shower in the women’s changing rooms once they finished their race.

It was then they noticed Rugga and Liskaur’s space pods. Rugga came up on their left and Liskaur came up on their right.

“Oh no,” Tegan groaned. “We’re never going to win, are we? We’ll be second or last.”

“There are more space pods behind us, Tegan,” Michael reminded her.

“And they’ll likely catch us up with the speed we’re doing.”

“Stop being defeatist,” he told her. “There’s always a chance.” He then thought for a moment. “Maybe there’s a residue of Sunfire Gem power left.”

Michael pressed a button, which he hoped would provide a boost to their engines.

Fortunately, their pod sped forth, charging ahead of Rugga and Liskaur’s vehicles. Tegan and Michael were startled out of their skin once this occurred.

“Well, what do you know?” Michael cheered. “It seems we’re going to be lucky after all.”

“Let’s hope it’s enough for us to get to the end,” said Tegan, feeling hopeful.

“It should be. We’re less than 20 kilometres away now.”

They were getting closer to their destination every second. Tegan kept looking back and forth at the forward screen to her dashboard, excitement welling up. She couldn’t believe the luck they were having.

Sadly, the residue of Sunfire power ran out, as they began to slow down.

“No, no, no,” Tegan cried, despairingly. “Not now! We’re nearly at the finishing line!”

“Just…a little further.” Michael pressed hard at his piloting controls. They vibrated furiously under his palms and fingertips. 

Tegan followed suit, biting her lower lip in an attempt to distract herself from the vibrations, keeping focused at the forward screen.

She then checked her dashboard. “They’re catching up again,” she cried, noticing Rugga and Liskaur’s pods getting closer as she looked out of the corner of her window.

“Nearly there,” Michael prompted. “About ten yards more.”

It was a near thing. Rugga’s triangular vehicle almost overtook them, as they approached the finishing line. For a moment, Tegan felt despair overtake her excitement.

Luckily, the nose of Tegan and Michael’s squat vehicle struck the beam and white lights flashed on their dashboards. Once this occurred, they felt a surge of relief and anticipation. They wondered if they actually achieved their objective or not.

Just then, a tannoy voice spoke out. “Winner! Entrant #49 is the winner of the 79th annual Eniotata Circuit race. Congratulations, Mr. Anderson; Ms. Jovanka. Proceed to the Aepa Som Arena docking port, as guided by the arrows.”

Tegan couldn’t believe it. “We did it!” she cheered. “We actually did it! We won the race!”

Overcome with excitement, Tegan got up out of her seat, reached Michael and hugged him around the shoulders.

“Steady, Tegan,” Michael told her. “We’re not finished yet. We’ve got to park our vehicle first before we celebrate.”

“Right, yeah, sorry,” Tegan apologised, as she went back to her seat and helped to co-pilot the vehicle once more.

She couldn’t help but contain her excitement though, amazed that she and Michael won.

Tegan then reflected sadly. “We did it for them, you know,” she told him. “For Flintoo and Nervta. They would have been proud of us.”

Michael nodded. “Yes, they would have.” He paused. “Flintoo would have been especially pleased. Not giving up and keeping at it in the race.” Another pause. “I’m very proud of you, you know.”

Tegan smiled, contented. “Thanks, Mikey.” She placed a hand on his. “That means a lot to hear you say that.”

She and Michael steadily slowed their vehicle, as they piloted it to where the green-lit arrows were pointing.

---

There was trouble once they returned to the Aepa Som Arena.

Rugga and Liskaur had summoned a security officer, whom Tegan and Michael later found out was called Ross.

“Cheats!” Rugga roared accusingly, pointing at Tegan and Michael. “These two cheated in the race! They should have been disqualified!”

“What are you on about, Rugga?” Tegan asked, trying to ignore the odour emanating from his bloated body. “People have died today.”

“We saw them speeding ahead of us,” Liskaur joined in. His voice was gruff and bitter. “They overtook us at the speed of light. No space pod should exceed normal speeding parameters.”

“Perhaps your concentration wandered a bit? The Sontaran attack?” Michael suggested. “All we did was use our boosters when we caught up with you.”

“We are entitled to use our boosters, aren’t we?” Tegan challenged them.

“They’re cheats,” Rugga insisted. “We know they used something to overtake us in the race, and it was illegal.”

“I’m afraid your points are moot, gentlebeings,” Ross informed them. He also addressed Tegan and Michael. “The Arena manager has declared the race void.”

“What?!” exclaimed Rugga. “Void?! You mean, nobody won today?!”

“Due to the circumstances,” the security officer replied, “the Arena manager decided not to have an official winner.” He looked at the two time-travellers. “Apologies, miss; sir.”

“But the tannoy,” Michael pointed out. “It said…”

“The announcer wasn’t aware of our decision, I’m afraid. He’d just left his booth.”

Tegan was dismayed. “That’s not fair,” she said. “I’d hoped we would have won the race to honour…” She took a moment to breathe deeply and consider her words, tears welling up in her eyes once more. “To honour those who were killed. Like Flintoo and Nervta.”

“Never mind, Tegan,” Michael comforted her. “Winning isn’t everything.”

Tegan looked at Michael, surprised. “You’re not disappointed we didn’t win?”

“Of course not,” he replied. “We don’t need a trophy to prove we achieved something. Enduring and experiencing the race is achievement enough.”

Thinking for a moment, Tegan smiled sadly and soon said, “I suppose you’re right.”

“Besides,” Michael went on. “We wouldn’t want to end up like Wulfe, would we? He got what he wanted by brute force. We don’t want to be as selfish as he is.”

At that, Tegan perked up. “No, we don’t,” she acknowledged, her smile broadening. “Yes, well done, Mikey boy. Winning isn’t everything.”

“This is prosperous,” shouted Liskaur, angrily. “Absolutely prosperous!”

“I shall complain to management about this,” snapped Rugga, bitterly, as he slithered off, leaving a trail of slime in his wake.

“I’m coming with you,” Liskaur added, following behind him.

Tegan couldn’t hide her disgust. “They’re mad,” she said to Michael. “After everything…”

“For some, winning is all that matters, I’m afraid,” he murmured.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” Ross interjected, bowing politely. “I have my duties. If it’s any consolation, I would have been pleased if you two were the winners today.”

Tegan and Michael thanked him. Very soon, he headed off.

As soon as Ross had left, Athena Yung turned up, along with Nick and Jay. They’d been rescued by the Doctor and Nyssa, who were coming up behind them.

“Excuse me,” Yung called. “Can I have a word with you two, please?”

“Doctor; Nyssa,” cried Tegan, delighted. “Thank goodness you’re both okay.”

“We saved Athena and many of her forces as best we could,” the Time Lord informed her. “There were non-humans with unique respiratory biologies and humans who have excelled in their emergency depressurisation training.”

“Some had frozen up,” Nyssa added, “but they were revitalised and warmed up once we took them to the Arena’s infirmary.”

“That’s a relief,” Michael declared.

Nyssa smiled. “We saw you as we came to land and park the TARDIS. We’re so glad you two won the race.”

“Keep calm and carry on, as they say,” smiled the Doctor.

“I’m afraid we didn’t win the race,” Tegan told them.

“Yeah,” Michael grunted. “We were just told that the race had been declared void, due to the circumstances of what happened out there.”

“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that,” the Doctor replied, genuinely.

“Nick; Jay,” Yung ordered, “check the youngsters’ space pod thoroughly.”

“Yes ma’am,” echoed the two gents in unison, as they went over to inspect Tegan and Michael’s space pod.

“We had no part in the attack, um…” 

“Athena,” the Time Lord helped out. “Ms. Yung, I think she’d prefer to be called.”

“Ms. Yung,” Michael continued, “we had no part in the attack. We’re as much survivors as everyone else. We were lucky to get out with our skins.”

“Nevertheless, your space vehicle contained an unregistered mass,” she informed them.

The Doctor scratched his temple. “Bookkeeping, Ms. Yung?”

“Just exploring all available avenues, Doctor.” She turned back to Tegan and Michael. “Our security systems detected it whilst you were in the race. We believed you were harbouring a stowaway. Do you wish to deny it?”

“We don’t deny anything,” Tegan replied. “We admit there was someone aboard with us as we traversed through the racetrack.”

“But we didn’t intentionally ‘harbour’ her,” Michael asserted. “We can assure you of that.”

“The Sontaran that attacked us was trying to capture her and take her away.”

“Unfortunately, he did. We tried to stop him, but he overpowered us.”

“Typical Sontaran bullish behaviour, you know.”

“I see,” Yung remarked, considering Tegan and Michael’s story.

“I can vouch for these two, Ms. Yung,” volunteered the Doctor. “They’re true to their word.”

“Indeed,” Nyssa concurred. “I’ve known Tegan and Michael to be honest. They wouldn’t intentionally ‘harbour’, as you’d put it, a stowaway.”

Just then, Nick and Jay finished their search, as they exited the space pod and addressed their leader.

“There’s no-one else aboard, Ms. Yung,” Nick informed her. “Completely empty.”

“If they’re aboard, they’d be hiding in a compartment somewhere,” suggested Yung. “In one of the cupboards or engine sections.”

“No, we checked everywhere,” Jay insisted. “There’s no-one else aboard. Our security systems must have made an error.”

“It was bound to happen,” Nick added. “What with everything else.”

For a while, Yung considered what had been related to her. She walked away from the group for a bit, aware that everyone was watching her.

Eventually, she looked back to Tegan and Michael. She then searched through her pockets.

“Here, have this,” she said, as she privately took out what appeared to be a small cup.

Tegan and Michael were amazed, taking the cup from her.

“What’s this?!” Michael exclaimed, surprised.

“This is gratitude for your friends, the Doctor and Nyssa, rescuing me and my security team,” Yung explained. “As well as compensation for your time in the race. I acquired the trophy when the Arena manager wasn’t looking.”

“This is what we would have won had the race not been void?” Tegan realised.

“The trophy for the winners, yes,” Yung acknowledged. “I promise to withdraw charges against you today, as long as you keep the trophy hidden from public eyes. Is that clear?”

“Gotcha,” Tegan answered, happily.

“No need to be reminded,” Michael added, equally delighted.

“Well done, you two,” the Doctor cheered. “I’m glad it worked out for you in the end.”

Yung then turned to the Doctor and Nyssa. “Unfortunately, I’ll have to put you two in a prison cell for a solar day.”

“Excuse me?” Nyssa asked, astonished.

“For evading arrest and tampering with the fire alarm system,” Yung reminded them. “In order to enter your ship in Shuttle Bay #16.”

“Ah, yes,” the Doctor realised. “Of course.”

“Don’t worry,” she assured them. “It’s just a solar day. I’ve to follow the procedure, you know.”

“Absolutely,” accepted the Doctor. “We don’t mind spending a day in prison, do we, Nyssa?”

“I suppose not,” Nyssa answered, slightly put out.

“Nick; Jay, escort these two away,” Yung commanded.

The two security officers obeyed, as Jay attended to the Doctor and Nick attended to Nyssa, putting their arms behind their backs.

“Thank you for saving my life, Doctor; Nyssa,” she said, patting them gently on the shoulders. “And Tegan; Michael.”

“Yes?” the two time-travellers answered.

“Congratulations,” she whispered, before she saw the Doctor and Nyssa being led away. 

---

After Tegan and Michael had their showers in the changing rooms and donned their own clothes, they sat in a café on one of the upper levels at the Aepa Som Arena. They were glad to get a private room, after all the attention they received from their fans and the press who pestered them with questions. Neither were entirely prepared. They endured a lot to win their race and their minds were preoccupied by their friends’ captivity.

Eventually, when the Aepa Som Arena returned to some semblance of normality, the Time Lord and the Trakenite were released the next day. Understandably, Tegan and Michael wanted some privacy with the Doctor and Nyssa. The café’s manager obliged.

“You’re sure you’re alright?” asked Tegan.

“Oh, yes.” The Doctor tapped his hand. “Slap on the wrist, really. I think Ms. Yung thought us a bit too cheeky.”

“Lesson learnt,” Nyssa cleared her throat.

“So, Tegan,” the Doctor enquired. “How did it feel to be involved in a space pod race?”

“It was very daunting,” Tegan replied. “I imagine space pod races are less perilous compared to what we’ve been through.”

“I certainly hope so,” said Nyssa. “I hope outer space racecourses don’t have Sontaran scout ships making attacks all the time.”

“Not usually, no,” the Doctor assured her. “It’s lucky we were able to catch up with Tegan and Michael when we did and save them from certain death.”

“I’m pleased we won the race,” said Michael, gently stroking the trophy on their table. He then turned to Tegan. “And I’m very pleased you were my co-pilot. Thank you for joining me, Tegan. I wouldn’t have known what to do without you.”

“I’m pleased I got to be your co-pilot, Michael,” said Tegan, tapping him on the left shoulder. “We also had help, remember? I’m pleased Becceri was with us in the race.”

“Me too. She seemed like a nice girl after all.”

Tegan then became sad. “Those poor, poor space pods though.” She studied the small trophy for a moment. “Do you think we can exchange this? Like we discussed?”

“We’ll ask around, shall we?” smiled the Doctor. “You can put it up on auction. I imagine that one of your adoring fans could be part of that upper echelon of Galactic society.”

“Well, it’s always nice to have a sponsor,” Michael remarked.

The Doctor then reflected, “I hope Becceri is alright wherever and whenever she and Wulfe are. It seems every time we keep bumping into her, she’s always in some sort of trouble.”

“You keep bumping into her, you mean,” Nyssa reminded him. “That was my second encounter with Becceri. Yours was the third.”

“Yes, you’re quite right, Nyssa,” the Doctor concurred. “Who knows when and where the next encounter will be?”

The Time Lord searched through his coat pockets before he took out his scanner-like device.

“You used that to take pictures of Wulfe and Becceri, didn’t you?” Nyssa checked. “On the scout ship and the space pod.”

“In a manner of speaking,” the Doctor confirmed, holding the device in his hand. “This is from my TARDIS,” he explained for Tegan and Michael’s benefit. “Essentially, I used this resonance scanner to pick up energy readings of Becceri and Wulfe’s physiologies.”

“So what?”

“So, Tegan,” the Doctor continued, “I’ve programmed a search algorithm based on those energy readings. In time, I hope the TARDIS will be able to locate Becceri and Wulfe, whenever and wherever they are next time I encounter them.”

“But…there’s no knowing how long it will take for the TARDIS to find Becceri,” Michael realised. “We might be searching for months and years before we find her.”

“We might not even be with you by the time you find Becceri on whatever, wherever and whenever she is,” Tegan remarked. “Terrific.”

“I’m afraid the search algorithm is all we have to go on.”

The Doctor noticed how dismayed his companions were.

“Never mind, you three,” he tried to reassure them. “Once the TARDIS has found Becceri, I’ll make it a top priority to rescue her whether you’re with me or not. In the meantime, we must continue with our lives. Don’t dwell on the present. Focus on the future.”

“Of course, Doctor,” said Nyssa, smiling.

“Same goes for me,” Tegan joined in.

“Count me in,” Michael said cheerfully.

The Doctor looked to each of his companions in turn and smiled. “Thank you, you three. It’s always nice to know I have friends like you to support me in these things. Hopefully when I encounter Becceri again, she’ll be saved. Her oppressors will be thwarted fittingly. And the riddle of the Sunfire Gem will be solved satisfyingly.”

“Nyssa,” Tegan interrupted. “Who are those two behind you? They’re Zopians from the planet Huigo, aren’t they?”

Nyssa turned to look and saw Stra and Rivta, whom she and the Doctor encountered in the viewing gallery. Seeing how sad they were, she realised they’d been told the news of their tragic loss.

The Trakenite turned back to Tegan. “Those two are relatives of the Zopian you made friends with, Tegan,” she gently told her. “Nervta, wasn’t it?”

Once Tegan realised who they were, she became distraught.

Eventually, she got up out of her seat.

“Tegan, what are you doing?” the Doctor asked.

“I’ve got to tell them,” Tegan said. “I’ve got to tell them what happened. Explain the circumstances of Flintoo and Nervta’s deaths.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Michael offered.

“It might be best if I went with Tegan,” Nyssa suggested. “Hopefully, they’ll be at least grateful to hear from us how things happened with their loved ones. You stay with the Doctor.”

Michael nodded, appreciating the suggestion.

Nyssa stood up and went with Tegan to meet up with Stra and Rivta.

“Do you want me to do the talking?” Nyssa offered.

Tegan shook her head. “I’ll be alright.” She paused. “I appreciate your moral support, though.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Nyssa said. “You are my best friend after all.”

“Yeah.” Tegan then reflected, “It’s a shame we haven’t had a chance to share things since I rejoined the TARDIS following Amsterdam, isn’t it?”

Nyssa pondered, as they got closer to Stra and Rivta.

“Tegan, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. About someone I met when you were away.”

“Billy?”

Nyssa was startled by Tegan knowing already. But then she realised, “You heard Becceri say his name, didn’t you? When she asked…”

“You can tell me about him in good time, Nyssa,” said Tegan reassuringly. “Let’s deal with these two first.”

---

‘Nyssa of Traken’ originally created by Johnny Byrne
‘Tegan Jovanka’ created by John Nathan-Turner and Christopher H. Bidmead
‘Michael Anderson’ created by Xavier Downey
‘Sontarans’ created by Robert Holmes

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Special thanks to Simon Rogers, Xavier Downey, Alan Camlann and AFJ Kernow.

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 © Tim Bradley, 2024

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The previous story For ‘The Sunfire Chronicles’ was ‘Romance and the Cow Creamer’ (TSC) For the Fifth Doctor was ‘Siroto’ For Nyssa was ‘Siroto’ For Tegan was ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’ For Michael was ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’	The next story For ‘The Sunfire Chronicles’ is ‘Quasar of Sarfenia’ (TSC) For the Fifth Doctor is ‘Frozen Takeover’ For Nyssa is ‘Frozen Takeover’ For Tegan is ‘Frozen Takeover’ For Michael is ‘Frozen Takeover’
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