‘THE SUNFIRE CHRONICLES: THE HORNS OF WULFE’

By Tim Bradley

Featuring the Fourth Doctor, Private James Darby and Bazoon ‘Bazooie’ the Miggie.

Set after ‘The Two Sarah Janes’ and ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’.

---

Prologue: Arrivals

The woman found it a challenge. 

For the past quarter-hour, she’d been tugging at the entrance door to the tower and had attempted to locate another way-in. She’d been unlucky so far. She feared everything was against her.

There must be a way-in! There must be!

Contemplating what to do next, she gradually noticed what she failed to spot earlier. A card slot fitted to the side of the entrance door.

Of course, how silly of me!

She checked the card slot to make sure it was firmly intact. Thankfully, it wasn’t damaged. A bit rusty perhaps, but she was certain she could enter via that route.

But where to get a key card?

She hadn’t been on this planet for very long. An hour at least. Time was already against her and she wondered whether she would survive this ordeal unscathed. A lot had happened to her this past week. She prayed for some hope and luck.

Eventually, the woman saw a large abandoned data storage building in the distance. It was about two miles’ walk away. 

Another thirty minutes.

She wondered whether her parking spot, which was thirty minutes in the opposite direction away from the tower – She had used another quarter-hour to get her bearings upon arrival to this planet – had been such a good idea after all. But then, she hadn’t really planned this trip. It had all been a rush. And the universe hadn’t been that kind to her so far. 

The woman knew he’d be coming soon. That he would eventually arrive to hunt her and prevent her from achieving her goal. She couldn’t risk letting him find her current whereabouts and what her means of escape were. Too much was at stake, especially for the people he loved.

No choice then. 

She hoped to find a keycard or at least a certain means of getting into the tower. It would probably take a while to find what she sought, but she was determined to enter the tower. She considered herself brave as well as determined. She hoped to prove herself as well as those who admired and defied her.

Straightening her skin-tight suit, the woman commenced her journey. The sun blazed, as it was about halfway in the sky. It would soon be lunchtime. The woman hoped the lintolemon fish sandwiches and the Tinkari juice she’d purchased from a food stall on the planet in the Garazone system she visited would remain palatable.

Just then, a thunderous sound echoed in the sky. The woman looked up.

Oh no! He’s here. He’s soon to find me.

Quickening her pace, the woman found cover among an assortment of oddly-shaped and large rocks in the plains between the tower and the abandoned building. She also noticed a cave nearby. The woman kept going, hoping she wouldn’t be spotted by her pursuer so soon whilst he was traversing in the sky. 

He’ll probably land somewhere near the tower, no doubt.  

---

The tower was in the horn-headed warrior’s sight.

The fugitive had evaded him on many occasions since departing the Garazone system. He suspected that she would end up on this planet. The communication he received from the contact that sold her out had been reliable.

The planet was a desolate dump. On first impressions, the warrior didn’t consider it of military and strategic value, though he had to report his assessment to High Command on all counts. They would unanimously provide their final verdict no matter what his opinion was. At least he could give a strong recommendation once his mission had been completed.

Not knowing where the fugitive had marked her landing point or rather where she had parked her transport, the horn-headed warrior was determined to park his vehicle a few metres away from the tower.

Gradually, he landed his ship on the desolate sands in the region of the tower. It was a compulsory requirement to be trained in all fields of warfare, including piloting a scout ship. Since he’d been commissioned, his military training had been thorough.

Following a successful landfall and checking all systems were functioning efficiently, the warrior switched the intercom on. It crackled vibrantly as he made the call.

“Headhunter Wulfe to Fleet Marshal. Fleet Marshal, respond.”

Soon, the monitor screen at his control desk fluttered into life. The Fleet Marshal appeared.

“Get on with it, Wulfe,” he snapped. “Your report has been long overdue for the past twenty-four hours.”

“I acknowledge the delay, sir,” replied Wulfe. “I have pursued my target for a lengthy duration. I could not submit my report in the allocated time.”

“I do not wish to hear your excuses!”

“I have pursued our fugitive to the planet Neimor, sir. I have made the touchdown and will be setting forth to apprehend her. Do not be discouraged, sir. The fugitive will be acquired soon.”

“She must be acquired, Wulfe,” snorted the Fleet Marshal derisively. “Must, you hear! Ensure the Meson gattling gun is utilised, but do not harm the fugitive unnecessarily.”

“Understood, sir,” the warrior replied. “Wulfe out.”  

Saluting and seeing the Fleet Marshal salute back, Wulfe switched off the intercom and the monitor went black.

Wulfe pressed a button at his control desk to mobilise the gatling gun out of the ship. Implementing security measures, the horn-headed warrior soon pressed another button and the ship’s doors opened outward. Collecting his helmet and placing it over his head, Wulfe ventured out, bending forward as he did so to avoid his horns getting caught in the doorway.

Outside, the horn-headed warrior took in his surroundings. Satisfied the gatling gun was ready to be pushed, Wulfe took out a remote control from his left side and pressed a button to activate the scout ship’s security measures. Once this was achieved, whirring noises echoed inside and the door to the scout pod closed firmly shut.

Making his way over to the gatling gun, the horn-headed warrior noticed a sandstorm approaching nearby. He had to move quickly and find shelter, knowing that the sandstorm would soon bury his scout ship. He also had to attend to the tower first as well as release the other weapon from his ship.

Seeing the huge rocks situated between the tower and the abandoned building in the distance, Wulfe gradually noticed the cave behind them. This was turning out to be more convenient than he expected. He anticipated the sandstorm would last an hour or so before he could exit the cave and bring the gatling gun along.

---

Chapter 1: Welcome to Neimor

“Who built that there?” asked Darby. “The people that live on this planet must be very smart. Smarter than humans, hey, Doc?”

Before the trio lay the tall but oddly structured tower. It had elongated pinnacles that seemed to have no definitive pattern. The main spire towered up high in the sky, almost as if it were a radio transmitter sending signals into deep space. The Doctor fished out his telescope from one of his coat pockets to look at it more closely, whilst his companions James Darby and Bazooie stared at the tower in amazement.

The TARDIS had landed on a barren desolate part of the planet. Once it had been the hive of prosperous and productive activity. Now there was no sign of life to be found. There was an eerie stillness that couldn’t be disturbed, even with the drop of a pin.

“Well, it’s not Emerald City, is it?” the Doctor quipped, as he put his telescope away. The Time Lord was in his bohemian look. It consisted of him wearing a battered hat over his long brown curls and a multi-coloured scarf around his neck. He also wore his big toothy grin. He knew there would be danger and adventure on this planet, and that pleased him. He liked a bit of danger and adventure now and again.

“This must be where the source of the temporal emissions that the TARDIS picked up is,” he continued. The Doctor then noticed Darby and Bazooie’s puzzled expressions. “Don’t you recall? When the TARDIS was diverted to this planet instead of 21st century Earth?”

Shrugging, Darby continued to admire the tower. Private James Darby of the Seventh Division of Earth Space Fleet 920 and travelling companion of the Doctor was a young man in a semi-military outfit. His attire was more casual when he travelled with the Time Lord, but he was prepared for action, with his laser pistol ready in his holster.

“What is this planet then?” he asked. “Did the TARDIS records help much before we came out here?”

“Apparently, they did, yes,” the Doctor replied. “According to TARDIS records, this planet happens to be Neimor.”

“Neimor? Don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

“I’m not surprised. This planet is quite ancient in Earth terms. Even your archaeological teams haven’t come across this neck of the woods yet.”

“But they soon will, won’t they?”

“That remains to be determined.”

Bazooie gurgled rather nervously. 

Darby patted the Miggie gently on the head. “I know what you mean, Bazooie. It does feel rather creepy, doesn’t it?”

Bazoon the Miggie was Darby’s former mascot in the space fleet. Private James often liked to nickname him ‘Bazooie’. He recalled what he read about Miggies during his training days in the Seventh Division from the Earth Space Fleet 920’s Guide to Galactic Lifeforms.

---

Miggies: Some say these small creatures resemble lemurs with their swishy tales. However, this is considered inaccurate, as scientists argue that Miggies share characteristics of both primates and canines. Their skin is covered in coarse light-yellow fur. Huge eyes equip them with good night vision, while they can defend themselves using serrated teeth and bear-like paws with retractable, razor-sharp claws. They tend to be docile with daft grins on their faces, but are considered difficult to tame due to their excitable and nervous nature.

---

The Private never anticipated owning a Miggie, even as a mascot in his military service for Earth’s Empire. Bazooie tended to be excitable and nervous, especially in Darby’s current travels with the Doctor, but he was loyal and determined to stick by his master’s side.

The Doctor ignored Darby and Bazooie’s anxieties and continued, “Neimor used to be a renowned repository of all knowledge. It was at the centre of all traffic, expanding across many parts of the galaxy.”

“Which one? The Milky Way or some other galaxy?”

“Hard to say. The records that the Time Lords kept of Neimor and its place in the universe are unreliable. It’s lucky the TARDIS instruments were able to register Neimor’s existence at all. The repository tower, as well as its surroundings, have been left abandoned for so long. No one knows the full purpose of the information it contained and what secrets were kept.”

Darby became unnerved at what the Doctor was saying as well as Bazooie, who was jumping up and down quite frantically.

“Alright, alright, Bazooie. Calm down, will you?”

Darby held Bazooie’s paws firmly in his hands. The Miggie gradually calmed down.

Turning to the Doctor, Darby asked, “Alright, what do we do then? I mean, with the place so barren, I don’t think there’s much to explore.”

“There’s still the mystery of the temporal emissions that the TARDIS picked up which needs to be resolved,” the Doctor pointed out. “It might be in that repository tower. Good job the old girl has conveniently parked so close.”

“So, we go and explore the tower then,” Darby piped up. “Goody-o. I’m all for that.”

“No! No, James,” the Doctor stopped him. “You and Bazooie go and explore somewhere else. See if you can find another building that’s still standing.” The Time Lord then realised. “Like that one up ahead. About two miles’ walk away, see?”

Darby and Bazooie looked to see where the Doctor pointed, and saw the large abandoned building distinctly.

“Aw, come on, Doctor,” Darby groaned. “That’s not fair!”

The Doctor shushed him. “It’s very possible that there might be more to this planet than meets the eye.”

“Now you’re sounding like a big giant robot I once knew.”

“We can’t afford to take any risks or lose chances whilst we’re here,” the Doctor said. “Even if this planet has been abandoned for so long, there might be survivors. It’s your job, as a soldier, to check for any and help them.”

“Then again, there could be big monsters waiting to kill us. Have you considered that?”

“Don’t worry,” the Doctor assured him. “You’ve got Bazooie to look after you.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

Bazooie was shocked and affronted.

“Come on, James, have you forgotten? Bazooie gunned down plenty of shock troopers in black armour when we first encountered the Rednarogs outside Space and Time. I’m sure he’ll protect you whilst you go searching in that building for survivors.”

Bazooie nodded approvingly, gurgling as he did so.

Darby sighed, annoyed. “Fine, fine. But be careful in that tower. And if we don’t find anything in that building in about fifteen minutes, Bazooie and I are coming back for you. Got that?”

“Absolutely,” the Doctor grinned toothily. “Fifteen minutes is ample.” 

“I just hope this will be worthwhile to get to 21st century Earth as soon as possible.”

“Ah, yes. So you can be reunited with your beloved Lady Christina. Am I right, Bazooie?”

Bazooie gurgled and nodded. He was present when he, Darby and the Doctor were in that parallel universe where they met Lady Christina de Souza and had the second out of three encounters with the Dimension Serpents called the Rednarogs. The third time was when Darby met two versions of the Doctor’s best friend Sarah Jane Smith – one young and one old. Darby became very fond of Sarah Jane when he met her.

The Doctor knew how much Darby wanted to meet Lady Christina for the second first time, after falling in love with her parallel counterpart. The Time Lord wondered whether his young friend meeting the lady in their universe would be a good thing or not. He looked forward to finding out.

Taking out his bag of jelly babies from one of his coat pockets, the Doctor opened it and offered it to Darby. “One for luck before we part?”

The Private smiled and took a couple of jelly babies from the bag, popping them into his mouth. The Doctor offered the bag to Bazooie, but the Miggie didn’t seem keen, seemingly afraid of the jelly babies.

“Suit yourself,” the Doctor said, not unkindly, before he smiled at Darby. “Good luck! You and Bazooie take care, James.”

“See you in fifteen minutes,” the Private reminded him. “If not sooner.”

Waving, the Time Lord headed off for the repository tower whilst the Private and Bazooie headed in the opposite direction.

Neither were aware that someone was watching behind a large rock, situated between where the TARDIS was parked and where the repository tower stood. 

From beneath his horned helmet, the watcher growled, licking his lips as he saw the time-travellers. This was worth seeing after having taken shelter in the cave nearby. It took more than an hour for the sandstorm to clear. Wulfe stalked towards the TARDIS, clutching a circular device in his right hand.

---

It was quite a surprise to James Darby and Bazooie to see the abandoned data storage building before them, which turned out to be a Matrix Hub – Matrix Hub #47 to be precise.

Sandstorms had clearly ravaged the building. The entrance doors had been clean blown off their hinges. Darby reflected sadly on how well-built the data storage buildings used to be on the planet before they were swept into decay through the passage of time.

Inside, the Private and Bazooie felt a cool breeze. They heard the distant howling wind from outside. Darby and his mascot couldn’t help feeling the place was about to topple over.

Pulling out his laser pistol, Darby changed it to a stun setting. He noticed Bazooie’s confusion and became slightly annoyed.

“It’s just a precaution. Nothing to worry about.” He kept alert whilst holding the laser pistol in his right hand. “Besides, we could be lucky. We haven’t seen a living soul so far.”

Bazooie couldn’t help whimpering and shuddering.

The Private sighed. “Now don’t be scared, Bazooie. You heard the Doctor. You’re made of strong stuff, remember? If I had another laser pistol, I would give it to you, willingly, to cover both our backs. As it is, I only have the one pistol. Limited ammunition too. Besides, I need to keep a cool head whilst we’re exploring this place.”

Just then, a groaning, scraping sound echoed from above. Bazooie reacted in fright, as he clung onto Darby’s left leg. The Private gently shook him off.

“Off now, Bazooie, off!” he said sternly. “It’s just the old girders above our heads. They haven’t fallen yet. The sooner we explore this place, the sooner we can get out of here. Isn’t that good enough for you?”

Bazooie didn’t want to let go at first, but gradually, he released Darby’s left leg and continued to walk beside him.

“That’s better,” said Darby, satisfied. “And let’s be real. It’s not like someone is going to jump out at us from the dark in an instant.”

There was another groaning sound from above. Louder this time. Bazooie looked up and instantly shrieked in alarm. He hunched up like a furry ball, trembling with fright.

“Bazooie, stop it! Just calm down! You’re making me nervous!”

Bazooie pointed with his left paw at the ceiling. Darby didn’t get it at first.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, confused. “What are you afraid of?”

Bazooie turned to Darby and continued pointing at the ceiling.

Sitting on one of the set of girders above, held in place by a couple of cranes, was a feminine figure in a skin-tight suit.

James wondered whether this was a cat burglar of some kind.

It could be Catwoman, he thought. Wait a minute! Cat burglar? 

Calming Bazooie down, the Private stood up and called, “Hello there! I see you! Can you hear me?”

The figure seemed reluctant to answer.

The Private wondered whether this woman was his beloved Lady Christina. She wore a similar cat-suit. Could it be that his Christina had come to him instead of him finding her? The possibility was so exciting for Darby.

Tilting her head, the woman replied in a soothing voice. “Yes. Yes, m’dear, I hear you perfectly from up here.”

“Good, good!” replied Darby, satisfied.

Then it dawned on him. Whoever this person was, she didn’t sound like Christina. The voice didn’t match. Then again, he’d only met Christina once in that parallel universe.

He continued talking to her. “Err, are you alright up there? It looks dangerous. Do you want to come down?”

Again, the woman seemed unwilling to answer at first. Eventually, she said, “You’re right. I’m not her.”

At that, Darby became confused. He wondered what she meant. “What? W-w-what are you talking about?”

“Though, it’s very nice of you to think of me as her.”

Darby became more confused than ever. So did Bazooie. His confused gurgling was clear.

“Who are you?” The Private demanded. “How… How do you know about…? How did you even know I was thinking of…?”

“Listen,” the woman interrupted. “As much as I’d like to talk, can you help me get down from these girders? I came up here by ladder, you see, but it collapsed as soon as I got to the top. There’s no other way down. All the other ladders are broken and damaged. I don’t want to risk breaking my neck.”

“What were you doing up on those girders in the first place…?”

“Help me down first and I’ll answer your questions as best as I can.”

Bazooie hooted, pointing at where the broken and damaged ladders were. 

Darby understood, “Don’t worry, Bazooie. I’ve got this.”

Considering his options, the Private soon saw one of the cranes situated nearby to where the woman was trapped.

Gingerly, Darby made his way over to the crane and began climbing up the ladder to reach the cockpit. He sat and switched the power on.

He began working at the controls. It was trial and error, but gradually, Darby was able to operate one of the mechanical arms towards the woman.

The woman was relieved.

“There you are,” the Private called. “Go on! Grab onto the arm! Don’t worry. I’ll lower you gently to ground level where you’ll be safe. Trust me!”

The woman nodded. Steadily, she grabbed the mechanical arm and freed herself from the set of girders.

On the ground, Bazooie jumped up and down, cheering, giggling and squeaking with delight. His squeaks were getting to the point of hyperactive.

“Don’t get excited yet, Bazooie,” Darby called. “I haven’t got her to the ground yet. Give me a chance, will you?!”

The Private lowered the cat burglar gently to the ground. Her nimble feet touched the ground soundlessly. Once safe, the woman let go. As soon as Darby moved the mechanical arm away from her, he switched off the power for the cockpit and sighed with relief, sitting back and relaxing for a bit.

After recovering his wits, Darby soon climbed out and went back down the ladder to meet the woman he had rescued. She was already embracing Bazooie, who’d taken a liking to her and vice versa.

“Oh, you are a very pretty little thing, aren’t you, dear Miggie?” she said soothingly.

Bazooie gurgled happily in response.

The Private could see that the woman was very beautiful. In fact, she was dazzlingly beautiful with gold hair. She looked like one of those movie stars he’d seen many years ago when he was younger. Which one was it, he wondered? Was it Hayley Atwell? He definitely fancied her. No, that can’t be right. This woman’s got the wrong hair colour for a start.

The woman turned to Darby and smiled. “Thank you for saving my life. And I’m glad you think I’m a movie star.”

How does she do that? Darby wondered.

“Sorry. Force of habit. It’s very easy to read people’s minds. I can’t help it. I’m flattered when people think nice things about me. The nasty things, of course, I choose to ignore.”

“You’re a telepath!”

“That’s right, yes,” the woman smiled. 

Darby was astonished to discover that this woman turned out to be a telepath. He was even more astonished to find that the young woman revealed her telepathic abilities so openly to him – a complete stranger. 

“Who are you? Where do you come from?”

He also couldn’t help noticing how radiant the woman’s smile was. He thought Christina’s smile won over all women’s smiles, but this was something else.

Releasing herself from Bazooie, the woman stepped forward and raised a hand to shake Darby’s. “Introductions, of course. You’re Private James Darby of the Seventh Division of Earth Space Fleet 920, right?”

Darby was flummoxed. Usually, he’d be the one introducing himself with that name and title. Not someone else introducing him for him. He felt slightly unnerved.

The woman could see how apprehensive Darby was, “Don’t be alarmed,” she said. “Please allow me to introduce myself. My name’s Becceri. I’m a Graecelan from the planet Sarfenia. Becceri, at your service.”

“Um, hello, Becceri,” said Darby, slightly apprehensive. “It’s… um… nice to meet you.”

---

Chapter 2: Becceri and the Sontaran

The Doctor switched on the chroniton detector, a black box with a silver antenna. He carried it in one of his coat pockets from the TARDIS to check for readings. There was soon a faint humming emanating from the box, as the Doctor used it to scan the area. This intrigued the Time Lord, as he examined the black box’s readings.

“Of course!” he announced. “Must be getting close to the source of the temporal emissions.”

“Well, naturally, Doctor. But there’s still the question of what the source for the temporal emissions is.”

“We’re about to find out, aren’t we, Doctor.”

“Yes, we are. Definitely indeed.”

“Then let’s go and explore, shall we?”

Despite his toothy grin and eagerness to venture forth, he still missed having people like James Darby around to demonstrate how clever he was. Of course, it was like child’s play to him, but he couldn’t resist being a show-off.

Eventually, the Doctor stopped at where the source of the temporal emissions happened to be. It was on the eastern outskirts buried in the sand. “A globe-like object, Doctor?”

“Let’s not spoil the surprise for ourselves, Doctor.”

A sandstorm covered the globe quite recently. The Doctor couldn’t help but be reminded of something. He’d seen something like this before. A golf ball had something to do with it.

Using his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor raised the device at the globe-like object in the sand. The temporal emissions emanating from the black box became stronger now. The humming rhythm became a screech, almost similar to how Bazooie’s screeches would sound whenever he got agitated.

“There’s definitely a high concentration of power emanating from this bauble,” the Doctor declared. Switching off the sonic screwdriver, he thought for a moment, kneeling beside the globe as he did so. “Curiouser and curiouser indeed, my dear Alice.”

After thinking for a while, the Doctor decided to dig up some of the sand to get more clues. He took out a trowel from one of his coat pockets and started digging immediately. 

He struck gold once he spotted something that resembled a closed door. He dug further and it was worthwhile in the end.

Once the digging was done, the Doctor saw the door was clearly visible to open.

Golf ball? Golf ball! It instantly occurred to the Doctor what this globe thing was.

“Sontaran!” he declared, feeling disturbed. “This is a Sontaran scout ship!”

This was confirmed once the Doctor spotted the Sontar insignia atop the closed door.

With keen eyes, the Time Lord could see the small print written underneath the S-like insignia shaped like a flag. It read, ‘War is life, and life is war’ No more words were found.

The Doctor tried to prise open the scout ship. The door wouldn’t budge. Once again, the Time Lord took out his sonic screwdriver, switched it on and it buzzed away loudly. Thankfully, the scout ship’s door slid open. The Doctor stepped back and soon saw the darkly-lit interior. Once fully opened, the Time Lord pocketed his black box and sonic screwdriver before he ventured inside.

There were control terminals that had lights ranging from red to yellow to purple. Putting his hat down on a nearby control terminal, the Doctor recognised the various controls suited to a Sontaran scout ship such as this. He recalled sabotaging Linx’s ship once when he visited Earth in the Middle Ages. The time-traveller also saw upgrades had been made to the Sontaran scout ship’s interior design and controls.

“Hmm,” he murmured. “The ship is at full-power, despite being buried in the sand. No indication of a crash-landing. No sign of a distress signal being sent out either. Everything seems intact.” Nonchalantly, he began typing away at a few controls. “I wonder where our certain Sontaran chap has got to. If he’s still on Neimor, of course.”

His typing away at the controls turned out to be a fatal error. There was a warning alarm. He dived for the closing door. Too late. A vent in one of the ship’s panels opened up and toxic gas spewed forth. It began to envelop the ship’s interior. The Doctor spluttered and coughed, the gas affecting his nostrils.

He slumped to the floor.

---

At that moment, in the Matrix Hub, Bazooie let out a very loud shriek.

“Everyone, get down!” Darby cried. “Bazooie; my lady, get down!”

Doing as the Private said, he, Bazooie and Becceri got down on the ground, as shots fired above their heads.

“Who’s got a grudge against us?” Darby demanded.

Bazooie wanted to know too, as he spluttered and gargled away.

“Quick!” Becceri said, urgently. “Let’s get behind one of those stacks of crates. We’ll have more cover there.”

“Good idea,” Darby agreed. “Come on, let’s go!”

They made a move for it, but the Private noticed his Miggie lagged behind.

“Come on, Bazooie, keep up!”

Bazooie whined. They headed for the stack of crates closest to them whilst being fired upon. Thankfully, the fired shots missed Darby, Becceri and Bazooie, as they got undercover behind the crates.

It was at this point that the Private began to lose patience. “Do you know what’s going on here, my lady? Do you know who’s firing at us?”

“I’m afraid so,” Becceri answered dolefully. “And I’m afraid this attacker is the one who’s been hunting me ever since I left Sarfenia.”

“Sarfen…? I think you’d better come out with it and tell me straight, dear lady. What’s going on? Who’s attacking us?”

“Let’s just say I’m tracking down a gemstone.”

Bazooie gurgled with intrigue.

“Trust me!” Becceri adopted a stern tone. “This gemstone I’m looking for is far more powerful than you or anyone else can imagine. If I don’t find the gemstone and it ends up in the wrong hands, I won’t be able to save my planet as well as everything else in my galaxy and the known universe.”

The firing stopped. Soon, a deep voice bellowed. “Come out, Becceri of Sarfenia! Come forth! You will surrender or face the consequences!”

Darby recognised that voice. It sounded familiar. 

Bazooie grabbed Darby’s right leg, pleading that he dare not take a risk. The Private gently shook Bazooie off and reassured him and Becceri with a smile before he went to look.

What Darby saw chilled him to the bone. The attacker turned out to be…

An armoured Sontaran warrior. He took off his helmet and revealed his potato-like head. The Sontaran breathed in the air and licked his lips, relishing with glee over the targets he sought behind the crates.

What astonished and surprised Darby was that this Sontaran… had horns on his head. Horns! Large horns, almost making him look like Herne the Hunter. This was so unusual to see in a Sontaran, especially for the Private.

Sontarans don’t have horns on their heads, do they?

Becceri shook her head.

“Surrender, Becceri of Sarfenia,” the horned Sontaran spoke again. “Surrender in the name of the glorious Sontaran Empire!” He then began chanting. “Sontar, Sontar, we fight for the Sontar! The glory of Sontar! The death of our enemies is why we live!”

The Sontaran opened fire again. Darby finally noticed the weapon being used was a Meson gatling gun. It was mounted to the ground. Darby suspected the Sontaran had been busy setting up the weapon whilst he, Bazooie and Becceri were unaware. He hoped it would run out of ammunition soon.

---

It was a struggle. At one point, the Doctor thought he wasn’t going to make it. Thankfully, he didn’t succumb, his scarf wrapped around his nose and mouth. He managed to reach for the open panel where the toxic gas spewed.

“Vent… Vent…!” he hissed.

He used his sonic screwdriver to weaken the panel’s grille before he wrenched it open. Tossing the panel casing to the floor, the Doctor pushed his right hand into the cavity, shielding his face, and grabbed the wires connected to the booby trap.

Feeling his way, he pulled them free, causing electric sparks to go off. The Doctor found himself falling and ending up on the floor.

“No good…” He uncoiled his scarf and, in desperation, plugged the panel.

Gradually, the gas died down and the Time Lord found himself enough breathing room to think again. The console seemed sturdy enough. He braced his back against it.

With a hardy kick, he triggered the emergency door release for the scout pod. Unsteady legs stumbled outside. His gasp of air turned into an ugly retch. He was grateful his respiratory bypass system didn’t fail him. After all, Gallifreyans don’t require oxygen as much as humans do. Still, it had been close enough.

Between spits, he said, “This is why curiosity can kill you, Alice.”

“You’re lucky you’ve more than nine lives, Doctor. This is what they mean when you have more in common with a cat.”

“Touché, Doctor. Touché.”

“Thought I was, Alice?”

He shushed himself and suppressed a burp.

Getting up from the ground, the Doctor made his way back to the control terminal in the pod.

Typing away, he attempted to search for information containing the whereabouts of the scout ship’s pilot. He theorised the ship’s data systems would be forthcoming. There was trial and error involved, of course.

Fortunately, after playing around with the controls, a display screen showed up to indicate the life readings of a Sontaran soldier walking on Neimor. It took some time, but the Doctor deduced that the Sontaran was in a data storage building – one of the Matrix Hubs connected to the repository tower. The Time Lord was amazed that the building stood intact after being through a sandstorm.

Analysing more information, the Doctor soon discovered that the Sontaran was engaged with three non-Sontaran lifeforms inside the Matrix Hub.

“James! Bazooie!”

Picking up his battered hat, the Doctor quickly headed out of the scout ship, hoping to reach his friends in time.

---

Chapter 3: The Search for the Sunfire Gem

“You’re right,” Becceri said to Darby. “You deserve an explanation.” Pausing for a moment, she went on. “The Sontaran happens to be…”

“Perhaps I should introduce myself to your new-found allies, Becceri of Sarfenia. I am Wulfe of the twenty-eighth Sontaran Hunting Squad! Wulfe the Headhunter! You do not want to mess with the likes of me! I’ll tear your head off and crush your bones to dust!”

“Thank you, Mr. Playskool!” retorted the Private. “Her ladyship was about to give me a brief lowdown about you.” Turning to Becceri, he asked, “Why does he have horns on his head?”

“Long story.”

Bazooie piped up and pointed behind Darby. The Private ignored him.

“Yes, yes, I know, Bazooie!” he said impatiently. “We’re stuck down here. It sucks, but there’s not enough options for us. We must lay low till Bad Potato Mouth runs out of ammunition.”

Bazooie grunted feverishly whilst pointing behind his master.

The Private soon gave in. “What is it, Bazooie? What do you want?”

“I believe he’s drawing your attention to the crates behind us,” Becceri said.

Examining the boxes closely, the Private saw the symbols sprawled on the box-like structures. They clearly indicated what was kept inside.

“Here, come on, Bazooie,” he insisted.

Bazooie obliged, as they worked together to open one of the crates. Darby used his hands to prise open the box-like crate whilst Bazooie used his gnashers and powerful paws.

With plenty of effort, the two broke open the crate. They saw what was inside. There were various mini-bottles and mini-boxes containing many chemical-like substances. Most of them ranged from green-coloured to red to yellow.

This revelation brightened Darby’s spirits.

“What is it?” asked Becceri.

“This is our ticket to distract Shorty and get out of here as swiftly as possible.”

---

Wulfe relished firing at the stacks of crates with the Meson gatling gun. It would only be a matter of time before the crates toppled over and he would soon have his open targets. He didn’t worry about the ammunition. He had stacks of Meson laser-cartridge magazines left on his person, which would help to charge up the weapon if it ran low on power.

“You can-not hide from me for-ever, Becceri of Sarfenia!” he bellowed.

At that moment, a furry monkey-like creature came charging out from behind the stack of crates. The monkey-like thing screamed before it leapt and jumped onto Wulfe’s face. This caused the Sontaran to stop firing. Enraged, Wulfe struggled and tussled with his opponent covering his face and blinding him.

“Off me, you pest!” he snarled. “Get off my face! Leave it alone! You don’t know what it’s been through!”

But the monkey-like creature wouldn’t let go. It didn’t care about the dried blood and mud. It was determined to latch its sharp paws onto the Sontaran’s head. Bazooie bit Wulfe in the face with his sharp teeth, causing him excruciating pain.

---

Meanwhile, the Private and Becceri came out of hiding. Together, they chucked the mini-bottles and mini-boxes towards where Wulfe struggled and tussled with Bazooie.

One box is all we need, thought Darby.

“I’m glad you’re not seeking overkill,” Becceri remarked.

Darby nodded. “Alright, Bazooie! Off him now! Come on, hurry!”

Bazooie heard his master’s call and he leapt off the Sontaran’s face.

Becceri caught the Miggie.

Wulfe, dizzy and disorientated, made for his Meson gatling gun.

The Private pulled out his laser pistol and aimed it at one of the mini-bottles. 

“Eat this, you mash potato bully!”

The Private opened fire and shot the mini-bottle, causing it to smash, which unleashed the chemical substance. He shot more mini-bottles and then the mini-boxes, also unleashing the chemical substances into the atmosphere.

This provided the scenario Darby desired. Wulfe struggled to maintain his balance, as he was becoming weak and disorientated, even after reaching the gatling gun.

“What’s this? What is this stench I smell so suddenly?!”

James and Becceri deduced the chemical substances were cleaning solvents. They must have been used at a time when the repository tower and the Matrix Hubs had to be cleansed and maintained regularly during Neimor’s high activity years ago.

The cleaning solvents seemed to be very potent once James shot them, as the odours emanating from the mini-bottles and mini-boxes caused Wulfe to cough. He soon dropped to the ground a metre or so away from where Darby, Bazooie and Becceri stood. 

Soon, he coughed profusely. “I’ve…been tricked! I, Wulfe the Headhunter, have been out-witted by two puny fleshlings and their pet mongrel!”

It was then that Wulfe dropped to the floor. He struggled to keep his eyes open whilst the chemical vapours became stronger.

Satisfied, Darby encouraged Becceri and Bazooie. “Come on, you two. Let’s go! Out of this building and into the open!”

Becceri stopped the Private. “Wait, we can’t go out. We’ll be affected too, surely?”

“Oh yeah!” Darby realised. “I forgot about that.”

The Doctor always told him to think first before he acted. Clearly, he hadn’t thought this through enough. Putting his laser pistol back in his holster, the Private then smacked his fists together angrily.

Bazooie whined.

“I know, I know, Bazooie,” Darby retorted. “We’re still trapped.” He paused for a moment. “Stupid, stupid me! I’ve ruined our chance to get out of this place.”

“Hello there,” said a familiar, reassuring booming voice behind them. “Might I be of some assistance to you three?”

The Private grinned with delight, as he exclaimed, “Doctor!”

Left arm leaning on the top crate, the Doctor had his big toothy grin. It almost matched Private Darby’s.

“Having a spot of bother, are we, dear James?” the Doctor enquired, ruefully.

Bazooie jumped up and down excitedly, gurgling away that almost sounded like bubbles.

“And it’s very nice to see you too, Bazoon,” the Doctor cheered delightedly. “What are you doing fighting a Sontaran?”

“There’s no time for that now, Doctor,” Darby insisted.

But Becceri was eager to introduce herself. “I’m Becceri. Nice to meet you.”

Darby interrupted, “How did you get here, Doctor? How did you know where to find us?”

“Easily,” the Doctor replied. “I came in via the back door to this building.”

“There isn’t a back door,” Becceri told him. “At least, the one that’s supposed to be a back door is sealed tight.”

“Not anymore,” the Time Lord said cheerily, taking out his sonic screwdriver to demonstrate. “Trial and error of course, but the walls are still intact, even after I managed to open the door. It was all a matter of setting up a resonation pattern in the concrete walls to loosen the lock in the age-old back door. The concrete walls could explain why the building has remained intact for so long, even after many sandstorms on Neimor.”

“Doctor, we need to get out of here now,” Private Darby insisted. “Quickly before the Sontaran wakes up.”

“Come on, then,” the Doctor adopted an impatient tone. “Don’t just stand there! Follow me! Out of the frying pan and into the fire!”

Without waiting, the Doctor headed off back the way he had come.

“Is there a fire waiting for us?” Becceri asked anxiously.

“Trust me,” Darby told her. “If there’s a fire, the Doctor’s bound to know about it.”

---

A short while later, the Doctor, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri were quite far away from the Matrix Hub building. The Doctor resealed the back door to prevent anyone like Wulfe breaking through it to catch up with him and his party.

The foursome hoped to be a safe distance away from the Matrix Hub. The Doctor observed Becceri as they went along, not just the way she was dressed – she was still dressed as a cat burglar – but also in terms of how she behaved and reacted to things. He noticed how she kept looking back to make sure no-one was following them.

“Let’s stop for a rest,” the Doctor decided, toothy-grinned.

There were some small rocks to sit on. Bazooie was keen to sit down as well as the Doctor.

“Is that a wise thing to do, Doctor?” Darby asked. “I don’t know how long those chemicals will keep the Sontaran out, but…”

“Don’t worry, James,” the Time Lord reassured him. “We’ll be on our way soon. Besides, there are questions that need to be answered.”

The Doctor waited until Becceri sat down.

“Sarfenia, you said,” Darby chatted with her. “It’s a planet I sort-of recall visiting when I was young and in my early years as a Private in the Earth Space Fleet. I don’t think I got the chance to have a look around the place much though.”

“It’s thousands of light years from where Neimor’s solar system is,” Becceri replied. “You’re lucky to meet a Sarfenian like me. Lucky and handsome too.”

Darby couldn’t help but blush, especially when she spoke in those soothing tones. Bazooie ‘oohed’ at that, impressed by the Private’s ability to attract women.

Ignoring the Miggie, Darby continued, “You said you’re a Graecelan. What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Graecelans are certain members of the Sarfenian population that are telepathic. Mostly, they originate in the region of Graecela. I was born in Graecela, you see.”

“Yes,” replied a mesmerised Private. He soon snapped out of it and went on, “Wait! Are you all telepathic on this planet you come from? Sarfenia, was it?”

Becceri chuckled lightly. “No, we’re not all telepathic.” She then became sad. “Unfortunately.”

Darby couldn’t help but wonder.

“There’s also the main community on Sarfenia called the Ahanians that live in the city of Aha where the Queen rules. They’re not telepaths like me and any other Graecelan.”

“You said ‘unfortunately’?”

“There’s this conflict going on between the Ahanians and Graecelans on Sarfenia.”

“So, how did you end up on this dreary planet, my lady? Becceri, did you say? Do you mind if I call you Beccy instead? Beccy is easy to remember.”

“I’d prefer it if you called me Becceri actually.”

The Private noticed the superior tone Becceri adopted in her voice.

He knew well not to challenge it. “As you say. Becceri it is.”

“To answer your question,” Becceri went on, “I’m on the run.”

“On the run?” Darby echoed. 

Bazooie reacted with surprise too.

“Apologies,” interjected the Doctor. “What was your name again?”

“Becceri. Becceri of Sarfenia.”

“She’s a telepath, Doctor. She can read minds.”

“Yes, thank you, James. I know what a telepath is. I’ve encountered quite a lot of them in my travels. I sensed Becceri was a telepath, even when she tried to prise into my mind earlier.”

“What? She tried to read your mind?!”

“You’re so unusual, Doctor,” Becceri remarked. “Every time I tried to read your mind, it was a struggle. There are walls inside your mind that prevent those like me reading it.”

“Yes,” the Doctor grinned, almost cheekily. “Very frustrating, isn’t it?”

“The Doctor isn’t like me, Becceri. I’m human, he’s not. He’s a Time Lord in fact.”

“Time Lord!” Becceri was astonished. “A Time Lord from Gallifrey, I take it.”

The Doctor nodded, still grinning.

“I see.”

“What do you know about the Time Lords?” Darby enquired, quite astounded.

“Only from what I’ve read in storybooks when I was a little girl. As I grew up, I didn’t think the Time Lords were real. I thought they were just legends.”

“Be careful what you read in storybooks,” the Doctor remarked. “Even the darkest legends can turn out to be real. Vampires, for example.”

Becceri couldn’t help but feel uneasy at this point.

“But that’s enough about me. I’d like to get to know you more.”

“What is it you want to know, Doctor?” asked Becceri, quite casually.

“What you’re doing on Neimor for a start,” the Doctor’s tone became serious. “And why a Sontaran is chasing you.”

“A horned Sontaran no less,” Darby joined in. “No joke, Doctor. He had horns on his head. Freaking horns!”

“Really?” the Doctor became intrigued. He turned to Becceri. “Care to enlighten us, dear Becceri? Hmm?”

Becceri seemed reluctant to answer at first. Bazooie noticed and placed a comforting paw on Becceri’s arm. She stroked it gently in appreciation. The Private was slightly jealous. How was it that his Miggie was able to get through to Becceri and not him.

“There’s not much to tell, Doctor,” the Graecelan woman eventually replied. “I came to Neimor to look for something. The Sontaran is on my tail. That’s all I can say.”

“You said you were looking for a gemstone, I believe,” commented Darby.

“A gemstone?” The Doctor was even more intrigued.

Becceri winced at that, realising she had revealed too much to Darby since he had been an open book whilst the Doctor’s mind was shielded from her.

Noticing Becceri’s discomfort, Darby reassured her. “You can trust us, Becceri. The Doctor, Bazooie and I are very trustworthy. We’ll watch your back all the way.”

It took a while for Becceri to answer. She eventually smiled and said, “I’d like to believe you three, but my mission is dangerous. I can’t afford to take chances and risks, even when making new friends.”

“This gemstone must be very important to you, Becceri.”

“Yes, it is, Doctor. It’s far more powerful than any of us can realise.” 

“You said if you didn’t find the gemstone and it ended up in the wrong hands, you wouldn’t be able to save your planet as well as everything else in your galaxy and the known universe,” said Darby. “That’s what you said, wasn’t it?”

Becceri closed her eyes. “I’ve said too much. I shouldn’t have revealed those details to you when we were being attacked by Wulfe. I panicked then.”

“May we know what this gemstone is?” the Doctor enquired. “Does it have a name?”

Again, Becceri was reluctant to share more details. After considering her options, she soon decided to confide in the Doctor, Darby and Bazooie as allies. For a little while, at least.

“It’s called the Sunfire Gem,” she answered.

“Sunfire Gem?” Darby echoed. “Sounds impressive.”

Becceri affirmed, “It’s like a red ruby surrounded by tinges of gold. It can boost an energy source ten times faster than you would ever expect. It can be used for great good…” She paused. “…As well as for great evil should it ever fall into the wrong hands.”

“Fascinating,” the Doctor remarked. “I’ve heard legends about the Sunfire Gem long ago on my home planet. Like you thinking that Time Lords were legends, I didn’t think the Sunfire Gem would end up being a real thing.” The Doctor considered for a moment. “Why are you so keen on finding the gem?”

Becceri turned away, not answering.

The Doctor wasn’t going to give up. He tried a different tack. “Let me put it another way. Why is Wulfe so keen to hunt you down? Does he know about the Sunfire Gem?”

“He must do,” Becceri answered. There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. “Otherwise, why would he chase me?”

“You’ve never met him before?” the Private clarified.

“No. Not even on Sarfenia. He must have been hired to track me down.”

Bazooie squeaked and gurgled at a frequent rate.

“Yeah, good point, Bazooie,” Darby commended him. “Do you know who hired Wulfe to hunt you down?”

Becceri turned away again before eventually answering. “I… I have an idea of who might have hired Wulfe. But I’d rather not say. And I’d prefer it if we leave it at that, thank you.”

Gradually, the Doctor announced, “Well, you came to look for the Sunfire Gem. It’s only fair that we come along to help you find it. If you’ll let us, that is.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Becceri smiled. “But I couldn’t ask you to risk your lives for me.”

“And as I told you, Becceri,” Darby insisted, “you can trust us. Friends don’t abandon each other in trouble. And we’re friends all around, aren’t we?”

Bazooie wobbled and gurgled, concurring with the Private.

Hesitant at first, Becceri found it difficult to ignore the genuine offer she was being given.

“Very well,” she happily said. “I gladly welcome your help to search for the gem.”

“Excellent,” the Doctor beamed. “Then I suggest we make our way to the repository tower. The gem’s likely to be in there.”

“I tried to get into that place earlier, Doctor, but it was locked.” Becceri told him. “I went in search of the keycard to open the repository tower when I visited the Matrix Hub building. It was just unfortunate that it happened to be on the upper levels when I climbed up the gantry and ended up on a set of girders high above the ground with the ladder collapsing.”

“So, that’s why you were up there when we found you,” Darby remarked. “You were looking for a keycard to open the main door to the repository tower.”

“Yes,” Becceri answered, showing the keycard in her hand. “It’s lucky I found it when I did. The problem left to me was to get back on ground level. It’s nice when you and Bazooie showed up.

Bazooie gurgled happily. Darby nodded, concurring with Bazooie. 

The Doctor grinned. “Come on then! Let’s get over to the tower now. We’ve had our rest. Let’s not dawdle.”

The Time Lord got up, unwrapped his long scarf around his feet, and headed off towards the repository tower.

Darby noticed how anxious Becceri looked. He placed a hand on her left shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. The Doctor knows what he’s doing. And I’ve got my laser pistol ready should we meet any trouble like Wulfy boy.”

Bazooie gently nudged Becceri and whistled happily to reassure her. Becceri smiled as they trudged on.

---

Chapter 4: The Sontaran uses his Scavenger

Back in the Matrix Hub, Wulfe recovered as the chemical vapours dissipated quite quickly. He touched his face to examine the damage done to him. He reacted in pain and soon saw the green blood oozing out of him on his stubby fingers. The solvents did that to him. Understandably, he became angry. There were more cuts and bruises than ever compared to when he first arrived on Neimor. If he presented himself to the Sontaran High Command like this, they wouldn’t look very favourably. Thankfully, he worked solo and didn’t have the Fleet Marshal around to berate him.

“That Sarfenian fe-male scum!” Wulfe growled bitterly. “I shall sort her out and her comrades. They won’t find the Sunfire Gem so easily. I’ll locate it first and have my revenge. I’ll smash the faces of my enemies before they scream with agony! No-one makes a fool of Wulfe the Headhunter and lives!”

Just then, a loud beeping noise echoed on Wulfe’s left side. He looked and saw that his long-range communicator had activated. He was receiving a call. 

“Not the Fleet Marshal, surely,” Wulfe grunted. 

He hadn’t got time for this. He was in the middle of a military operation.

Taking his long-range communicator out, he worked to switch it on. An awful squawking noise echoed once Wulfe pressed the switch to answer the call.

“Wulfe the Headhunter here,” he barked bitterly. “Who dares to interrupt a Sontaran in his military mission.”

A young female voice answered with a yawn. “Wulfe, have you found it?”

Wulfe rolled his eyes. “What do you want, Melbud? Don’t you know I’m busy?”

“And usually I have my understrappers handle my communications, but we must all make sacrifices for Queen and Domain.”

“Sontarans do not have Queens!” Wulfe spat. “We do not need Queens!”

“Oh, please,” said Melbud. “I’d have begun to consider these regular communications a chore, if not for your refreshingly brazen attitude to violence.”

“If I had the Sunfire Gem, I would have reported it to you immediately.”

“Your silence means you obviously must have failed,” said Melbud, wearily.

“Of course not! I was in the process of seeking it as well as your thief and traitor who stole it in the first place.”

“I think it more likely you’ve shattered her skull with your admittedly novel method of killing.”

“I haven’t killed her,” Wulfe protested. “What do you take me for?!”

“A competent marksman. That’s why I hired you.”

“There have been developments since I was assigned to acquire the gemstone as well as the culprit who stole it.”

“What developments? Don’t give me bad news. I’d hate it if it’s bad news.”

“If you’ll let me get a word in edge-ways…” Wulfe uttered sharply.

“I’m a busy woman, Wulfe,” sighed the Queen. “If not you, I’ll find someone else.”

Ignoring the Queen, Wulfe continued, “All is in hand. Since pursuing the Becceri woman, she has led me to the planet Neimor. It’s here that she’s acquired allies.”

“She makes friends wherever she goes…”

“I’ve not made a full assessment and evaluation of them yet. One is a male Earth soldier; another is a scatty rat monster that attacked me. The third member of Becceri’s allies…”

“You’ve been outwitted by a footslogger and his rodent? Really…”

“The third member of Becceri’s allies happens to be a tall man in strange clothes. I can’t be certain, but… I recall in the back of my mind that we Sontarans have encountered this interloper before.”

“An associate of your Rutans?”

“Again, he requires my assessment and evaluation. I only caught a glimpse of him whilst I was being attacked by Becceri and her other two allies.”

“A glimpse! Well…”

“At present, Becceri is protected by her three comrades. I shall soon go out to pursue her. I must locate where she is first before I can continue with my mission.”

“Then, why are you wasting your time gibbering, Wulfe?,” Melbud insisted. “What’s good for Sarfenia is good for Sontar, if you recall.”

“I haven’t forgotten the terms and conditions of our agreement,” Wulfe hissed. “I know what’s at stake if I fail my objectives. Rest assured, I will deliver Becceri and the Sunfire Gem to you as speedily as possible.”

“So you keep saying,” sighed Melbud, almost theatrically. “The gemstone is the priority. Becceri is only required intact in so much as my surgeons require the memory centres of her brain. If it comes down to it, save the head, dispose of the rest.”

Without saying farewell, Melbud ended the communication. Wulfe switched off his long-range communicator before replacing it on his left side.

“Insignificant fe-male,” the Sontaran bitterly muttered. “Who does she think she is? Sontarans are not guided by fe-male scum!”

Fuming for a bit, Wulfe soon took out his swagger stick-like device called a rheon carbine from his right holster. He used it to scan the area for a bit. The Sontaran soon picked up life readings. Examining the readings, Wulfe assessed Becceri’s present location.

“Still on Neimor,” he deduced. “Good. Very good.” Gradually, it dawned on him. “The repository tower! She and her allies must be heading for it.” He then grinned and licked his teeth. Using his eyes, he checked his head to make sure his horns were still intact. They were. “They won’t get in so easily,” he laughed.

Seeing the Meson gatling gun nearby, Wulfe stiffly went over to disable it from the ground. With a new objective in mind, he was determined not to fail. It was fortunate for him that he brought the other weapon with him. He was looking forward to using it on his enemies.

Venturing forth, and with his strength gradually returning, Wulfe was soon out of the Matrix Hub building with a renewed purpose.

---

The Doctor, James Darby, Bazooie and Becceri arrived at the foot of the repository tower. They could tell how tall the tower was compared to seeing it from a distance. They were about to make for the entrance door before the Doctor ended up bumping into an invisible wall. A buzzing sound echoed.

“Ow! Halt!” he cried.

Private Darby, Bazooie and Becceri stopped.

“Don’t move!”

The Private groaned. “Oh, don’t tell me…”

The Doctor prodded and pressed the air. It kept making buzzing sounds. Bazooie wooed as he watched.

“James, there’s a forcefield surrounding the tower,” the Doctor declared.

“I told you not to tell me that!” Darby complained, annoyed.

Becceri observed, “It wasn’t here when I first explored.”

“No doubt this is the handiwork of our Sontaran friend,” commented the Doctor. “Powered by his scout ship, I wonder?”

Bazooie uttered a monkey-like noise that sounded like “Uh-oh.”

“You said it, Bazooie,” Darby remarked. “You definitely said it.”

“Becceri, I assume Wulfe wasn’t here when you arrived on Neimor,” said the Doctor.

“Not at first,” she answered. “I saw the ship as I made my way to the Matrix Hub building. I assume Wulfe set up the forcefield to surround the tower as a tactical military asset.”

The Doctor concurred. “A tactical military asset to be decided later on should he consider it of any value.”

“And if he spots us trying to gain entry into the tower…” deduced Darby.

“Exactly, Private,” the Doctor said, gritting his teeth. “Spot-on thinking.”

“There must be a way to enter the tower,” said Becceri anxiously. “If we hurry, we might be able to find a weak point in the forcefield’s energy grid.”

Bazooie piped up and squeaked excitedly.

“Good thinking, Bazooie,” commended the Private. “Let’s go around the back and…”

“Everybody, get down!” the Doctor shouted urgently.

Instinctively, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri got down to the ground, just as shots fired above their heads. Darby felt a rush of panic before he breathed in and out and calmed down.

The four looked up and saw Wulfe, who trained his rheon carbine at them. As well as a tracker, he also used it as a weapon. Disappointed, Wolfie maintained goading at the Doctor and his friends whilst they were on the ground.

“Did you really think that a chemical attack would hold me down?” the Sontaran enquired bluntly. “I am stronger than you and anyone else thinks!”

Well, it was worth a try, wasn’t it? Darby thought.

Becceri smiled appreciatively, as she helped Darby and Bazooie up to their feet. 

Once back up, the Doctor stepped forward and greeted the Sontaran cheerfully. “Hello, how do you do? I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. I’m the…”

“You are the Dok-tor!” spat Wulfe viciously. “One of Sontar’s greatest enemies! It is a great pleasure and a triumph for me to finally meet you.”

“How thrilling! Minor celebrity. Well, I suppose it had to happen someday.”

“We have records of your encounters with us,” the Sontaran declared.

“Well, you have me at a disadvantage,” said the Doctor, quite intrigued. “The anonymity of the rank and file, you know…”

“You shall pay for your crimes against the Sontaran race,” bellowed Wulfe. “You’ve opposed the likes of Commander Linx and Field Major Styre in their military endeavours for too long!”

“Ah, still have a grudge against me about those occasions, eh?”

“You came to assist the fe-male Becceri in locating the Sunfire Gem on Neimor!” Wulfe said, almost accusingly at the Doctor.

“Really? Well, I don’t know what gave you that impression…”

“Do not deny it,” snapped Wulfe. “That is the reason why she came here. My mission is to acquire her and the Sunfire Gem before delivering them to my employer.”

At that, Private Darby and Bazooie sprung to Becceri’s defence by standing in front of her.

“You’ll have to get past us if you want to get to our friend,” said Darby proudly. “Bazooie?”

Bazooie became fierce now. He was gnashing and snapping his teeth in an attempt to frighten Wulfe. The Sontaran was unperturbed.

“There’s no need for you to defend me, m’dears,” said Becceri, placing her hands on both the Private and the Miggie’s shoulders. “I’m quite capable of looking after myself, thank you.”

“I will acquire the fe-male in due time,” Wulfe announced. 

He’s acting casual so suddenly, isn’t he? thought the Doctor.

“In the meantime,” the Sontaran went on, “I shall endeavour to venture forth into the tower and locate the Sunfire Gem myself.”

“You can’t get into the tower, Wulfe,” Becceri told him.

“You will surrender the keycard at once!”

“I won’t, Wulfe. And with your forcefield in place, no-one is entering the tower, unless you switch it off.”

“Very well,” the Sontaran grinned maliciously. “If you will not surrender, I shall acquire it by force.” He took out the remote control device from his left side. He pressed a switch and the remote control emitted a three-tone beep. Like a bird call.

A robot drone whizzed towards Wulfe and the Doctor’s group. Darby, Bazooie and Becceri were perturbed. The Doctor had seen something like this before. A Scavenger. Styre had one similar to this when the Time Lord visited Earth in the year 16087. He recalled three GalSec astronauts at the time. Wulfe’s Scavenger drone was more sophisticated than Styre’s.

“Sontaran ingenuity,” the Doctor shouted to his friends. “Run for it!”

As they ran, the Time Lord fished out his sonic screwdriver from one of his coat pockets. He held it tightly in his left hand. To no avail. The Scavenger fired grappling cables that incapacitated the Time Lord, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri. They were dragged back to Wulfe at the forcefield.

Bazooie shrieked and spluttered as the cable that caught him by the paws held him tight.

Darby groaned, “Come on! Give us a break, will you?”

Grinning, Wulfe strutted towards Becceri.

“What was yours is now mine,” he goaded, snatching the keycard off her.

Becceri looked up at Wulfe, anger and frustration in her eyes. 

“You still have the forcefield switched on, Wulfe,” the Doctor reminded him.

“And one way or another, we will free ourselves from this robot of yours,” Darby said defiantly. “The Doctor will find a way.”

“Not without this remote control, you won’t,” retorted Wulfe triumphantly.

Making his way to the forcefield, the Sontaran used the remote control device again and pressed a button to switch it off. The forcefield switched off and Wulfe made his way forward. Once inside, he pressed another button and the forcefield was back in place. 

That’s not fair! Darby thought, feeling helpless.

“I know,” Becceri answered fretfully. “We’re in big trouble now.”

Bazooie fretted too, as he squawked and whimpered anxiously.

The Doctor observed their enemy, as he saw him grin and relish the victory he achieved behind the invisible wall.

“The Headhunter is victorious, Dok-tor,” the Sontaran boasted. “Admit it!”

“Yes, I’ve been meaning to ask about that,” the Doctor piped. “How come a Sontaran like you has horns on his head?”

“My horns were acquired when I beheaded a Nimon in battle,” Wulfe answered. “You have heard of the Nimon, Dok-tor?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure I will soon.”

“The horns of Nimon are very effective when used to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies,” said Wulfe triumphantly. “You see, Dok-tor. They don’t call me Wulfe the Headhunter for nothing. I hunt for victory! Victory shall be mine once I have the Sunfire Gem!”

“You won’t get away with this, Wulfe,” Becceri told him. “We’ll find a way to stop you.”

“I shall look forward to the challenge.” The Sontaran turned his attention to the robot. “Remove them to the scout pod and wait for me there.”

The Scavenger robot yanked them away. A tugging, undignified march of four. Wulfe made his way towards the tower, heading for the entrance door with the keycard in his right hand.

“Hey, come back here!” Darby shouted.

The Sontaran ignored him.

“Oy, come back when I’m shouting at you!”

Still ignoring him, Wulfe placed the keycard in the card slot at the entrance door. A click echoed and Wulfe was able to push the door inwards before disappearing into the tower.

Once he’d gone, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri, pulled over rocks and crevices by the robot, turned anxiously to the Doctor.

“Doctor,” said the Private earnestly.

“Just a minute, James,” the Doctor interrupted, through gritted teeth. 

Becceri could see that he was wriggling his left hand with his Scavenger cable clasped around him. “What are you doing?” she enquired.

“Just… need to aim this… precisely on target.”

The Time Lord was aiming the sonic screwdriver at the Scavenger’s central processing unit. The Doctor pressed the switch and the sonic screwdriver buzzed away. 

Whirring noises echoed from the Scavenger, almost as if it were confused. Bazooie gave a “Ooh-aah” noise.

The Private however was impatient, “Whatever you’re doing, Doctor, it’s not working. The robot hasn’t released its cables off us.”

“Don’t be such a drag, Darby,” the Doctor answered through gritted teeth. “We’ll have to up the frequency, won’t we?”

Nimbly changing the settings on the sonic screwdriver, the buzzing soon became louder. This started to irritate Darby and Becceri. Even Bazooie screeched away.

Finally, the cables unlocked and the Doctor and his friends were freed. Filled with relief, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri were about to express their gratitude until the Doctor motioned them to stand back.

“It’s not over yet,” he hissed through his teeth. “It uses a sonic relay to receive orders. I’ve just asked it to reset.”

The Scavenger’s grappling cables shot out and pinned the Doctor’s arm.

He struggled. “Last thing to do is to put the poor thing to sleep.”

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver at the Scavenger again. He pressed the switch at the same frequency he used to free himself and his friends. Then, a little higher. The loud buzzing persisted. The Doctor added his own warbling whistle to the noise. This time, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri held their ears, unable to stand the noise.

Thankfully, the robot drone succumbed and collapsed to the ground. Panels exploded and popped. Wires dangled out from the cavities.

Satisfied, the Doctor switched off his sonic screwdriver. “Phew!” he whistled. “Such a beautiful contraption. It’s a shame to put it out like that.”

Becceri stepped forward and pleaded, “Please, Doctor. Help me and my people on Sarfenia. It’s vital I acquire the Sunfire Gem before Wulfe finds it.”

“Yeah, come on, Doctor,” Darby joined in. “Let’s go and help.”

Bazooie jumped up and down excitedly, gurgling as he did so.

“Hold on, hold on,” the Doctor said, dismissing Darby, Bazooie and Becceri, and smacking his head as he did so. “I’m thinking, I’m thinking.” He paused before he continued. “There must be a way to outwit Wulfe, there must be. But how…?”

The Private, Bazooie and Becceri waited eagerly before he spoke again.

“No, wait…” the Doctor rambled. “No, it couldn’t possibly work. Wait, yes, it could. No, no, it couldn’t. You know that, Doctor. Or could it? Yes, perhaps it could. Well, with the right precision in terms of navigation when using the TARDIS instruments and then…”

“Doctor,” Darby insisted anxiously.

A moment’s silence ensued.

“Aha!” the Doctor exclaimed happily. His grin became wider than ever as he laughed. “Yes! Yes, it just might work! With all the tricks up my sleeve, I believe we can pull it off.”

“What is it, Doctor?” Becceri asked. “What’s this idea you have in mind?”

Bazooie panted excitedly, keen to know as well.

“Come on!” commanded the Doctor, heading off and away from the forcefield. “Follow me, you three. Come on, come on, don’t loiter! We want to get the Sunfire Gem as fast as possible, don’t we?”

“Where is it we’re going, Doc?” Darby enquired. “What are we going to do?”

---

Chapter 5: Towers and TARDISes

Meanwhile, Wulfe had climbed about forty levels – there were fifty in total – to get to the control centre. He panted for breath. He was lucky his superiors didn’t see him like this. Despite him being a great headhunter, Wulfe was considerably out of shape.

Along the way when chasing Becceri, he had purchased confection bars at a market stall on the planet Ragnakov. He hoped they would keep his strength up and give him plenty of energy. They sort-of did that, but he should have known better that eating too many of those confection bars were bad for him. Should he ever revisit that market stall on Ragnakov, he would have his revenge.

The Sontaran made his way to the control console. He started pressing buttons and switches. There was no response. Becoming frustrated, Wulfe thumped his fist on the control console. Then he noticed the power levels were low. The repository tower couldn’t have been used for decades.

Wulfe noticed a generator in the far corner of the control room. Making his way towards it, he took out a cylindrical object from his side –  a portable charger – and placed it on the generator itself. Pressing a few buttons on it, the portable charger soon warmed up and emitted green and blue lights on its indicator panel. 

The Sontaran examined the depleted energy cells contained within the generator. It was slow progress, but gradually, Wulfe was pleased to see the generator being fully charged.

Making his way back to the control console, the Sontaran became satisfied to see that the control terminals were warming up and operating once again.

Wulfe was interrupted by his long-range communicator bleeping loudly. He knew it was Melbud again. Taking out his communicator, he switched it on and answered the call. 

“Wulfe here. Who is it?”

“I refuse to engage with that query, Wulfe.”

“You can-not be too careful.”

“Your confidence has returned, I trust with good news?” Melbud languished. “I’ve consulted with Sontaran High Command. The leader of your aforementioned strangers matches a very interesting file in your records.”

“I have gathered that,” said Wulfe, quite scornfully. “You need not worry, Queen.” The Sontaran began typing away at the control console. “I have gained access to the Neimor repository within the tower.”

“Progress, at last,” interrupted Melbud. “Then, you’re well on your way to acquiring the gemstone. What of Becceri?”

“Let me finish, wo-man!” bellowed Wulfe. 

Mulbud sighed. “You’ll never get anywhere by shouting, Wulfe.”

“The tower is likely to have information on the Sunfire Gem and where it is located. Once I have acquired that information, I will provide positive news for you.”

“It was the Fleet Marshal’s insistence that I answer these communiques personally. Something about command and control protocols. Personally, I firmly believe he just wants me to be polite.”

Wulfe ignored Melbud. He concentrated on accessing the computer terminals by pressing buttons and switches. He was determined to find the information he wanted about the Sunfire Gem as soon as possible, if only to shut ‘the rattling Queen’ up.

By chance, Wulfe found an Information Slide on one of the computer screens that gave him what he wanted. It couldn’t have been timed better and it worked in his favour. He examined it a bit whilst Melbud, from the sound of her breathing, was getting impatient.

“This exercise is pointless,” Melbud prompted. “Order is becoming difficult to maintain here and I’ve no longer the…”

“Cease prattling, Queen,” Wulfe told her. “I have acquired the location of the Sunfire Gem.”

“Amaze me.”

Gritting his teeth and refusing to lash out because of Melbud’s persistent gibbering, Wulfe continued accessing the control console. Gradually, he finished looking at the Information Slide. He turned his attention to the communicator, which he had placed on the control console nearby.

“It is here. In the tower.”

“I needn’t clarify, but the tower you’re standing in, yes?”

“That is correct. The gemstone is somewhere in this control centre. I endeavour to search every part of this room until I find it. My rheon carbine will help me to achieve my objective.”

At that, Wulfe took out his swagger stick-like device from his holster and switched it on. It emitted a low hum, as the Sontaran used it to scan the control centre. He pressed a few more switches on the device as he did so.

“This makes for poor radio.”

“I have set my rheon carbine to be synched with the technology in this control centre,” Wulfe explained. “It should locate the Sunfire Gem quickly. Once I have it in my grasp, I will make tracks to apprehend the Becceri wo-man next.”

“Good.” Melbud sounded very pleased. “Very good, Wulfe. There’s hope that our agreement will have a positive outcome.”

---

“This is your TARDIS?” asked Becceri, dubiously. “It’s just a blue box.”

“Wait until you see inside it,” Darby grinned. “Right, Bazooie?”

Bazooie gurgled eagerly in response.

“Everyone, halt,” the Doctor commanded. “Just a minute.” 

It soon became a challenge for the time-traveller and his friends upon their return to the TARDIS. He noticed that the circular device had been attached to the side of the blue box. An energy barrier had been placed around it.

“Wulfe’s handiwork, no doubt,” he remarked.

Automatically, the Time Lord pulled out his sonic screwdriver from his coat pocket before he thought better of it, recalling that breaking into Wulfe’s scout ship got him into trouble.

Darby picked up and tossed a stone at the TARDIS to determine how effective the energy barrier was. The stone crumbled into pieces once he tossed it. The energy barrier sizzled and crackled viciously.

“Wulfe must have placed a small beam device,” Becceri deduced.

“Indeed he has,” the Doctor concurred. “It’s emitting a cone of sensitivity around the TARDIS. Anything that comes into contact with the barrier could cause an explosion.”

Assessing the situation, the Doctor soon took out his chroniton detector and began to pull it apart. He used his sonic screwdriver on the detector.

“James, Bazooie, Becceri; I’ll need you three to assist me,” declared the Time Lord. “Hold parts of the chroniton detector for me whilst I work on each component in turn.”

Unsure about the Doctor’s request, the trio agreed and they eventually held components of the chrontion detector, which had been detached via the sonic screwdriver. He eventually worked on each component, using his sonic screwdriver, as his friends held them. It took some time, but with enough reversal of the polarity, the Doctor was able to turn the chronition detector into a kind of magnet once all the components had been restored in place.

Once completed, the Doctor aimed the chroniton detector-turned-magnet at the circular device on the TARDIS and switched it on. Soon, energy emitted from the circular device and was drained into the magnet. This lasted for about ten minutes. 

Whilst waiting, Darby paced about impatiently. “Can’t you hurry it up, Doc.”

“Quiet, James,” the Doctor told him sternly, maintaining his focus. “Don’t spoil my concentration. This takes time, you know.”

Bazooie jumped up and down, squeaking anxiously.

Becceri did her best to calm him. “Don’t worry, Bazooie. The Doctor will get us in his spaceship soon enough, you’ll see.”

Eventually, once the Doctor had switched off the circular device, he gently touched the TARDIS doors. There was a crackle of electricity left, but the Time Lord was very convinced that it was miniscule.

“Safe to enter now,” he told them.

The Doctor pushed the TARDIS doors inwards, and he and his friends stepped inside.

---

Becceri was lost in wonder. Amazed to see the inside of the TARDIS.

The console room was a thing of mahogany and stained glass. On quiet days, those where the TARDIS was left to its own devices, there was an innate sense of sitting beneath the bough of a mighty tree. As if its trunk could shelter its inhabitants from all the harms and woes of the Universe. It was a cottage space. An island in eternity. Quiet and distractingly still. It felt far more like a Victorian study than the powerhouse of some mighty time vessel. A place of tea and browned leather-bound pages.

It looked wooden until one touched it. Like the rest of the Ship, there was a tingling heaviness. A sense of things far deeper beneath the feet and wider across the shoulders. Whatever the material, it couldn’t have come from one tree, ten, a forest or even a thousand forests. It was too… heavy, for that.

“It’s incredible,” Becceri exhaled, amazed. “And this is yours?”

“All this is mine,” the Doctor grinned, glancing up at Becceri whilst at the console. “If you’ll pardon me, I just need to check the instruments before we can make an attempt to…” The Time Lord trailed off as he worked.

“Told you it’d be amazing,” said Darby, enjoying Becceri’s amazement. “I had the same reaction that you’re having when I first came in here. Mind you, I’m used to sleeker vessels in my time compared to what the Doctor’s got.”

Becceri didn’t answer the Private, as she was still taking in the impossibility of the console room being bigger inside compared to the blue box exterior they stepped in. It was unlike any spaceship she’d ever been in. She’d heard of such impossible things contained inside Time Lords’ ships when told stories about them as a child on Sarfenia. She never thought the reality would be definite, let alone being inside one.

To think that a primitive-looking flight deck could control a time machine. She heard the TARDIS’ low hum, detected the slight smell of lavender… or was it beeswax? It was as if the Doctor had been giving the woodwork a good buffing. She was amazed to be physically moving around in a space like this.

The next problem for the Doctor was to get the TARDIS to materialise inside the repository tower. Unfortunately, it proved to be another challenge, as the Time Lord wasn’t able to park the Ship inside. The forcefield that surrounded the tower was preventing them from getting in.

Angrily, the Doctor banged his fist on the TARDIS console.

“What’s preventing us from getting in?” Darby asked. “I thought the TARDIS could penetrate anything. Even a massive forcefield surrounding the tower by that Sontaran bozo.”

“Let me check the TARDIS instruments again.”

Bazooie squeaked and gurgled whilst the Doctor worked away at the console. The Private told Bazooie to keep quiet and not spoil the Doctor’s concentration.

“Let’s say that Wulfe arrived on Nemoir about… Oh, let’s be realistic… A few hours or so ago. Wouldn’t you say that’s feasible?”

“Give or take, yes,” the Private nodded.

Bazooie grunted, agreeing.

“It would of course depend on how long Becceri was on Neimor before Wulfe showed up.”

“I arrived an hour earlier than Wulfe,” Becceri clarified. “But yes, I’d agree. He’s been on Neimor for about a few hours at least.”

“Then that’s when we’re going,” the Doctor announced.

“When? Not where, Doctor?”

---

The TARDIS materialised inside a large storage chamber. The space-and-time machine whooshed and groaned noisily before it made a loud thump and landed.

Very soon, the doors opened, and the Doctor, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri stepped out. They took in their surroundings, seeing many cabinets and storage units before them. It was almost like uncovering boxes of long-lost treasure.

“Here we are,” cheered the Doctor triumphantly. “I’ve got you into the repository tower as requested, Becceri.”

The Sarfenian was momentarily lost for words. “Thank you, Doctor,” she said. “I’m gobsmacked you’ve been able to get me in.”

“Yes,” the Time Lord grinned. “Sometimes I amaze myself.”

“I never doubted you, Doctor.”

“Of course you didn’t, James.”

Bazooie bounced up and down, gurgling delightedly.

“Thank you for your kind words, Bazoon.” Pausing for a moment, the Doctor continued, “Now, we have a few hours before Wulfe arrives. If we’re going to find the Sunfire Gem as soon as possible, we’d better get started.”

“Started?” echoed Darby. “What are we supposed to get started on?”

“Why, searching this storage chamber of course.”

Darby took in his surroundings again, eyeing all the cabinets and storage units about them. “You mean search through all this lot?”

“Not just this lot, James. As you can see there’s a staircase going down and another going up. There’s an upper level and a lower level to this storage chamber to search through.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Have you known me not to be, James?” the Time Lord asked, ruefully.

“I’m serious, Doctor! We can’t search through all this before Wulfe shows his face! It’ll take us all day!”

“Nonsense! With four of us, we might have a good chance of finding the gemstone sooner than expected.” The Time Lord indicated the door behind Darby and Bazooie. “I assume that’s where Wulfe will be making his entrance in a few hours’ time.”

“You think we can really find the Sunfire Gem in the duration allocated to us before Wulfe gets here?” queried Becceri.

“There’s only one way to find out,” answered the Time Lord. “Besides, this is the best I could do, I’m afraid. I couldn’t pilot the TARDIS to arrive a day or so earlier. For some reason, the old girl resisted every attempt I made.”

Bazooie exhaled a confused whistle, which was followed by a rhythmic burbling.

“Yeah, we wondered why the TARDIS acted so sluggish then,” Darby added. He turned to their Sarfenian friend. “Sorry, Becceri. I’m afraid the Doctor’s time machine isn’t as reliable as we would like it to be.”

“So I’ve gathered,” acknowledged Becceri.

“I strongly resent that,” the Doctor objected. “At least it was better to get you in here via TARDIS instead of using a keycard to open the front door. I mean, honestly. Quite laborious, hard work and time-consuming if you ask me.”

“Point taken,” the Graecelan conceded.

“Yeah, can’t fault you on that one, Doc,” Darby admitted.

Bazooie gurgled, agreeing.

“Right then,” the Doctor declared. “That’s enough chit-chat. Let’s use the time we’ve got to our advantage. We search the place before time flies incredibly fast.”

“Agreed,” Becceri nodded, as she headed over to one section of cabinets. She stopped and turned back to the Time Lord. ”I assume there are security keys to open these cabinets.”

“There are indeed. Look.” The Doctor indicated the row of keys on the wall behind her. “The keys are given unique reference numbers and are colour-coded. You’ll have to go through each one before finding the correct key to open each of the cabinets.”

“Fair enough,” the Graecelan said, as she made her way over to the wall. “I’ll search this central level. You, Doctor and you James and Bazooie search the rest of this chamber.”

Satisfied, the Doctor turned to Darby. “You heard what the lady said, James. You and Bazooie go and search downstairs. I’ll check the upper level.”

“Gotcha,” acknowledged the Private. “Come on, Bazooie. Downstairs we go.”

Bazooie gurgled happily, as he and Darby made their way downwards.

“I’ll have to fetch you a ladder though. If the cabinets are this tall, you won’t be able to jump high enough to insert the keys in.”

Bazooie squeaked annoyed and protested.

“I’m just saying, Bazooie. No need to get hoity-toity.”

Bazooie’s follow-up gurgle matched to a groan.

Meanwhile, the Doctor headed upstairs. He took out his sonic screwdriver, ready to open the cabinets with that instead of the keys.

“This must be the definitive example of searching for a needle in a haystack,” he mused.

---

Chapter 6: The Mystery of Becceri

A few hours later…

“I have it!” the Sontaran cheered triumphantly. “I have it at last! The Sunfire Gem is behind this wall! Triumph is ours!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it, Wulfe,” echoed Melbud’s voice from his communicator. “Becceri is still at large and there’s every opportunity you’ll foul this up.”

Readjusting the frequency, Wulfe raised his rheon carbine at the wall before him. A low humming sound echoed as soon as he pressed the switch. Soon, the wall slid sideways, revealing a chamber containing racks of cabinets behind it. Pleased with himself, Wulfe pocketed his swagger stick and ventured inside.

As soon as he entered, he was surprised to see the TARDIS parked nearby. He was even more surprised when he turned to his left and saw the Doctor, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri kneeling on the ground, having opened a drawer to a cabinet.

Becceri had taken out a small box from the cabinet and she showed it to the Doctor. “This is it, Doctor! The Sunfire Gem is inside.”

“Are you sure of that?” the Doctor enquired.

The Sontaran took out his rheon carbine and trained it on his targets. “Stay where you are!” he barked.

The Doctor and his friends remained still once they realised Wulfe was behind them. Bazooie trembled slightly and Darby gently held him by the shoulders to steady him.

“Out, all four of you!” he barked. “No tricks! Out where I can see you!”

Becceri, still holding the small box in her right hand, stood up and the Doctor, Darby and Bazooie joined suit. Wulfe backed away, still training his weapon at his targets, as they followed him out of the chamber and back into the control centre. 

As soon as they were out, the Doctor grinned cheerfully at Wulfe. “Hello, dear chap! Having a good day?”

“How did you escape my Scavenger robot?” the Sontaran demanded. “How did you gain access to your TARDIS when I personally blocked entry to it? And how did you penetrate the forcefield surrounding the tower?”

“Really, Wulfe. You can’t expect us to reveal too many secrets. Let’s just say, we got here an hour earlier before you arrived on Neimor. As you can see, we parked the TARDIS behind that wall. It took us a long time to search those cabinets to locate the Sunfire Gem, I can tell you.”

“And you have found it at last, of course.”

“Oh yes, we have.” The Doctor turned to his new friend. “Becceri, why don’t you show us the gemstone to be certain it’s what we came for.”

“As you wish,” Becceri answered, smiling.

With that, she opened the small box and took out a ruby-like gem with gold bands surrounding it. Holding it in her left hand, she passed it to the Doctor, who took it and examined it carefully. The red gemstone glowed brightly in the dimly-lit control centre.

Bazooie uttered “Ooh!” once he saw the gem.

“You’re right there, Bazooie,” Darby joined in. “It’s prettier than I expected.”

“And very powerful,” Becceri added.

“Give me that gem,” Wulfe demanded, holding out his right hand. “In the name of the glorious Sontaran Empire!”

“I don’t think so,” the Doctor replied, as he absently pocketed the Sunfire Gem in his jacket. He felt Becceri tense beside him. “You have no claim.”

“No one here does,” she murmured.

“Dok-tor, give me the Sunfire Gem or your comrades shall beg for death!”

The Private stood in front of Becceri, clenching his fists in a defensive manner.

“You won’t harm Becceri,” said the Private defiantly. “Take one step nearer and I’ll knock your block off!”

“James, don’t!” Becceri whispered.

But it was too late. “I accept your challenge, hu-man!” bellowed the Sontaran. “A fight to the death for the gem and the wo-man!”

Quite conveniently, Wulfe spotted a couple of defunct cylindrical data rods that were used to collect and store data within the reliquary. They were sturdy and fit for purpose, according to Wulfe. Grabbing them, the Sontaran tossed one to Darby. The Private caught it neatly with his right hand. Getting what Wulfe had in mind, the Private almost regretted making the challenge, but he snapped out of it. 

“Very well,” he muttered. “If it’s a fight you want, you’ve got it!”

“James, don’t be stupid!” the Doctor told him through gritted teeth.

“It’s alright, Doctor,” said Darby reassuringly. “I know what I’m doing. Trust me!”

Bazooie made squeaks as he stepped forward towards Darby. But the Private raised his left hand to stop the Miggie.

“Not this time, Bazooie. You stay with the Doctor and Becceri. I’ve got to do this alone.”

Darby gave Bazooie a little wink with his right eye, which he hoped Wulfe wouldn’t notice. Bazooie noticed the wink and bobbed up and down without making a noise.

“Give him a bloody nose,” whispered Becceri.

Darby looked at her and smiled. He then turned to the Time Lord. “Doctor, look after my laser pistol for me.”

Taking out his laser pistol from his holster, he chucked it over, which the Doctor caught.

Shrugging, the Private said, “I won’t need that.” There was a sense of understanding between the Time Lord and the Private, as the Doctor nodded.

“Come on then, stupid hu-man male!” shouted Wulfe, charging towards Darby. “Fight me!”

Within seconds, the Private and the Sontaran fought, whacking their cylindrical rods at each other like swords. At first, he thought the fight would be easy, but it grew tough for Darby as the fight persisted. Fatigue threatened to overwhelm him.

The Private wouldn’t give up. During the fight, he managed to trip Wulfe a couple of times, both with his rod and his feet. He managed to twirl him around to get him to the floor. Darby attempted to strike him in the back where the Sontaran’s weak point was.

Unfortunately, Wulfe wasn’t to be outdone. It was becoming clear that he was stronger than Darby. Despite striking him deftly with his weapon, the Private found himself being picked up by Wulfe and hurled to one side of the control centre. Armful after armful. This happened quite a few times. Wulfe flicked his arm, the rod snapping against the Private’s kneecaps. Darby never experienced so much pain as he fought the Sontaran. There was even one point where Wulfe, seizing him in a headlock, kicked the Private in the groin. It was excruciating. Darby hoped Becceri wouldn’t hear the expletives he quietly uttered.

Ending up on the ground and dropping his data rod to the floor, Darby soon saw Wulfe towering above him. The Doctor and Becceri called to Darby, asking if he was alright and Bazooie whooped away like crazy. Feeling breathless and sick, the Private struggled to answer. His left hand was soon stepped on by Wulfe. Darby cried out in agony, as he saw the Sontaran grinning with relish.

“Not so tough now, are you?” the Sontaran taunted. “You did not expect me to beat the living stinking droppings out from your backside, did you?!”

“Wow!” Darby groaned in agony. “A very specific way to say you’re ‘beating the living…”

“Stop this, Wulfe!” Becceri shouted. “He’s not your enemy! We’re not your enemy.”

“I will have satisfaction!” the Sontaran barked. “I shall vanquish my foes to acquire the Sunfire Gem and you! The Queen of Sarfenia is insistent!”

“Queen of Sarfenia?” Becceri was overcome with shock.

Returning his attention to Darby, the Sontaran dropped his data rod to the floor and soon took out his swagger stick, which now operated as a weapon. Determined, he set it to kill and aimed the rheon carbine at the Private’s head.

“Now, hu-man scum!” spat Wulfe. “It is time to die! You should have kept your laser pistol and used it when you had the chance.”

Darby couldn’t help but grin weakly, as he looked up at Wulfe. “Yeah, about that.” He then turned from Wulfe and shouted, “Bazooie, now!”

Instantly, Bazooie jumped up behind Wulfe, attempting to grab him by the ears.

But Wulfe had anticipated this, as he swiped Bazooie off with his right arm. The Miggie screeched as he was flung backwards. He slid across the floor, ending up at Becceri’s feet. 

“Bazooie,” Darby cried weakly.

Becceri picked him up and checked he was alright.

“It’s alright, James m’dear,” she called reassuringly. “Bazooie is going to be fine, don’t worry.”

Satisfied, Darby looked up at Wulfe and saw him cackling away with triumph.

“Did you really think I would be easily attacked twice by your rat friend?” he goaded. “I have learnt my lesson from that occasion.”

Thankful that Bazooie’s distraction had worked, Darby was relieved to see the Doctor charging up behind Wulfe with the laser pistol in his right hand. The Time Lord instantly struck the Sontaran with the back of Darby’s laser pistol, hitting it on the back of Wulfe’s probic vent. Wulfe hissed and groaned in pain, dropping his rheon carbine to the floor, before collapsing in a heap.

Once Wulfe was sorted, the Doctor helped Darby up to his feet. Darby still clutched his sides and was in pain as he got up.

“I did warn you,” the Doctor murmured.

“I’m fine, Doc,” the Private answered. “Well done for striking Sonty-boy in the back.”

“It’s lucky he didn’t work out the logic of you passing your laser pistol to me.”

“He could have killed you,” said Becceri admiringly. “I’m grateful he didn’t.” She kissed him on the cheek.

“Ow, careful. I’m still sore from the fight.”

“Are you sure you’re alright? Whilst I’m grateful, it was a very dangerous thing to do.”

Bazooie gurgled happily and jumped up at Darby, licking his face as the Private held him.

“Alright, alright, steady,” Darby told him. “It was rough fighting Wulfe, but I’m glad you stepped in to prevent it getting rougher.”

Just then, a burst of static echoed before a voice spoke from the control console.

“Oh, don’t tell me…”

The Doctor, Darby, Bazooie and Becceri turned and looked at the control console.

“Did someone switch on the voice recorder?” Becceri asked.

“Wulfe’s long-range communicator.” The Doctor pointed. “Still switched on.”

“Am I speaking to Wulfe’s opponents? If so, I have commiserations and a mild congratulations for you.”

“Melbud,” said Becceri softly. “Queen of Sarfenia. She assigned Wulfe to headhunt me.”

“A decision I’m reevaluating, I assure you.”

Becceri clamped her hand over her mouth.

“I will not say it again, Becceri. You know what I want. And to you with her, do you know she is a thief? A liar? And a traitor?”

The Doctor picked up the communicator. “Awfully, sorry, is this the Munich party line?”

Before she could reply, he switched it off.

Becceri closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

“I take it you and the Queen don’t get on well.”

“You’re on the run from her, aren’t you?” Darby deduced. “Don’t worry, Becceri. We’re here for you. Me, the Doctor and Bazooie. If there’s anything we can do to help…”

Becceri turned to the Time Lord. “Doctor, I’m very sorry to do this.”

She took out a thin, silver cylinder-like atomiser, levelled it with the Doctor’s face and fired. White spray hit his face. “Colemanlucide gas…”

The Private was shocked. “Becceri, what are you doing?!”

“I’m sorry, James. You’ve been so kind to me.”

Darby felt Bazooie fall from his hands, but didn’t recall hitting the floor. 

---

Darby and Bazooie got up from the floor, feeling groggy, as they regained their senses.

“I’ve been nicked!” Already awake, upright and at the console, the Doctor was rifling through his pockets. “How embarrassing for a Time Lord like me!”

“What happened?”

“Sleeping gas.”

“There’s no sign of Wulfe’s communicator. That’s gone from the console desk.”

“I’ve been checking the security records. They should have picked up Becceri and Wulfe’s movements in the past few hours whilst we were unconscious.”

“You know how to access the security tracking systems?”

“Oh, it should be as easy as baking an apple pie.”

Darby and Bazooie joined the Doctor at the control console. The Time Lord continued typing away at the computer terminals, pressing buttons and flicking switches as he did so.

“Anything?” Darby prompted.

“See here?” The Doctor pointed to a series of security displays on the huge viewscreen. “This is security footage of Wulfe waking up. Remarkable we’re still alive, really.”

“He seems to be in quite the hurry.”

“All the way downstairs, exiting the tower.”

“Did he leave in his scout ship?”

“Wait a moment. Let’s look.”

The Doctor readjusted one of the security displays to show the exterior view.

“Yes, look! There he goes. After Becceri.”

Darby went over to the windows.

Bazooie whined and gurgled apprehensively.

“Bazooie’s got a point,” said the Private. “What about the security footage containing Becceri? Where did she go?”

“That’s the most puzzling thing of all.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve checked. There’s no record of Becceri leaving the tower. There are records for Wulfe certainly, but not for our Sarfenian friend.”

Bazooie grunted, puzzled.

“She didn’t take the TARDIS?”

“See for yourself in the open chamber. The TARDIS is where we left her.”

Darby glanced at the open chamber and saw the blue box distinctly. He took the Doctor’s place at the computer terminal and examined the security records. Bazooie jumped up on the console and stood beside the Private.

“Maybe she arrived and left via transmat.”

“Or something. I detected temporal emissions from Wulfe’s pod, but I never had the chance to check Becceri herself,” mused the Doctor. He thought for a moment. “In any case, I suspect she edited records of herself leaving the tower before she left Neimor itself so that nobody could track her down, including, she hopes, Wulfe.”

“I heard the Queen say that Becceri stole the Sunfire Gem from her,” Darby recalled. “But how can that be when it was locked up in one of those cabinets behind the wall? Granted, she just stole it from you, but when did she steal it from the Queen?”

“There’s clearly a bigger picture going on than any of us realises,” said the Doctor, curious.

Bazooie tugged at the Private, grunting eagerly.

“Yeah, good point. Bazooie.” Darby addressed the Doctor. “Shall we go out and find her? She needs our help.”

“Where do you suggest we start, Private Darby? We don’t have a clue to follow her.”

“There’s Wulfe’s scout ship.”

“We don’t know how long we’ve been unconscious for. His ship’s energy signature could have dissipated in outer space many hours from now.”

“Then again, it could not.”

“It’s still a long shot for the TARDIS to home in on.”

“Well, we’ve got to do something, Doctor!”

“Have we? What more can we do?”

A moment of silence ensued. Darby was stumped. So was Bazooie.

“Why don’t you want to help her?” Darby asked.

“Did I say that?” replied the Doctor.

“We can. We should. But we won’t. Why?”

“She never told us the full story, James. Never. But, moreover…”

“What?” the Private prompted.

“For all her technological prowess… The ingenuity it must have taken to understand these systems in such a hurry, even compared to my mind… And she didn’t bother to leave an explanation for us.”

“Wulfe would have found it,” Darby countered.

“Even then, James, why waste time trying to erase it, eh? He has a target to pursue. Urgently, in fact.”

“Then… She didn’t because it’s too complex to record. She had too little time.”

“The process itself, it’s as simple as a button press.” The Doctor did just that. “Here.”

“Here,” repeated the console.

“And she knew. Becceri knew about the voice recorder. What does that tell you?”

Darby nodded. “She doesn’t want us to follow her.”

“No, she doesn’t. I’m afraid our part in Becceri’s story has ended for the time being. Unless we bump into her again, which we don’t know when that will be, we can’t do much else but hope that she’s alright. She must be a brave woman doing what she’s doing with Wulfe chasing her and having the Sunfire Gem in her possession.”

“Yeah,” sighed Darby. He paused. “I wonder where she is now and whether we’ll be seeing her again.”

“I wonder what’s so special about the Sunfire Gem. Why was Becceri and everyone else so keen to have it? I’d like to stay a while, read through the records of the reliquary. Might sate my curiosity.”

Reflecting on what they’d been through, the Doctor and James Darby fell silent. Bazooie made low gurgles now and again.

Soon, the Doctor perked up and grinned. “Anyway, that’s enough on Becceri and the Sunfire Gem. A few sharply-written didactics. A colourful brochure, perhaps. And then, how about we get you to your Lady Christina on 21st century Earth, eh, James?”

---

‘James Darby’ created by Tim Bradley and Simon Rogers
‘Bazoon ‘Bazooie’ the Miggie’ created by Tim Bradley
‘Sontarans’ created by Robert Holmes

---

Special thanks to Simon Rogers, Xavier Downey, Alan Camlann and AFJ Kernow.

---

 © Tim Bradley, 2024

---

The previous story For the Fourth Doctor was ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’  For James Darby was ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’ For Bazooie was ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’	The next story For ‘The Sunfire Chronicles’ is ‘Romance and the Cow Creamer’ (TSC) For the Fourth Doctor is ‘Einstein and the Doctor’ (STTA) For James Darby is ‘City of Monsters’
Return to The Fourth Doctor’s Timeline
Return to James Darby’s Timeline
Return to Bazooie’s Timeline
Return to The Doctors’ Timelines Index
Return to The Companions’ Timelines Index
Return to Doctor Who Timelines
Return to Short Trips by Tim Bradley
Return to The Fourth Doctor by Tim Bradley
Return to Doctor Who by Tim Bradley
Return to Doctor Who
Return to Sci-Fi