1. Boarding Cigihana’s Ship
Bill Potts stepped out of the TARDIS. She looked around at the Dalek ship she and the Doctor were in. She became terrified once she saw the number of the Daleks on the command deck. Bill had a minor skirmish with Daleks once. She, the Doctor and Nardole were escaping Heather, a girl she fancied that turned out to be a water creature. They travelled across the universe before they ended up with the Daleks fighting a group of robots called Movellans as the Doctor told her later on. Bill didn’t think she and the Doctor would be meeting Daleks again so very soon.
Noticing that the Doctor was confronting a darkly-dressed figure aboard the Dalek flagship, Bill surmised that he was an old enemy of the Doctor’s. It was the way the two were talking to each other that gave her that impression. They were pretty vibrant as they talked to each other.
“Hello!” Bill waved, keen to be noticed. “Not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Human female companion identified,” grated one of the Daleks nearby.
“She must be an associate of the Doctor,” grated another.
“Yeah, good figuring that one out,” Bill scoffed. “Was it me coming out of the TARDIS that gave it away?”
The Daleks ignored Bill.
Turning their attention back to the Doctor and Salvador confronting each other, the dark lord said, “So, you’ve only a fragment of the Zorbius crystal. It’s no issue. Once I have it off you, I shall use it in the plans the Daleks and I have of destroying this sector of space.”
“Must you be so overconfident, Salvador,” the Doctor retorted. “Too many enemies of mine have been overconfident in the past, including this lot for starters,” he indicated the Daleks nearby.
Bill nudged the Doctor in the elbow. “Doctor, what’s the deal with this guy? Who is he?”
“Salvador and I go way back,” the Doctor explained. “We’ve had encounters on the planet Earth; the planet Junglos; the planet Scotland. We’ve been everywhere. Salvador’s tried to get rid of me, even though he can’t do it without killing himself.”
“Wait a mo,” Bill interrupted. “The planet Scotland?!”
“I will find a way, Doctor,” Salvador growled. “I would’ve succeeded in my plans against you if you hadn’t interfered with them so severely.”
“Sorry, no Scooby Doo with me today,” the Doctor declared mockingly. “And Bill’s no Scooby Doo. No-one can top up K-9 who was my Scooby-Doo.”
“This bloke seems like a spoilt brat, doesn’t he, Doctor,” Bill commented.
“That’s because he is, Bill,” the Doctor told her. “He’s stunted at an age where he can’t let go of the past. I’ve tried everything I can to amend my ways to him. I’ve tried to do better, but he won’t listen.”
“You ruined me, Doctor!” Salvador shouted. “You ruined me! And now the Daleks and I shall see to it that you’re destroyed forever! The Zorbius crystal fragment you have shall enable me to do that!”
“How did you manage to infiltrate our Dalek flagship?” the Command Dalek demanded to know.
“How did you know where to track us?” grated a subordinate.
“I told you,” the Doctor persisted. “I found this Zorbius crystal fragment on Earth. I analysed it in the TARDIS. I soon put it in a continuous scanning field, hoping to locate any other Zorbius crystal fragments that were nearby before I gave them all to the current owner of the main crystal once the time came. It was a year later that my TARDIS detected a Zorbius crystal fragment in the Goseker system. It came as a surprise to me when the TARDIS informed me that a Dalek war fleet was in the Goseker system. I had to find out what was connecting the Daleks to Zorbius.”
“And I tagged along since I was in his study at the time,” Bill admitted.
“I told you it’d be dangerous.”
“And I told you that you wouldn’t get yourself into trouble without me.”
“I expected that reaction as much.”
“And now you will give me the Zorbius crystal fragment that I desire most,” Salvador persisted. “I insist that you give it to me!”
“Come on, Salvy boy!” the Doctor scoffed. “You know me better than that. I’m not going to give you the Zorbius crystal fragment so willingly.”
“We will open fire upon you if you don’t give us what we want, Doctor,” the Command Dalek grated threateningly. “Give us the Zorbius crystal or else you and your companion will be exterminated!”
The Doctor shook his head. “I don’t think so. You could’ve easily exterminated us when we came out of the TARDIS. But you didn’t. Why’s that then, hmm?”
The Command Dalek remained silent as if almost embarrassed to answer. “Sensors indicate a forcefield has been placed around the shell of your TARDIS. It is protecting you and your companion.”
“Exactly!” the Doctor cheered triumphantly. “It’ll take a while for you to shoot down the forcefield, but are you really willing to drain up power and resources before you attack more planets in the Goseker system again?” After a momentarily pause where the Daleks couldn’t answer, the Doctor went on, “Got you on that one, Daleks!”
“They don’t need to shoot down the forcefield you’re in, Doctor,” Salvador retorted. “I shall crush the TARDIS forcefield with my powers!”
“Not whilst I have the Zorbius crystal fragment in my hands you can’t,” the Doctor told the dark lord, showing the crystal fragment in his hand again. “I can prevent you from crushing me and Bill inside the forcefield that surrounds the TARDIS with a single word.” Grinning, he went on, “Got you on that one too, haven’t I, Salvy boy!”
Salvador fumed purple.
Bill then asked the Doctor, “What is Zorbius anyway? I don’t believe you told me that part.”
“Zorbius is a time-space control crystal in the shape of a star,” the Doctor explained. “I’ve had many encounters with the crystal. It’s mainly connected to me as well as to Salvador. I’ve done my best to collect many fragments of the Zorbius crystal once it was smashed to pieces many years ago. There are always more fragments left over to pick up and I’ve picked up a few fragments each time in each of my regenerations over the years.”
“Doctor,” the Command Dalek interrupted, becoming all of a sudden threatening. “We will continue to attack the Goseker system! You may attempt to stop us, but a single crystal fragment won’t be enough. The current power of Zorbius in your hands is limited.”
“Ah! You’ve got me there, Dalek,” the Time Lord admitted with a grimace. “I wondered how long it’d take for one of you to work that one out.”
“So you can’t be certain that I won’t crush you and your friend inside the forcefield where you stand,” Salvador said gloatingly. “There’s a risk to your plans in opposing me unless you hand me over the Zorbius crystal fragment.”
“You’re right, there is a risk,” the Doctor agreed, pocketing the crystal fragment back in his frockcoat pocket. “But that’s why I set you the challenge, Salvy boy. To try and take it from me. Fancy a chase?”
Salvador and the Daleks were confused momentarily before the Doctor pushed Bill back in the TARDIS.
“What’re you doing?” Bill asked, startled.
“No time to explain, Bill,” he said urgently. “Quickly inside!”
Once Bill was inside the TARDIS, Salvador shouted out to the Time Lord, “You can’t flee so easily, Doctor! Salvador, the saviour of the Daleks will pursue you and your friend forever! To the reaches of infinity if we have to! We will become victorious in the end!”
“You may think that,” the Doctor challenged him. “But Daleks aren’t really trustworthy. I will stop you, Salvador! Don’t forget that!”
With that, the Doctor got inside his TARDIS, closing the door behind him. The TARDIS was soon on its way, whooshing and grinding nosily as it departed.
“The Doctor has escaped,” grated a Dalek unit.
“We must pursue him,” grated another.
“He will be weak and defenceless,” the Command Dalek declared. “Unless the Zorbius crystal fragment protects him.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Salvador declared. “I’ll stop him before he gets a chance to use it.”
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor was at the console in an instant. He pulled levers and pressed buttons and switches as he did so. Bill came round beside him as he did things at a frantic rate.
“So, what’s your plan then?” she asked inquisitively.
The Doctor looked at Bill, seemingly embarrassed. “What makes you think I have a plan?”
As he continued to work around the console, Bill followed him, perplexed. “Back there, you said you were going to stop him. Stop that Salvy boy. And the Daleks I presume. That means you must have some kind of plan.”
“You know me, Bill,” the Doctor answered. “Inconsistent as ever. Saying all that guff to put on a show.”
“So, you don’t have a plan.”
“Oh Bill, come on. Haven’t you learnt anything in the time I’ve been teaching you? I always have a plan. It’s in working progress.”
“Great! Let me know what it is in your own time.”
“Stop moaning,” the Doctor told her off. “I have to work these things at a million times per second. It’s the only way I can outwit the Daleks and Salvador in a prompt manner.”
“How did that guy get to work with Daleks in the first place?” Bill enquired, curiously. “Daleks don’t usually work with anyone else, do they? Isn’t that what you told me? Because other people aren’t like them.”
“Sometimes they work with someone for a short-term arrangement,” the Doctor said. “And to answer your first question, I divided Salvador into two. One to rule a planet, the other to end up with the Daleks.”
“Why did you divide Salvador into two?” Bill asked, confused.
“Long story,” the Doctor said. “The point is; the Salvador that ended up with the Daleks somehow got them to listen to him so that they can escape the Time War.”
“Time War?”
“Another long story. Don’t worry! I saved my own planet Gallifrey. Made sure it wasn’t destroyed in the Time War.”
“That’s great,” Bill said pleased.
“But now, we’re on a chase and in a race against time. I have to make sure Salvador doesn’t get his hands on the crystal fragment I’ve got,” the Doctor showed the crystal fragment to Bill for a bit. “And we have to make sure the Daleks are repelled in their senseless attack on the Goseker system.”
“And how do we do that?” Bill asked. “By seeking help?”
“Not a bad idea! Well done, Bill Potts,” the Doctor said approvingly, before he spotted something on the TARDIS scanner screen that caught his attention. “Perhaps this sailing ship could give us some help.”
“What sailing ship?”
“This sailing ship!” The Doctor pointed for Bill to see.
Bill soon saw a crimson sailing ship travelling in outer space via the TARDIS scanner screen. It almost looked like one of the old 18th century sailing ships from long ago on Earth. “We go to that sailing ship?” she said mesmerised. “Who’s on it then?”
“No idea,” the Doctor answered. “Probably boring people really. But if we can get their help to stop Salvador and his Dalek lot from causing more trouble, the more the merrier. And we’re also to seek refuge on that ship whilst I continue to work my plan of operation into fruition.”
“You’re making this up as you go along,” Bill observed.
“Yep,” the Doctor answered. “This is all made up. Not pre-planned.”
“Doesn’t that usually lead to disaster though?” Bill asked.
“Sometimes,” the Doctor answered. “But usually my made-up plans work well that way.” He looked at Bill seriously. “Are you with me?”
“Hey,” she raised her hands in mild surrender, “if you know what you’re doing and this is all on the right path, I’m all for it.”
The Doctor smiled a pleased smile at Bill as he said, “Good. Besides, there’s something about that sailing ship that intrigues me.”
Before Bill could even ask the Doctor what it was, the Time Lord soon became surprised to see Salvador appearing in the TARDIS console room so suddenly. Bill was shocked to see him too.
“How did he get in here?” Bill asked, anxiously. “Did you switch off the TARDIS force field?”
The Doctor didn’t answer. He slowly made his way towards Salvador who spoke to him.
“You won’t be able to outwit me this time, Doctor!” he declared.
“You’re not really here, Salvador,” the Doctor said simply. “You’re just an image projected to me from the Dalek flagship. The forcefield is still up. You can’t penetrate into my TARDIS so easily.”
“Are you sure about that, Doctor?” challenged Salvador.
“Trust me! The Cloister Bell would’ve alerted me.”
“You think you’re so clever, Doctor. Do you recall when we last encountered each other? Concerning Zorbius? You wished for me to learn compassion. You sliced me into two halves. One to rule a planet; the other to be with Daleks. How can I learn compassion when I’m with compassionless creatures?”
“I gave you a choice,” the Doctor reminded Salvador. “I can still offer you a choice by freeing you from the Daleks. I can send them back into the Time War. You can remain with me where I can teach you compassion. I’ve got another prisoner back on Earth. Trapped in a vault. I gave that prisoner a chance of redemption. You can be redeemed yourself too. You can learn a lot from a fellow prisoner if I put you in the vault. You two can learn a lot from each other.”
Salvador considered the choice the Doctor was giving him. Eventually, he answered, “No! My path is with the Daleks! I don’t wish to have anything to do with you. You scarred me, Doctor. A scar that can never be healed.”
“Stop reminding me,” the Doctor said, rather annoyed. “Don’t you get tired of your vengeance for me?”
“Never!” Salvador thundered. “NEVER!!! My hatred for you is everlasting!”
“Let it go, Salvy boy,” the Time Lord persisted. “Let it go!” Bill thought the Doctor was almost about to go into song from that ‘Frozen’ movie.
“NO!!!” Salvador roared. “The Daleks share in my hatred for you! We are alike, Doctor! The Daleks and I are so alike!”
“The Daleks are nothing like you!” the Doctor told him off. “They’ll backstab you in an instant!”
“Enough,” Salvador shouted. “The Daleks attack on the Goseker system will continue. I shall lead them. And I shall have the Zorbius crystal fragment off you whether you like it or not! You can’t stop us, Doctor! You will never stop us!”
With that, Salvador vanished in a puff of logic. The Doctor and Bill remained still in the TARDIS once Salvador had gone, shaken by his defiance towards the Time Lord.
“That guy really has a grudge against you, doesn’t he?” Bill remarked.
“A burning anger that runs deep,” the Doctor commented, before he returned his attention to the TARDIS console. He started pulling levers. “Sailing spaceship in space, here we come!”
“No, but wait,” Bill interjected. “Won’t Salvador and the Daleks come chasing after us?”
“Very probably! But that sailing ship shouldn’t even be here in this sector of space when a Dalek attack is happening. That’s what intrigues me about it. I want to know why it’s out here.”
Bill noticed something else on the TARDIS scanner. “Doctor, there’s another smaller ship approaching the big sailing ship in space. It’s about to dock.”
“So it is,” the Doctor replied, intrigued. “And that shouldn’t be in this sector of space either. Let’s find out what’s going on here, shall we?”
Pretty soon, the Doctor pulled a lever and the TARDIS was on its way to meet up with the crimson sailing ship in space that had a smaller ship docked to it.
Inside, on the bridge of the crimson sailing spaceship, a pretty golden-haired princess sat on what could’ve been the captain’s chair but was actually her throne. Positioned in front of her was a pilot’s cockpit. Occupying the cockpit was a young dark-haired, dark-skinned man. He was the princess’ pilot, bodyguard and adviser for her home-planet. The princess was called Cigihana of Tendrasta and her pilot/bodyguard/adviser was called Nomark.
“Your majesty,” Nomark swivelled around in his pilot chair to address the princess. “Sparta’s ship has docked with us successfully.”
Cigihana sighed. “How long is it before we reach home, Nomark?”
Nomark checked the computer instruments at his cockpit terminal. “ETA to Tendrasta is three hours from here, your majesty.”
The princess groaned. “Great! I have to put up with two losers from two planets for three hours. I hope to give my daddy a piece of my mind once we get back home.”
“They’re really very interested in you, your majesty,” Nomark tried to reassure her.
“I don’t care how interested they are in me,” Cigihana said. “I want my curry night with the girls. I always look forward to my curry night with the girls. Those two idiots that want to see me are ruining my day!”
“You know a Tendrasta princess has to choose someone to become her husband or wife before she becomes the future queen,” Nomark reminded her. “Besides, you can invite one of them or both to join you for your curry night.”
Cigihana looked at Nomark aghast. “Me?! Invite those losers to my curry night. I don’t think so.”
At that moment, the doors to the bridge opened. In entered three people. One was an android called Sparta who escorted a young dark-haired insect-like girl called Emsterdon of the planet Zangy as well as a young dark-haired muscle boy called Azkai of the planet Yack. Emsterdon and Azkai bowed before the princess. Sparta remained upright, seemingly emotionless.
“I have brought Emsterdon of Zangy and Azkai of Yack to you, your majesty,” Sparta said monotonously.
“Thank you, Sparta,” Cigihana said bluntly, “But you needn’t have bothered.”
Nomark approached Sparta to greet him. “Welcome Sparta. You are perfection itself. I wish you weren’t of the Noti Pirate Corps and that you were sided with us for the future of Tendrasta…”
“Nomark,” Cigihana interrupted him. “Enough with your fraternizing with the android and get back here.”
Nomark obeyed, as he returned to join the princess’ side at her throne on the bridge.
Meanwhile, Emsterdon and Azkai got up from the floor and began to address Princess Cigihana each in turn. They were definitely in competition with each other.
“Your majesty,” Emsterdon began. “It’s a great honour to be in your presence…”
“Hey, I was going to say that first,” Azkai shoved Emsterdon aside.
Emsterdon shoved back. “Yeah well, tough! I said it first, muscle boy!”
“You have little chance with the princess,” Azkai retorted. “She’s going to marry me, not you, bug girl.”
“Nonsense,” Emsterdon said. “She’ll love the way we Zangyians endeavour to protect nature and the environment in our universe. She’ll marry me.”
“No,” Azkai snapped. “She’ll love how we Yacks love our sport! I’m the biggest and best champion of them all on Yack! She’ll marry me!”
“No, me!”
“No, me!”
“Me!”
“Me!”
“ME!!!”
“ME!!!!”
“ENOUGH!!!” Cigihana shouted, interrupting Emsterdon and Azkai. “I wish to marry none of you! You two are so annoying! And I’m late for my curry night already!”
“I’m so sorry for being so rude, your majesty,” Emsterdon said earnestly.
“Yeah, she started it,” Azkai joined in, accusing Emsterdon.
“No, I did not,” Emsterdon protested.
“Yes, you did!”
“I did not!”
“You did!”
“Didn’t!”
“Did!”
“DIDN’T!!!”
“DID!!!”
“STOP IT!!!!” Cigihana shouted again, becoming impatient. “If you wish to get married, why don’t you marry each other instead?”
“Marry each other?” Emsterdon and Azkai said together, shocked and outraged by the suggestion.
“Why not?” Cigihana challenged them. “You two are made for each other!”
Emsterdon and Azkai looked at each other, shuddering at the thought.
Just then, a red alert sounded. Everyone became panic-stricken, except for Sparta who was emotionless.
“What was that?” Emsterdon demanded to know nervously.
“Perhaps it’s your ugly face that caused it,” Azkai scoffed.
Emsterdon looked shrewdly at Azkai.
Princess Cigihana addressed her pilot, bodyguard and adviser. “Report, Nomark.”
Nomark checked the instruments at a nearby computer terminal. “There’s some sort of intrusion down below in the cargo hold,” he informed her. “I don’t know what it is yet, but it appears to be a big blue box of some kind.”
Cigihana considered for a moment. “Go down there and investigate, Nomark! Take some security guards with you. Report to me once you’re down there in the cargo hold.”
“Understood, your majesty,” Nomark replied.
With that, Nomark headed off, summoning some guards via communicator to accompany him to the cargo hold. Cigihana was left to contend with Emsterdon and Azkai who competed for her affections and continued to argue with each other whilst Sparta remained emotionless on the bridge.
In the ship’s cargo hold, the Doctor and Bill stepped out of the TARDIS. They hoped the Daleks and Salvador wouldn’t trace them too quickly to this sailing spaceship they’ve found. They hoped to meet whoever’s on board first. Observing the ship’s architecture, the Doctor and Bill began to explore.
“Pretty rubbish really.”
“What is?”
“The spaceship interior,” the Doctor said. “Bit too gaudy. Too many crimson colours. Could do with a bit of variety. Make it more appealing. Not have it so bloodcurdling if you see what I mean.”
Bill didn’t really. The Time Lord wasn’t bothered by that.
“Wouldn’t we be putting the lives of people aboard this sailing ship in danger?” Bill asked. “I mean, if we’ve got Daleks and an angry Antonio Banderas-looking bloke on our tail?”
“The people’s lives aboard this sailing ship are already in danger already,” the Doctor pointed out bluntly. “How come they don’t know of the Daleks’ attack on the Goseker system? That’s what I want to know!”
“Is it important?”
“Everything’s important.”
“Well, maybe these people aren’t so into gear as you may think. Maybe they haven’t tuned into their news channels yet like we humans do on Earth. Or maybe they have Wi-Fi problems.”
“Now that would be ridiculous,” the Doctor commented. “And rather stupid.”
“What, a sailing ship out in the depths of space and it may have network problems?” Bill challenged him. “Haven’t you considered that?”
“Alright, it’s a possibility,” the Doctor answered fairly. “But the news channels of the Goseker system are in the same league as your Earth’s current news channels. And they’re up to speed and far more advanced than Earth’s. So I don’t think the issue of network connectivity problems is likely.”
“Alright, alright,” Bill shrugged. “It was just a thought. I’m just saying things might be straight-forward than you think and not so overly complicated after all.”
“Which is why I’m going to ask the captain straight out why he…”
“Or she.”
“Or she and her crew aren’t affected by the Daleks’ attack in this sector of this space.”
Just then, the Doctor and Bill came across a surprise. They were met by a young dark-haired, dark-skinned man who had a contingent of what appeared to be soldiers behind him. The Doctor stood in front of Bill protectively as the young dark-haired, dark-skinned leader of the soldiers approached.
“I’m Nomark – pilot, bodyguard and advisor to the Princess Cigihana of Tendrasta,” he announced. “You intruders will explain yourselves.”
“Intruders,” the Doctor echoed. “We’re not intruders, are we, Bill?” He looked at Bill momentarily before he looked back at Nomark, without expecting an answer. “We’re just visitors. We’ve come to see the Princess Cigihana of…where did you say she came from again?”
“Tendrasta.”
“Tendrasta!” the Doctor exclaimed, sounding astonished.
“You know the planet?” Bill checked.
“Not off-hand, no,” the Doctor answered. “There are too many planets in a small system like the Goseker’s to keep track of.”
“I repeat,” Nomark persisted, feeling anxious but keeping his cool. “Explain yourselves, you intruders!”
“And I told you before, we’re not intruders,” the Doctor insisted. “We’re visitors, honest we are.”
“Not acceptable,” Nomark declared. “You will come with me and my soldiers now. You will answer to the princess herself.”
“Oh, will we now?” the Doctor goaded. He didn’t like being threatened as Nomark advanced. “Well, we’ll have to see about that, won’t we? You’ll have to get through me and my spoon!” At that, the Doctor fished out a big metal spoon from his frockcoat pocket.
“Don’t try to resist me,” Nomark warned the Doctor.
“I’m not resisting you,” the Doctor replied. “I’m simply protecting myself and my friend here. You’re going to find it very hard to take us away before…”
The Doctor didn’t get a chance to finish what he was going to say. Or use his spoon either. He was knocked on the head by a blow from Nomark’s right fist. He stamped it across the Doctor’s neck without warning. Bill gasped shocked and surprised once this occurred. The Doctor fell to the floor, knocked out and unconscious. Thankfully the Time Lord wasn’t severely injured.
“I did warn you,” Nomark said, shaking his fist and feeling the pain where he hit the Doctor’s neck.
Once the Doctor was on the floor, Nomark looked to Bill. Bill held up her hands in surrender.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she begged. “I’ll come quietly.”
Nomark took a moment to examine Bill closely, considering whether she was a threat or not. Eventually, he said, “My soldiers will carry your friend to the main bridge. The princess is expecting you. You come and follow me.”
With that, Bill followed Nomark as he led the way out to the ship’s main bridge. The soldiers lifted the Doctor up from the floor and carried him along to follow after Bill and Nomark. Bill could hear the Doctor grumble and moan whilst he was being carried along by the soldiers. She felt relieved that he was still alive. She wondered what would happen when they got to the bridge. What would this Princess Cigihana be like? Nomark informed the princess of his return and the capture of two intruders via communicator.
Eventually, the Doctor woke up with a splitting headache. He and Bill were soon brought before Princess Cigihana on her spaceship’s bridge. The Doctor refocused once he saw Cigihana sitting on her throne. He and Bill were being introduced by Nomark who claimed to have apprehended them as intruders to the princess’ ship. The Doctor also noticed Emsterdon, Azkai and Sparta being there on the bridge. Bill was immediately taken by Cigihana’s beauty. She thought she was an angel. Bill fancied her immediately. The insect girl and the muscle boy’s attentions towards her put her off though.
“What are you two doing aboard my ship?” the princess demanded. “Explain yourselves! And make it fast! I’ve got a curry to look forward to back home!”
Bill couldn’t stop fancying Cigihana, despite her so blunt and confident. If she served her chips back home, she would give her an extra portion for lunch.
The Doctor meanwhile got very rude. “No, no, no! You lot listen! What are you all doing here in this sector of space?! Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”
“How dare you!” Cigihana exclaimed, affronted. “How dare you speak to me that way…?”
“Shut up!” the Doctor said to her. “Shut up, every one of you! Don’t talk to me unless it’s something very important and in answer to my question!”
“This is insufferable!” Cigihana continued. “I won’t be spoken to in this manner…”
“I said shut up!” the Doctor insisted. “And I meant you ‘Crown Cow’!”
As Cigihana continued to be affronted, Bill interjected, “I’m sorry, your majesty. The Doctor can be like this at times. Being rude. He’s a good guy really…”
“Bill, don’t apologise,” the Doctor told her. “Not when we want answers from them!”
“Hi I’m Bill and this is the Doctor,” she introduced themselves.
“And don’t introduce us either!”
Nomark stepped forward. “This is Princess Cigihana. You two will respect her presence whenever she’s around aboard this ship.”
“Thank you, Nomark,” Cigihana said, satisfied. “I’m glad someone has some respect.”
“Right, you’re ‘Nerdy Boy’ and you’re ‘Crown Cow’,” the Doctor pointed at Nomark and Cigihana respectively as he spoke to them.
“Doctor, don’t,” Bill told him off.
“I am Princess Cigihana!” the girl exclaimed. “The daughter of King Burcourt! You will respect me…”
“No, no,” the Doctor interrupted her. “You’re Crown Cow because you’re a wearing a crown and are also a cow. It helps me to remember you by.”
As Cigihana became even more affronted, the Doctor was addressed everyone else in turn on the bridge, calling them names.
“You girl are Insect Girl and you boy are Arnold! As in Schwarzenegger Arnold, see?”
“Actually I’m Emsterdon of Zangy,” the insect girl said.
“And I’m Azkai of Yack, you fool!” the muscle boy told him.
The Doctor ignored Emsterdon and Azkai as he soon went up close to Sparta, “What do they call you?”
“Sparta,” the android replied blandly. “Sparta of the Noti Pirate Corps…”
“No, no, too boring,” the Doctor said, going away before coming back to Sparta. “In fact, that’s what I’m going to call you. Boring Android, right? You look boring; you sound boring; and you feel boring. Boring; boring; boring! You’re the most boring person I’ve ever seen.”
Sparta just gave the Doctor a blank stare. “Nice to meet you, sir,” he then said, unoffended.
The Doctor grinned at Sparta, putting an arm around his shoulder. “I’m going to like you, Boring Android!” His grin soon came off as he re-joined Bill and faced Cigihana with Nomark at her side. “Now, I’m going to ask you lot again! What are you doing in this sector of space with a Dalek attack happening?”
A moment of silence ensued. No response.
“Come on, come on,” the Doctor clapped his hands impatiently. “We haven’t got all day!”
Cigihana was unable to answer the Doctor’s question on account of his rudeness.
Eventually, Nomark answered on her behalf, “The Princess Cigihana is receiving marriage proposals from Emsterdon of Zangy and Azkai of Yack.”
“What, you’re getting married?” Bill asked the princess, rather put out by this.
“I wish it didn’t happen to me,” Cigihana said.
The Doctor cut her off straightaway, interrupting her and saying to everyone, “Yeah, yeah, no time for that malarkey! Listen to me! You lot have got to get out of here! Return to your home planets! Daleks are in this sector of space and you need to protect yourselves! Protect your home planets!”
“I want to get back to my home planet,” Cigihana told him. “I want to see my father again to have a word with him. I want to have my curry night with the girls. But tradition won’t permit me! I have to choose a husband or a wife to apparently secure my future…”
“Didn’t you hear what I said?” the Doctor interrupted, stressing his words. “The Daleks are coming! They’re going to attack your home planet unless you warn your people.”
“Yeah, yeah, Daleks are coming. So what?” Cigihana shrugged. “It doesn’t help to get me to my curry night with the girls, does it?”
“Doesn’t the word ‘Dalek’ mean anything to you, your majesty?” Bill asked, surprised. “Aren’t you scared by them? They’re the cruellest, monstrous species in the universe…”
“Come on,” Cigihana scoffed. “We all know the Daleks are just make-belief to scare the kids. They’re not real, you know.”
“You won’t be saying that when you see them coming to attack your planet,” the Doctor said. “Don’t you watch the local news? Haven’t you picked up the recent developments in the Goseker system?”
“There’s network connection problems with our ship’s broadcast systems directed from Tendrasta,” Nomark explained. “They should be fixed within the hour.”
“See, I told you,” Bill said to the Doctor, feeling triumphant. The Doctor ignored her.
“Besides,” Nomark went on. “If a Dalek attack was to happen close to where we are, this ship’s alarm systems would’ve alerted us.”
Suddenly, as if on cue, the ship’s alarm systems went off nosily and loudly. Everyone became startled by the alarm systems going on. Mostly everyone. The Doctor, Bill, Cigihana, Nomark, Emsterdon and Azkai put their hands to their ears whilst Sparta remained unaffected.
“What’s going on?” Cigihana demanded to know. “Who’s ringing the alarms? Why are they ringing?”
“Hang on,” Nomark answered. “Let me check the frontal view-screen.”
With that, Nomark pressed a button and a holographic image switched on for everyone to see. They saw the Dalek fleet approaching them. Everyone became terrified, except Sparta.
“Now, do you believe us?” Bill challenged Cigihana.
“It can’t be,” the princess said shocked, as she stood up from her throne. “It simply can’t be! The Daleks don’t exist!”
“They look pretty existent to me!” the Doctor goaded her.
“The Daleks were stories to tell Tendrasta’s kids to frighten them,” Cigihana insisted. “They’re not real! The Daleks can’t be real!”
“Try telling them that, Crown Cow,” the Doctor came up behind her and whispered. “Try telling them that.”
Very soon, the Dalek ships pounded heavy firepower upon Cigihana’s sailing spaceship. The ship’s shields kept holding, but everyone including the Doctor and Bill were getting anxious about how long they could survive a persistent Dalek attack.
Pretty soon, the Dalek fleet’s ships surrounded Cigihana’s sailing ship in outer space. They seemed to be no chance of Cigihana’s ship escaping from the Dalek fleet. Aboard the Dalek flagship, the Daleks and Salvador felt triumphant. They knew the Doctor was aboard ship and they knew he couldn’t get away from them so easily.
“I sense the Zorbius crystal fragment,” Salvador told the Daleks as he had his eyes shut. “The Doctor and his companion are with the people aboard that ship!”
“They cannot escape us!” declared the Command Dalek. “We shall have the Zorbius crystal fragment in our grasp. The Doctor will soon be exterminated!”
“Not until I’ve executed my method of freeing my bondage from him,” Salvador told the Command Dalek. “As well as giving him endless torture in an everlasting death!”
“How will you attempt to apprehend the Doctor and acquire the Zorbius crystal fragment from him?” the Command Dalek asked.
“Simple,” Salvador answered. “The Doctor will try to protect the people aboard that sailing ship. Once I extract the life-force from each and every one of those persons, the Doctor cannot refuse to give me what we want. That’s the Doctor’s one weakness. Compassion. Despite him trying to deny it, he will have compassion for those who are vulnerable.”
“Agreed,” the Command Dalek grated. “We have witnessed such incidents of the Doctor showing compassion to others. It enviably becomes his downfall. Commence you extraction of the lifeforms’ life-force aboard that sailing ship. We cannot delay. The Doctor will…”
But before the Command Dalek could finish what it was saying, the crimson sailing ship soon disappeared into space. One of the Dalek units alerted Salvador and the Command Dalek to this. They became astonished and shocked.
“What is happening?” the Command Dalek demanded to know. “Where is the sailing spaceship?”
“This is the Doctor’s doing!” Salvador realised. “He must have used his TARDIS to materialise around the sailing ship. Look! There’s his TARDIS in deep space where the sailing ship was!”
“Magnify viewscreen!” the Command Dalek ordered.
The order was obeyed. The viewscreen was magnified to reveal the blue box shape of the TARDIS spiralling in deep space where Cigihana’s sailing ship was.
The Command Dalek turned accusingly at Salvador. “Why did you not anticipate this action?”
“The Doctor can’t materialise his ship around a ship as big as that,” Salvador argued. “Not with the limited resources he has for his TARDIS.” The Dark Lord then began to realise something. “Unless…”
“Unless he utilised the Zorbius crystal fragment to his advantage,” the Command Dalek finished for him.
“Yes,” Salvador said grimly. “The Doctor is insufferable when he outwits me at every opportunity. He’s a real nuisance!”
“The Doctor has outwitted you in your plans,” the Command Dalek grated. “You promised us victory over him! Victory for the Daleks!”
Just then, the viewscreen changed as the Doctor’s face appeared. He attempted to make contact with Salvador and the Daleks as he talked to them in his TARDIS.
“Hello Salvy boy,” the Doctor greeted. “Hello Dalek chums!”
Salvador glared angrily at the Doctor angrily once he saw him.
“Don’t give me the angry look, Salvy boy,” The Doctor said. “It’s more than you deserve. Now listen here, the lot of you! The people aboard the sailing ship are under my protection. And yes, I did use the Zorbius crystal fragment to achieve full TARDIS materialisation around the ship.”
“You insufferable…” Salvador started before the Doctor interrupted him.
“It was quite easy to do without any temporal anomalies getting in the way,” the Doctor went on. “And don’t try to extract the life-force out of these people, Salvador. I know you and I won’t let that happen!”
“Give me the crystal fragment, Doctor!” Salvador shouted, thumping his fist in his other hand. “Give it to me so I can end your life!”
“I’ll never let you harm them, Salvador,” the Doctor said, whether he heard Salvador’s shouts or not. “Not you or any Daleks. And I certainly won’t let you have the Zorbius crystal fragment should you try to get it from me. The TARDIS forcefield is still in operation and it’s stronger than ever with the crystal fragment in place. See you around, alligators!”
Very soon, the Doctor gave a cheery wave before the viewscreen switched off to outer space. The Daleks and Salvador soon saw the TARDIS spiralling off away from the Dalek fleet in space.
“He is escaping us!” the Command Dalek grated angrily. “The Doctor is escaping!”
“Shall we pursue the TARDIS, Command Dalek?” one Dalek unit enquired.
“Yes,” the Command Dalek said impatiently. “Pursue the Doctor! They cannot escape from us! They must not! Pursue them immediately!”
“We obey!” two Daleks answered in unison as they set about the controls for the flagship to lead the Dalek fleet and pursue the Doctor’s TARDIS in deep space.
Whilst the Daleks attended to their tasks, Salvador continued to fume. “Why is it that the Doctor has to keep outwitting me? Why doesn’t he let me win?! I deserve to win!”
“You had better not fail us, saviour of the Daleks,” the Command Dalek grated, giving him a warning. “Or else we might begin to lose faith in you.”
Salvador looked to the Command Dalek, annoyed by the fact it was beginning to doubt him. “I won’t fail you, Command Dalek,” he eventually said. “I want the Doctor destroyed as much as you do! We’ll both have our vengeance on him! You have my word on that!”
“Make sure you fulfil your word,” the Command Dalek grated, before it glided away to attend to other Dalek units on the command deck.
Salvador became more anxious than ever. How could he keep his side of the bargain with the Daleks doubting him and the Doctor outwitting him? He hoped the Daleks would reach the Doctor and his TARDIS in time before the Dalek became treacherous like the Time Lord said. He didn’t want to be righted out by the Doctor. Soon, he had an idea on how to slow the Doctor’s efforts in outrunning them.
“Daleks!” he barked out loud. “Get close to the Doctor’s ship as quick as you can! I have something in him to slow him down to our will in outer space!”
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor was at the controls. He was intense with concentration as he placed his hands on some controls to maintain piloting the TARDIS and maintain keeping Cigihana’s sailing spaceship intact simultaneously. Bill watched him as well as everyone else including Princess Cigihana, Nomark, Emsterdon, Azkai and Sparta. The chase in space was on! The TARDIS spiralled as fast as she could to get away from the Dalek fleet. The Doctor’s guests were amazed to see the TARDIS’ interior once they had entered inside the TARDIS. Sparta wasn’t impressed though.
“It’s…bigger on the inside…” Azkai started to declare before the Doctor interrupted him.
“Yeah, yeah, shut up,” he said. “I’m trying to concentrate, Arnold! Piloting a TARDIS at a fast speed with a Zorbius crystal fragment that’s keeping a sailing spaceship intact inside can be very difficult.”
“I’m not Arnold…” Azkai began to protest.
“I said, shut up!” the Doctor told him off.
Azkai became silent in an instant.
“That goes for everyone else here too, you know,” the Time Lord said.
No-one else spoke to the Doctor in that moment. It was eventually Bill who came up beside the Time Lord and whispered to him quietly.
“You know your way around the Gose…Gose…err…”
“Goseker system.”
“That’s it!” Bill said pleased as she continued to enquire. “You know your way around this system of space. Do you know where we’re going?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” the Doctor told her, as he maintained focus at the controls of the console.
“What?!” Bill reacted shocked. “Then how are we going to outrun psychotic pepperpots and a dark-clad guy who wants to kill you?”
“Trust me, Bill,” the Doctor assured her. “I’m working this out as best as I can. There are many things to think about when piloting the TARDIS and keeping Crown Cow’s ship intact.”
“It’s Cigihana, Doctor,” Bill told him. “Her name’s Cigihana. And she’s a princess. Have a little respect.”
The Doctor ignored Bill whilst at that moment, Cigihana came up behind him.
“I hope my ship will be in one piece after all this is over, Doctor,” the princess said.
Emsterdon came over beside Cigihana, much to the princess’ annoyance. “Yeah! This should’ve been an easy affair for me to attend to! I could’ve proposed to her majesty easily today without you Doctor and without you muscle boy getting in the way!”
“My name isn’t muscle boy or Arnold,” Azkai protested, coming up beside Cigihana on the other side and cramming her space. “It’s Azkai of Yack!”
“Nobody cares!” Emsterdon snapped back.
“Get away from me, you two,” Cigihana said, pushing Emsterdon and Azkai away from her.
“I care!” Azkai argued to Emsterdon.
“Yeah, well, I don’t!” Emsterdon argued back.
“Shall I pilot your ship for you, Doctor?” Spara offered as he stepped forward in front of Cigihana, Emsterdon and Azkai. “I can work at it efficiently…”
The Doctor got really fed up by that point. He had Bill place her hands on the control units he was using to pilot the TARDIS and keep Cigihana’s sailing spaceship intact at the same time whilst he addressed everyone in the console room. Bill felt flummoxed as she was given no warning or information about what to do when holding onto the control units at the console.
“Right!” he called out. “Enough with the talking, the lot of you! I said ‘shut up’ but nobody listened! I’m trying to keep you lot safe, but you’re not helping. If you’ll all just please, please, please shut up for five minutes longer, I can get you all out of harm’s way. Therefore no Daleks or Salvador will exterminate us if we’re lucky! Understood?”
Everyone became silent in that moment. Nomark was lucky to not make any protests.
Once silence ensued, the Doctor became satisfied as he said, “Good, good. Now, for the next hour or so, I’m going to…”
Suddenly, the TARDIS console exploded. It caused Bill to go off balance and let go of the TARDIS controls that the Doctor had used. Once the Doctor saw Bill had let go, he immediately ran over back to the console to try and regain control.
“No, no, no!” he cried. “Bill, you shouldn’t have let go!”
“I’m sorry,” Bill apologised profusely whilst her hands were burnt. “That explosion startled me!”
The Doctor focused on the controls for a bit before he looked to Bill’s hands.
“Bill, your hands! They’re burnt!”
“I’ll be alright,” Bill reassured him.
Before the Doctor could get a medical kit, an even bigger explosion occurred in the console room. Fire began to spread about, causing everyone to panic.
“What’s happening?!” Cigihana demanded to know. “Is this something you’re doing to scare us, Grumpy Old Man!”
“I’m not a grumpy old man,” the Doctor protested, trying to regain control of the TARDIS. “I’m Scottish!”
“If you keep calling me Crown Cow, I call you Grumpy Old Man, can’t I?” Cigihana argued.
“You don’t get to do the insults,” the Doctor told her off. “I do the insults! I’m the only one who insults people! I’m very good at insulting people, aren’t I, Bill?”
“Very good, Doctor,” Bill retorted, shouting over the noise in the console room. “But if we could put off the insults for now, what’s happening to the TARDIS? Are the Daleks attacking us?”
The Doctor looked to the TARDIS scanner screen. “They’re not opening fire at us! It must be something else that’s causing this…”
Just then, the Doctor and the others looked up as the console room ceiling began to break up. Everyone became anxious.
“Doctor, what’s happening?” Bill asked.
“Oh, so that’s what he’s doing!” the Doctor realised. “He’s using matter manipulation to tear my TARDIS apart! That’s not good.”
“This is Salvador you’re talking about, I take it,” Bill checked.
“Yes,” the Doctor answered. “With the strain of me piloting the TARDIS and keeping a sailing spaceship intact at the same time, Salvador is trying to take advantage of my difficulty in maintaining both tasks!”
“Can’t you use the Zorbius crystal fragment?” Bill asked. “You can use it to do more than two jobs if you asked it too.”
“Wouldn’t want to risk it,” the Doctor said. “The Zorbius crystal fragment we’re using has a limited power source compared to a full crystal. I can’t keep Crown Cow’s spaceship inside the TARDIS whilst using the Zorbius crystal fragment to distract Salvador. Temporal anomalies might occur.” Eventually, a thought struck the Time Lord. “Unless…”
Quickly as he could, the Doctor began to recheck his options, looking to the TARDIS scanner screen for another way out of the mess they were in.
“Unless what?” Bill enquired, confused. “Come on, Doctor! Tell me what it is you’ve got in mind!”
The Doctor soon had his eureka moment and said, “Aha! There it is! A purple nebula is what we need!”
“Is it?” Bill said sceptically.
The Doctor turned to Cigihan. “Crown Cow! I want you to take everyone back into your sailing ship and be ready! I’m going to slingshot your ship directly into the nebula using the Zorbius crystal fragment.”
“WHAT?!!!” everyone reacted in unison.
“You can’t do that!” Bill stressed to the Doctor. “It’s too risky to achieve!”
“I have to do this, Bill,” the Doctor replied. “And I’ll need your help to create the distraction I need to ensure the Zorbius crystal fragment is used against Salvador. I’ll need your help to ensure Crown Cow’s ship is catapulted into the nebula.”
“Doctor, you can’t…”
“Trust me, Bill,” the Doctor tried to reassure her friend. “I know what I’m doing. Trust me!”
Eventually, Bill had to see it from the Time Lord’s way of thinking. If he knew what he was doing, she had to believe it could be achieved. “Alright. Whatever you say. Tell me what to do, Doctor.”
The Doctor smiled at Bill before he turned back to Cigihana and everyone else. “Now everyone! Back inside Crown Cow’s sailing ship! Come on! Chop, chop! Be quick about it!”
Clapping his hands, the Time Lord saw to it that Princess Cigihana and everyone else made to leave the console room and re-enter the crimson sailing ship that was on board. As well as Bill, Cigihana and the others hoped the Doctor knew what he was doing.
Pretty soon, the TARDIS reached the edge of the purple nebula. As soon as it reached the nebula, the blue box catapulted Cigihana’s sailing ship into it via a shockwave. The shockwave also hit the Dalek fleet, crippling the ships and causing them to be adrift. It prevented them from pursuing their prey. Soon, the TARDIS vanished, entering the nebula itself with Cigihana’s sailing ship inside.
On the bridge of Cigihana’s sailing ship, everyone became disoriented as soon as they were flung into the nebula by the Doctor. Everyone except Sparta that is, who was standing upright and looking blank. The TARDIS soon materialised on the bridge of Cigihana’s ship and the Doctor and Bill stepped out.
Spreading his arms out wide, the Doctor exclaimed, “And there we are! What did I tell you? We escaped the Daleks and I used the Zorbius crystal fragment to cripple their fleet. I got you all safely inside the nebula and out of harm’s way for a bit. Is anyone going to thank me?”
“It’s like the Enterprise being safe inside a nebula away from the Borg in ‘Star Trek’,” Bill declared. “‘Next Generation’, that is. Sci-fi of course.”
“Is ‘Star Trek’ sci-fi then?” the Doctor checked.
“Come on,” Bill told him off. “Don’t try to wind me up. You’re making it sound like the people and places in ‘Star Trek’ are real.”
“Of course they’re real,” the Doctor retorted. “I’ve met Captain Kirk and Captain Picard in real life!”
“What, the actors?”
“Yes them too. But the people in real life.”
“What?”
“I also encountered the Borg in my travels. Don’t worry. They won’t come to assimilate you yet.”
Baffled by the remarks the Doctor made, Bill turned to the others who had recovered.
“Are you alright, your majesty?” Nomark asked his princess.
Beautiful as ever, Cigihana was currently glum, Bill thought. “I’m alright, Nomark,” the princess reassured her pilot/bodyguard and adviser. “But how long have we got to stay inside this nebula for, Grumpy Old Man?” she addressed this question to the Doctor. “How long do we have to starve ourselves before one of us gets a chance to have her curry night?”
“For as long as it takes,” the Doctor told her. “So please do stop complaining, your majesty! Quite frankly, I’ve got more things to worry about than your curry night.” After a pause, he went on, “And just so everyone’s in the know, the TARDIS has picked up a few Dalek ships unaffected by the shockwave sent to them by me using the Zorbius crystal fragment. They’re probably going to attack other planets in the Goseker system. Possibly Tendrasta’s next, your majesty.” He stressed this point to Cigihana who became shocked.
“But we’re safe in this nebula for the time being, aren’t we?” Bill checked to make doubly sure.
“Oh yes,” the Doctor reassured Bill. “We’re safe for the time being. But for how long though? There’s a Dalek patrol ship outside the nebula watching our every move and we can’t get out.”
“Are you sure about that?” Bill asked.
“Trust me, Bill. I’ve checked,” the Doctor said. “The TARDIS scanners picked up the Dalek patrol ship outside the nebula. We’re stuck inside.” Thinking for a moment, the Time Lord eventually said. “We need to form a new strategy.”
“What strategy’s that then?” Emsterdon asked.
“On how we’re to prevent Salvador and his Daleks causing more trouble to this sector of the galaxy,” the Time Lord answered. “As well as getting ourselves out of the nebula as safely as possible of course.”
Meanwhile, with the Daleks, the Command Dalek wasn’t very impressed with what just happened. The Doctor had managed to outwit them, sending Cigihana’s sailing ship and the TARDIS into the nearby purple nebula. Despite the fact the Daleks were able to continue their invasion of the Goseker system, using a few ships whilst the remainder of the fleet was crippled, the Command Dalek was unhappy
“The plan did not work,” the Command Dalek goaded Salvador.
“And I was close,” the dark lord said. “I was about to crush the Doctor’s ship in the attempt to distract him long enough so that we could get inside his ship and steal the Zorbius crystal fragment from him.”
“The TARDIS ceiling will have been restored by now,” the Command Dalek pointed out. “The Doctor will have used the Zorbius crystal fragment to repair it. You have let your emotions become the better of you, dark lord.”
“You’re a one to talk,” Salvador retorted bitterly. “Besides, the Doctor is trapped where he is, remember? He can’t escape! We’ve posted a Dalek patrol ship around the nebula he’s in. The Daleks can continue with the attack on every other planet in the Goseker system! The Doctor can’t stop us!”
“And yet, how long will it be before the Doctor finds a way to defeat and cripple our fleet entirely?” challenged the Command Dalek. “How long will it take?”
Salvador didn’t answer. The Command Dalek soon glided away, leaving Salvador to ponder on the question further. He wanted the Zorbius crystal fragment so badly, yet the Doctor wouldn’t allow him to have it. Could he have saved the Daleks from the Time War for nothing? Salvador soon began to think of another tactic. The more he and the Daleks continued to invade other planets in the Goseker system, the more the Doctor would respond.
© Tim Bradley, 2020
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