Prologue
The rain lashed down as the cloaked figure struggled up the mountain. The winding path ahead was only lit sporadically when lightning split the night sky with a deafening crack. The figure looked up as the storm also illuminated the large and impressive stone building that sat atop the crag.
Alarms and klaxons sounded as he ran along the gleaming white and metal corridor. He knew the escape pods were in this direction, but would he reach them in time? He could hear the running footsteps behind him and knew that she would kill him if he was caught.
His foot slipped again on the wet stone and he slid backwards down the twisting and treacherous path, almost losing his balance and tumbling over the edge of the mountain. But his large hands gripped onto a nearby boulder and his powerful arms pulled himself upwards and back onto the path. He couldn't give up now. This was his only chance at life.
He shut the hatch to the escape pod and shuffled forwards towards the controls. For a moment he panicked that he wouldn't understand the mechanisms, but fortunately the operation of the escape pod was designed to be simple. He thumped at the large red release button.
The stone building was getting closer now and every time the lightning illuminated it, he could see more detail. It was enormous, with huge towers and minarets like a massive cathedral. Hideous stone gargoyles leered from buttresses whilst angels prayed in curved recesses.
With a soundless explosion, the escape pod jettisoned from the ship. For a moment it floated without direction, but as gravity took control, it started to fall towards the small blue and green planet below.
The figure reached the huge wooden doors of the building and hammered on them repeatedly. He was now exhausted by his efforts and fell to his knees with this final exertion, rain dripping from his sodden cloak.
After a few moments, one of the doors opened slowly with a groan to reveal a bald man dressed in a simple brown robe. The man looked out into the storm and then curiously down at the unexpected visitor. His eyes widened in alarm as the stranger's cloak fell back revealing the misshapen face beneath.
The figure on the ground reached up his large hands towards the man and the soft, warm lighting that was behind him. "Sanctuary!"
1.
The TARDIS tumbled through the twisting blue and white miasma of the Time Vortex.
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor stood at the central console still humming one of the 'Jackals' recent hits as he idly pressed button and dials. Katherine de Gallois stood next to him, her face illuminated by the light from the console as it rose and fell.
"Where to now?" asked the Doctor cheerily. "Somewhere exciting?" He grinned. "They have this fantastic space casino 'The Solar Queen' in Sector 17." He started twisting dials. "Twenty sixth century I think….."
Katherine winced a little, closing her eyes. Normally that would have sounded wonderful, but they had not long returned to the TARDIS after the 'Jackals' gig party. She had danced for what seemed like hours and drank perhaps a few glasses of wine too many. "What about somewhere a little peaceful?" she said quietly.
The Doctor grinned. "A bit worse for wear?" He nudged her playfully with his elbow. "I'd have thought all that dancing with Gary Tanner would've helped?"
Katherine smiled coyly. "Gary was very charming."
"I'm sure he was…."
The Doctor was interrupted by the wheezing, groaning sound of the TARDIS materialising as the central pillar of light of the console slowly came to a halt.
"Hello, we've landed!" said the Doctor, his eyes wide with excitement. He checked the readings on the console. "I think you may get your wish Katherine – seems peaceful enough." He operated the door controls, grabbed his long brown coat from where it was thrown over the curved barrier that surrounded the console, and bounded towards the doors like an eager puppy going for a walk.
With a resigned smile, Katherine picked up her dark leather coat and followed.
***************
The monk carried the wooden tray up the steps as he done so each morning for the last few days. On the tray was a plate of bread and berries together with a small pitcher of fresh milk and a mug. He reached the door at the top of the stone steps and balanced the tray on one hand as he knocked respectfully on it.
To his surprise there was no reply, so he pushed open the door and walked inside.
The small room beyond had a rough bed, a table and chair. But there was no sign of life.
The monk hurriedly put down the tray. Then he noticed the window was open and he crossed to it, looking down onto the almost sheer drop of the mountainside below. He ran back to the door and shouted down the stone corridor.
"Our guest has gone!"
2.
The Doctor took a deep lungful of air and the let it out slowly. He turned and smiled at Katherine as she left the TARDIS and closed the door behind her. "This peaceful enough for you?" he said, gesturing to the magnificent scenery around them.
Katherine's eyes widened and she nodded slowly. "It's beautiful."
The TARDIS had landed near the top of a lightly forested alpine mountain and the grass beneath it was still slightly damp with early morning dew. Overhead, two small moons were visible in the bright blue, almost azure, sky and lit by a strong sun that was pleasantly warm on Katherine's face. The air was fresh and clean, and as she took a few steps, she could see down the valley and a deep, rushing river that sparkled in the sun at the bottom. There were tall, snow-capped purple and grey mountains in the distance.
The entire vista was as breathtaking and as tranquil as she could have ever imagined. "Where are we?"
The Doctor shrugged, still smiling. "Dunno. Does it matter?"
Katherine shook her head, unable to tear her eyes away from the majesty of the scene around her. "Not really." She couldn't see any sign of habitation. "Do you think anyone else lives here?"
"Who knows, we could be the first to see this."
"Our Paradise!" whispered Katherine.
The Doctor thrust his hands into his pockets. "So, what now?"
Katherine smiled affectionately at him. "I just want to walk…….on my own for a while."
The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but then just nodded with a small smile. He could tell that Katherine wanted some 'down time' alone. "All right. Let's say an hour and the meet back here?"
Katherine nodded and then impulsively reached up and stroked his cheek affectionately. "Thank you."
The Doctor grinned and then started climbing up the hill, his long brown coat flapping around him in the cool, gentle breeze. "Have fun," he called over his shoulder.
Katherine smiled and started gently downwards, glad that the Doctor understood how she felt. He loved to just bounce between adventures, almost without taking a breath, but Katherine was beginning to get a little weary. She loved travelling but it seemed that she hadn't really stayed in one place for simply ages.
She kicked off her shoes and walked down the grassy mountainside, enjoying the feel of the dew soaked grass between her toes.
And totally unaware that she was being watched………..
3.
Humming some appropriate 'Rodgers and Hammerstein' music, the Doctor climbed up to the peak of the mountain and was surveying the valley below. It was much cooler at the higher altitude and the wind whipped through his hair as he enjoyed the fantastic view that seemed to go on for miles in all directions.
As he pivoted around, he noticed to his surprise and delight, a huge stone building that was perched on the top of the next mountain. Shading his eyes from the glare of the sun he looked closer. It seemed to be some kind of fortress, but it was impossible to make out details from this distance.
"Interesting," he murmured, "I wonder if anyone's at home?"
As curious as ever and knowing that he had almost an hour to kill before meeting Katherine, the Doctor decided to walk down the side of the mountain. If he kept on the side that faced the stone building, perhaps he could see any signs of life?
*******************
Katherine had reached a small river that ran down the mountain, clearly a tributary of the river that rushed through the valley below. Walking alongside the river, she soon found a small copse of trees that shaded her from the sun and decided to take a moment's rest.
She put her shoes and jacket on a small rock besides her and knelt by the river. Leaning forward, she cupped her hands and scooped out some of the cold water from the river. Although it was icy cold, it was clean and refreshing, with a wonderfully pure taste. Katherine closed her eyes and sighed contentedly
After a moment she leant forwards again to scoop some more water, but suddenly gasped in fear.
Reflected in the water was a hideous face - the face of a figure that loomed over her.
********************
The Doctor walked down the mountain, always trying to keep the stone building in view. As he walked through a lightly wooded area however, he stopped and listened. He could hear the sound of horses' hooves steadily approaching. "So there is life here after all."
He smiled nonchalantly as, from the shadows of the trees, emerged five figures on horseback. They were dressed in long brown robes with hoods worn up so that their faces were hidden. The Doctor noticed a stout wooden staff tied to the saddle of each of the horses.
4.
"Lovely morning!" said the Doctor cheerily with a wave to the mysterious riders.
One of the figures trotted up to him. The horse stopped in front of the Doctor and the rider looked down. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" It was a man's voice, brusque and guarded.
The Doctor shrugged. "Just out for a walk; get some exercise. I'm the Doctor by the way……."
The rider threw back his hood to reveal a bald man in his thirties with a serious face and a hooked nose. "I am Garan of the Order of Eternity."
"Nice to meet you Garan"
Garan frowned. "Not many travellers come to this planet - we are used to being alone."
The Doctor scratched his neck. "Well, bit of a mystery tour really. Where……are we exactly?"
"You are on our planet of Sanctuary."
"Oh, nice name- very homely. I suppose that building over there is your…… monastery?"
Garan smiled grimly. "It is, and we do not persecute our visitors. You are welcome to stay with us, as long as you respect our customs." He nodded to the other riders and at his instruction they pulled back their hoods to reveal three men and one woman, all with shaven heads like Garan.
The Doctor grinned. "Brilliant! My friend Katherine is just taking a walk on the other side of the slope. If we can just pick her up first?"
*******************
They reached the TARDIS and the Doctor jumped down from the horse where he had been riding behind Garan. He checked his watch – he was almost half an hour late and yet there was no sign of Katherine.
"That's odd," he said looking around, "I thought she'd be back by now."
Garan pointed to the ground. "She went down there; her tracks are easy to follow."
The Doctor nodded, a slightly worried look on his face, as they walked down the slope and into the copse of trees by the small, rushing river.
"Oh no," he groaned as he spotted Katherine's shoes and jacket lying discarded on a rock. He picked up the jacket and looked around anxiously. "What's happened to you?" he muttered to himself. Then he noticed a fleeting look pass between Garan and the other monks. "What is it?" he demanded urgently. "Tell me!"
But before Garan could answer, they all looked up as they heard the unmistakeable roar of a spaceship as it descended into the atmosphere.
5.
Katherine's fist beat down on her assailant's back again and again but she knew it was useless. She had struggled and kicked like a wildcat but he had just picked her up and flung her over his back like a sack of flour. His strength was enormous she thought; even with her weight he bounded up the slope across rocks as if she weighed no more than a baby.
"Please," she groaned, "let go of me!"
To her great surprise, her kidnapper stopped running, turned around to see that no-one was following and then set her down gently on the grass.
Katherine stifled a gasp as she saw his face again. It was ugly and misshapen beyond measure. One eye was dark and normal whilst the other was higher on his face and covered by a misty white cataract. Both had dark, bushy eyebrows above them. His forehead protruded forward and his brown hair was coarse and unkempt. The nose was hooked and bent to one side whilst the mouth was lopsided with a thick top lip and filled with only a few, jagged teeth. The chin was large and covered in dark stubble. Her kidnapper wore a simple dark green belted tunic and dark brown trousers and boots, and stood awkwardly, hunched forwards so that his powerful arms almost dragged along the floor like an ape.
Katherine saw all this in a second before she sprang to her feet and started to sprint away.
But the creature was too fast and loped after her. It grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the ground again. Katherine immediately resumed struggling, lashing out with her arms.
The creature caught her flailing arms with ease and pulled her close.
"Please," it said gruffly, "I won't hurt you."
Katherine reeled back, shocked at the gentle and quiet voice, and then looked deeply into the creature's eyes for the first time. Although grotesque in appearance, she could see no malice within so she relaxed and stopped struggling. "Alright," she finally gasped, trying to control her fear and revulsion, "who are you? What do you want with me?"
"My name is Ranac……." he replied
But he was cut off as a spaceship screamed overhead, its' engines firing as it started a descent pattern.
Ranac stared fearfully at Katherine, his good eye rolling wide with panic and fear. "We must run," he cried. "She is coming!"
6.
The Doctor looked up at the ship as it came into land lower in the valley, his hand shielding the glare of the sun. The ship looked like a typical freighter or transport with four engine pods at the rear. "I think your planet is getting more and more crowded Garan?" He turned back to the monk and his face hardened. "What's happened to Katherine?"
Garan paused then met the Doctor's gaze. "In truth, I do not know. But a guest has been staying with us at the monastery. A very…... unusual man that might cause your friend some alarm. This morning we found him missing."
The Doctor wiped a hand through his hair worriedly. "And all she wanted was some peace and quiet. What do you mean by unusual?"
"His appearance was disfigured and misshapen, although I do not believe there was evil in him." Garan turned his horse around. "We must meet those from the ship. What will you do?"
The Doctor paused in indecision. "All these visitors here – I'd be surprised if they weren't connected. I'll come with you. I think we might learn more about your other guest that could be useful. I just hope that Katherine can take care of herself for a while."
He jumped up behind Garan and with the rest of the monks trotted down the mountain slope towards where the ship had landed. It only took a few minutes and by the time they arrived, a landing ramp had already been lowered. The Doctor dismounted and watched with interest as the hatch swung upwards and figures started down the ramp.
They looked human but their features with cruder and harsher, like Neanderthals, with heavy brows and coarse dark hair. Large, well over six feet tall, and powerfully built, they wore simple black tabards with a silver trim. In their enormous hands they carried powerful looking energy rifles.
Behind these fearsome creatures strode a woman wearing a smart silver silk jacket, a wide black belt, dark trousers and high boots. In her late thirties, she had brown tightly curled hair and a strikingly attractive, almost aristocratic face with piercing grey eyes.
The woman smiled as she saw the Doctor and the monks. "Good morning." Her accent was clipped and precise. "I am Doctor Elizabeth Meralda." She put her hands on her hips confidently. "I believe you have property that belongs to me."