CHAPTER 1
"Doctor! Stop!" Martha cried in confusion, "you're hurting me!" The Doctor held her wrist tightly, against his will, dragging her sideways across the rough concrete the floor.
"I… can't…" he struggled through gritted teeth, unable to control his body, and barely holding onto his mind.
"Doctor, please…" She could see the grief in his eyes, his face contorted in anger and anguish, his tears mingling with sweat. He was a prisoner in his own body, helpless to the Somatic Manipulation Chip embedded at the base of his neck.
"I…" his arm muscles contracted as he tried to fight back, and he growled in pain, his grip becoming tighter. Martha gritted her teeth and stopped fighting, knowing he was defenseless against the chip that the Jal'ka'Rakh had implanted.
The Doctor had earlier detected a distress signal from a planet in the Metraenus System. The simple race of aliens indicated that their home world was under attack by the Jal'ka'Rakh, and their people were being taken as slaves to work in the Thela-latnium-rich asteroid mines.
"They're quite lovely people, really, the Toshvee," The Doctor, in his usual powder blue button-up, deep brown suit pants, and white Converse, explained to Martha as he set in coordinates. "A bit simple-minded, these people, but the greenest thumbs you'll see in the galaxy. Loyal, and peaceable. Geniuses with agriculture. Main exporters of fruits and grains. They feed the whole system, really. The whole planet is perfect for growing, and nearly every square foot has something edible being cultivated. This planetary system depends on the skills of the Toshvee. Without them, many planets would starve. They devote themselves to feeding the hungry."
"They sound wonderful. Who are the Jal'ka'Rakh?" Martha, in plain black jeans and a deep red tank top, stood next to him and watched him flip a switch; the TARDIS bucked.
"A brutish group," he answered, his eyes narrowing, "they own the asteroids and several planets. They're miners, well, not themselves, no, their slaves are the miners. Terribly dark conditions. Main element they mine is called Thela-latnium, used in the production of fuel and energy, and also preservatives and house paint and clothing, quite valuable, and the Jal'ka'Rakh have a monopoly on all known places in the system that contain significant amounts. They're a proud race, they won't get their hands dirty, but they love to pick a fight and boss people around."
The TARDIS landed. Outside were the sounds of screaming, laser-fire, and hovercraft. The Doctor and Martha exchanged worried glances. He pulled his viewing screen around and tried hailing the Leader of the planet, the original sender of the distress signal. A round, deep brown face popped up on the screen. Martha noticed the man had small slits for eyes protected by thick black eyelashes, a flattened nose, and a small mouth. The man's shoulders and arms were wide and muscular.
"Sir, we've landed," The Doctor explained.
"Doctor, be careful," The Leader answered quickly, "My sensors show that the Jal'ka'Rakh are invading the area in which you've landed. Ohhh, they're destroying the Jen-u fruit orchards!" he cried as if his own foot had been shot, flailing his large, calloused hands. "Doctor help us, billions of people depend on us for food, we cannot be taken as slaves! Our crops cannot be left and destroyed! Our race is not built for mining, we need the sunlight."
"Right!" The Doctor pulled around the other screen, locating the commanding enemy ship. "Sir, I'll have all your people back safely," he promised the Toshvee leader, and ended the transmission. The sound of screams and ships could still be heard immediately outside. He hailed the Jal'ka'Rakh ship. "Fleet of the Jal'ka'Rakh, stand down your attack on the Toshvee immediately." The Doctor demanded, gripping the console of the TARDIS and yelling into the screen.
"We do not take orders from weak strangers." Was the growling response, audio only. "You and your crew will be added to our numbers and made slaves for our mines."
"Oh really? Do you know who you're speaking to?" The Doctor grinned and glanced at Martha. A loud hum filed the cavernous room of the TARDIS, and both the Doctor and Martha shivered as a low burst of electricity passed through them.
"We have scanned your ship," the voice growled again. "We do not recognize your species', but you are suitable for mining. Prepare to be seized," and they cut off the transmission. The TARDIS jumped as a Jal'ka'Rakh ship locked on a tractor beam.
"Oh, no you don't!" the Doctor gritted his teeth and locked in new coordinates. The sounds of the attack outside vanished and was replaced by silence. Martha grabbed the view screen, but it was dark.
"Where are we?"
"We're inside the lead ship!" The Doctor laughed, "in the cargo hold. They won't be looking for us here," and he grabbed her hand and led her to the doors. "The TARDIS scanned their ship as we were being scanned on the planet, and, well, has basically reversed the signal. She's protecting us from their bio-scans, they can't even detect us with their sensors."
"So, what's the plan?"
"We're going to take control of this ship and get those people back safely." Martha smirked at the ever-present vagueness in The Doctor's "plans." He tentatively opened the door and peeked out. The room was black. He could sense it was large, and it felt cool and a bit damp. He took Martha's hand again, and stepped out onto the floor.
"Concrete?" he whispered in amusement.
"How do we get out of here?" Martha whispered, practically blind. The Doctor reached for his sonic screwdriver and realized he had left his jacket in the TARDIS.
"I'll get my sonic, don't go anywhere," he bounded back into the TARDIS, leaving Martha alone in the damp, echoing blackness. She peered into the dark, looking for any signs of walls or doors, but the only light in the room came from the small opaque windows of the TARDIS, and didn't reflect off anything. There seemed to be nothing in the room, no ceiling, no walls, no cargo containers, just an empty black expanse. She began to feel stifled, as if she were in the vacuum of a starless space, and spun around to look back at the TARDIS for comfort, feeling the wood and steadying herself on the hard concrete floor. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to keep from getting dizzy.
"Help me…" came a small, distant voice from behind her. Martha spun toward the voice and froze.