The Survivors Of Vilka: Part One
As a police box which was really a space-time machine drifted through the strange and mysterious universe of E-Space, two of its four occupants were discussing a problem which had arisen recently. The problem of what to do with the latest, unauthorised, person to travel on board this strange machine that appeared bigger inside than out.
"Doctor, won't you reconsider?" The speaker was a woman with long dark-blonde hair. Looking at her, one would probably estimate her age as being anywhere from her mid twenties to her early thirties, but she was actually well over a hundred years old, though that was still young by the standards of her people. Her full name was Romanadvoratrelundar, but she rarely used it any more; instead, she was known simply as Romana. "Even if we could locate the Starliner, what would we be sending Adric back to?"
The Doctor, standing at the console, glanced up at the sound of her voice. "Romana," he said, "I can't go carting every waif and stray we meet through time and space. This isn't an orphanage, you know. Adric belongs on the Starliner and that's where he's going." He broke off to mutter something under his breath, something which included the words "uninvited passengers". As if getting marooned in E-Space wasn't enough, without the added complication of having to deal with teenaged stowaways. The sooner Adric was returned to the Starliner, the sooner the Doctor and Romana could get on with looking for a way back into N-Space.
Romana watched the central column for a few seconds before speaking again. "What about Steven?" she asked, recalling some of the names she had read in the Doctor's old time-logs. The names of the Doctor's former companions, though she noticed that the logs hadn't been updated for a long time; the most recent entry concerned the departure of someone called Sarah Jane Smith. "And Zoe?"
"Well, what about them?"
Romana walked around the console until she was standing beside the Doctor. "Have you forgotten that they were stowaways too? So you'd hardly be setting any precedents if you let Adric stay, at least until we find another CVE." The CVEs, or Charged Vacuum Emboitements, were the portals which led from N-Space to E-Space and vice versa; the Doctor and Romana had been on their way to Gallifrey when they became caught up in one and ended up on the planet Alzarius. The planet where they had met Adric.
"And, if we do find one, what then? What are we going to do with a boy who . . .?" The Doctor broke off as he glanced round to see a dark-haired youth standing in the doorway, a star-shaped badge pinned to his yellow shirt. "Ah, Adric, we were just talking about you." He turned to Romana. "Weren't we just talking about him?"
Romana nodded to back the Doctor up, then watched as Adric entered the Console Room. The look on the young Alzarian's face could only be described as reproachful; he must have heard most, if not all, of what she and the Doctor had said, enough to know that the Doctor had not been joking when he'd said Adric was "going straight back to the Starliner". But, if he did go back, what would he be going back to? Since the death of his brother, Varsh, Adric had nobody on the Starliner, no family and, from what Romana knew of the boy's background, no friends to speak of. She and the Doctor were all Adric had now, if only the Doctor could be persuaded to change his mind about letting Adric become part of the TARDIS crew.
At that moment, K-9 stirred into life. He had been monitoring the TARDIS's path through E-Space all the while the Doctor and Romana were talking and he had just detected something he thought the two Time Lords should know about. "Master," he said.
The Doctor turned at the sound of the robot dog's voice. "What is it, K-9?"
"Sensors indicate the presence of a small planet. Diameter at equator approximately 12,500 kilometres. Distance from parent star approximately 148 million kilometres."
The Doctor listened to K-9's recitation of the planet's vital statistics with growing excitement. But the thing which excited him the most was the fact that this planet and Earth orbited their respective suns at more or less the same distance; the difference between them was only two million kilometres, no distance at all in astronomical terms. And the planet itself was of a similar size to Earth, a planet which the Doctor had long regarded as his favourite out of all the countless billions of worlds in the cosmos. Of course, just because some of the planet's stats were similar to Earth's didn't necessarily mean anything; for all the Doctor knew, its atmosphere was poisonous to humanoid lifeforms. On the other hand, he and Romana couldn't afford to overlook any potential leads in their search for the way back to N-Space. If this planet was inhabited, those living there might be able to point them in the direction of the nearest CVE, or at least provide information on the nature of E-Space. But the only way to find out was to go there.
The Doctor turned to Romana. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" It was a somewhat rhetorical question - as Time Lords, the Doctor and Romana could easily tell what each other was thinking - but Romana decided to play along.
"If you mean that someone on that planet might know the way out of E-Space, then yes, I was." A slight edge of unhappiness crept into Romana's voice as it occurred to her that returning to N-Space meant she would have to return to Gallifrey. After all the adventures she and the Doctor had had, searching for the Key to Time and everything that had happened since, she did not want to spend the rest of her life on the Time Lords' home planet. She had seen something of the Universe, enough to make her understand why the Doctor had not been content to stay on Gallifrey, but she had no choice in the matter. The Time Lords wanted her back on Gallifrey and that was where she would have to go. If she and the Doctor ever found the way out of E-Space . . .
"Only one way to find out," said the Doctor. With that, he pressed a switch and a loud whooshing sound filled the Console Room.
The scene which greeted the Doctor when he switched on the scanner was one of utter devastation. As far as he could tell, the TARDIS had materialised in a city - or what used to be a city. A city which had at some point in the past been reduced to a pile of rubble, though a few buildings still seemed to be partly intact. There was nothing moving on the streets of this ruined city, the first city the Doctor and Romana had encountered since arriving in E-Space, no people, not even any animals. Which, as Romana remarked as she, the Doctor and Adric stood staring at the scanner screen, meant they weren't likely to find out anything about E-Space here.
"It's a mistake to judge by appearances," said the Doctor, echoing the words he had said on the planet where he had defeated the Great Vampire, a planet whose name he had never found out. "Who's to say there aren't survivors out there?" He gestured towards the devastated city on the scanner screen. "And suppose they can tell us something about E-Space, like how to get out of it. I think we should go out there and have a look round. Come on."
Just as the Doctor was about to open the TARDIS doors, K-9 stirred again. "Master, alert."
At the sound of the robot dog's voice, the Doctor immediately stepped away from the console and turned to look at him. "What is it, K-9?" he asked, as Romana and Adric also turned in K-9's direction. Neither of them spoke, but the look on both their faces asked the same question the Doctor had just asked out loud.
K-9's sensors moved back and forth. "Detecting high radiation levels in immediate vicinity of TARDIS. Suggest you take anti-radiation precautions before you venture outside."
Hearing this, the Doctor caught his breath, realising he had almost made a serious, and potentially fatal, mistake. High radiation levels were no laughing matter, as he knew from experience. During his first encounter with the Daleks, he had, along with Ian and Barbara, almost succumbed to the radiation which polluted Skaro; only the anti-radiation drugs developed by the Thals and brought back by his granddaughter, Susan, had saved their lives. The memory of this prompted him to check the radiation reading on the console, though this only confirmed what K-9 had already told him. "You were right, K-9," he said. "There's some pretty heavy radiation out there. Now, what do you suppose caused it?" he wondered out loud.
"Well, since we're in the middle of a ruined city, I'd guess nuclear war," said Romana, switching off the scanner. "Still think there's someone out there who can help us?"
The Doctor idly tossed one end of his enormously long scarf over his shoulder. "Well, maybe not on the surface, but there's bound to be a bunker or something. Stands to reason." He frowned, recalling when he had remarked that "stands to reason" was a stupid expression and that it was "much easier to reason lying down", then continued. "Romana, go down to Sickbay and fetch three lots of anti-radiation medication. Well," he added when Romana showed no sign of moving, "go on. Or have you forgotten the way?"
"Of course not," said Romana. "But I thought you said three lots of medication."
"Well, of course I did. We've got another passenger now, remember?" The Doctor nodded towards Adric, who was standing by the console. The boy hadn't been invited along on the Doctor's travels, but, regardless of how he came to be here, the fact remained that he was here, at least for the time being. And it was unlikely that Adric would stay quietly in the TARDIS while the Doctor, Romana and K-9 ventured out into the ruined city; more likely he would try to follow them at the first opportunity. To avoid that possibility, the Doctor had decided that Adric should accompany the rest of the TARDIS's occupants; that way, the Doctor and Romana would be able to keep an eye on him.
As soon as everyone had left the TARDIS, the Doctor locked the doors and turned to Adric. "Now, don't get any ideas," he told the boy, pocketing the TARDIS key. "As soon as this is over, you're going on a trip back to the Starliner. And this time you're going to stay there." Having got that out of the way, he then turned his attention to the immediate problem of exploring a nuked city. "We'd better stick together," he said. "There's no telling what's lurking among those ruins, so be prepared for anything. K-9, keep your nose laser ready."
"Affirmative, Master," said K-9. "All weapons systems primed. Ready for possible encounter with hostile local population."
The Doctor bent down and patted K-9 as he would a dog that was made of flesh and blood. "Good dog. But make sure the local population is hostile before you start shooting at them, OK?"
"Affirmative."
With that, the four of them set off, the Doctor taking the lead, followed by Romana, then Adric, with K-9 bringing up the rear. They followed a path which, though melted by intense heat, was relatively clear of rubble and should present few problems to their small party, at least not to the three humanoids. Even K-9 should be able to cope with this terrain, provided the path didn't become too uneven or blocked by fallen debris. If it did, someone would have to carry him, but he made a useful rear guard, so the Doctor had allowed him to accompany the rest of the TARDIS crew. Not to mention that he could monitor the radiation levels and warn if they were getting too high.
K-9 was the only member of the TARDIS crew who would not be affected by the radiation, unless it became so high that it began to interfere with his circuits. He was a machine, whereas the Doctor, Romana and Adric were flesh and blood. Even Time Lords like the Doctor and Romana, who could absorb a fair amount of radiation before they began to feel its effects, had their limits. As, no doubt, did Adric, though he was an unknown quantity in that respect; his Alzarian physiology, which enabled him to recover from illness or injury in just a few hours, might help to an extent, but even his people could not recover from everything. For that reason, all three of them had taken anti-radiation drugs of the sort the Doctor and Romana had used when they made a chance landing on Skaro, enough to last several hours; each of them also carried an extra dose in case of emergencies. "Best be prepared as my old friend Baden-Powell used to say," the Doctor had commented.
Hopefully, the extra doses would not be needed, but there was no telling what might happen on an unfamiliar planet, especially one which had been devastated by some of the most destructive weapons in creation.
The figures emerged from the ruins, a small army of humanoids dressed in grey rags and wielding spears. It was hard to tell at a glance whether they were male or female; their clothing, bulky and shapeless, hid physical details and their heads were covered with cowled hoods. The Doctor watched as they approached his small party, studying their movements closely, trying to assess whether they were likely to be friend or foe. Either way they appeared primitive, their society regressed to a pre-technological state, though they must have been more advanced at one time. Advanced enough to build highly destructive weapons anyway, if Romana's theory was correct.
"What do you think, K-9?" asked the Doctor. "Can they help us get back to N-Space?"
"Insufficient data," replied K-9. "Initial analysis suggests answer to your second question is negative."
"Oh." The Doctor exchanged glances with Romana and Adric, then turned to the humanoids in front of them. "I was rather hoping you might be able to show us the way to N-Space." The cowled hoods hid the strangers' faces from view, but he guessed they were looking at him blankly. "Our home universe?" he prompted. "Well, for three of us anyway. No?" At this point, he might have attempted to break the ice with his bag of Jelly Babies, but he'd left them in the TARDIS. "Never mind. But could you possibly take us to your leader?"
The only reply he received was a spear planted in the ground at his feet.
"Oh, come on!" the Doctor said. "Why can't people be nice to each other for once? Just because we . . ."
He was cut off as the humanoid who had thrown the spear spoke, the first of the group to do so. "You are of the Old Race." The low pitch of the voice suggested the speaker was an adult male. "The Old Race destroyed Vilka with their endless wars, turned a once great planet into a wasteland. And, for this, they must die!" He signalled to those nearest to him, who began to advance on the Doctor and his companions, pointing their spears directly at them; even with their faces hidden by their cowled hoods, it was clear that they meant business.
As he and his companions found themselves surrounded by a wall of spears, the Doctor tried to reason with the strangers. "Look, you're making a big mistake here. None of us had anything to do with these endless wars. As a matter of fact, we're not even from this planet . . ." He paused. "What did you call it? Vilka, wasn't it? V-I-L-K-A? Never mind - my point is that there's been a little misunderstanding here. So, if we could speak to whoever's in charge . . ."
Once again, he was interrupted by one of the strangers, a female this time. "Lies!" she declared, keeping her spear pointed at the Doctor and his companions. "Lies of the Old Race! Your words are no more than a deception to cover the treachery of your ancestors. Treachery which turned us into this!" With that, she pulled back her hood, revealing a face which, while it still had some humanoid characteristics, was distorted to the point of being almost unrecognisible. The ashen skin was wrinkled, the nose flattened so much that it was little more than two slits in the middle of the face, the lips thin, almost reptilian-looking. What little hair the female had was thin and stringy and she regarded the Doctor, Romana and Adric out of hostile yellow eyes. A mutation, the Doctor realised, no doubt caused by the radiation that had been unleashed on this planet called, as he had just learned, Vilka.
The Doctor was considering whether he should say anything in reply to the female Vilkan's accusation, but Adric beat him to it. "Please!" he said, rushing forward before either the Doctor or Romana could stop him. "Please listen! I haven't known the Doctor very long, but I know he's telling the truth."
The Vilkan gave a mocking laugh. "Exactly what I'd expect an Old Race brat to say." She raised her spear as though she was about to make a speech, a speech of the sort which could mean bad news for whoever got on the wrong side of her. Which the Doctor and his companions certainly seemed to be. "Take them to the Bunker! We'll let Ruler Korvak decide what to do with them!" The last two sentences were addressed to her fellow Vilkans, who immediately pressed forward.
As the Vilkans advanced, K-9 decided he had remained inactive long enough. His sensors indicated that they had hostile intentions, hostile intentions which were being directed towards the three humanoids with him. The Doctor, whom he always called "Master". Mistress Romana. Adric. Technically, the boy's presence was still unauthorised, but that did not alter the fact that he was in just as much danger as the Doctor and Romana. K-9 raised his head, a small metal tube emerging from the end of his nose, then fired a laser beam at the nearest Vilkan. The Vilkan fell to the ground, stunned by K-9's laser. K-9 fired again, then again, putting two more Vilkans temporarily out of action and giving the Doctor and his companions the opening they needed to make their escape.
"Keep us covered, K-9!" the Doctor called, urging Romana and Adric forward. So much for finding data on E-Space. If the Vilkans had ever known anything about the CVEs and how to locate them, that information must been lost long ago. Not only that, it was becoming increasingly obvious that they were not prepared to listen to reason. That meant there was only one thing the Doctor and his companions could do: get back to the TARDIS and leave this planet as quickly as possible. Of course, knowing his luck, it was not going to be as straightforward as that.
And indeed it wasn't. Though K-9 fought bravely, zapping every Vilkan who came within range with his nose laser, his energy reserves were not limitless. Gradually, he began to slow down, his lasers becoming weaker and weaker until they gave out entirely. And a sizeable number of Vilkans were still standing, still a threat to the Doctor, Romana and Adric. He wanted to defend the three humanoids, but he no longer had enough energy. "Master," he said, speaking slowly in an attempt to conserve what little power he still had. "Am . . . unable . . . to . . . assist . . . further . . . Closing . . . down . . ." He bowed his head and became completely still, not even twitching his sensors.
With the threat of K-9's nose laser removed, temporarily at least - given time, the robot dog would be able to recharge his batteries - the Vilkans advanced on the Doctor, Romana and Adric once more, encircling them. And, the Doctor knew from past experience, there was no arguing with several dozen people who were pointing spears at you, especially if they had you surrounded on all sides. He nodded to Romana and Adric, silently letting them know that the safest option right now would be to co-operate with their captors. With a bit of luck, an opportunity to escape might arise later.
However, it was soon looking increasingly unlikely that the Doctor, Romana and Adric would be able to get out of this situation. The Vilkans had forced them into the middle of their group, where they were surrounded by spears on all sides, making it all but impossible to escape. Not only that, they had been ordered to put their hands on their heads and keep them there; no doubt, the Doctor thought, that was a precaution against the possibility that they might attempt to fight back, not that there was much chance of that when the Vilkans had them outnumbered. The Doctor had brought the TARDIS to the planet in the hope that someone there might be able to point him in the direction of the nearest CVE, but his hopes had proved ill-founded.
"We've got to do something!" Romana said in a loud whisper. Clearly she was not enjoying this any more than the Doctor was.
"Well, if you fancy arguing with their spears . . ." the Doctor began. But, before he could complete his sentence, the female Vilkan who appeared to be in charge of the group interrupted him.
"No talking!" She pointed her spear directly at the Doctor. "Just keep moving! We'll be at the Bunker shortly and then you'll see how Ruler Korvak deals with Old Race scum like you!"
The Doctor was tempted to make a remark to the effect that he "got the point", but he chose not to. This particular point, the point of the Vilkan's spear, looked a little too sharp for his liking. The last thing he wanted was to antagonise these people even further; it was clear that they harboured a deep-rooted hostility towards those they called the "Old Race". And it was equally obvious that they were not prepared to listen to anything the Doctor and his companions might say. So the Doctor saved his breath and continued walking, flanked by Romana and Adric and surrounded by spear-wielding Vilkans.
Presently, they reached a rectangular structure which seemed to be more-or-less intact, unlike the ruined buildings which surrounded it, suggesting that it had been constructed to survive the "endless wars" the Vilkans had spoken of. It was windowless, save for a small slit near the ceiling, and the door had a small wheel where a handle should have been. The three prisoners eyed it for several seconds, the Doctor and Romana with the unease of those who had seen such structures before and knew what they represented, Adric with the curiosity of someone to whom all this was new. But they were allowed no time to ask questions, not that they would have received any answers more informative than a prod with a spear, before one of the Vilkans stepped forward and rotated the wheel on the door, causing it to swing open. The female in charge turned to the Doctor and his two companions.
"Move it!" she ordered, brandishing her spear as a reminder of who was calling the shots. "Ruler Korvak is waiting for you!"
Despite everything, the Doctor couldn't resist flashing one of his toothy grins. "Well, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say how much I look forward to this meeting." He nodded to Romana and Adric, then turned back to the Vilkan. "Decent sort of chap, is he?"
He received no reply, except for a repeated order to "move it". And he was not about to argue with such an order when the one issuing it was pointing a spear at him.