The Fall of Arcadia

by SPG inc

Quote- Someday I might even come to terms with that-. The Doctor fought on the front lines. He was there at the fall of Arcadia. Find out what took place in that legendary battle against the Daleks. *PERMANENT HIATUS*

6. Chapter 6

Arcadia was indeed a beautiful world, with its floating islands of dry land brimming with culture and the countless species of airborne wildlife rippling through clouds that drifted calmly across the perfect diamond-blue sky. Despite the uncertainty of whether the people of Arcadia were genetically classed as human, the world was perceived as an icon of natural beauty in the eyes of the galactic spanning empire of humanity. It signified the splendour and radiance that imaginative young adults dreamed about when first the idea of exploring brave new worlds came to light, bringing to life the long since dormant sense of wonder and the hope of a boundless scope of discovery as though resurrecting some heroic champion born in the juvenile age of planet Earth. Arcadia, with its rich history, wildlife and landscape was a legend unto itself. Nevertheless, the planet's glory now only acted as a burden as the guns of the Daleks pounded the lands, exploiting the world specifically because it meant so much to the humans; the Daleks targeted Arcadia with the deliberate intension of leaving scars in the race memory of humanity for all time to come.

Aboard the Dalek warship codenamed 'Exterminator point one', the Designated Veteran Dalek commanded its forces with hereditary ruthlessness as they moved towards Valua, pitting Dalek culture against Arcadian culture in a struggle between the hatful and the serene. Thanks to the first onslaught most fighters, bombers and long distance turrets positioned to attack had been obliterated or were too heavily occupied with their own battles to chase the vast capital ship. The only real threat apart from the odd ship who'd managed to get close enough to attack was the turrets mounted on small floating rocks that hung at random in the skies like the disowned offspring of the greater continents. Even with their most advanced scanning techniques, multitudes of these mini islands escaped the Dalek's scanners, and the flagship had taken several damaging blows to the hull from these lone artillery mountings. Despite this, the Daleks were able to avoid most of the little islands and their gun emplacements and now had a clear run towards the city of Valua.

"Report on your situation, Designated Veteran!" the commanding Dalek transmitted from the moon sized ship fixed above the planet.

"We will reach attack range in three hundred and twenty rels." the assault Dalek answered.

"See to it that the city is flattened completely. Once it is gone the continent will act as a forward command position for the attack on the Soltis Bastille. You will deploy the 'Exterminator' on the surface of Valua in a defensive position."

"Current battle estimates suggest that a direct attack on Soltis Bastille by the 'Exterminator' has a ninety three percent chance of success."

"That is irrelevant! I have decided on the Dalek's next course of action. Hasty attacks against the enemy will result in unacceptable Dalek losses. You will follow the strategy as dictated by me!"

"I obey!" the Designated Veteran shifted slightly, either uneasy or angry at being shouted down by its ranking officer.

"Scans have been unsuccessful in identifying evidence of Time Lord activity." said the Extra Taxomic Control Executive. "Confirm results of scans from your ship."

The Dalek aboard the 'Exterminator' looked at another holographically projected view-screen for a moment, before turning it's domed head back and replying "Negative. No Time Lord activity detected."

"The Doctor must be found. His capture or extermination is of the highest priority. Continue to monitor for evidence of the Doctor's whereabouts."

"I obey!"

With that, the screen showing the executive Dalek phased out.

"All Daleks to battle stations!" roared the veteran Dalek. "Contact with target imminent. Prepare for battle. Scanning units will continue to monitor for signs of the Doctor!"

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The Doctor himself was walking briskly down a badly lit corridor. The metal walls were unpainted and showing signs of rust and mould at the edges. Deep in the heart of Soltis Bastille it was clear that though Arcadia had a proud navy, they weren't prepared for planet wide invasion. Here he was in engine level of the most important military installation in the world, and like the rest of it, it was more like a museum. It seem as though in every corridor there was either a national flag covering the wall, a plague celebrating an obscure hero or painting paying homage to some part of Arcadian history, or even a display case containing a historical artefact.

"Can you believe this?" he asked Robo in an airy tone, gesturing to a glass case that sat over a huge steel disc etched with miscellaneous symbols. "A military facility filled with artefacts and history. Either they're very unprofessional, understandable with a man like Holm in charge, or very sure of themselves and think that no one could ever get this far into the Bastille."

"This is not a violent world. The people are not prepared for an enemy capable of besieging such a base as the Bastille." Robo said.

The Doctor looked at the armour clad rhino man with a grim look. The ex-cop was absolutely right; Arcadia was a peaceful planet who maintained an army mostly out of tradition rather than any actual need to defend themselves. The people were naturally good fliers and lived hard working lives but were unsuited to warfare. He looked again at the display case, reading the sensory caption that identified the device as a Silvite Huon teleporter.

"Doesn't mean they can't win." said the Doctor.

With a burst of energy from the sonic screwdriver, the door to the engine room split down the middle and sprang open. The room was surprisingly quite by the standards of most such places throughout the universe. Due to the abundant supply of electricity creating yellow moonstones on Arcadia, there was no need for conventional generators. The only real noise came from the chains and pulleys strung throughout the chamber, keeping in with Arcadia's nautical heritage when industrial hydraulics would have been far more efficient. The clanks and whirrs of activity were enough to mask the grumbling of the greasy moonstone engines that towered to the roof, gobbling up moonstones supplied by conveyer belts and reliving themselves of the waste in the form of noxious exhaust fumes that were belched down tubes into the ballooning lungs of air sacks hanging from the ceiling, where purificants could be administered to the raw gas before it was breathed harmlessly back into the atmosphere. Alongside these sacks stalactite antenna aimed downward, dripping condensed coolant, towards their sibling power conductors- Perspex boxes bristling with sinews of cable that unleashed chains of electricity into the antennas to be distributed wirelessly throughout the Bastille.

"Just look at this mess." the Doctor sighed with disappointment. "I would have thought the Arcadians would keep everything ship shape and Bristol fashion."

"What are you planning Doctor?"

"Well, I was thinking that Soltis is an artificial island, correct? It doesn't hover with velorium minerals- it uses repulser technology to keep it afloat. I'm hoping to try and just reconfigure it slightly."

"Are you planning to turn it into a giant repulser gun?"

"Hopefully not. I don't want to trigger a gravity balance collapse at a time like. First of all I need to see if I can slice into it at all. Come on Robo- help me get this bonnet open; there's a good chap."

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The 'Aggressor' class Dalek saucer had been joined by two more of its kind and a 'Dominator' class that was carrying a full stock of two thousand Daleks. Together they prowled over the Isle of Saile like a storm. Sky blue lasers rained down upon the settlement in a monsoon of demolition. Ships from all nearby squadrons had committed themselves to the defence of the township. Commander Canaan Li, despairing of catching up with the 'Exterminator' his squadron had been assigned to attack, had also sent ships to help- the two remaining members of the Claudia 3rd bombers and -Chaos Theory- and -Chop em up- from his own squadron. He and -Shoot 1 for me- had stayed behind to cover their retreat back to the island, their ships being the most badly damaged and least likely to last long enough to make a difference. Despite the damage they'd taken they still put up a good fight, so far lasting for ten minutes against nearly fifty Daleks, shooting down any who tried to join the battle at Saile. Their superior speed wasn't going to last though, and the Daleks were getting more accurate. Once again, Canaan found himself being chased and outflanked by no less than seven of the bronze combat machines while Flight Officer Armstrong was nowhere near enough to come and help.

Canaan ignored the scanners that were being choked by target reports, relying on his own senses and experience to guide him as he ran the gauntlet- dip, roll, air break, loosen up, bank left, afterburner, loop, barrel roll, climb- the maneuvers were fast and frantic, and the Commander had no choice but to let go of rational thought which wasn't fast enough to react and hope that his instinct alone would last till he got to safety, though where safety could be found in the skies that were so thick with Daleks was anyone's guess.

A trio of Daleks swerved wildly into the path of the pale ship and opened fire. Canaan sent his fighter into a fierce dive, so steep he was almost pointing straight down. He successfully ducked the incoming fire, but the attackers came swarming after him.

Canaan felt himself get dizzy as the automated pressure straps in his flight suit worked overtime to try and keep his flow of blood and oxygen working properly. The g-forces pulling against Canaan threatened to bring his body to a complete standstill, and the black uniform compensated so savagely he was sure to be bruised all over by the end of the day. The desert born pilot breathed deeply and forced himself to focus as he began to get dangerously close to the boundary of deep sky.

An alert on the console sounded; energy spikes, intense wavelengths. That meant Dalek extermination rays. He dodged and weaved around the gunfire as best he could, and nearly lost one of his wings for it. The Daleks had stopped descending, wary of the powerful storms below. They instead tried to match pace with the small craft, sniping at it with less numerous, more powerful blasts.

As Canaan came as close as he dared to the blackness of the lower atmosphere, more warning lights signalled the increase in pressure; he levelled out and flew in a zig zag pattern to avoid the continued Dalek attack. Lasers dropped into the thick clouds, their heat creating spitting geysers of mist and water vapour.

Droplets splashed over the windshield, making it even more difficult to maintain a safe flight pattern. Turbulence and unexpected drafts of rising air made flying even more dangerous. Commander Li flight sweat forming on his forehead as he brave the fury of the hurricanes that were only metres below him. All the dead of Arcadia were sent to their final resting place down there- to think he was now trying to save his life in the same place.

There was a burst of mist bigger than any of the eruptions caused by extermination rays, right in front of the -Up With The Sun-. Canaan was taken by surprise but still managed to lurch away from the distortion as something burst from the inky surface of deep sky. A gleaming silver body soured past too quickly for the pilot to acknowledge with his eyes. As the object vanished above, scanners detected the discharge of solid weapon rounds, swiftly followed by reports from the tactical computer of destroyed enemy targets.

The Commander doubted the accuracy of the reports for a moment, but the sudden drastic reduction of incoming laser fire proved that this new vessel was an ally against the Daleks. But what sort of ship could have come out of the storms of deep sky and still be battle worthy? A secret weapon perhaps, or maybe something imported from Earth Command?

"This is Commander Canaan Li of the Saile 12th squadron to unidentified flight craft." the Commander pulled up as fast as possible while he hailed the new arrival. "Please identify and provide call sign."

"This is -Rogue Gallery- calling in. Captain Gonzales reporting for duty."

Gonzales? Rogue Gallery? He knew those names. Names tangled up in both in both urban legend and cynical gossip. That was that bounty hunter who worked for the Arcadian government. A genuine modern day air pirate if the stories were true- a freelance law enforcer with both military and political connections- the stuff of legend bought to life. And here he was, straight out of the stories and on the front lines of battle, just like that. It was difficult to know whether to be threatened or in awe of this new arrival.

The Commander reached average flight altitude and levelled out. The -Rogue Gallery-, having chased off the immediate Dalek threat, came alongside the -Up With The Sun-. The ship the soldier for hire was using was silver coloured, shaped like a spire and nearly the size of a small shuttle. The craft was covered in a shiny see-through substance that looked bumpy and uneven, but apart from that there wasn't a blemish on it after having been immersed in the crushing black of deep sky.

"My ship was damaged and I've been out of the battle for some time." Gonzales explained. "What's happening at the moment?"

"Not entirely sure." Canaan said truthfully. "Seems as though the Polar Regions, Valua and the Mid Ocean islands have been attacked. No idea how they're holding out, but a capital class Dalek ship was recently seen heading to Valua. Several squadrons were supposed to ambush it but they had a huge escort. Most of the ships in our area were recalled to protect the Isle of Saile. There's barely anyone who can go after it."

"That's not good enough. We can't allow the Daleks to take Valua; it's a vital strategic position."

"But it just isn't possible, sir. There are no frigates or moonstone cannons available to attack it."

"Then the attack must be carried out by light aircraft. Transmit details of the squadrons stationed in the local area."

"Sir," although the man was only an honorary Captain, Gonzales' rank was still high enough to give him authority over a squadron Commander, which meant Canaan had to acknowledge his superiority no matter how outrageous his ideas might be. "With respect, that is impossible. With our numbers reduced so drastically, attacking a capital class battleship would be suicide. Most of the ships under my command have been sent to protect Saile and they're being hindered by light attack saucers. What hope would they have against something as big as a capital class ship?"

"I fought Daleks before, Commander. Follow my tactics and we'll succeed. First we'll gather your ships together. I'll take care of the saucers."

'He'll take care of the saucers?' Canaan thought to himself in exasperation. By the sound of it, it would be better for him to let this bounty hunter try to take on a Dalek saucer and get him removed from the picture as soon as possible, but that wouldn't be very becoming of an Arcadian officer. So, however reluctantly, Canaan tried to reason with the man.

"Sir, how do you intend to destroy at least two Dalek saucers with only ballistic weapons fire?"

"I've got more than just a bolt launcher on this ship. I have a warp star cannon charged and ready. An explosion like that is more than enough to crack a dalekanium shell."

Canaan blanched.

"You have a what! ?"

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The -Orion- was heading to Valua. The reassignment was the result of heavy damage to the prow of the dreadnought that left its moonstone cannon crippled and at risk of overloading if it fired. The ship as a whole had been badly weakened by the recent bombardment it had survived. With the fuel reduced after so many evasive manuveers and the armour plates melted or sagging loosely around the ribs of the vessel, their orders were to stay on the fringes of the battle over the capital city and focus of Daleks units rather than saucers. The gunboat urgently needed repairs, but under the circumstances there were no resources available. Every dock within reasonable distance was clogged with all kinds of ships that have suffered greater damage than theirs and needed maintenance if they were to remain airborne. Thus, high command had deemed to get maximum use out of the -Orion- by sending it back into combat.

"Can you believe this! ?" the platoon sniper slammed a purple moonstone into a hatch with unnecessary force. "First we get put through that insane battle, then that monster ship nearby blows us out of the sky, then we get told we still have to keep fighting, and now we're replaced and sent to do repair work!"

The usually introverted and quite trooper received a few murmurs of agreement. Having lost another soldier- another friend- during the last skirmish, the ship Captain had called in reserves to take over defending the mid deck and had sent the crippled platoon to help with the emergency repairs at the moonstone cannon. Sergeant Dayo secretly agreed with her soldiers, but if she was going to maintain discipline she couldn't let them know. This wasn't a normal case of disgruntled troops issued with an undesirable task; they were all stressed and on edge. As soldiers of Arcadia they were expected to defend the world against the Dalek invasion. Against an enemy they had little experience against. That lack of experience had cost the vast majority of the platoon their lives. With no time to mourn their friends they'd been forced straight into another battle, and another, and then another and so on till Dayo lost count of how many fights they'd been through. They'd only managed to survive without any more casualties because they'd chosen to hide as much as possible and use artillery and explosives to hold the Daleks back rather than take the fight to the invaders directly. They were clearly outmatched, and the last attack that nearly destroyed the frigate hadn't done anything to change that opinion. It hadn't been confirmed what it was that had attacked from within the murky fog, but they were all thinking the same thing- the 'Exterminator' flagship. What else could cause so much damage with glancing blows aimed blindly through a mist?

Taking a deep breath, Dayo walked over to the unhappy soldier. Not prepared to try using parade ground bark on those who only recently were friends of equal rank, she decided for a friendly approach, starting with laying a hand on their shoulder.

"I know it looks bad Maria," Dayo politely and graciously ignored the shoulder jerk that dislodged her hand "but the whole of Arcadia is at risk, and it's up to us to do something about it. This work sucks, but it best we can do at the moment, so let's just give it are all and try to do as much good as possible."

All she got for her trouble was a surly look from Maria. She was always a loner and generally unpleasant to most people, but Dayo could sense the rest of the platoon had similar feelings. They didn't think she was up to leading them. They blamed her for the disastrous battle where they'd taken the Daleks head on and had nearly all been killed. The hostility in the atmosphere was nearly as potent as the stench of ionised air, trademark of Dalek extermination rays

'They're just upset about what's happened.' Dayo reminded herself. 'They just want someone to blame. Just get through this and it'll all be over.'

The hastily appointed Sergeant turned back to place her troops, wondering what she could possibly say to try and lift their spirits. As her gaze fell on them she discovered they'd stop working and were looking out beyond the front of the frigate. As Dayo's mind turned away from her own thoughts and back to the present situation she realised what had drawn their attention.

From the sound of explosions and slipstreams they must have reached Valua, but over the sound of battle there was another noise. It was a simple roaring sound. A roar that seemed to come from everywhere at once, muffling all other noises. A single, steady, overwhelming note that had the female soldier feeling queasy. She turned to look at what the others were looking at, nearly falling as the volume of the noise and the vibrations created by it made her loose balance.

What she saw made her gasp out loud, though she couldn't hear it.

The -Orion- was hovering in the air at least four miles away from the Valuan capital. They had a fine view of the city, which would have been a tourist's treat on any other day. But today the city was burning, entire skyscrapers ablaze or crumbling. Some buildings had huge chunks smashed out of them, the wound in the structures clotted with rubble and fire. The air in the streets and above was shimmering in a heat haze from the lasers, probably choking to death anyone in the city who hadn't been killed in the initial attack. The battling vessels were concentrated above the outskirts of the city, the Dalek's pepper pot shells hopelessly outnumbering the 'Engager' and 'Assault' craft flown by the Arcadians. But the space directly above Valua was far from unoccupied. Above the city was a ship; a Dalek ship- the bronze Dalekanium was unmistakable.

It was an 'Exterminator'.

Dayo's mind clogged up as she tried and failed to take in the sheer magnitude of the Dalek flagship. It was beyond colossal. The disc swamped the atmosphere of Valua. The mass of the vessel dispersed the heavy storm clouds of the yellow moon continent with ease, but did the same job as those clouds by smothering the sunlight with its bulk. The roaring sound no doubt emanated from the ship, not from the incredible power of the engines but simply from the force of such a large object moving through the air. Particle rays just as awesome in size and power as the ship itself erupted from the lower hull and left craters in the city. Buildings were splintered and sent tumbling aside while white plasma fires rolled in waves through the streets. The impact of the Dalek ordnance sent ripples of pure force power greater than any repulser device the Arcadians had ever known across the cityscape, tearing apart vehicles and knocking down bridges. Additional explosions constantly blossomed from random locations as electric devices reacted to the super energized air particles and overloaded far beyond their capacity. It was as though hurricanes, tidal waves, earthquakes and electrical storms and been rolled into each other to create one massive, destructive entity, as though the Dalek 'Exterminator' was an avatar of nature itself, though clearly the flagship was a statement unto itself proclaiming the Daleks as beyond anything natural.

Overcome by the sight, Dayo staggered back a few steps, only to be unexpectedly caught by a pair of hands. Surprised by something as simple as physical contact while witnessing destruction at such an impossible degree, she snapped her head round in surprise and found that it was Maria the grumpy sniper who had caught her. But it only took one look at her face for the Sergeant to realise that it was out of fear, not friendly concern, that had the unsociable soldier clinging to her in a desperate search for comfort. Throughout the whole platoon, there were frightened looks plastered to people's faces, hands making signs of religious devotion. All of them were practically cowering at the sight of the enemy ship. The only structure any Arcadian had seen that came close to matching up to the size of the 'Exterminator' was the Soltis Bastille, and that was an immoveable fortification with less than half the number of weapons attached to this behemoth. The Dalek flagship just defied reason and turned the group of well trained and experienced troops into a rabble of gibbering fools.

Something began to boil and rise up from the pit of Dayo's stomach. To see her friends and allies reduced to such a state felt like a personal insult to her. One moment they turned on her because she was in a position of authority and responsibility against her will, the next they wilted into nothing, not caring what their officer thought of the display of cowardice. And all throughout the Daleks mercilessly ravaged Arcadia, laughing at those crushed beneath their jet black fenders.

Enough was enough.

Sergeant Dayo Walkers jerked her arm free of Maria's grip in the same manor the sniper had done just a moment ago and growled "Pull yourself together; all of you! You're soldiers aren't you?"

Maria looked at her in surprise, but that was the only reaction from her troops. Either they were too distracted by the devastation reeked by the 'Exterminator' or they hadn't even heard her over the deafening sound generated from the Dalek ship.

Dayo swore she felt something inside her snap as she bellowed at her platoon.

"I SAID PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER YOU LAND LOVING, NAVY DROPOUT EXCUSES FOR SOLDIERS!"

The Sergeant's voice carried over the surrounding noise despite being so muffled, and the insult drew everyone's attention immediately. Implying a lack of skill or experience in flying in an Arcadian was an offence with historical overtones and not used lightly. As intended, everyone was shocked out of their trance.

"YOU ARE SOLDIERS OF THE ARCADIAN MILITIA! YOU HAVE ALL TAKEN A SWORN OATH TO SERVE AND PROTECT ARCADIA FROM THREAT AND INJUSTICE, NOT TO PANIC AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THE ENEMY!"

It mattered not that Dayo's shouting was so quietened by the forces of nature that moved in compliance with the mighty Dalek ship. The remaining soldiers were clearly astounded at how loudly and fiercely her voice carried over the cacophony of devastation. Dayo, for her part, didn't feel relieved to vent her anger or pleased to strike a blow at the comrades who turned on her. She only felt her anger building, her rage becoming a wall against her confused and frightened thoughts- that purged her doubt and left nothing but the Sergeant who'd taken command of the remnants of her platoon.

"OUR SHIP HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO THE DEFENCE OF VALUA! THAT DALEK SHIP IS THEREFORE A PRIMARY TARGET! THE ONLY WEAPON WITH THE STRENGTH TO DAMAGE IT IS THE MOONSTONE CANNON! GET BACK TO WORK ON THOSE REPAIRS, AND BE READY FOR THE ORDERS TO ATTACK THAT FLAGSHIP! PLATOON, MOVE!"

There was a moment of silent stillness from the troops, uncertain whether to obey orders or restrain an unstable NCO. The decision was made when Dayo took a furious step towards Maria and gave her a look that was cold enough chill the Nasrian desert.

Lips moved with words of acknowledgement, but what they said was uttered softly and lost on the wind. The soldiers returned to their duties while Dayo use her whisper sensitive radio to contact the bridge.

"Captain Shogun, we need to attack that Dalek ship now. Request permission to override the moonstone cannon inhibiters and fire immediately, sir."

"Request denied." if the Captain of the ship was at all fazed by the 'Exterminator', his voice certainly wasn't letting on. "Tactical assessment is still underway. Stand by for orders."

"Sir," Dayo ground her teeth as she held her anger in check. There was nothing to be gained by blowing up at a superior officer. "If we don't attack now that ship will keep on attacking the city until there's nothing left. We have to draw it into battle now."

"The answer is no Sergeant. Valua is lost. The concern is now for the continent at large. I will not give the order to charge the moonstone cannon until a proper strategy has been devised. Proceed with your current orders and stand by."

The communications link was cut presumptuously by Dayo

'Valua is lost? I should be flattered that the old fool was so open to a grunt.'

At no point did it occur to Dayo that she should have more respect for Captain Shogun's opinion. Neither did she realise that her friends in her platoon may have simply suffered a moment of weakness in light of the current war and had allowed themselves to show their anger to first available source, that being the one giving out orders. She didn't consider that they were still the same people they had been before the battle. Nor did she think that her desire to attack the Daleks right away was a dangerous impulse born from frustration that should be ignored. All she could think of was her boiling rage that intensified as she looked back at the gutted city, the only buildings left standing being the ones on the outskirts, holding the fire and debris within like a cauldron of horrors. Dayo looked up at the 'Exterminator', the wicked witch stirring that cauldron and invoking doom and despair on its enemies. Even the lasers that flicked out from the body of the ship looked like magical blasts that ignited a plume of fire on contact with the surface of the earth. In her mind's eye, the Daleks took on the status of a mystical enemy to Dayo in the same way that humans of the ancient world would see a likeness of the devil in those accused of acts of evil atrocities. They were evil down to the core. Evil in nature. They had to be destroyed.

Dayo wouldn't let herself think otherwise. Maybe that was because there was one other thing she hadn't considered; hadn't dared thought of even once. The possibility that it would take nothing less than a miracle to save Arcadia from the Daleks.

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"You're sure it's him?" the Doctor spoke into Robo's comm. link.

"The ship has the same readings as a Time Lord ship. I compared them to your TARDIS radar frequency." Aki's voice held a hint of hope, but not excitement. "I've tried hailing him but there's no reply."

The Doctor frowned. It seemed likely that it was Gonzales who'd been spotted at the Isle of Saile, but with the current battle it wasn't possible to get an accurate report of what was going on there. But the last they'd seen of that Bowship was being surrounded by an overwhelming number of Daleks then disappearing off the scanners. It seemed strange that he should suddenly return and still be ready to jump straight back into battle. There was a small possibility that it was another Time Lord ship sent to observe or maybe even help with the war, but that was far less likely.

"Vice-Captain," Robo grunted down the transmitter "no matter if it is the Captain or not, you should head down into the Undercity where you'll be safer."

"If Gonzales isn't responding to me there might be a problem. I'm not leaving till I know what's happened to him."

"But the rest of the crew-"

"Know their duty. Our shuttle will be ready to fly out and help if Gonzales needs it. Until then they're staying in the dock."

"It's not fair to take that sort of risk with your men's lives." the Doctor butted in again. "Taking such a risk with your own is just stupid."

There was a moment of static that showed Aki's pause. Then she came back, undeniably insulted.

"Our crew has worked together for years, Doctor. We don't abandon each other; ever." for the first time, the Doctor heard a note of anger in Aki's voice, and decided it didn't suit her. "We're staying until the Captain returns."

"It's your choice," the Doctor shrugged as though she could see him "but I tell you now it'll end in tears. Believe me, I know. Never mind; do you have that data?"

Another static silence, along with a stony glare from Robo. The Doctor didn't want to sound so ruthless, but he couldn't afford to spend more time arguing to Aki about getting her and her bounty hunter crew to safety. He had to make this plan of his work or the skies of Arcadia would be overrun.

"Transmitting the locations of reef mounted gun emplacements now." the silvite replied. "And can you tell me what exactly you want that for?"

"Just a plan of mine." the Doctor said as he typed the coordinates into a console with access to the Bastille's flight repulser systems. "A plan to out manuveer and trap the Daleks. Just one thing we're missing."

"And that is...?" Robo asked.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the ceiling.

"Every trap needs bait. The TARDIS should do quite nicely." he said.

Then he pressed the button.

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"Alert! Alert! Time distortion detected. Source identified as TARDIS activation backwash."

"The Doctor is located! Alert! The Doctor is located!"

On the bridge of 'Exterminator point one' the Daleks were in a frenzy. They finally had proof that the Doctor was on Arcadia and had confirmed his whereabouts. Clever, the Designated Veteran Dalek thought to itself. The Doctor, though very dangerous, was not prone to violence. He no doubt thought the Daleks would never find him if he hid in a military HQ. But the Time Lord's arrogance had once again been his downfall. He'd finally tried to use the TARDIS and the Daleks had located him.

"Home in on the frequency. Confirm precise location of the TARDIS." it ordered.

"TARDIS frequency originates from the upper levels of the structure known as 'Soltis Bastille'." a pilot reported.

"Confirm the number of hostile craft between the 'Exterminator' and the Bastille."

"Light attack craft only. Eighty three have been identified as being within attack range. Strategic estimates suggest the Arcadian base will have approximately six dreadnaught class battleships and between fifty and one hundred-and-fifty light attack ships currently docked."

Several Daleks looked in the direction of the Dalek council member, wondering why it wanted information like that. Surely it wasn't thinking of going after the Doctor?

The Dalek pulsated inside its shell with glee. The Doctor was just within its grasp! All it needed to do was moved against the Soltis Bastille and crush their defences with impunity. The Extra Taxomic Control Executive's talk was ridiculous. The people this world were non-Dalek. That meant weak and feeble. The flagship had crushed everything it had come across so far, and there was little chance that would change anytime soon. Against the power of the Daleks, Arcadia's fate was certain.

"Reset the battle computers. Cease fire and rearm main weaponry. New primary target- Soltis Bastille."

The air on the bridge immediately became electrified as the Dalek crew took in the new orders. Orders in direct defiance of the fleet commander.

"This command registers as invalid." a command Dalek cautiously approached the platform where the Designated Veteran Dalek oversaw all ship activity. "The prime Dalek stratagem is to take control of urban population centres, then progress to military positions after assessing directly acquired reconnaissance reports."

"The current circumstances override the stratagem. The capture or extermination of the Doctor is vital. We will move to attack immediately."

"We do not have the necessary information to launch an attack of the main military base of Arcadia. Request re-evaluation of orders."

"The Daleks are more powerful than the people of Arcadia. Do you question this judgement?"

The Dalek paused, motors whirling slightly. It was a loaded question designed to invite disaster; nothing less should have been expected of a member of the Dalek council. Nevertheless, the command Dalek wasn't prepared to back down just yet.

"This countermands the orders of the Extra Taxomic Control Executive. We must defer to the authority of-"

The assault Dalek's ray gun angled towards the standard Dalek. Before anyone could react, a sky blue extermination ray fired down into the mechanical body of the Dalek. The mutant screamed inside its shell as the energy particles penetrated the bronze covering and literally cooked it alive in an instant. The arms on the front of the Dalek melted in the heat and the plunger liquefied, while the surface of the travel machine smouldered and blackened. The onboard power supply shorted out, and the deep blue Dalek eye turned black.

An intense silence took over the bridge.

"Recycle the casing." ordered the veteran. "Proceed to Soltis Bastille."

The orders were obeyed without question. Pilots worked the ship's controls while a Dalek drone used its remote interface to reactivate the dead Dalek machine. The underside sparked and spluttered as it trundled out the chamber.

The flagship was quickly underway. With the vast impeller engines they would reach the Bastille in a matter of minutes, while the pitiful non Dalek ships would be left trailing behind even at top speed. Besides, there was only a token force of dreadnaught ships at the city; they were the only ships that posed any real threat even though they had no chance against an 'Exterminator'. More than likely they'd stay at Valua to fight the saucers that would now be returning from the upper atmosphere to take the flagship's place. The huge vessel's best weapons would be facing the instillation when they arrived, making short work of the turrets and gun emplacements. Nothing could stop them now.

The Designated Veteran Dalek indulged in the pleasure it felt as it sensed the crew's fear of it. Dalek killing Dalek was no small thing. They knew now who the master of the ship was. The Designated Veteran Dalek always suffered from a sense of wounded pride as a result of its position. It was a low ranking Dalek, yet it had to report in person to the Dalek council, and the council made it very clear that the command Dalek was still only a command Dalek. It was in Dalek nature to accept the authority of superiors, but even a Dalek had enough emotion to get testy from being walked all over by high ranking units all the time. The Designated Veteran Dalek had a lot of pent up anger and resentment with no one to vent it on, and the chance to show its Dalek crew who held the power over them when the chief of the spy network wasn't around was very pleasing.

"Incoming transmission." a Dalek at the transmission console said. "Source- fleet command ship."

So, the Executive was calling to enforce its will? Not if it meant letting the Doctor slip from their grasp again, the veteran decided.

"Overlay local analysis reports over the transmission. Block incoming communication completely. There can be no distraction from our current task."

Even though their bodies were mechanical, all the Daleks on the bridge seemed to tense up. What the Designated Veteran had ordered meant a direct defiance of authority- treason!

"The transmission carries the identity code of the Extra Taxomic Control Executive Dalek." attempted the transmissions operator.

"There can be no distraction! Block incoming transmission."

"I obey." the Dalek said, before cutting the signal.

The Designated Veteran Dalek ignored the fear and uncertainty it sensed from the bridge crew. It wasn't afraid of the fleet commander. They were minutes away from bringing the Doctor in chains to Skaro itself. No member of the council would challenge the Dalek after that. The command Dalek's success would be recognised by the Emperor itself, and the Designated Veteran would be glorified beyond measure- maybe even promoted to a higher rank, replacing one of those Daleks on the council who'd spent too long away from the front lines of war.

The Dalek would have chuckled to itself if Daleks laughed. Such thoughts were so out of character for a member of the superior race- defiant and disrespectful. But what the council didn't know wouldn't hurt them. And granting power to the Dalek who was about to capture the Doctor as opposed to the one who wanted to wait and make plans could only be good. The combination of up-to-date combat experience and increased authority promised to make it one of the greatest Dalek leaders in existence. The Designated Veteran Dalek would triumph and its unorthodox opinions would prove themselves worthy of being of benefit to the Dalek cause.

"Encroaching on Soltis Bastille. Combat range will be achieved in twenty rels." someone called out.

"Lock and prime all weaponry and defensive systems. Reduce battle report update times." replied the veteran.

"Warning! Warning!" droned a deep voiced engineering Dalek. "Coolant and anti-matter relief systems have reached capacity. Recommend that total core output is reduced to sixty percent efficiency."

Of course, the power core of the ship had been churning out energy at maximum capacity for about an hour now. No expense had been spared for the destruction of Valua. The engines needed a chance to rest.

"Maintain battle level power output. Combat parameters will be to concentrate fire on enemy armaments to reduce energy shield strain. Dalek infiltration units to disembarking hatches."

The ship commander didn't bother looking for the crew's reaction this time. The core didn't need to power down, nor could they afford to power it down. Without the optimum power output, the attack on the HQ would be nothing but a futile gesture. The veteran Dalek looked at the view-screen that displayed the image of the Bastille. It looked similar to an 'Exterminator' except it wasn't as wide around the middle and was slightly thicker, plus of course it was battleship grey and didn't have any engine orbs. The shape was more similar to what humans called a burger- a form of mass produced, inefficient sustenance that was consumed mainly to provide a crude form of pleasure rather than actually nutrition. Wedged between the top and bottom of the naval base was a massive strip of hardened metal that encircled the circumference of the fortress, docking bay entrances jutting from it along with plenty of sensory equipment. On the peak of the citadel was a gleaming tower that rose skyward for nearly a hundred metres. Scans suggested it was built for appearances alone.

The armour was fairly thick, but the only energy defence it had was a static shield that was only effective against missiles and shells. The weapons were turning to confront the Dalek ship- a moonstone cannon, laser emitters and shell cannons. Pathetic! The moonstone cannon would be destroyed before it could cause any damage, and the laser guns and cannons were practically useless against dalekanium. The technology of Arcadia was as the Designated Veteran had thought- weak and unadvanced. They lagged behind the rest of the universe, and were little more than savages next to the Daleks. Even the laser emitters weren't of Arcadian design; they were Earth Empire imports. The only notable aspect of Arcadia's local brand of technology was its ability to affect base elements like wind and water. That trait had proved problematic to their ships defences which hadn't been able to automatically adapt to gunfire infused with such things. Dalek scientists would have to investigate that when the fleet returned, but destroying the guns before they had a chance to fire would do for now.

"Combat range with target obtained." a superior pilot Dalek called out.

"All weapons, open fire!"

The vessel shuddered as the particle cannons unleashed their terrible power. Huge plumes of blue lasers raced towards Soltis Bastille, exploding as soon as they hit their target. Antimatter tore out pieces of the floating fortress with ease. The white hot energy release melted deep through the i-steel plates and exposed the innards of the structure to the elements. After barely a minute of a concentrated fire, most of the weapons systems were left in ruins. Sporadic return fire peppered the hull of the 'Exterminator'. The lasers were diluted by the shields around the saucer, and the shells either detonated immediately upon launch or veered wildly off course as a result of the amount of heat conducted into the surface metal of the Bastille from the Dalek's attack. The moonstone cannon, which had borne the brunt of the assault, was a mangled, twisted stump of a gun, incapable of doing anything.

"Target has sustained intense surface damage." a Dalek moved towards the commander. "An estimated eighty eight percent of enemy defences have been destroyed."

"Decrease firing ratio. Despatch Dalek units for infiltration manuveers. The Doctor, the TARDIS, and superior military personnel are primary targets. Seek. Locate. Exterminate!"

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Against the Doctor's instructions, Robo continued to monitor the militia communication network, listening to the panic as the 'Exterminator' took out the surface defences of Soltis Bastille and individual Daleks began to flood the upper levels.

"Doctor..." the Judoon said.

"I know. Just wait." the Doctor replied stressfully.

The Doctor had completed whatever he was doing and was just standing there.

"They're invading Doctor. We have to do something now!"

"It still needs a minute- just wait."

"There's no time left! The Daleks are invading!"

"This plan will work! Any moment now!"

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The prime docking bay was in chaos. Daleks were spilling in from every point- the vast deployment doors, the maintenance hatches, the fire exits- the entire front half of the hanger was taken without a fight. The Daleks made use of their position, moving forward in waves or flying up to the rafters to take out snipers and send explosions raining down on enemy positions. A few ships tried to take off and escape but all were brought down and destroyed. Assault Daleks headed to the few dreadnoughts that were docked in the huge hanger, using their laser cutting claws to slice a way in through the hatches. Arcadians tried to form ranks to fight back, their efforts bolstered by neo-EMP projectors and the help of an air pirate- a huge, masked karturan known as 'Mad Racest' who carved open Daleks with his anti-matter claws in seconds. The Daleks were not put off by the defence. The simply used explosively strong extermination rays to force back the enemy. As the hanger staff and soldiers were pushed further back into the dock, Gonzales' and Aki's air pirate shuttle which was standing idle in the bay opened fire with its heavy ground support cannons, blowing away multitudes of bronze shells.

"Priority threat identified!" a command Dalek shrieked. "Dalek attack formation twenty-one!"

Flying Daleks immediately surrounded the ship, firing at it on strafing runs too fast to be shot down. It took less than a minute before the twisted remains of the shuttle were left scattered across the deck.

Aboard the 'Exterminator', the Designated Veteran Dalek watched with unrestrained glee as its Daleks flooded the Bastille while the mighty flagship went on ripping pieces out of the exterior. Still, messages from the orbiting command ship tried to penetrate the communication block they'd thrown up, but there was no danger of that happening any time soon.

"Request contact with ship commander." a senior Dalek in the Bastille transmitted onto the bridge.

"Report!" ordered the Veteran Dalek.

"Encountering minimal resistance. Estimated location of TARDIS confirmed. Proceeding to target."

"Excellent. Report as soon as the TARDIS is captured."

So close. Without the TARDIS, the Doctor was as good as powerless. They would take the TARDIS into the 'Exterminator' where the scientific researchers would unlock its secrets. They would find the hidden life force within and punish the machine as though it were no better than another inferior alien. They'd make it bleed and cry out in pain, and the Doctor would hear the agony of the TARDIS and find himself unable to doing anything as he shared its fate. Victory would be absolute.

"Scanner alert. Unidentified airborne object approaching from the west. Estimated course is towards the right hull of 'Exterminator point one'." a pilot said to the Designated Veteran.

"Most probable identity is an Arcadian gunboat. Confirm?"

"Negative. Chemical analysis reports that object is over fifty percent unprocessed local minerals"

Which basically meant a rock. How could that be? All of the planets ships were made from i-steel and plastic, and if the object was a meteor or a falling moonstone it would be coming from above. So what was it?

"Proximity alert from the right hull." said a pilot. "Immediate vicinity distance will be achieved in fifteen rels."

"Display." ordered the Designated Veteran Dalek. A view-screen instantly popped up in front of it, showing the view from the right side of the ship. There was no sign of any object, but then again, one of the tiny stone islands that carried automated turrets was blocking the view.

The commanding Dalek froze at it suddenly realised- there had been no small island anywhere near the Bastille or the ship. The island was the unknown object, and it was moving toward the 'Exterminator' at high speed.

"Alert!" someone cried out. "Imminent impact from unknown object! All units stabilise!"

As the rock approached, the sub-sonic shell cannon set up on the island swivelled to face the Dalek ship. The artificial intelligence of the gun didn't care that it was facing certain oblivion. Its only orders were to fire on vessels identified as being of Dalek origin. So that's what it did.

A pair of cannon shells loaded with red moonstones fired from the double barrelled artillery gun. One exploded when it touched the ship's energy shield. The other passed through the shield as its speed overrode the repelling force. The shell hit the 'Exterminator' with a colossal impact, leaving a dent. The bloody-red explosion was rather ineffectual against the self repairing Dalekanium, but the red moonstone injected pure super high temperature energy into the metal. The atoms, already heavily charged in order fix the damage, overloaded and frizzled up, preventing the wound in the ship from healing. The cannon loaded another pair of shells and was going to fire at the same point, but the Daleks took exception to the idea and sent a barrage of missiles spiralling onto the island surface. The mass of explosions and high velocity shrapnel destroyed the gun, but wasn't enough to completely destroy the island which ploughed straight through the energy shield and crashed into the side of the Dalek flagship.

The sight was akin to a stone being cast into a pool of water. The rock vanished from sight as it splintered into fragments. The body of the Dalek ship depressed where it had been struck, sending ripples along the surface of the armour. Small gouts of flame licked out from the hole in the dalekanium as devices and power couplings exploded. Debris dripped from the gap in the hull, slain Daleks among them, falling down to the storms below.

"Damage report!" demanded the leading assault Dalek.

"Hull breach on four levels. Three destroyed particle cannons. One destroyed missile battery. Estimated sixty six Dalek units destroyed. Shield projectors fluctuating- twenty two percent chance of overload hazard. Automated repair systems insufficient for extent of damage."

"More unidentified airborne objects on approach. Chemical analysis suggests objects are the same as the previous object."

"Reset targeting computers! Destroyed all objects on collision course with 'Exterminator point one'!"

Every gun on the Dalek ship turned to fire on the small islands that came flying at them. From every direction, every rock in Mid-ocean, whether it had automated cannons on it or not, was pelting towards the 'Exterminator' as fast as the laws of physics would allow. The cannons on the islands and the Dalek ship traded rounds with each other while they could. The Dalek lasers easily meted the automatic Arcadian guns, while the moonstone enhanced shells forced the skin of the capital ship to absorb a variety of elements which undermined its structural integrity and ruined all devices and scanners they met. Despite the strength of the laser fire, the islands headed towards the vessel without resistance. Far too heavily insulated for the shields to stop, the velorium rich earth impacted on the flagship with catastrophic results. Already exhausted armour crumpled under the collision pressure. Throughout the bridge of the Dalek ships, warning sirens blared in panic.

"Warning! Energy core is reaching maximum output capacity! Coolant systems insufficient for current output levels! Overload immanent!"

The Designated Veteran Dalek glared at the pilot in incomprehensive fury. This was the Doctor's doing. How had he managed such a thing as directed flying islands? He would suffer for this!

"Withdraw the 'Exterminator'! Return to the continent!" the command Dalek roared.

The crew responded without delay. The engines were quickly powered up and the ship began to move back towards Valua. As the ship moved and the mobile islands started to miss the 'Exterminator', the Designated Veteran gave the command and the shields were reduced by fifty percent.

Well they had to reduce the power output somehow, and they needed weapons to destroy the automatic guns on the passing islands. It was just lucky there was only a minimal risk of enemy gunfire at this time.

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'What did you do, Doctor?' Gonzales asked as he used the Bowship senses to watch the islands flying past.

'Repulser technology on this planet is based on the way velorium in the floating islands repels the planet's gravity and pushes earth and rocks into the upper atmosphere.' the Doctor explained, his voice being translated into the air pirate's head till they were like old memories resurfacing. 'I made a slight recalibration of the repulser engines on the Bastille so that the polarity mimicked that of velorium and projected the repulser wavelengths via the Bastille's planet wide traffic monitoring system to the coordinates of all the uninhabitable islands in order to drag the them towards the Bastille, using well time repulser pulses to throw then of course at the last moment and send them heading towards the Dalek ship. Rather ingenious, don't you think?'

It took a moment before Gonzales could line up the details in his head and understand exactly what the Doctor had done, and though he'd never admit it to the Time Lord directly, it was ingenious. No battleship in the universe that had defences designed to repel flying islands. Even mining ships or asteroid trawlers would have difficulty with the kind of projectiles the Doctor was throwing at them. And the Daleks, in their arrogance, only ever made battleships.

'The ship is heading back to Valua. Do you think you can knock it out of the sky before it gets there?'

'No. I can't direct the islands any further than beyond the vicinity of Soltis.' the Doctor's voice sounded hard in Gonzales' head, inadvertently awakening grim emotions in the bounty hunter. 'It's going to have to be shot down.'

So, the Doctor was open to the idea of violence when the occasion called for it. That was something, except that he wasn't the one doing the fighting.

'Leave it to me Doctor.' Gonzales thought. 'I'm coming up alongside the ship now.'

'No Gonzales. Your Bowship doesn't have the strength to destroy a capital class. I can used these systems to aim any nearby moonstone cannons at-'

'Those cannons will be useless at such a range. This job requires a 'personal' touch.'

'Gonzales, don't even think-'

Gonzales terminated the link. The Doctor wasn't going to tell him what to do. He reached out with the senses of the ship to find his makeshift squadron. The ships scanners acted exactly like enhanced extensions of his own senses- he saw the very contours of the surrounding ships down to the finest detail, easily heard the distinct whine of each individual engine, tasted the frigid air that blasted past, smelt the exhaust fumes of the nearby fighters, and felt their slipstreams as the ships adopted a tight formation around his shuttle.

'Commander, do you hear me?' Gonzales transmitted to the pearl white 'Engager' at the head of the force. The thoughts in his head were scrambled and difficult to focus on. The Bowships recovery hadn't been absolute, and communications had been one of the things that he was having trouble with. Long range communications were completely ruined; the Doctor had been speaking to him via Time Lord telepathy that was compatible with the ship and was capable of enhancing the Doctor's own ability. He'd have to discuss the details of the ships unexpected revival with the Doctor when the battle was over.

'Yes sir. Your orders?' Commander Li's thoughts came into his head, undeniably more respectful after seeing the Bowship trounce the Dalek saucers over the Isle of Saile. The signal was scrambled, but just discernible.

'The Dalek capital ship is just up ahead. Prepare for an Abandon Formation. We're going to shoot it down.'

'Are you sure, sir?' the pilot's voice came back slightly nervous. 'We were only assigned to cause minor damage to the surface of the target. We don't have the sort of firepower needed to destroy it.'

'The ship is badly crippled from its last battle. If we concentrate our fire at the right points we can take it down.'

'But if we adopt an Abandon formation, the bombers-'

'The risk is acceptable.' Gonzales interrupted. 'I'll stay with them; you lead the attack.'

A clipped 'Yes sir,' was all that followed the Captain's orders. Facing the 'Exterminator' was a massive risk with such small ships, but he was determined to succeed. He had to fight for Arcadia. It was home, but more than just home- it was a legend, a world of astounding beauty and glory and enlightened and skilful people. Arcadia was more than just a wonderful world.

It was nothing short of a paradise.

'Incoming Dalek units!' one of the other pilots cried out. Ahead of them, the terrible Dalek 'Exterminator' homed into view from behind the cloud cover. Its massive bronze form blazed like fire in the blindingly clear sunlight of Mid Ocean. Dead ahead, at least fifty Daleks were souring towards them, so close their blue eyes could be see dancing in the air, forming their own constellation.

'Move into formation!' Gonzales commanded. 'Fighter class ships form up behind Commander Li! Bomber class ships, behind me!'

The ships of the Arcadian navy moved with both speed and precision. Canaan Li charged forward while the 'Engagers' spread out behind and increased their speed drastically. The 'Assaulters' formed a similar, wider spread pattern and zoomed after them, considerably slower. The air pirate Captain's rag tag force consisted of seventeen fighters and eleven bombers. A questionably small squadron for taking on fifty Daleks, but with superior speed and skill, it was gonna be close.

The fighters leading the charge literally blasted their way through the Daleks, almost flying in a straight line as the mass of travel machines simply wove directly into the path of their guns. Twenty five or twenty six Daleks were destroyed in the attack, while only one 'Engager' went down- a sunny yellow ship (the colour of Cape Claudia) whose guns had jammed and ended up flying head long into a Dalek, cockpit first.

What remained of the Daleks were left scattered in the wake of the fighters as they headed off to take courtesy shots at the 'Exterminator', probing it for weaknesses. The Daleks looked as though they might follow but the approaching 'Assaulter' ships quickly had their dome heads turning. Not wanting to lose the advantage of the confusion wreaked by the fighters, the rest of Gonzales' squadron flew through the Dalek group as fast and erratically as possible. Daleks veered aside as the chunky bombers nearly hit them. The 'Assaulters' carried no weapons designed for light ship combat, so speed was of the essence. That didn't stop Gonzales, who fired his bolt launcher with glee, lancing eight Daleks as he did.

As the flight group cleared the Daleks, the bronze suited mutants turned and gave chase. Gonzales moved to the back of the squadron, trying to use his move heavily defended shuttle to draw fire away from the others. Above and below the gradually approaching Dalek flagship, the 'Engagers' buzzed about like wasps, stinging the massive battleship repeatedly with their kinetic energy pulses. The extent of the damage caused by the Doctor was clear. Fiery maws gaped open on the side of the ship, spitting smoke and flame in unison. Lumps of rock and i-steel jutted from the hull, and strings of electricity flared across the ships surface. All the engines were still functional, but many were torn open in places and leaking irradiated ore and fumes into the atmosphere.

Ripe for destruction.

Extermination rays began to stream around the Bowship and into the backs of the fleeing bombers. Again, Gonzales was forced to endured ghostly pains as some shots torched the back of his vessel and fed their destructive power into his mind. Gonzales felt himself chill with an inexplicable fear of the potential consequences of meddling with this Time Lord technology. He'd experienced he sensations of psychic integration control before, but this was on an entirely new level. It was so intense; so... real. He remembered seeing patients suffering from the results of such a connection with their combat vehicles and their minds- patients whose bodies had been mangled and damaged beyond the ability to sustain life, while the minds of those people were alive in the computers, wondering why they couldn't disconnect themselves from the machines. Other patients had been left in comas after the 'heads' of the extension-warsuits were blown off, while others couldn't get used to using their legs again after having mentally directed wheels and tank tracks for so long.

Pushing aside the distracting fear, Gonzales reached into the mechanics of his ship with his mind, willing it to once again slide itself around the normality of the space/time continuum in order to pull off another eye widening special manuveer.

The Bowship quickly flipped round so it was flying backwards. Gonzales poured his rage into the gun controls as bolts of steel ejected from the void of the cannon barrel and into the Daleks. He managed to bag five without missing once before he had to spin the ship round again or risk stalling. As always the Daleks were difficult to put off, and they kept on coming.

With no ships lost, the bombers reached the 'Exterminator'. The risk rose to accommodate the stakes that were involved as Dalek anti-aircraft fire began to splutter from the ship. The 'Assaulters' dodged around the extermination rays, green instead of blue signifying their specific frequency. Flying over the top half of the flagship, the heavy attack vessels turned to face the dalekanium plating and let fly their missiles. The explosive rounds were pretty small for attacking capital class ships, but with the automated repair ability disabled and the hull integrity compromised, the rockets left quite a bit of damage. Gonzales continued to follow behind the Arcadians, braving the fires of the attack as he flew low to target the anti-aircraft guns, his steel bolts penetrating the ball-jointed lasers with ease. They flew over the command sphere of the ship, Daleks still in pursuit.

The bounty hunter saw at least two bombers get blown up. Four men dead. No time to mourn them.

Two more 'Assaulters' made a point of firing a pair of missiles each at a large particle weapon, successfully rendering it unusable. Gonzales checked the scanner readouts on the HUD in his mind. The 'Exterminator' was suffering. It was so close to experiencing a major power failure. It just needed a shove.

As the ships came to the edge of the 'Exterminator', a huge circular engine rolled into their path. Most of them managed to dodge it. One 'Assaulter' was caught off guard and was knocked out of the air and into a nearby flight stabiliser. Gonzales watched as the engine came across his path, gaze drawn to the enticing hole in the side.

The dart shaped Bowship rolled sideways on, strafing the globe, cannon aimed at the cracked open armour. Gonzales switched weaponry, and activated the trigger. Something that looked like a shooting star burst from the barrel of the shuttle. Gonzales righted the ship and hit the afterburner, desperate to get clear of the warp star detonation radius.

The ball of fire sunk deep into the gap where a chunk of island had smashed through. Having burned as deep as it would go, the shell around the warpfold conjugation cracked open and provoked the time frozen reaction.

It was not so much an explosion as a source of heat and light expanding to a specific size and giving of a sound like a merrily roaring fire. At least that's how it was a first. Soon enough, the mega high temperature reacted with the immediate oxygen and the fuel in the engine. It took a second and a half at the most.

The explosion that followed nearly sent Gonzales hurtling off into the distance. With intense effort he controlled his ship as it bucked and shuddered on inevitable reaction of the blast. The entire engine had gone up and broken open the side of the 'Exterminator'. The other impellor engines halted for a moment with jerky movements. Across the flagship were mini detonations that cut chunks out of the ships panels.

'Think we hit something important?' Gonzales radioed the nearest 'Assaulter' officer- Marshal Gregorius Von Brandt.

'I certainly do, sir.' the pilot of the -Blitz Bolt- replied.

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"System overload detected!" screamed a Dalek. "Energy shields have overloaded! All shield projectors have detonated!"

"Impossible!" the command Dalek shouted back.

"Impellor engine three has been destroyed. Power flow disrupted. Energy core fluctuating."

"NO!" the Veteran Dalek roared. It couldn't believe what was happening. 'Exterminator point one' was facing a genuine threat of destruction. It had been rammed by islands, fired upon by heavy cannons, and now it had received its most crushing blow so far from a shuttle sized ship. It was an outrage, and it was all the Designated Veteran's fault. Transmissions had stopped coming through from the orbiting Dalek command ship. Either the communications array had been shot off, or the Extra Taxomic Control Executive had given up on the flagship and had decided to quietly watch as it was blown to pieces.

No; that wasn't going to happen. The Designated Veteran Dalek resolved to get the 'Exterminator' back to Valua in one piece. Despite the damage caused by the unknown ship, it was still only one ship, and the squadron attacking could only cause so much damage. They still have a chance if they could get back to the continent that was now overrun by fast attack and troop carrier saucers.

"Power down the defence systems. Reduce weapons system energy input to minimal. Reduce core output to fifty percent. Deploy more units to provide an escort."

The orders were obeyed without a reply. The veteran Dalek watched them as they altered the ships activities. They could still make it. There was no weapon or vessel nearby that had the strength to cause any fatal damage to the battleship.

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Lower down in the atmosphere, the -Orion- lurked in the thick black clouds that stood as the prelude to the storms and heavy pressure of deep sky. They weren't far down enough that it was unsafe for the crew to remain on deck, so Sergeant Dayo Walkers and her platoon were still at their posts. After the frigate had nearly been burnt up by the uncontained backwash of its own moonstone cannon, the ship was deemed unsafe for battle, and had left the continuing violence over the doomed Valua to observe the movements of the 'Exterminator'. Even riding the ship on the repulser wavelengths, which for some reason had been heavily disrupted, it had taken a long time to try and catch up with the capital ship, only successful because it had suddenly come back their way. The flagship was badly damaged and looked as though at least one of its engines had been blown up.

Dayo stood with one leg lifted up to rest on an open engine hatch, standing stock still as though she were a statue that had been mounted there. Like the others she wore her goggles to protect her eyes, but she hadn't bothered with her mouth guard and frostbite was blistering her face. She didn't let it bother her.

She watched the Dalek ship as it pulled away from the Mid Ocean area toward the north, seeming ignorant of the monstrous groaning that came from the approaching 'Exterminator' now that it was close again. The stress of the current circumstances had left the woman nearly unhinged, and all she could think about was destroying the invading enemy before her. Her breath was no longer a stuttering intake but a long, clear breath that entered through her mouth and exited through her navel without complication. The crisis had perhaps awakened a sleeping survival instinct within her; a dormant ability left over from the days when the only way to survive on Arcadia was to be constantly ready to spring into action to grab hold of whatever opportunity that might present itself. Just like the air pirates of old, Dayo waited, gazing upon her prey, the concealing mist nonexistent in her mind, silently watching for the prime moment to strike.

"Enemy trajectory confirmed. That Dalek ship is heading back to Valua." Captain Shogun announced over a general frequency to the whole ship. "More frigates are on the way to join the attack. The capital ship has taken extensive damage and they've been forced to shut down their shields and automated armour. This is the best opportunity to destroy that ship. Since our ships moonstone cannon is unstable and likely to cause further damage, the -Orion- will act in a support role to fight the Dalek units escorting that ship. All hands make ready for close quarter combat."

Dayo grimaced at that. Not being able to strike at that retched ship that had ripped so mercilessly into the Valuan city she known since her childhood rankled her. But she couldn't say anything. If the Captain thought she was too excitable or unstable he might remove her from duty, denying her the chance to fight altogether. She couldn't allow that. She had to fight the Daleks- had to kill them. And since she was still the ranking officer with access to the moonstone cannon override, she didn't want get moved from her current position.

So, for the moment, Dayo waited.

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Aki ignored the madness around her, not even flinching when something on the roof exploded and showered her in sparks. She had access to two communication links. One was trying to get through to Captain Gonzales, but still there was no answer. Maybe there was something wrong with his ships transmitter. Maybe the Bastilles transmission fields had been disrupted. Maybe something worse. She wouldn't get to safety until she knew. The main operating room was running with only a skeleton crew. Alert klaxons blared as the invading Daleks fought their way down through the flying fortress, one level at a time. The sounds of battle and dying soldiers and Daleks alike were audible now. Still, Aki would not leave.

On the communication link, the Doctor and Robo were talking frantically to her.

"Vice-Captain, I'm coming back up to the operations room." Robo insisted.

"No, Robo. Stay with the Doctor. You'll be more helpful there than with me."

"I have a duty to ensure your safety. If you won't get to safety, I must be there to protect you."

"Stay with the Doctor, Robo. That's an order."

Instead of the Judoon's voice that replied, the Doctor's bland tone came at her from the receiver.

"Maybe Gonzales isn't as cold hearted as he likes to pretend. I'm thinking he's probably given Robo orders to make sure you're all right. He's just gone now."

Aki huffed beneath her burqa. She had a feeling the Doctor was absolutely right. Even she had trouble predicting her Captain's behaviour sometimes, but the Doctor read him like a book. As if he had any right to. After all they'd been through, she was the only one with the right to know her Captain so well.

"Aki, I need to know what sort of situation we're facing. How is the battle going?"

The silvite forced down her wounded pride and looked at a nearby monitor.

"The 'Exterminator' is heading right for Valua. The whole continent is overrun. If they get there, Arcadia won't have the strength to go in after it, giving the Daleks time to carry out repairs."

"Tell the Brigadier he has to send more frigates after it. This could be the only window of opportunity to stop that weapon."

"The Brigadier is too busy keeping the rest of this place running. The Daleks are taking all the upper levels of Soltis and they'll be here any moment."

"A perimeter will need to be set up to stop them. You have got to get out of there now, Aki."

"No." the pale skinned girl felt her pride return in a rush of indignant anger. "I have a duty to perform, and I will do it. I'm not going anywhere until I know what has happened to my Captain."

"Aki," the Doctor's voice sounded strained and tired now "if the Daleks get there they'll kill you. Neither you nor Robo will-"

"I don't need advice from you, Doctor." Aki's voice reached a shrill pitch as she snatched up the communicator, thumb twitching over the deactivation stud. "My crew and I have fought many terrible creatures, including the Daleks. I'm not going to just turn and run. This is something I have to do- for myself, Gonzales, and the whole of Arcadia. This is my home world; I am going to fight to protect it, and I'm not afraid to do so."

"Aki, please listen to me. You can't fight that number of Daleks. If you fight, you die. I don't want you to get hurt Aki, and I know Gonzales doesn't either. Just trust me and get yourself to safety."

"Sorry Doctor, but I have a job to do."

With that, the bounty hunter turned off the comm. device and with a whisper of magical words, sliced the machine in half with a silver knife that came out of no where. She had no desire to hear him ordering her to save herself while her people and her Captain were dying to save the world. She had to keep on fighting, in any way she could, for Gonzales' sake, because she knew he'd never give up.

There was a frantic panic from the doorway as a depleted platoon fought a fighting retreat into the operation room. Operators looked up in fearful curiosity, knowing the Daleks must be close by. Aki's all concealing clothing gave no indication of what she was feeling. In truth she felt no fear, only apprehension. She wanted to do the sensible thing, that being to get away from the compromised level and help throw up a defence to stop the Daleks advancing. But she couldn't go; not with Gonzales and the 'Exterminator' still out there. She would stay until she'd done all she could.

Again, she tried to raise the air pirate leader on his communicated, refusing to give as the message failed to get through again, while the Daleks began their advance on the operations room in earnest.

-D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D

Chaos.

Such chaos.

There was fire across the deck of gunboat -Orion-.

Gales whipped at those still alive.

Gunboat –Indus- plunged into the abyss. And the - Galaxian -. And the –Leo II-. And the –Pegasus-.

The Dalek ship was so powerful, despite being so damaged.

Even the mighty –Auriga- had been forced to withdraw.

The 'Exterminator' proved too strong. The dreadnaughts weren't designed for such fearsome combat.

The scene of battle was a kaleidoscope of nightmares, each one rolling into the next.

"This is Captain Shogun of gunboat -Orion-." the ship master radioed to anyone who might be listening. "The counter attack against the capital class Dalek ship has failed. The entire retaliatory force asides from –Auriga- have been destroyed. Our ship has sustained critical damage. We're hiding in the lower skies cloud cover but we're right in the path of the ship. We need support if we're to escape."

There was no answer.

-Orion- lay in the thick clouds. Its prow pointed up towards the approaching 'Exterminator' after having reversed from it so quickly in order to escape the massacre.

Dayo clung to a jagged piece of plating that jutted from a gap where an explosion had taken place. Her platoon was lost, the ones she could see either dead or dying. The whole ship had been ravaged.

She looked up at the bronze warship that sailed towards them. Still, she felt no fear, only apprehension; eagerness to deliver a blow against her tormentors. As she looked, her traumatised mind overlaid her vision with images provoked by the sight of something so symbolically Dalek. Ghosts of the former platoon officers; the rightful Sergeant and Lieutenant. All those soldiers she lost in less than five battles; people who were no longer her friends but statistics that she was responsible for. Valua, burning to nothing along with the hundreds of years of history it represented. The city she spent most of her adult life in, and where her battalion had been stationed. Everything that had significance to the young soldier was fading into memories before very eyes, leaving only the Daleks.

Boiling hatred was surging through Dayo's veins. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to react; to fight and destroy the metal shelled demons that had been sent from hell to torment Arcadia. Or maybe it wasn't Arcadia they were after. Caught smack in the middle of all this, was it impossible to believe that she was somehow at the heart of it all? But the Daleks had failed. She had waited and bided her time, and now her chance had come- the flagship was drifting straight towards her, and was directly ahead of the ships prow. They'd destroyed the others, but hadn't seen her ship. They'd made a dangerous gamble going back into battle with such damage, and now the heart of the ship was in her direct line of fire

Dayo fought her way to her feet, tremors from the frigate making their way up her legs. The wounds in -Orion- were still belching arid smoke and flame. The roar of the 'Exterminator' was like a tsunami, washing out all other noise and pressing down on the Sergeant as a whole blanket of sound, the sonic pressure adding to the forces that battered her already bruised and worn body. Still, she tackled the resistance as she made her way back to the engine hatches she'd only so recently been charged with responsibility for.

Reaching the main hatch, Dayo checked the position of the enemy ship. It was still in the way of the pointed blade of the gunboat. She typed in her override code and shut off the safety mechanism.

As she swapped several power coils around, a message came through her communicator. It sounded like Captain Shogun on the bridge, but the thunderous moan of the 'Exterminator' penetrated even the sealed earpiece, so she couldn't clearly make it out. More than likely the Captain was telling her to stop what she was doing as the ship would be destroyed. What did he know? Couldn't he see this was their chance to destroy their enemies? Who cared for the consequences if they managed to shoot that monster down?

Dayo finished her work. There were a few sparks from mechanics as power links were unexpectedly severed- pilots on the bridge trying to get in her way in order to prolong their lives a little at the cost of victory. They were fools, but it didn't matter. The damage and confusion had given her ample opportunity for rerouting the system so that it lasted long enough for her purposes.

Dayo pulled the correct lever, and the moonstone accelerators began to charge. Dayo gripped the manual discharge plunger, glaring at the Dalek battleship as though she might be able to cause it more damage by pouring her will to see it destroyed into the dreadnaughts main weapon. She allowed herself a moment to wonder if she regretted her fate. Maybe yesterday she would have, before all this had happened. But today she was a soldier, doing her duty for her home world. Just like the air pirates of legend, she was putting herself out for the overall good of her community. She had no regret.

The alarm sounded. The canon was charged. Sergeant Walkers depressed the plunger handle.

The glare of laser energy lasted for only four seconds. The power filters burnt out, and the energy recoil spilled onto the surface of the ship. The hyper charged engine only took a moment to detonate. The inside of the -Orion- exploded, killing everyone left on board.

Their deaths, however, were not in vain. The energy beam with its pinkish hue travelled along its course and struck the underside of the giant, gleaming ship. Had the defences still been active, the capital ship may have endured. Without them, the moonstone beam ate through the metal of the central dome and the revolving section. The destructive force clipped one of the engines, resulting in an erupting fireball which, combined with the damage from by the already decimated engine, caused the revolving body of the vessel to fracture and rip away from the dome in the middle. Molten metal and slag poured by the gallon from the broken points. More explosions took place both within and without the ship. The 'Exterminator' began to fall, emergency jets bursting forth from the underside to try and save the stricken ship, only causing more damage as the power flow caused more overloads in the system.

On the bridge of the vessel, the Designated Veteran Dalek cried out orders to try and save the ship, but it was a hopeless cause. What remained of the safety and emergency systems soon kicked in, shutting of the power core to prevent further damage. With the loss of the Z-neutrino heart of the ship, the 'Exterminator' went into complete shutdown, defying all attempts to restart the engines. The colossal Dalek craft sank gently through the sky, until it pieced the dark clouds of deep sky and began to drift out of sight forever. A few nearby saucers and Daleks saw their chance and moved to pass through the gap in the vicious storms created by their dead capital ship. The opportunity quickly vanished as the relief force sent to stop the 'Exterminator' ran across the path of the advancing Daleks, instantly upsetting their formations and catching them in a cross fire.

Soon enough, the Daleks at Valua stopped sending out saucers to attack nearby targets and began to dig in on the irradiated continent. The momentum of their assault had been stolen by the destruction of the 'Exterminator'.

The first battle for Arcadia was over.

-D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D

"Yes!" the Doctor cried out as his computer reported the news he'd been waiting to hear. He turned to share his joviality with Robo, only just remembering that the ex-police officer was on his way to the upper levels to protect his Vice-Captain. The thought of that reminded the Doctor that the battle was far from over, and he still had tasks to complete.

He looked at another part of the monitor, showing the room where the TARDIS was located, and showing plenty of Daleks moving towards it.

"Oh dear," the Doctor said absently to himself "something will have to be done about that."

The Doctor tapped a few keys on the computer, and then casually strode to the door.

-D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D

The door to the storage room collapsed as red hot sludgy gunk under the force of a Dalek ray. The Daleks stormed into the room with what could only be described as glee. The TARDIS may have shut down again, but its position had been marked the moment it had revealed itself.

"The TARDIS has been located!" said the senior Dalek of the group- not an actual command Dalek, just a general standard unit superior. That would all change after this, though. Taking the TARDIS back to Skaro in the name of the Dalek cause was a triumph unsurpassed by any other. Personal recognition and glory for the Daleks as a whole was guaranteed.

"Apply temporal prison. Render the TARDIS powerless." it ordered. The Daleks parted and a blue and silver scientific research Dalek drifted forward to oversee the task.

As the travel machines spread out to do the deed, a high pitched whine descended upon the room. The lead Dalek looked around in confusion.

"What is that sound?" it demanded.

"Huon energy wavelengths detected." said the science Dalek. "Energy confirmed as a component of Time Lord technology."

Upon hearing this, the ranking Dalek looked back towards the TARDIS to see if there was any sign that the time/space machine was at the heart of the intruding wavelengths. There was just enough time to see the TARDIS as a pillar of loosely connected spots before it disintegrated and vanished from view.

A surprised silence settled on the room, until-

"Where is the TARDIS! ?" howled the leader. No one answered, the other Daleks looking around in equal confusion.

"Find it! Find the TARDIS!"

-D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D

The TARDIS rematerialised outside the engine room, on top of the Silvite Huon teleporter the Doctor had acquired from the nearby display case.

"Good work, old girl," the Doctor said as he slapped the side of his wooden box affectionately.

"Won't put you in danger like that again. Promise."

-D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D -D

There were a few ragged cheers from what was left of the team of strategists in the main control room of Soltis Bastille. Even Aki allowed herself a small smile which was concealed by her veil. They were all exhausted and tense from their time trying to make sense of the insane battle, and the defeat of the huge battleship couldn't have come at a better time.

"We've done all we can here. All personnel evacuate the control room!" Brigadier Holm cried out, clearly at the end of his tether.

The Operators and Clerks obeyed at once, springing to their feet and grabbing whatever they could get their hands on.

Aki reluctantly climbed to her feet, picking up her leather bound journal as she did. There was nothing left she could do to help; no advice she could give, no spell to cast. And if the Daleks were allowed to overrun the level, she'd never find Gonzales again. She knew it would be agony to wait in the lower levels, which weren't as well used and were poorly maintained. Trying to find out if the Bowship docked in any of the tiny lower level ports would be all but impossible, and long range communicators and tactical computers would be restricted to official military use only. Down there, it could be hours, maybe even days before she found out if her Captain was dead or alive. But she'd have less chance if she continued to sit there trying to raise his comm. link with a Dalek breathing down her neck. She'd have to chance it.

She turned right to head towards the emergency exit, and was instantly thrown on her back as the door to her left was blown away, along with most of the wall. Aki quickly got back up again to investigate, finding herself confronted with a massive Dalek advance into the control room. The din of battle made its way from the areas beyond the destroyed wall, proving that the Arcadians weren't out of the fight yet. But at the moment, Aki was far more concerned with the battle she had on her hands right here and now.

An Arcadian soldier came sprinting around a cubicle wall to try and hold off the attackers. He merely turned the corner, and then his head was enveloped in the tri-claws of an assault Dalek. The claws closed instantly, mincing the man's had without effort. The mutant in the shell then turned to survey the room, before barking out its orders.

"Exterminate all battle coordinators! Exterminate!"

The others followed the orders of the senior Dalek, sliding forward and opening fire. The room was instantly a buzz of screaming energy beams, the walls highlighted in a deceptively calm blue. People went running as beams of death began striking office walls and staff members. Screams and flashes of light from the impacts increased the madness that reigned over the room. Some tried fighting back, among them the Brigadier with a traditional blue moonstone flintlock and the Sontaron Hul firing his laser rifle with reckless abandon. The Dalek attack didn't slow down, despite a few units taking fatal wounds while several more backed up screaming "Vision impaired!" after their eyes were hit.

Aki vacated the control dais and called over to the Daleks as she moved between them and the retreating Arcadians.

"Cease you attack, Daleks!" her voice moved steadily across the room with a strength and determination she rarely allowed people to see in her. "You can't hope to take the entire Bastille with so few of you. You are cut off and outnumbered- leave immediately."

"Circumstances insufficient to provoke tactical withdrawal." replied the leading assault Dalek. "Argument invalid; press the attack. Exterminate!"

The attack continued. Having become the main target, Aki found gunsticks aimed straight at her.

"Moons," Aki murmured in a deep tone, holding out and cupping her hands that filled with liquid silver bought on by the use of silver magic.

"Give me strength!" Aki held her hands out to the side as the Daleks fired "Dome of light- deploy!"

Instantly, a hemisphere of pale blue and white encircled Aki. The barrier deflected extermination rays and sent them pinging into the surrounding fixtures. The Daleks moved further into the room still firing, but the shielded bounty hunter took the gunfire without complaint, allowing the others to make their way out safely.

Aki's power didn't merely extend to defence. She held her arm above her head and what looked like a shard of icicle shaped glass appeared in her hand. Flicking her hand, she hurled the shard like a transparent spear and it pierced the shell of one of the Daleks. The spear made no mark on the travel machine, and when it was exactly halfway through and sticking out the back of the Dalek, it stopped moving. The mutant inside howled as the power of the silver moon energy worked its influence on the creature. The Dalek expired, and the light from the eyestalk went out.

Two Daleks flew up in the air to try and attack the escaping strategists. Aki quickly shot them down with more spears. She began to back away, still fighting, but the shield and spears she was conjuring were running out of power, no longer as vivid as before, becoming more see-through.

The assault Dalek leading the attack moved to the front of the attack force.

"Unidentified energy wavelength reducing in potency. Primary target is weakening."

In response, Aki threw another spear into the Dalek. The spear entered the shell then disappeared, failing to have an effect. Aki's power had all but run out.

"Maximum firepower! Exterminate!"

A powerful Dalek laser shot from the assault Dalek's gunstick and into the dome of light. The defensive wall shattered and the beam hit Aki.

The woman screamed out loud, her slim body thrown into sharp relief by the putrid green x-rays of the blast. The energy dissipated and she fell to floor, just time for Robo to come charging into the room to aid her.

"NO!" he yelled in fury as he watched his Vice-Captain fall. Pulling out his beam rifle, the Judoon dodged a laser and retaliated against the assault Dalek, firing directly into its eyestalk and killing it stone dead.