Beatrice walked into the Doctor's laboratory. The Master had dropped her off about two weeks ago not that this worried Beatrice too much. Although she had made him swear not to go off and leave her for good. She remembered how panicked she had felt when he tried to send her away. Foolish man. Nobel wasn't a good look on him.
There was a wheezing sound and the TARDIS appeared in a corner of the room. The door of the police box opened and Jo stepped out.
"Beatrice!" the blond said, smiling as she hugged her.
"Hello Jo, been off on some adventures?" Beatrice asked.
"Oh yes, we just came back from being trapped in this thing called a bioscope. It was quite the experience."
"Well, I'm glad to see you again. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS.
"Hello Beatrice, I assume you've been keeping busy while we've been away." Beatrice felt herself blush slightly knowing what he was implying.
"Well, yes. I suppose you could put it that way," she said with a small smile.
The door to the lab opened and Sargent Benton stepped inside.
"Ah, Doctor! The Brigadier wants to see you about some paperwork. He asked me to come and find you.
"Yes, well, tell the Brigadier I'll be along in a minute." Benton nodded and left.
"Beatrice, Jo, what do suppose we just take a brief trip in the TARDIS?" he suggested already heading back into the police box.
"You mean to avoid the Brigadier?" asked Beatrice with a smirk as she and Jo followed him.
"Quite."
"I'm not sure," said Beatrice. Knowing the Doctor they could end up anywhere.
"Come on Bea!" said Jo. Beatrice smiled at her friend's enthusiasm.
"Alright."
"Fantastic!" said the Doctor as he closed the doors and pulled a lever on the console which caused the centre cylinder to move up and down as they dematerialized. A few seconds after they had left the TARDIS shook causing both Jo and Beatrice to grab the console to keep their balance.
"What's happening Doctor?" asked Jo as the man in question quickly moved around the console pressing buttons and glancing at the monitor on which there appeared a large grey spaceship"
"It looks like we're on course to crash into it," said the Doctor as the TARDIS gave another shake.
"What?" said Beatrice in slight alarm. She saw Jo close her eyes in fear of the potential impact as the TARDIS continued to try and throw them about. And then it stopped.
"There, we've landed." said the Doctor opening the door. Jo quickly hurried out while Beatrice and the Doctor followed at a slower pace. Jo gave a huff as she turned to the Doctor.
"I'm never going in that ship again." she said.
"Come now, be reasonable Jo," said the Doctor. Beatrice rolled her eyes.
"Only you could have a traffic accident in space."
"Well, we didn't hit it did we?" said the Doctor defensively.
"Where are we?" asked Jo.
"Well, by a rather brilliant last-minute course correction, I've managed to materialise the Tardis inside the spaceship. But to avoid hitting it, I've had to make a random jump back into normal space."
"Terrific, but what do we do now?" asked Beatrice.
"Well, if I'm going to get us back to Earth, I'd better find out where we are. I'll just go and check the instruments." he walked back into the TARDIS and Beatrice and Jo began to examine the area around them. They seem to have landed in some sort of cargo hold. there were a set of steps that lead to a railed walkway. Along the walkway, there were several containers.
"Hmm, they're carrying bulk flour," said Jo as she read one of the labels
Beatrice walked over to a porthole and sees another spaceship nearby. Suddenly there was a blinding flash accompanied by a piercing noise. Jo looked shocked by the ship, although why Beatrice wasn't sure.
"Doctor?" called Jo. The Doctor walked back out carrying a notebook.
"Well, I think I know where we are," he said. "And I've got a pretty good idea about when."
"Come and take a look at this," said Beatrice. The Doctor walked over
"Look at what?"
"That," said Jo pointing at the ship outside.
"Well, it's just a space ship. You know, I reckon we must be somewhere in the twenty-sixth century. Well, interstellar travel's pretty routine by now." The Doctor sounded unconcerned.
"A moment ago, it seemed to change shape," explained Jo.
"What?" asked Beatrice. The Doctor's brow furrowed.
"It was when I heard that noise. Didn't you hear it?" asked Jo.
"I heard the noise but nothing happened," said Beatrice.
"I did hear something, but very faintly. Come on, Jo. Let's go and find the crew. I want to find the exact date for my calculations."
"Doctor, it's coming straight at us!" said Jo in panic. Beatrice saw she was right the ship outside was coming towards the ship they were on.
"What?" said the Doctor sharply. He took a look outside. "Well, that's interesting. They must be going to do a link-up."
"What for?" asked Jo.
"Well, the two ships are joined together by a sort of tunnel, you see, with two airlocks. Well, then they equalise the pressure allowing the crew to move from one ship to the other without using spacesuits. Well, otherwise they'd have to get all kitted up and do a spacewalk."
"Clever," said Beatrice, impressed by the design.
"Fascinating, but let's get back to the TARDIS," said Jo.
"Look, Jo, don't worry. We'll be on our way soon. Now let's go and take look at the ship's calendar." said the Doctor patting Jo's shoulder.
"Let's hope we don't run into any trouble," said Beatrice though she knew that just as with the Master, trouble tended to find the Doctor quite easily.
The Doctor walked ahead of them. Beatrice paused to tighten the laces on her boot. There was a shout and Jo hurried around the corner. Beatrice followed quickly. She saw a man in a dark yellow uniform holding a gun and staring at the Doctor in fear. Jo had her face buried in the Doctor's shoulder.
"A Dreshig!" she said. Beatrice was confused about what the fuss was about.
"Nonsense, it's simply a man with a gun," said the Doctor. Jo calmed down.
"Don't try anything" said the guard.
"Very well, take us to your Captain." said the Doctor. The man continued to point the gun at them as he marched them through the corridors and into what appeared to be a control room where a man dressed in similar garb, Beatrice assumed he was the Captain, was talking to a scaly humanoid with a conical head via some sort of monitor.
"I found these two Dragons in the hold," said the guard who had found them.
"But that's impossible. They're only just locking on" replied the other man.
"Doctor, what's happening? What's going on?" asked Jo.
"That's what I want to know," added Beatrice.
"I'm not sure. Something rather intriguing," the Doctor replied.
"If you resist, we can destroy you with our neutronic weapons," said the figure on the screen.
"If you destroy our ship, you won't get the cargo," replied the Captain
"Oh, so that's what it's all about," said the Doctor
"Open the hatch to your airlock or we shall enter your ship by force," the alien on the screen ordered.
"We refuse," replied the Captain.
"They can blow us to pieces!" said the guard with the gun.
"I've sent a message to Earth asking for help," the Captain told him.
"Tell them about the prisoners," encouraged the guard.
"We have captured two of your soldiers. They will not survive if you enter our ship." the Captain turned back to the guard. "Lock them in the hold." The guard nudged the Doctor's arm with the tip of his gun.
"Move! Get moving!"
"Keep your hair on, we're going," muttered Beatrice. They were led to a small metal room with a bench on the wall.
"Listen..." began the Doctor.
"In!" said the guard and the Doctor entered behind Beatrice and Jo. The door slammed shut and was bolted.
"Doctor, what's happening on this ship? Are they both mad or am I? First I see a Drashig and..." Jo paused when the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver. "No, you can put that away. Bolts. And why do they keep calling us Dragons?" The Doctor took a seat next to Jo and Beatrice.
"Well, that's the way they see us, I suppose."
"Yes, but why Dragons?" asked Beatrice in confusion. She was fairly certain nobody in their right mind would confuse a human being, or in the Doctor's case humanoid, with a dragon.
"It's got to be some non-human life form. Something that they're frightened of. Dragons. Dragons. Yes, of course, Draconians."
"Draconians? Isn't draconian a term meaning excessively severe or harsh?"
"That's the definition of the word as you humans use it. But, if this is the period that I think it is, there are two great empires spreading their way through the galaxy of the Milky Way.
"Empires? You mean like Solos?" suggested Jo.
"Those were the declining years of Earth's planetary empire. This is just the beginning. Now Earth and Draconia are both been expanding, you see. Colonising one planet after another, and they're sitting on a powder keg."
"One match and that powder keg explodes meaning intergalactic war, I presume?" asked Beatrice in a worried tone. If they were in the middle of a potential war then things did not look good for them.
"Correct," said the Doctor.
"Yes, but why do they mistake us for these Dragons?" asked Jo.
"No, Draconians. No, Dragons is rather an unflattering nickname. Well, you remember that sound you both heard?"
"Yes," said Jo while Beatrice nodded.
"And the man that you saw with the gun?"
"Oh no, what I saw was a Drashig!" insisted Jo. Beatrice raised an eyebrow wondering what on earth a Drashig was.
"No, you didn't, Jo. That sound made you see what you fear most."
"How? And why didn't it work on you and me?" asked Beatrice
"Well, it shouldn't be too difficult. Ultrasonics geared to stimulate the fear centres of the brain, something like that. At least on susceptible minds. I suspect your's Beatrice might have some, shall we say...added protection." Beatrice guessed he was referring to the Master conditioning her mind against mental invasion.
"How long does it last? How long before they see that we're just people?" asked Jo.
"Well, difficult to say. It seems to act as a sort of post-hypnotic command. It'll fade eventually, of course."
"Why should anybody go to all this trouble to make people see things?" asked Beatrice standing up. A small part of her mind wondered if the Master might be involved given the hypnosis aspect.
"Why indeed?" agreed the Doctor.
"Well, we've got to get out of here somehow," said Jo.
"I'm sure we'll find a way out," said Beatrice. A part of her mind wondered if it was healthy that she was getting used to being locked up after all her adventures with the Master.
The Doctor was fiddling with his sonic screwdriver.
"There we go." he said.
"Doctor, what are you doing?" asked Beatrice.
"I'm reversing the polarity of my ultrasonic screwdriver's power source, thereby converting it into an extremely powerful electromagnet."
"Oh. What good will that do?" asked Jo hopefully.
"You wait and see, Jo." The Doctor pointed the screwdriver out of the door grill. There was a scraping sound.
"Is it working?" asked Jo. Beatrice smiled at the Doctor's ingenuity.
"Yes, I think so." the Doctor said. The scraping sound stopped.
"Well, that wasn't too difficult," said Beatrice.
"Indeed," the Doctor. He opened the door only to be faced with the guard from earlier.
"Oh, how embarrassing. Good afternoon," the Doctor politely said as he made to close the door again. The guard stopped the door and pointed his gun at them.
"Out!" he ordered.
"That's just where we were going," said Jo in a slightly sarcastic tone. Beatrice wondered if her own sarcasm was rubbing off on the younger woman.
"We're going to meet your friends," the guard said sharply.
"Unless the Brigadier and company suddenly became space pirates I doubt friends is the proper term," muttered Beatrice to Jo who gave a small smile despite the seriousness of the situation.
They were marched back to the corridor where they had been first apprehended. The cargo bay door had sparks and smoke coming from it as something attempted to force it open. The captain stood with his gun pointing at it. The guard pushed the three of them to the front like human shields.
"Get in front! If your friends start shooting, they'll get you first." order the guard.
"But they're not our friends!" insisted Jo.
"As we've been telling you since we got here!" added Beatrice. She had a feeling the three of them were going to be denying this accusation quite a few more times before this adventure was over. At the moment though her worry levels were spiking. She positioned herself slightly in front of Jo.
"You are part of their boarding party," insisted the Captain.
"Well, they haven't boarded yet. They're still breaking through that door. Now, try and be logical man," said the Doctor who despite the rather tense situation sounded exasperated.
"They're coming through!" said the guard in panic. The broke down and several large hairy creatures that looked a bit like humanoid gorillas with guns entered. One of them shot the guard who collapsed.
"Ogrons!" cried Jo as the creatures began entering the ship, aiming their guns at the four humans and the Timelord.
Author's Note: There we are. Part One of Frontier in Space. It looks from the script like these next chapters are going to be a bit longer than usual so I may try and do some time skips. Please like and COMMENT. Your notes are always great motivation to continue with the story so let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading. Until next time Whovians!