3. Trelim's Crew.
"We're going to Alphon Three," Trelim announces. "We're going to visit an old ex-friend of mine."
Trelim appears to have a score to settle, unfortunately. He presses many keys to program the journey.
Meran groans and resolves not to carry grudges, but to forgive. He knows that people will think much more highly of him if he's big enough to forgive.
"Why do you say ex-friend?" Meran enquires gently. "How did you fall out?"
This is a much broader question than simply asking whether he fell out. Meran's hoping for much more information. Maybe things can be put right?
"His name is Rombux," Trelim replies. "He asked me to get a Tardis for him, knowing I would have nothing more to do with the Master!" He almost spits out the last phrase. It seems his dislike for the Master far exceeds anything he might feel about Rombux.
"And then what happened?" Meran decides he should listen to the whole story before delving in and trying to put something half-right.
"I got him a Tardis, and he just gave it straight to the Master!" Trelim snaps. "I got nothing for my troubles!"
So many things appear to be wrong. Such a tangled web! But it seems some wrong was done here (ref. 37).
Should Meran help Trelim? If so, how much? Many things may be wrong here! More than meets the eye!
Trelim pulls the disintegration lever, and the familiar quiet zizzing sound is heard.
Meran's tempted to pass this off as not having travelled. Maybe he can fool Trelim and gain an advantage?
"We've gone nowhere," he tries to tell Trelim.
Alyssa looks across at him reproachfully. Surely they've moved, however smoothly. Even she's heard the zizzing noise now.
Trelim looks at him. "We've moved!" he announces irritably.
It seems Trelim has heard the zizzing before from this Tardis and knows they've travelled... and now he's irritated.
Meran groans inwardly. It seems he can't get away with much here.
"You're both coming with me!" Trelim tells them.
This appears to be right now, as Trelim walks purposefully towards the door.
The sun is shining on Alphon Three as they emerge from their Tardis. Trelim sets off along a small path down the middle of an overgrown alleyway.
Meran glances back to see their Tardis melding with the background. Will they be able to find it again? he worries.
He notes a few nearby objects, mostly discarded junk from some nearby dwelling, before running to catch up with the other two.
The sides of the alleyway appear to be tall fencing until closer inspection finds the fence is frequently one edge of a shack, evidenced by there being more nails protruding just there and the fence palings being closer together.
They quickly arrive at Rombux's place, just another ramshackle hut by the alleyway. A sharp knock brings a large, middle-aged man of stocky build to the door.
"Ah, Trelim," Rombux starts to say in surprise.
"I've come for recompense for delivering a Tardis to you. You never paid me for it!"
Rombux views the companions of Trelim with disdain. He's still unlikely to part with anything after the way Trelim left on his last visit!
"Nothing due!" he says casually with a smile.
This infuriates Trelim. "I've come for payment, and I've brought some of my crew!"
"Both of them?" Rombux taunts. He has an idea that Trelim is unlikely to have much of a crew! .
"You knew I would have nothing more to do with the Master!" Trelim rants, "Yet you asked me for a Tardis and gave it straight to him!" This is the thing that aggrieves Trelim the most.
Meran's listening and trying to piece together what happened in case he can try to mediate. A long time ago, he had a short course on mediation and used it once to good effect; unexpectedly negotiating with Sontarans, securing their co-operation. But others had said his success was just coincidence! (Ref. 19.)
Meran steps forwards. "Did the Master pay anything to you for it?"
Rombux laughs. "Of course not! What a rogue! You wouldn't expect to get anything from him!"
Meran considers his own experience of the Master (ref. 23). "True, but why did you ask Trelim to get one?"
Rombux becomes more serious and sighs. "The Master tricked me!"
"So, you've both been tricked by the Master?" Meran tries to mediate.
"Hah!" Rombux says. "Some crew you've got! So supportive!" he jibes.
Trelim rounds on Meran. "You must keep your mouth shut!" he cautions Meran.
"Only trying to help," Meran counters. He doesn't like Trelim and every encounter confirms his feelings.
As they return towards the Tardis, Meran walks beside Alyssa to convey the start of a plan he's hatching.
"Can you run with me the last few hundred metres so we might beat Trelim back to the Tardis?"
This appeals to Alyssa, she likes the idea of playing a running game with Meran and so easily consents.
Meran sees the few objects he recalls by the side of the alleyway in the distance.
He glances across at Alyssa. "Ready to run?"
"Alright."
"Go!" Meran says quietly so as not to alert Trelim before he has to.
They race past Trelim, arrive at the Tardis and go in. Meran has a last look back. Trelim can't run, he's too unfit!
Now Meran completes his plan. He simply closes the Tardis door. Surely, it won't open for Trelim!
Meran knows that once the Tardis door closes they are on Internal Tardis Time and for his next plan to work properly, he must take Alyssa away from the Tardis Console.
Quickly he diverts Alyssa. "Can we go to the kitchen to make a cuppa? Race you!"
She easily goes along with Meran.
They're on Internal Tardis Time, so they have a while before Trelim gets near the door!
In many TV episodes the Tardis arrives, and they step out of the door almost immediately; yet it takes time for them to walk from the Console and arrive near the door.
In the Tardis kitchen, Meran retrieves some mugs from a cupboard and fills the kettle, placing it on the work surface in the heating area, where he's previously been shown.
"Could you just watch the kettle for a moment, please?" This should keep Alyssa busy briefly.
Meran darts back to the Console room and approaches the Console. The Console monitor shows Trelim still approaching the Tardis.
Pressing the Voice Control button he gives the Tardis his first ever request. He's watched others instruct the Tardis before and desperately hopes this will work.
"Tinsel, please."
Following a short zizzing sound this Tardis always makes when travelling, the Console monitor shows a demolished building, almost destroyed by a wind that must have passed through the immediate region. A few trees lie flattened here, too. He can see all the way to the horizon where familiar-looking Tinsel mountain ranges are visible. A few recognisable pieces of Alyssa's home lie strewn about. Something awful has happened here. Meran's shaken.
Is this really Tinsel?
"Confirm location," Meran asks the Tardis desperately.
Tinsel is confirmed, as is the date! Only two weeks after he had left Tinsel with Alyssa!
Meran's shocked.
The flattened house they're near is definitely Alyssa's house.
What has happened?
What should he tell Alyssa?
A tear forms in his eye as he contemplates the destruction. He wonders where she will go.
Meran decides he must return to the kitchen where he finds Alyssa sitting enjoying her cuppa, waiting for her Uncle Meran.
She pushes a cuppa towards him; he takes it and sits down, still contemplating.
Alyssa notices he's quiet. "What's happened?" she asks.
What can Meran say? Alyssa has nowhere to go home to. Just why, he doesn't know.
Alyssa notices his delay. "Please tell me," she says gently, hoping he will open up and tell her.
"I moved the Tardis. We left Trelim behind."
"Okay," Alyssa says slowly. She can understand Meran wanting to leave Trelim behind; she'd also wanted to do that... But Trelim had his uses.
Then she's indignant. "So, we're lost in space, we've no idea how to drive this thing, and you just kicked our only pilot off this heap!" .
Oops!
Meran feels he can't take much more. So many things have gone wrong for him and for others today. He really doesn't want Alyssa shouting at him any longer.
Desperately, he wants to avoid revealing the destruction on Tinsel; at least not just now.
"I want to see if I can get us to a planet," Alyssa says suddenly but determinedly. It takes Meran a while to recognise a problem here. Alyssa gets up and heads for the Control Room; Meran follows.
The Console monitor is still showing the title Tinsel along with the date quite clearly as Alyssa and Meran arrive in the Console room.
Alyssa pauses while she takes in the situation. Meran stares in horror as he recognises that he left everything just as it was when he discovered the horrific situation on Tinsel.
Then Alyssa screams. A loud primal scream that Meran had dreaded. But then the onslaught!
"Am I to believe what this screen says? Are we looking at Tinsel? My home?"
But then floods of tears come, and Meran's able to put a comforting arm around her.
"But why? Why was it destroyed?"
"We don't know yet, but we'll find out!" Meran has no idea how but feels this will go some way to calming Alyssa.
Yet Meran has an idea that the Master was behind this devastation.
How will this revelation that she's lost her home affect Alyssa?
What will they do next? How can they do much at all?