Gorrob's long stride resulted in a rapid pace. The group covered the distance between the caves and the village much more quickly than the Doctor and Tegan had. Tegan rode in relative comfort. Gorrob's steps were jarring on occasion as he trod over uneven ground, but he never held her too tightly. Shortly after beginning the journey, he had told her to pull his cloak over her, so she was protected somewhat from the chill. She still felt cold, sore, and tired, but anxiety kept her alert.
When they reached the village, Gorrob took her to the public house. A fire glowed warmly in the large hearth. Gorrob set Tegan on one of the benches near the fireplace, then he told the men to put the ore back in his house. The serving woman stood tentatively in the hallway until Gorrob commanded her to bring hot drinks and food. She disappeared immediately.
Tegan wanted to reproach Gorrob for his behavior toward the woman, and she opened her mouth to do so. However, she stopped herself before speaking. She was at this man's mercy until the Doctor came for her. Much as she abhorred the man's attitude, she could not afford to arouse his wrath.
The woman brought two steaming clay containers, handing the first to Gorrob and the second to Tegan. Gorrob yanked the mug from her hand without acknowledgment. Tegan, however, took the cup and offered a sincere "thank you." The woman placed a round of bread on the table as well.
Tegan took a sip of the hot liquid. It contained a good deal of alcohol. She knew that she needed to keep a clear head, so she permitted herself only a few small sips. These did warm her considerably, though.
Gorrob drank his beverage in noisy slurps then demanded more. Tegan forced herself to ignore the man as much as possible. She ate a few bites of the bread, but it felt dry and coarse in her mouth. After a short time, several other men entered the building. Gorrob remained by Tegan's side and told the men to sit elsewhere. At least the leader was keeping his word to protect her from the others.
He could not, however, shield her from their licentious glances. Their eyes ran over her bare knees, exposed beneath the cape. She felt them watching her often, and she grew more uncomfortable as the minutes wore on. Finally she spoke to Gorrob.
"Is there someplace that I can lie down?" she asked.
He looked at her, at first surprised that she had spoken to him. "What?"
"I'm really tired. Do you mind if I go into the back and lie down?"
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "So you can escape like before?"
Tegan sighed. "I'm not going to do that. I just want to rest."
He stood, towering over her. "Come."
He took a candle and walked toward the doorway; she followed him into the hall. He gestured toward an open door. She noticed that there was a heavy wooden bar on the outside. As she walked into the room, she said, "I'm not going to leave, but suit yourself," as she nodded at the bar.
She heard it drop into place the moment Gorrob had closed the door behind her.
Tegan set the candle on the small table then eased herself down onto the bed. Her ribs and feet were throbbing, and she was utterly exhausted. The bed was the softest thing she had felt in many hours; the simple pillow was so inviting. Putting her feet up would certainly be a welcome relief. She swung her legs up onto the bed then settled her back against the pillow. Her head sagged against the wall. Despite her best intentions, within a minute Tegan had fallen asleep.
-----------------
When the TARDIS came into view against the bleak landscape, the Doctor quickened his pace, running the last few hundred yards toward the blue box. He opened the door and stepped inside.
"Doctor! It's about time you're back," said Turlough, who stood near the console.
With barely a glance at his young companion, the Doctor asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yes. But where have you been? Where's Tegan?"
"She's at the village, where we've both been, among other places. I'll explain it all later. Right now I must run a scan." He punched at his control board as he spoke.
"A scan of what?" asked Turlough.
"Of other ships in the area." His fingers moved quickly over the keys.
"Other ships? What other ships? I thought this was a primitive planet."
"It seems that we aren't the only visitors here, and I'm afraid that the others have only the worst intentions." He looked up at one of the screens, his brow crinkling as his eyes skimmed the small figures. "Yes, there it is."
"What? There what is?"
"The Pnoruelean ship. It's hovering about five kilometers above the surface on the east side of the planet." He tapped at more keys then studied another screen. "An elemental scan shows heavy concentrations of molybdenum on the ship. That's good -- it means that they're carrying the weapon with them."
"The weapon? Doctor, please tell me what you're talking about."
The Doctor spoke quickly. "A weapon that the Pnorueleans plan to use to destroy this planet. They can't complete it, however, until they retrieve a quantity of molybdenitic ore from the village. So we must take that ore away from here to prevent them from getting it."
Turlough tried to follow this summary, filling in the missing information as well as he could. "But what's to stop them from obtaining molybdenum from another source and coming back later once the weapon's complete?"
"Tegan asked me the same thing. I hope that a candid conversation with the Pnoruelean ruling council will prevent an attack-- unless..." He paused; Turlough could see that he was considering options rapidly. "Unless I can think of another way to stop them."
"And can you?"
"I'm not sure; I'll certainly try. But first we must get to the village to retrieve Tegan and the ore." The Doctor began programming coordinates into the console.
"But Doctor," Turlough reminded him, "the TARDIS can't go anywhere until you grease the cylinders, and you haven't brought any molybdenite with you."
"Quite true, Turlough. I hope the old girl can make one more very short journey, but hang on. This may be a rough one."
He punched the final key, and the TARDIS jerked abruptly, sending both men sprawling across the floor despite their efforts to grab onto the console. The TARDIS continued to shake and lurch.
"When will we stabilize?" Turlough shouted over the noise.
"A more accurate question," returned the Doctor, "might be, 'will we?'"
----------------
Vandak had trudged toward the village for some time. His head ached, and he cursed aloud repeatedly each time he thought of the woman attacking him. If she had not, he would have killed Gorrob and taken the leadership position from him. Once Gorrob was dead, the other men would accept his action and realize that he was right to use the knife.
They could not exile him from the village. He would not accede to that. He would take his rightful place as leader still. He would show them that Gorrob had been a fool to believe the story told by the man called Dock Turr.
He had watched the men return to the village. He had seen that Gorrob carried the woman. The other man, the fair-haired liar, had gone in a different direction. After he claimed his rightful status, Gorrob assured himself, he would find the lying thief and kill him, too.
As he approached the village, Vandak walked more slowly and cautiously. He knew that the men would attack him if they saw him. He would have to slay Gorrob first; then the men would accept his authority. This meant, however, that he would need to enter the village unseen. He crept toward the wall near the back of the compound then hauled himself upward with his hands. He hovered just above the wall, looking about. He saw smoke rising from the chimney at the public house. Gorrob's home issued no smoke. This meant that the leader was at the public house. He could see, too, that one of the back rooms was softly illuminated by candlelight. These rooms were only used when men took women to them or when visitors came to the village.
Scanning the rest of the village, Vandak noted that smoke arose from the house where the women slept. This meant that they were not with the men. The woman -- the one he would take then kill -- must then be in the lit room. Gorrob might be with her. He would be able to kill the leader first then do as he pleased with her.
Vandak climbed over the wall, falling heavily to the ground. There was no one about to see him; most of the residents were working at repairing the stable. He skulked from home to home, moving closer to the public house with each step. A grin spread over his rough face as he envisioned the woman and precisely what he would do to her. She would suffer at his hand; by the time he killed her, she would welcome death. She would see, finally, that he was her master.
----------------
The TARDIS gave one final, wrenching shudder. Turlough held his breath; he believed for a moment that the intricate machine would fail to stabilize, and he knew that such an event would bode poorly for its passengers.
However, after several seconds Turlough found that they rested solidly on the ground. Through the window he saw roughly constructed homes. They had, apparently, reached the village.
"Ah, we've arrived!" said the Doctor.
Turlough stepped toward the door, but the Doctor stopped him. "You should stay here. The atmosphere in the village is no different from the rest of the planet. I'll be back soon."
"Is there anything I can do to help from here?" asked Turlough.
"Close the door behind me," replied the Doctor, leaving the TARDIS without further comment.
The TARDIS had materialized near the gate. The Doctor walked quickly toward the public house and strode through the door. Gorrob sat at one of the tables with several other men around him. Tegan was nowhere in sight.
"Where is she?" asked the Doctor, anger building quickly.
Gorrob turned to look at him. "You came."
"I said I would, and I keep my word. Now where is Tegan?"
Gorrob cocked his head toward the hallway. "She's back there. She asked to rest. She hasn't been hurt. I gave you my word, too."
"Pardon me if I need to see for myself," said the Doctor sharply. He walked to the hallway and quickly found the barred door. He lifted the bar and stepped inside the room.
Tegan lay upon the bed, lit softly by the candle. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared tranquil.
"Tegan?" the Doctor said, stepping toward her.
She did not stir. He rested his fingers against her wrist and watched her chest for a moment. She was deeply asleep but appeared unharmed. While he was anxious to return her to the safety of the TARDIS, the Doctor saw no need to disturb her. She appeared comfortable; resting until he had the ore loaded would benefit her.
After arranging the cloak so that it covered her warmly, he returned to the common room.
Gorrob said again, "I kept my word."
"Yes, you did," replied the Doctor. "Now let's get that ore into my ship."
Gorrob nodded to the men. They rose and followed him out toward his house. Once inside, they began taking armloads of ore from the bedroom. The Doctor led them to the TARDIS and opened the door.
"Turlough!" he called, stepping partially inside.
The red-headed young man stood near the door. The Doctor handed him several large pieces of ore, saying, "Put these in the containers of solution that I prepared earlier."
Turlough nodded. "Where's Tegan?" he asked, taking a chunk of rock.
"I'll bring her soon."
The Doctor transferred each piece of ore to the TARDIS. He did not permit the men to enter; the interior of the TARDIS would prove much too overwhelming to them. They appeared content to hand him the ore.
Hidden behind a house some distance away, Vandak had watched the men work for several minutes. He had seen them come from Gorrob's house; he knew that the public house was empty -- except for the woman. This was his ideal chance. No one would even hear her struggle. After he had dealt with her, he would kill Gorrob.
He stole behind homes until he stood near the public house. He listened; all was quiet inside. Of course the serving woman would be in there, but she would not dare question or stop him. He slipped in through the back door and stood in the hall. Immediately he saw the closed door. With a widening grin he walked down the hall and opened the door.
The woman lay upon the bed with her eyes shut. He rubbed a hand over the lump on his head and flexed the fingers of his hand. His grin had twisted into a sneer, and the noise that leapt from his throat sounded much like a growl.
The woman stirred, and he stepped forward to clap his hand over her mouth, hard.
Tegan's eyes shot open. She felt tremendous pressure on her mouth; something was pushing against her face, causing the cut on her lip to pound. In an instant she saw Vandak looming only inches away from her. She lifted her hands to pummel his shoulders, but he pinned them with his elbows.
"Fighting won't do you any good," he snarled.
Tegan opened her mouth as far as she could; she tasted dirt and sweat against her lips. Her tongue darted out, tickling Vandak's palm. His hand twitched back, and she sank her teeth into his skin. He ripped the hand out of her mouth and locked it around her throat.
"The more you hurt me, the more I hurt you," he said. "And I already plan to make you feel more pain than you've ever known."
His fingers and thumb clamped her neck; she found it difficult to breathe. She knew that with a twist of his wrist he could break her neck. She tried to cry out, but only a squeak came from her mouth. Vandak's grip prevented her from making any noise.
His other hand moved over her body, roughly groping at her. When she felt his fingers touch her thigh, she jerked and tried to twist her legs away. But the fear and utter vulnerability she had experienced the day before, when he had brought her to this building the first time, flooded through her again, crippling her. She was defeated; Vandak had won.