CHAPTER 16

THE LORD EMPEROR

"Doctor, how can you be so sure the Master will try to steal the Great Seal?" King Terran asked as they made their way through the Royal Palace. "The very idea is…is…"

"Unthinkable?" the Doctor suggested helpfully. "The Master is quite capable of doing the unthinkable, your Majesty, I assure you. He'll do anything for power. And, as you say, the Great Seal is power."

"Doctor, without the Great Seal," Jason said worriedly, "the entire Empire could be thrown into chaos."

"All the better for the Master," the Doctor replied darkly.

As they were passing an enormous room, the Time Lord came to an abrupt halt. It was filled with boxes, crates, statuary and mounds of packing material. It took a moment for him to take in everything before asking, "What is all this, Majesty?"

"Coronation gifts," Terran said with a sigh. "There are six more rooms just like this one."

The Doctor turned to his royal companions. "An excellent place to hide a deadly gift, wouldn't you say?"

"I would indeed, Doctor," a familiar voice purred from across the room.

The Doctor whirled around, seeing the Master and Colonel Payne standing just inside the opposite door. It was obvious they were astonished to see Jason alive, a reaction the Doctor made particular note of, glancing pointedly over to him. "Ye-es. We know all about your latest little toy," he said tauntingly.

"Do you now?" the Master replied coolly. "But not, I think, the purpose for which I created it. That, my dear Doctor, shall remain my secret."

"Yes. But for how long?"

The Master grinned and wagged an admonishing finger, "Oh, Doctor, that is unworthy of you. You'll learn everything in due course of time." His voice hardened as he added, "And just before I destroy you."

The Doctor remained unruffled. Now that he was close to unraveling his enemy's scheme, he knew the Master's enormous ego would demand his presence at its culmination. "I wouldn't be so sure of myself, if I were you," he remarked blandly. "You don't have the most reliable of assistants."

"Let me kill him now," Payne snarled. He took an angry step forward, drawing his gun. The Master instantly stopped his progress. "No!" he snarled. "The Doctor is mine!"

Behind the Doctor and his royal companions, two Palace Guards appeared, having heard the voices in the storeroom. Payne reacted first, firing his already drawn weapon and killing one of the guards.

Without thinking, Jason grabbed the king and flung him into a crate filled with packing straw. Another toppled over, concealing the astonished monarch within.

Payne fired again, missing the second guard who dove behind the doorway and radioed for help before returning fire. His first shot struck the wall above where the Master had taken cover. The Time Lord was immediately covered with dust as the stone and masonry exploded into fragments.

The Doctor took refuge behind some crates and from this vantage point he was able to see Colonel Payne taking aim at Jason, who was on the floor near the king. Searching frantically around himself, the Doctor found a small, ornate ginger jar in a box and threw it with all his might at the mercenary.

It missed.

The jar struck the crate behind the Colonel, dislodging a large bust on top, which crashed loudly to the floor just as he fired. The shot to fell short and Jason reeled back as the floor suddenly exploded in front of him. He scrambled for better cover as the security guard returned fire to cover him.

Another shot from the enraged Payne killed the lone guard, whose gun went off as he fell. The shot went wild, striking the boxes stacked where the Doctor was hiding. The unsteady pile immediately collapsed, crashing down on him before he had a chance to react.

"Doctor!" Jason scrambled over to the wreckage, finding the Doctor unconscious but otherwise unharmed beneath the shattered debris.

The sound of several booted feet caused the Master to decide a strategic withdrawal was in order. "Take good care of him, Healer Jason," he called out tauntingly. "I wouldn't want the Doctor to die before I've had the pleasure of killing him myself." So saying, he and Payne fled.

Only seconds later, five Palace Guardsmen burst into the room. The leader, Sergeant Daniels, took in the devastation in bewilderment and horror. "What the devil's going on in here?"

A pile of straw seemed to come to life near the door and a guard cautiously approached it, gun in hand. Before Jason could warn him, the guard knocked the top box away and roughly yanked up the occupant. King Terran.

"Your Majesty!" the guard gasped, falling back in shock.

Daniels rushed over to the trembling monarch, helping him over to a crate where he could sit down. "What happened, your Majesty? Are you hurt?"

Although badly shaken, Terran assured the Sergeant he was unharmed. Pointing to the opposite door, he told him of the escape of the Master and Colonel Payne.

"You men, get after them!" Daniels commanded. The others immediately ran in the direction indicated.

With the king in Daniels' care, Jason turned his attention to the Doctor, clearing away the debris. He had scarcely finished when the Time Lord started to come back to life. "Easy, Doctor," the Healer said gently.

The Doctor winced as he sat up, rubbing the newest bump on his head. "I guess this isn't my day, either," he muttered as he climbed to his feet. He wavered unsteadily and Jason took him by the arm, helping him to sit down.

The guards returned at that moment, reporting, to no one's surprise, that there was no trace of the Master or Colonel Payne. Jason went to the king and checked him over, turning to Daniels and ordering him to escort the monarch to the Royal Healer. Terran tried to protest, but Jason would not hear of it. In spite of everything, he was still supposed to be crowned in two day's time and could not afford to fall ill.

"Majesty," the Doctor injected urgently, "please see the Emperor is informed of the danger."

The king nodded and started to leave, stopping when the Time Lord added, "And I shouldn't bother trying to find the Master in his lab. You'll probably find it's already been dismantled. If he goes back at all, it'll be after he's made his move."

Terran gave way to a resigned sigh, allowing Daniels to escort him out.

Once they were alone, Jason asked concernedly, "Doctor, are you sure you're alright?"

"You're the gifted Healer. You tell me."

Seeing the stricken look on the young man's face, the Doctor said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Jason. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I've done you a grave injustice today. And I haven't even thanked you properly for saving my life."

"Nor I you."

With this said, the Doctor got to his feet and took in the room. He felt certain the Master had hidden his TSA device somewhere among the hundreds of gifts stored within the Palace. All they had to do was find it.

"Let me see if I understand this," Jason began slowly. "All we have to do is find a device, which may or may not resemble the one I saw, by going through several hundred boxes and crates, while keeping the Lord Emperor away from whatever it is, and/or the Master, and/or Colonel Payne, while also trying to keep ourselves from being killed in the process. Have I got it?"

"Precisely," the Doctor beamed.

"Just checking," the youth said mildly. He looked around the room and sighed heavily, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the monumental task. "Six more rooms…" he breathed. "We're going to need a lot of help."

"We needn't bother with this one. The Master never would've allowed all that shooting, if it were here."

"The Lord Emperor!" Jason gasped suddenly.

"I'm sure he'll be—"

"No, no, Doctor. He may be able to help."

The Time Lord gave him a blank look.

"By using the power of the Great Seal!"

The Doctor's eyes lit up and he broke into a broad smile. "You know something, my boy? I like the way you think."

The Doctor and Jason were able to secure an immediate and private audience with Emperor Quinton thanks to the assistance of King Terran, who also provided them with an escort of his own personal guard as a precaution against further confrontations.

They were shown into a large room just off the courtyard Jason had been studying earlier. He remembered looking down at the hideous fountain just before Kyska tried to kill the Doctor. Closing his eyes, he tried to shake this memory from his mind. If the Doctor's theories were correct, the plight of his cousin was insignificant in comparison to the destruction of the entire Alterran Empire.

Lord Emperor Quinton entered and formal introductions were made. The air of authority surrounding the supreme sovereign of the Alterran Empire immediately struck the Doctor. He was a regal figure in every sense of the word; a tall, imposing man with red hair and beard surrounding dark, chiseled features that could turn to stone whenever anyone was foolish enough to incur his wrath. Quinton's clothing only added to his already impressive presence; velvet robes of dark blue and purple trimmed in jewels. A crimson cloak trimmed in ermine swept elegantly down his back and to the floor. An exquisitely crafted jeweled crown sparkling upon his head, and hanging from a gold collar around his neck was the Great Seal of Alterrous, its power seeming to radiate from him.

A markedly subdued Jason explained the reason for their precipitous interview and the Doctor listened to his blue-blooded companion in mute astonishment. During their short association it had become apparent that Jason had a very blasé attitude when it came to his aristocratic status, being just as at ease with a servant as with the king himself. Therefore, it was a bit of a shock to see him acting so formal and subservient in the presence of his Emperor.

When Jason finished his explanation, the Emperor considered the extraordinary story for several minutes in silence. When at last he spoke, his voice carried the full weight of his power and authority. "So, Time Lord, you believe the Great Seal, and even myself, are in danger?"

The sovereign's clear blue eyes fixed themselves on the Doctor, who felt certain many a courtier must have lost their resolve beneath their unwavering stare. He boldly met the steady gaze, saying soberly, "I fear, your Royal Majesty, your very Empire may be in danger of collapse because of this."

"How is this possible? No one may even touch the Great Seal save myself unless I give them leave. Were anyone to simply try and take it—they'd have to be a fool."

"With all due respect, your Majesty," the Doctor said with a slight bow, "the Master is no fool. He's cunning, unscrupulous and diabolically brilliant, but no fool, I can assure you. Lord Krystovan has already told you of the TSA device he's developed. Surely you realize…if you're in total suspended animation, you can neither give your leave nor withhold it."

"My Lord Emperor," Jason injected pointedly, "he'll be able to pluck the Seal from around you neck as easily as he removed the electrodes from me."

Emperor Quinton fell silent, passing between the Doctor and Jason and walking toward the archway. He stared into the water of the fountain, considering every aspect of the extraordinary story. The Doctor and Jason exchanged glances and held their breath.

"This is almost too fantastic to believe," the sovereign said softly as he turned back to face them. Jason opened his mouth to object only to be silenced by an upraised hand. "Almost. I can't rule out the possibility that it's within the capabilities of the Time Lords. And, as you say, Doctor, the Master is one of your race…" The Doctor inclined his head. "Then I must take your warning seriously."

The Emperor placed the palm of his hand over the Great Seal in a gesture the Doctor assumed was symbolic. Before he could inquire as to its significance, however, there was a reply from out in the courtyard.

"A wise decision, Lord Emperor," the Master purred. "But, as always, the Doctor was a little too late off the mark."