Chapter Nineteen

The thoughts grew more frantic. hidden (there is a shield) from my(the)self / impossible / possible / impossib(ility calcu)l(at)e / barrier / can't get through (blocked) / try harder

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The Doctor had spread the papers and readouts all over the floor, and the others were huddled around watching him. Suddenly there was a slight tremor, shaking the papers, and several console lights brightened and dimmed again.

"What was that?" said Victoria.

"Probably an increase in the beam," said the Doctor absently. "They've realized they can't get through on normal strength." He snorted. "Took them long enough. Well, they won't get through with that either."

Alendar was taping several papers together. Suddenly he stiffened and pointed to a line that seemed to be running at random among a lot of other lines. "Here, Doctor, trajectory."

The Doctor looked. "Yes, that's it! All right, add all these numbers to..." His voice trailed off.

"What is it?" said Jamie.

"Well, I just realized something," said the Doctor. "Now that we've got the trajectory we can compute exactly where the space ship is now, at this point. But what can we do about it? We daren't leave the TARDIS, especially now that they've upped the beam."

A voice sounded. "Surrender."

Everyone looked at the viewscreen. General Eckers Sode Sodos stood on the dungeon stairs, accompanied by several guards and a Phestan in a 'DragonSingers' T-shirt. Their faces were identically blank.

"You cannot escape," said the General in a lifeless monotone. "Leave your device and expedite the Onemind's conquest."

The Doctor opened the channel. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am the Onemind. I travel from planet to planet in search of certain minerals..." Sode -- or rather, the entity that spoke through Sode -- rattled off a long string of numbers and element codes. "When I find them, I melt them down to nuggets and eject them into the sun."

"Why do you do that?" said Cerf.

Sode looked modestly down and made little circles with his toe on the dungeon floor. "They make such pretty solar flares. It's my one joy in life."

"Why can't you melt down some other planet?" said Jamie.

"What, and miss all this magnificent copper? Preposterous."

"And I suppose if we turn the planet over to you we get to join the consciousness and survive the apocalypse?" said the Doctor sarcastically.

Sode's face twisted into a grimace or a grin -- there was no telling which. "No. Whatever gave you that idea? You will but be oblivious to your own deaths."

"Is he serious?" demanded Victoria.

"Hard to tell, isn't it?" The Doctor glared at the figure on the screen.

Cerf spoke up. "If you're just going to kill us anyway, what's the point of getting us under your power?"

"Mental distress causes me... discomfort. Under my influence you can die painlessly. Easier all round."

"Oh, that's fine, don't worry about us," muttered Jamie.

"You will surrender now."

"Never!" shouted Cerf and the Doctor in unison, surprising each other.

Sode pressed his palms together and the TARDIS shuddered again.

"Doctor," said Cerf through gritted teeth, "how strong is this beam? Are all of my people under it?"

"I wouldn't think so," said the Doctor. "Take too much power to spread such a strong beam across an entire planet. No, it's probably just concentrated on the immediate area."

"That's why the Onemind tried to make my people fight Krakor," said Cerf furiously. "It could retreat while we killed each other off, and then come back and sedate anyone who was left while it finished destroying our planet!"

"Horrible," agreed the Doctor. "Diabolical, but effective."

"Can't we move out of the way of the beam?" suggested Victoria.

The Doctor shook his head. "We can't risk taking off. If we take off we might land on Upsilon Andromeda." He began to pace rapidly around the console. "What to do, what to do..."

Tellisn said, "I think I may have a suggestion."

His voice was weak, but he was less pale and he was standing up. The Doctor looked delighted. "Tellisn! How are you doing then?"

"Much better, Doctor. This machine is remarkable."

"Thank you. You say you have a suggestion?"

"Yes." Tellisn looked at Cerf. "I can have Troposphera destroy the mothership." He held up a hand to stop Cerf's instant question. "Yes, the Chip is armed, but only for defense; you are now one of the very few people on or off this planet to know this. I hope you will make the information available to the Thane when this is over. Balance of power, you know."

Cerf decided not to say anything after all. He just nodded.

The Doctor looked at Tellisn measuringly. "How will you tell the people on the Chip what's going on? Satisfactory though it is, my ship doesn't have a subspace transmitter. Or even a radio, for that matter."

"My people are natural telepaths," said Tellisn.

"Your people'?" said Cerf.

"I am part of a special worldwide force that was founded hundreds of years ago. Don't worry, Highness, our telepathic powers are used solely for communication and we are dedicated to peace. I can speak to them even from this distance, if you turn off the telepathic blocks."

The TARDIS shuddered again, and there was a brief whining sound. Victoria spoke up. "But if we do, then that thing out there can get in here at us, isn't that right, Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded. "That could be a problem."

There was a moment's uneasy silence. Then Jamie spoke for them all. "Just let it try."

"Now, Jamie," said the Doctor, "you know this could be extremely dangerous."

"I would need about a minute," said Tellisn. "Two at most, depending on how strong the mental interference is."

"As I see it," said Cerf, "the problem is having someone able to turn the force field back on when Tellisn's done."

"All right," said the Doctor, clapping his hands together. "Gather round, everyone." He led them over to one of the console panels. "Watch this. Blue button, red button, all these switches, and the big knob here." He repeated the sequence. "That releases the telepathic circuit. Those controls need to be engaged as soon as Tellisn's finished."

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The ship orbited high above the Phestan atmosphere. The sun side blazed and starlight glinted off the dark side. Its sharp angles reflected blood red.

The bow of the ship was turned down toward the planet, and a point on the forward spike shone white hot, focusing on a tiny patch of Vanussia. A thread of pure force, invisible and yet implacably potent, roped it to the surface.

The spike flared brighter, and the cord thickened.

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