Chapter Five

Commander Daniels

After being separated from the Doctor, Peri was taken to a barred enclosure with a wooden table and two chairs set in front of it. She was locked inside and then abandoned but unlike the Doctor, who was more used to all this nonsense than he care to admit, she was extremely frightened. She started imagining all sorts of horrors that might be in store for her, and was uncertain as to whether she should be glad or not when two uniformed individuals finally appeared. She soon decided on the latter when they began firing one accusation after another at her without allowing her a chance to fully answer, or explain.

During the course of one of these distressing barrages, another man appeared. To describe him as large would have been an understatement, his dark chiseled features only adding to his vaguely Frankenstonian appear ance. He was dressed in a uniform that was completely different from any Peri had seen thus far and she wondered if he was from a different branch of whatever passed as a military on this God-forsaken planet. He came and stood over her inquisitors and she saw them shrink away, obviously they too were terrified of this mountain of a man.

"Why was his Majesty not immediately informed of the events on Generator 4?" the giant newcomer demanded in a voice that sounded like controlled thunder.

"I…don't know, Commander," came the nervous reply. "I'm sure…it was merely an…over sight."

The Commander smiled with effort. "Of course. Surely that must be it," he said urbanely, his tone doing nothing to conceal the fact that he did not believe a word. He threw a glance in Peri's direction and said firmly, "You will release this young woman into my custody, Major."

The Major was now on feet. "I can't do that!"

"Need I remind you that it is his Majesty who is in charge of this investigation, despite what Mr. Farrell would like to believe?" the Commander said frostily.

"No. But…I…I really think I should wait..."

The Commander snorted indignantly, reaching over and removing the keys from the astonished officer's belt. He unlocked the cell door and then tossed the keys back onto the table. "You can wait until doomsday for all I care. It'll change nothing." Turning to face the baffled, and now terrified Peri, the big man pulled the door open and said, "Come with me."

Peri did not move. "Where?"

"Out of here," came the cryptic reply.

Once they were away from the prison area, the Commander turned to his frightened prisoner. "What's your name?"

Peri jumped, startled by the suddenness of the question and the gentleness with which it was spoken. "Mmmmy name…is…is Perpugilliam Brown."

The big man looked down at her in disbelief. "Do people actually call you that?"

"Nnno…" she stammered out. "They usually call me…Peri."

"How wise of them," he remarked. As they boarded an elevator he noticed she was trembling almost as badly as her voice. "I'm Commander Daniels, Peri," he said gently, "and you needn't be afraid of me. Those two may think I'm an ogre, but I'm not. You just think of me as your escort."

Peri smiled in spite of herself, thinking how impressed her friends would have been had she turned up at a party with this Goliath as her escort. "Where are you escorting me to?" she said in as even a tone as she could manage.

"My sovereign has been placed in charge of this fiasco of an investigation and he wishes to speak with you personally." Seeing Peri was less than enthused, Daniels smiled. "His Majesty isn't an ogre, either. Nor is he nearly as unpleasant as those two downstairs."

Despite his size, Daniels was not nearly as terrifying as he looked and as they continued through the enormous building, Peri started to relax. Eventually she worked up the courage to ask about the Doctor.

The Commander stopped dead in his tracks. "There was someone else with you?" he gasped.

Peri shrank back. "Yes. I…thought you knew." Seeing the officer's face darken, she was on the verge of panic and was greatly relieved when Daniels did nothing more terrifying than sigh heavily.

"No, I didn't know," he said at last. "They only told me about you. Why, I wonder?" Seeing her panicked expression, he smiled. "Don't worry. I'll find your friend before anything nasty happens."

As they continued on, her escort explained that his King had commandeered a portion of the State House for his people to use during their independent investigation.

"State House? The place looks like a fortress from outside," the American remarked.

The Commander gave a small smile. "It used to be, thankfully. With all the riots going on lately, it's that much easier to defend."

"Nice planet you've got here," she observed sarcastically.

"Not mine," the officer responded darkly. "My world is light-years from this God-forsaken place. And I'm not just talking distance."

Arriving at their destination at last, Peri was shown into a large paneled room. She looked around curiously as she entered. To her immediate right were several bookshelves that met at the corner. One section contained a large collection of mismatched jars, some of which were very delicate and ornate, while others were quite ordinary. There were a number of chairs arranged in a semicircle in front of the shelves with spotlights overhead that Peri assumed comprised a sitting or reading area. To her left she saw more chairs lined up against the wall, possibly extras for guests…or meetings. Further on were a set of French doors leading outside. They were flanked by an enormous set of heavy draperies that looked as though they would conceal the entire wall when drawn. Directly across the room was a smaller door beside which was a counter that ran the remaining length of the wall. There was a large elliptical conference table just to one side of the door that, at first glance seemed to have been over polished. It wasn't until Peri drew nearer that she realized it was made of a glasslike material identical to that in the view screen on the wall at the far end. "Was this converted from a conference room or into one?" she wondered aloud.

Daniels smiled and held out a hand towards armchairs in the book corner, inviting her to sit down. "I don't suppose they gave you anything to eat while you were down there, did they?" he asked, quickly answering his own question, "No, of course they didn't. Don't worry. I'll have something sent up."

As the Commander moved toward the door, Peri suddenly felt terrified. "Hey! You're not just leaving me here, are you?" she called out fearfully.

"Shouldn't I?"

"Aren't you afraid I might escape or something?"

"I suspect," came a calm voice from across the room, "you're probably more afraid of what might happen if you escaped than if you stayed."