Chapter 3
In the TARDIS holoroom representation of the drafting room, The Doctor was staring at the holographic image of Rassilon.
"Computer, did I ask for a simulation?"
"Affirmative. You asked Lord Rassilon to show you which system could accept reactants at a faster rate. By accessing available imagery, an adequate facsimile was possible."
"I did do that, didn't I?"
He shook his head, smiling to himself.
"Okay…Rassilon…good to see you…"
There was no response from the image.
"Continue your analysis."
"Systems L-452 to L-575 will accept reactants, providing all other systems are calibrated to an equal factor."
The Doctor put it together in his head, sensing a breakthrough…
"Then, if we use multiple injector streams, hitting more than one crystal facet, we could do it…we could hold our own. Rassilon, you're a star."
The Doctor returned to the console room.
In the console room, an array of equipment glowed in front of the Doctor and Nita. The coils retrieved from the alien ship were being analyzed and decoded…Ace opened a panel and inserted a coil.
"I've found a way to extend the matter/anti-matter energy supplies."
"Doctor, can you give us enough energy to get us out of here?"
"Sorry, Nita…I haven't addressed that one yet. First priority was to maintain shields."
"Ok."
"I'll get on it, right away, though…"
The Doctor thought about the impassive face of the Rassilon facsimile.
Ace moved over with an update on her progress. "I've been able to verify that these coils are logs of the Zarbi captain, but most of them have decayed and can't be repaired."
"They're beyond any sort of playback?" asked Nita.
"On most there are brief sections that may yield some information."
"Do the best you can, Ace. Let's just hope we have the brief section we need."
Ace moved back to the coils.
The Doctor turned to Nita. "He must have logged the cause of his ship's death. What captain wouldn't?"
They stopped to look at the console. On the screen the image was fuzz and static. Ace shook her head and put the coil in her hand into a pile of others.
"They were all in an open locker," said Nita. "I don't think he was too concerned with security."
The Doctor returned to the holo-drafting room and addressed the computer. "452 through system L-575."
"Adjustments to dilithium crystal chamber complete."
"Impact analysis, computer."
"Energy has increased fourteen percent. Reactants per unit time remaining steady."
"All right."
It worked. The Doctor turned to share the moment with Rassilon. There was of course nothing to share with a blank wall. He looked at him and frowned. "Computer, do you have any..you know…personality…on file for Rasillon?"
"Time Lord personality profile analysis, stardate 37650…"
The Doctor moved to him, thinking, what else did he need?
"Did he ever debate at the Galifreyan caucuses at the Panopticon?"
"Lord Rassilon attended the Panopticon caucuses on the following startdates…"
"Never mind the dates. Computer, if you add all data from these sources, could you synthesize a true representation of Rassilon?"
"There would be a nine-point-three percent margin of error in the interactive responses from the facsimile."
"I can live with that. Make it happen."
The image of Rasillon warmed up, turned and looked at the Doctor.
"My Lord Rasillon?"
"Doctor, it is I, Rasillon. Now, we have managed to maintain energy but we cannot leave it in this realignment forever without burning out components so we need to move quickly."
"Right."
They got to work.
In the console room Nita and Ace were watching the monitor. On screen was the fuzzy, distorted image of the Zorbi captain, Salek Gar. There was no audio at first, just hiss and static and isolated words. When it cleared up…
"We have been stripped of all propulsion and our weapons are useless. We cannot move
and we cannot fight. The ship is being lashed with lethal radiation from the aceton assimilators concealed in the wreckage around..."
Nita frowned. "Aceton assimilators?"
"Primitive generators which drain power from distant sources."
"Generators?"
"It wouldn't be difficult to modify them to convert energy into radiation. The Menoptra hide them in debris. An unsuspecting ship flies in. Instant booby trap."
"Now we're supplying the devices with the energy to kill us."
The Doctor was having an argument with Rasillon. They were working on the cross-section of the crystal chamber.
"No, no, no!" cried the Doctor.
"Will you listen to me…"
"You can't boost the power that way…"
"You increase the speed of the subspace field processor..."
"I want enough power to dematerialize, not blow us up."
"This is my design we're talking about."
"I don't care if you built it with your bare hands, it's going to go…" he whistled and made a flying away gesture with his hand. "And we're going with it."
"I am not accustomed to having people question my judgement."
"And I don't enjoy dying. OK, look. You worked in a lab on a static model. This is a working machine. It's got tens of thousands of light years on it."
Rasillon thought about it. "True."
"Damn right!" The Doctor calmed. "We'd never be certain the circuit paths are sealed."
Rasillon frowned and forced to agree, looked at the Doctor with interest. "You're good. Very good."
"I know my ship. Inside and out."
Nita's voice came over a loud-speaker. "Doctor, would you please come to the console room?"
"On my way, Nita." He turned to Rasillon. "Don't go anywhere. I mean, computer - save program."
He left the room.
The Doctor, Nita and Ace were in the console room.
"How many of these devices do we think we're dealing with?"
"To create the radiation field we're experiencing, it would take several hundred thousand, Professor."
"They've been out there a long time, Ace, there must be some deterioration."
"There's no way to calculate that precisely, Nita, but it is likely."
"Is there any indication of a weakness in a specific part of the field?"
Nita checked indications at her station. "Nothing substantial, Doctor."
"Of any kind?"
"Well, there is a 0.1 percent dip in the radiation field at...21 mark eight by 42 mark zero."
"I'll take that point-one percent."
"Ace, any suggestions?"
Ace shook her head. "Maybe down the road, Professor. But we can't overload the dilithium crystals much longer."
The focus turned to the Doctor, who must make the extraordinarily difficult decision. He agonized over it for a moment. "I imagine a similar discussion taking place on our neighbor ship. Over 1,000 years ago. Let's hope our decisions are more successful. Ace, would you please take my place working with the Rasillon hologram? You might have more success working with him than I did. Nita, please work with me in here."
Ace exited and The Doctor and Nita studied the information on the console.
"Radiation levels increasing, Doctor. Eight percent. Ten percent. Energy reserves on board dropping rapidly."
To an enemy dead a thousand years, the Doctor said, under his breath, "damn you."
In the Holoroom drafting room, Ace and Rasillon were huddled over a computer graphic.
"Wouldn't that increase the output to gain a quicker response time?"
"The processors can handle the extra input."
"But how do we reconfigure?"
The drafting room began to fade.
"Energy reserves reaching critical," said the computer voice. "Standard procedure requires
termination of all simulations."
"Override standard procedure."
"Override authority restricted."
"What? Computer…"
The drafting room and Rasillon disappeared. Ace was in the empty Holoroom. A few lights pulsated on the walls.