5. Using the Plan.
They are back on the planet with the crabs. The Master has his back partially towards Crystelle's Tardis as she opens the door slightly to look out. A chalked diagram of a spaceship is clearly visible on a flat rock. A diagram showing three rings around a sun suggests Earth might be the target.
Crystelle knows exactly what the Master is planning and why (episode 8, Manned Mission in this series). She is particularly pleased to see that it involves sending Crab Spaceships in the direction of Earth, although she had hoped that this was already foiled by changing data in the Library on Gallifrey (episode 9, Gallifrey Exhumed in this series). She is glad because she is in on the start of sending these spacecraft, so she now has a chance of stopping them.
Crystelle decides that she must permit the first one to be launched before closing down the operation. She doesn't know how she can do this as she can't converse with the metallic Crab creatures herself. She doesn't know how the Master does it. Instead she wants to set up a diversion to remove the Master from the scene.
"Devyon, we must interrupt the Master and take him away from leading the crabs astray. What can we do?"
Devyon steps out of the Tardis. He can see the Master with his back to him, somehow conversing with the crabs. A metallic crab is near to Devyon. He picks it up carefully and throws it at the Master. He doesn't know what the crab can do, he just wants to distract the Master. Then he retreats into the Tardis, quietly closing the door.
"What did you do?" Crystelle asks.
"I threw a crab at the Master to distract him," Devyon says.
They watch on the Console monitor.
The Master has been bitten by the crab. He needs hospital treatment.
"Go out and tell him he's been bitten, and he must come in to sick bay, urgently," Crystelle says.
Devyon steps out of the Tardis into full view. "You've been bitten. Please come with me to the sick bay," Devyon says urgently.
The Master comes across and steps into the Tardis. Immediately he is surrounded by seven Crystelles. He recognises Crystelle. "I remember you," he says, trying to lighten up the situation but failing. He sounds more threatening. He takes a regeneration ring out of his pocket and puts it on. None of his observers know what the ring is, means, or what it enables him to do. "Have an accident with a Cloning Machine, did you?" he says gruffly.
The Master is ill due to the crab bite, and Crystelle knows this. The Master doesn't know that Crystelle knows.
"Please come to the sick bay, we may be able to fix the crab bite," Crystelle says.
But the Master refuses. "No, I want to go to Alphon Three, where I will get much better treatment. If I don't survive, I want to be buried there."
The Master lies down on the floor and dies rapidly. If they had looked closer, they would have seen the Master's-self enter the regeneration ring.
One of Crystelle's clones checks the Master's pulse. "Wow, that was quick! Dead already!"
"We must take him to Alphon Three, I guess," Crystelle says.
"I want to send him into a sun," Devyon says. "I don't trust him. If he has the regeneration capability, he will revive in here, or worse, he might take over your Tardis." Devyon gets a trolley and places the Master's body on the trolley and places a shroud on him. He wheels the trolley to be near the Tardis door.
"Let's go to a romantic place close to a blue sun," Devyon says.
The Tardis zizzes. It approves of both of Devyon's plans.
"Let's have a romantic moment by the Tardis door watching the sun. Not quite a sunset, but a lovely moment. A blue sun, just like the sun at Tinsel." Devyon cuddles Crystelle for a few minutes. "This is a lovely place to be. There are so many lovely places. Lovely views." He turns and kisses Crystelle, she doesn't resist.
They turn to walk away from the door to go to sit on some seats. As they go they catch the trolley the Master is lying on. It starts to drift towards the open Tardis door where they were just standing. They watch as if transfixed. No-one wants to save the Master; on the other hand, he had expressed a wish to be taken to Alphon Three. They hadn't said yes or no to his wishes. They watch as the trolley drifts out of the door, on into space towards the sun. No-one wants to break the silence. They are all secretly glad he has gone.
What will they tell the Doctor? They have overcome the Master? Got lucky? He died. He didn't regenerate. He was spaced accidentally towards a sun somewhere; they don't know where.
They watch for a long time, eventually he will be enveloped by the sun and his funeral pyre will be complete. He disappears. He is so far away they can hardly make him out, but he has disappeared, trolley and all. There's a mystery for them, but they don't want to know. They close the Tardis door.
"Home please," Crystelle says. "Now we don't have to go to Alphon Three, we can go directly home."
The Tardis zizzes.
It is night time when they arrive at Crystelle's bungalow.
"Where will everyone sleep?" Devyon asks. "There isn't room in the Tardis, and there isn't room in your bungalow." He knows the answer to this will inevitably be that he will sleep on the settee in the lounge!
What will Crystelle do with all of her clones? Will she need a bigger house?