6. Loss of the Orbiter.
Meanwhile in the Orbiter:
"Can I take the crab for the Doctor to look at?" Ommera asks.
Neville carefully gives Ommera the crab. She leaves and takes the crab to the Doctor. She finds The Doctor looking out of the Tardis door.
"Nice view," Ommera says. "Very romantic," she quips, hopefully. She knows he isn't well, but a brief quip might cheer him up.
"I've lost the Orbiter," the Doctor says. He is still suffering from the after-effects of the vacuum of space.
"I haven't," Ommera says confidently.
"Where is it then?" the Doctor asks.
"Just where it was, but we've moved," Ommera says.
"Where are we now?" the Doctor asks. To be fair, it was Ommera who asked the Tardis to move.
"We're around the Orbiter," Ommera says. "I thought it would be much safer if we could just go in and out of the Orbiter, so I moved us to be around it."
"Yes. I couldn't do that earlier as the Lander was due to dock," the Doctor says dreamily.
"You're in a bad way after that unsuited EVA," Ommera says. "Have a lie down. Oh, and by the way, here's the crab."
"Careful how you hold it, it's dangerous!" the Doctor warns her.
"Yes, Angel had just a small nip and she was in difficulty," Ommera says.
The Doctor takes the crab carefully from Ommera and goes off with it, to a laboratory to clamp and closely examine the internal workings of the crab.
Ommera goes over to the Tardis console. "Tardis, could you scan for any more of those crabs like the one that the Doctor has gone off with?" She looks at the console monitor screen. "Just one more. Hiding in the air lock."
"Tardis, do we have any containment for these crabs?" Ommera asks.
A small receptacle opens up in the Tardis console.
"Erm, I'd rather just dispose of them, the risk of them doing any damage in here is far too great!" Ommera says. "Thank you, though."
The receptacle closes.
Ommera goes to the Orbiter airlock and looks for the hiding crab. "There you are." She holds the crab carefully and extricates herself from the airlock. She crosses to the Tardis door, opens it, throws the remaining crab out and closes the door.
She goes into the Orbiter. Neville is still sitting where she left him.
"Would you like to look round?" Ommera offers. She would like to show off the Tardis, but then she realises that it might not be a good idea to show too much.
"It's far too dangerous," Neville says.
"I managed ok. Sure?"
"Quite sure."
"You won't be looking forwards to the journey home? I'm sorry your colleague died."
"More of a friend, really - after being cooped in this for a while. How is Angel?"
"On the mend. Some sort of tablet treatment. I can find out how long she will be."
"Please. But where do you go off to?"
Ommera laughs. "Come and see."
Ommera leads Neville to the airlock. He sits down.
"Have a look through," Ommera invites.
"What am I looking at? The inside of your ship?"
"Yes," Ommera laughs. "You'll never guess. Your ship is completely inside our ship."
"Oh, a big hangar entry? Like on the films?"
"Not exactly," Ommera says. "Come on out." She leads Neville out and they stand in the Tardis Control room. "Did you ever watch Doctor Who on the telly? You might have seen this episode!"
Crystelle is sitting on the Slint park bench.
"Gravity? How come?" Neville is amazed.
"It's all beyond me," Ommera owns.
"Where's the large hangar door the Orbiter came in through?" Neville asks.
Ommera laughs. "Erm... Sorry, it's all beyond me. I don't know how any of this works." Actually, she has read parts of the maintenance manual, but the physics of how it all works still elude her. "I'm just the Doctor's companion."
Crystelle gets up and walks over. "She would like to be much more than that."
"You don't have to share everything," Ommera scolds.
"I'm so glad we're all human! I got really worried back there," Neville says.
The Doctor enters. "We're off to OrionTwoBetaFive! Rontagen to be precise."
"Sounds like a score," Neville exclaims. "Where's that?"
The Doctor twirls round. "Oh. Sorry. We need to drop you off right away."
"Angel is still in sick bay," Crystelle says.
The Doctor groans.
I'll go and see how she is," Ommera says. She hurries out to get Angel.
"There's no hurry, is there?" Crystelle asks.
The Doctor has more bad news. "There are more crab spaceships on the way."
"What about Earth?" Crystelle asks. "Might they have visitors, too?"
"Firefighting isn't as useful as tackling the source of the fire," the Doctor says.
"What's burning?" Neville asks.
"Erm, I was using a metaphor," the Doctor says. "I could spend ages firefighting, dealing with all of the crab spaceships that will land on Earth, and still be no nearer solving where they are coming from, or why. Oh, erm, could you alert Earth that other crab spaceships might land so to keep a lookout for them; and deal with them?"
"Ok," Neville says. He has little idea just how useful this advice might be.
Ommera returns with Angel. "Could you go back into the Orbiter module? Then we can drop you off."
"Actually, can we borrow three space suits for a short time?" the Doctor asks. "I want to find something more out about the crashed spaceship."
What can the Doctor find out about the crashed spaceship?