Inside the main Dalek ship a Swukain was strapped to a table, a device clamped to its head. It was being examined by a Dalek Scientist. "Telepathic range above-normal."

"Good" replied the Dalek commanding the mission. Next to them was a device containing a mass of telepathic crystals. It surveyed its prisoner.

"Your thoughts are foul, monster" spat the Swukain. "What do you want of me?"

"We know of the telepathic ability of your race, due to your proximity to the Grukup telepathic crystals" said the Dalek in its horrible chant. "The properties of the crystals are interesting. With them the Daleks could master telepathic warfare."

"I will not help you, monster!"

"You have no choice. Activate!"

The Scientist obeyed and the man screamed. A moment later the screams halted, the man having stopped all activity, his eyes staring, his body twitching.

"3.9 Rels" reported the Scientist.

"An improvement from 4.4 Rels" said its superior. "But we must continue! Dispose of the material."

An unpleasant stew was being given to the workers when the Doctor arrived. The Swukains had a panicked look to them, due to the bad thoughts surrounding the area. The people that were helping with the machinery, delicate and dangerous work, were being given stew with meat in it.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor" said the Doctor to a group of five people, each of a different species, who were sitting round eating.

"A DOCTOR!" boomed a huge green man with a huge chest and trumpet-like mouth. "ARE THE DALEKS..."

"Be quiet!" whispered the Doctor. "Don't mention Doctor to the Daleks."

"He was asking whether the Daleks were allowing medical assistance" whispered Fimzol. "But they are not."

"I'm here... well, as it happens the Daleks don't know I'm here."

"You're here to..." One of the Swukains struggled to read the Doctor's mind.

"Fight the Daleks. Can I rely on help here?" asked the Doctor with a smile.

"MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER DIED IN THE STRUGGLE OF THE SNOW REPUBLIC" announced the green man. "I WILL BE HAPPY TO ASSIST!"

"But what can we do?" asked a Crop female with a cut on her nose which she kept scratching. "The Daleks have crushed us."

"Just tell me what they are doing" said the Doctor.

"We don't know what they are doing" said a four-eyed woman shorter then the Doctor. From the look of her she came from a high-gravity planet. "And Swukains keep having fits, and are taken away by the Daleks."

They suddenly heard a shout, and saw one of the Swukain working on the machine, collapse to the ground and start screaming. A Dalek swooped from the sky. "Take her to the ship!" it ordered two Crop colonists, who hurriedly obeyed. They ran out a few seconds later, the door slamming shut behind them.

"And this has been happening for some time?" asked the Doctor. He saw Fimzol clutching her head. "Fimzol... what?"

"I just felt... something" she said.

"Interesting, looks like a telepathic cause" said the Doctor. He pulled a small piece of machinery that looked like a gun out of his coat, connecting it to the sonic screwdriver.

"How did you get that past the guards?" asked a woman.

"I hid it under a rock. Then when the Dalek bringing me here was distracted I just picked it up with the rock" smiled the Doctor.

"You... you came here? But why?"

"I needed to find out what was happening so I could stop the Daleks" said the Doctor.

"Are you mad?" asked the Crop woman.

"His thoughts are strange but he does not appear... fully mad" said Fimzol.

The Doctor was setting up the device quickly, but hid it as another Swukain woman walked past, with a metal helmet and a whip. "Robomen! Well, Roboswukains" he said.

"I've heard that's what happens to those they take away" said the four-eyed woman as the Roboswukain walked past them.

"Not only on Swukains. I remember seeing a man I knew, of my world, strike a Dalek, for which he was taken into the ship. Later I saw him as a part-robot."

"It's a horrible thing the Daleks do, turn people into absolute slaves, without any thoughts of their own" said the Doctor, continuing to position the device, plugging his sonic screwdriver into it. "Sorry, some dust got into... Ah, now lets see what the Daleks are cooking up here."

The Doctor began a scan of the weapon, then looked at his sonic screwdriver.

"The only thing they've been cooking up is poor food" said the four-eyed woman. "I don't think their device is for cooking."

"It is an expression" said Fimzol, "though I only knew this from his mind."

"So that's it! Some form of telepathic weapon" said the Doctor.

"HALT!" screeched a Dalek. The Doctor looked up, his head dropping as the Dalek descended.

"Ah, yes, just checking your weapon... And its certainly working how its supposed to. So I should probably be getting back to work now."

The Dalek was looking over the Doctor's device. "You will show this item to be scanned!"

The Doctor did so. The Dalek scanned the device and looked up. "Where did you get this device? It is beyond the capabilities of this society!"

"Well, beyond the capabilities of this society, but easy for mine. I made one even better before I was your age" he told Fimzol.

"You will come with us!" said the Dalek.

"Excellent!" replied the Doctor, clapping his hands together. "I was just planning on asking to see your leader. Especially with the food. Are you trying to be humane in poisoning your slaves rather then working them to death?"

"Your words are irrelevant. You will give me the item!" said the Dalek, as another Dalek glided over. The Doctor picked it up and the Dalek snatched it with the sucker arm. Before it went the Dalek turned to the group of slaves. "You will now return to work!"

"Return to work? But we've barely..." began Fimzol.

Three more Daleks and five beings wearing robot helmets advanced on her.

"Do you defy us?" snarled one of the Daleks.

The Doctor stepped back as Fimzol stumbled, falling over. "NO! You're not going to harm her!"

"You dare speak against us?" said the Dalek. "You question our power?"

Its gun pointed at her. "Then she will be..."

"STOP! Do a full scan of me! Come on, it worked on the Arkheon Threshold!"

"The Arkheon Threshold? How do you know that?" asked the Dalek.

"Scan me and you'll know" replied the Doctor.

The Dalek scanned him. "IT IS THE DOCTOR!" it shouted. Its eye turned to Fimzol. "You are his associate! You will come with us!"

"Well, its better then being here" she said with a smile.

The two Daleks took the Doctor and Fimzol into the ship, marching them through a set of corridors. After a minute they came to a door which slid open, revealing Scientist Daleks. They were clustered around a set of advanced-looking machinery, and a corpse was lying on the table.

"Greetings Doctor" said a voice.

The door of the ship's laboratory had opened and a familiar Dalek glided over.

"The Dalek Time Controller!" cried the horrified Doctor.