Chapter 5
The TARDIS spun through the vortex. A weary Nita studied an Okudagram at the console. It was definitely debris. The primary material was duranium, with smaller proportions of sonodanite and ermanium. Most shuttlecraft hulls were made of duranium. Nita paled. "Then, they're gone. Wait. Not necessarily. There's far too little debris to account for an entire shuttlecraft."
So what was it? Something occurred to Nita. She worked it over in her mind. Tate had his maneuvering thrusters rigged in a funny way… he claimed it was more efficient. If one of them blew… it might have left debris like that. If only one of his thrusters were out… he could still have put down somewhere. The only class M planets in the system were Pentarus Two and Five… both had been thoroughly searched by the miners. Then she would search them again.
There were also four moons in the Pentarus system that might support life… the miners hadn't searched them yet. The closest one to the debris coordinates was Lambda Paz, one of the moons of Pentarus Three. Nita set the coordinates.
Ace, too, had been up all night. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she stuck gamely to her task. She was working on both the scanner and her mobile phone, modifying them. She took something from the phone, and inserted it into the scanner, made a few adjustments and tried it. She heard the Doctor stir and moan, and moved toward him. The Doctor's eyes opened. He looked awful – his face grey but flushed in spots with fever. His voice was hoarse. "Ace… where are we?"
Ace swallowed. The Doctor was in worse shape than she thought. "We crashed, Professor… we're in a cave…"
"…need water…"
"We – we don't have any water. Don't you remember? We tried to get to the fountain… and Captain Tate…"
The Doctor stared at her, and with monumental will forced his mind to clear and grasp what Ace was saying to him. He became momentarily focused. "Yes… I remember…"
Buoyed by this response, Ace rushed on. "But I think I'm on to something. I've analyzed the sentry's electrical patterns."
"Ace… I may not make it…"
This was not what Ace wanted to hear. She rushed on. "I'm going to get to the water… I took the transponder element from my phone… used it to modify the scanner…"
The Doctor shook his head, knowing that Ace was shutting out what she didn't want to hear.
"I think I can use it to interrupt the sentry's energy pattern… stop it. Or at least slow it down…"
"Listen to me…"
"Yes, Professor?"
"So much I've wanted to tell you. At the Academy, there is someone… who meant a great deal to me… he has been there "forever"… you must get to know him… his name is the Hermit… tell him we were friends…"
Ace hates the finality of this kind of talk, she turned away. But the Doctor put out a hand, and grabbed her arm. "When I was there… he helped me… Listen to him…"
Ace nodded, understanding – a mentor. "What does he teach?"
The Doctor smiled… a cracked half-grin. "He lives on a misty mountain – Mount Cadon. I took lessons from him whilst I was playing truant from the Academy. He taught me a number of things, including learning to look into my own mind. He also taught me Tibetan and High Gallifreyan. I envy you, Ace… it is just the beginning of the adventure for you."
They exchanged a long, intimate look. "Go on, get the water, stay alive… they'll find you."
Ace rose, gathered her phaser, scanner and the empty medical pack. "I'll be back soon." She turned and headed toward the tunnel to the cavern.
"Ace…"
Ace turned back to him.
"Always remember… I was… proud of you…"
Ace nodded. Then she turned and headed down the tunnel. Ace emerged into the huge chamber. She moved with determination toward the spring and set down the medical pack. The sound of the sentry began. Ace fired the phaser toward the spring and the Sentry appeared, shimmering and crackling. Ace turned, pointed the scanner toward it and began pushing the controls.
The sentry kept coming.
Ace pushed more buttons and pointed the scanner purposefully toward the entity. It slowed down. Buoyed, she tried something else… but – the Sentry suddenly swelled in size! Frantically, Ace punched buttons again. The sentry shrank… but started advancing once more.
Ace backed up slightly… studied the scanner… pushed buttons.
The Sentry flared suddenly – and began that inexorable advance once more. The sound was now overwhelming, crackling, hissing.
Ace stood her ground, resolute. She tried another configuration… pointed the scanner… looked a bit alarmed. A hot wind was beginning to blow on her, her hair blowing backward from the power of the advancing sentry.
As the sentry advanced on her… slowly… steadily… Ace closed her eyes, not yielding but expecting doom. The sentry was right on top of her – and then – it passed right through her! Amazed, unhurt, she turned and saw – the sentry circling the fountain causing the forcefield to come on… light shimmered and flashed and the forcefield and the Sentry flickered away.
Ace looked at the fountain and approached it tentatively. She extended her hand… further, further. The forcefield was definitely gone. Ace was amazed. "It worked…!" Ace grabbed the medical pack, plunged into the fountain, filled the pack, then hurried back toward the tunnel to the cave.
Ace approached the Doctor, who was still unconscious, groaning. "Doctor? Wake up…." With her hand, she scooped some water from the pack and carefully drizzled it on the Doctor's mouth. The Doctor sputtered, opened his eyes. Ace used her other arm to lift the Doctor's head, scooped up some more water. The Doctor gulped down the water which Ace fed him, gentle as a mother with a baby.
The TARDIS was in orbit over Lambda Paz. There was an intense magnetic field. Nita was getting an anomalous reading… but it was not strong enough to interpret accurately. She could narrow the frequency range on the sensor array… and try to enhance the signal… she worked on it… that was better. The reflection signature now clearly indicated that it was metal… duranium. The probability was quite high that it was the shuttlecraft.
She looked for life signs. It was impossible to determine. The magnetic flux would mask any bio-energy emanations. Nita wondered if that interference would affect the ability to materialize on the planet. She believed it would. She would have to take a shuttlecraft.
Ace sat propped against the cave wall, the Doctor's head resting in her lap. The Doctor slept, or was unconscious. Ace stared at the fire, trying to keep her eyes open. But she had been up too long, and through too much. Her eyes drooped shut, snapped open, then closed again and stayed that way.
"Ace?"
Her eyes opened again and then widened as she saw – Nita moving toward her, dragging a stretcher with water, food and medical supplies. Nita dropped the stretcher next to the unconscious Doctor.
"Nita!"
"Oh, Ace… thank God…"
"Nita…" the Doctor said weakly.
"We're on our way back to the TARDIS, Doctor… we've stabilized your vital signs."
The Doctor nodded slightly, looked at her as though to reassure himself that she was really there. He looked at Ace.
"Ace…"
Ace stepped toward him.
"A moment…" The Doctor reached out toward her. Ace went to his side. "Nita, I want you to know…" He gripped Ace's hand. His voice, still hoarse, was weak… but the Doctor summoned strength from within. "She saved my life…" Then he turned and looked up at Ace. "Ace, know this… you will be missed."
Ace nodded; the two shared a silent goodbye. Then, Ace in front, the stretcher was carried out toward the cave opening.