Chapter 4

The Control Room was shaking and the lights were dim. The main viewer showed the atmosphere rushing past, with a glowing sun directly ahead.

"Auxiliary power failing."

"The resonance frequency of the tractor beams is incompatible with our power systems. Time and space engine relays have been overloaded. I am attempting to compensate."

The TARDIS was inside the sphere, still be propelled forward by the tractor beams.

In the Control Room, there was a final violent shake… then the shaking stopped. The image on the main viewer was now a clearer view of the star. The interior surface of the sphere could be dimly seen.

"The tractor beams have released us, Doctor."

"Hold position here until we can get our barings."

"Full sensor sweep, Carolyn. Where are we?"

"We are approximately ninety million kilometers from the star's photosphere. I am reading a great deal of surface instability. It may be…"

Suddenly Nita broke in urgently. "Doctor. The inertial motion from the tractor beams is still carrying us forward. The space engines are off-line and I can't stop our momentum. We're falling directly into the star."

The Time Capsule was still crashed on the surface of the sphere. Inside its Ops Centre, Jamie was using a few of his tools on an open panel. Michelle had attached a large device from her equipment case to a console and it blinked and flashed in response to Jamie's work. Jamie seemed a little subdued.

"The primary computer database should be online now. Give it a try."

Michelle worked for a moment and got a couple of flashing lights on her device. "Okay… I've got three access lines to the central core… still nothing."

Jamie worked for a moment, then gave up in irritation… his heart really wasn't in this effort. "Bunch of old useless, garbage…"

"What?"

"I said it's old, Michelle. It can't handle the interface of your power converter." Jamie opened another panel and began tinkering with the inner working. He was talking about more than just the equipment and he was definitely getting more depressed. "This equipment was designed for a different era… now it's just a lot of junk."

"I don't know… looks like some of it has held together pretty well."

"It's a century out of date. It's just…" He shut the panel closed in disgust. "Obsolete."

There was a quiet beat as Michelle suddenly realized that Jamie was actually talking about himself. Michelle wanted to reach out to him in some way… she considered the console she was working on for a moment.

"That's interesting, because I was just thinking that a lot of these systems didn't change much in seventy-five years."

Jamie had only a dull interest in what Michelle was saying, but at least he was listening. Michelle moved over to the materialization panel. "The Materializer is almost identical to the one on the TARDIS." She gestured to other panels. "The subspace radio and sensors operate on the same basic principles, and space engine design didn't change much in two hundred years. If it weren't for the structural damage, this ship could still be in service today."

There was a beat as Jamie considered this. He smiled sadly. "Maybe so, but when they can build a ship like the TARDIS, who'd want to pilot an old bucket like this?"

"I don't know, if this ship were operational I bet it would run circles around the TARDIS at space speeds. Just because something's old doesn't mean you throw it away."

They looked at each other for a moment, and a new friendship was just starting to form. Jamie broke the moment and moved back to the computer panel. "We used to have something called a Relational Information System… you wouldna have something like that on your TARDIS would ye?"

Michelle thought. "I haven't heard of anything called that, but I know of something similar." She pulled out her mobile phone and dialled the TARDIS. It rang until it switched to voicemail. They exchanged looks of concern. Michelle moved to the sensor panel.

"Interference?"

"No. They're gone."

In the Control Room, the main viewer showed the star getting bigger and bigger. There was still a sense of urgency in the air. Nita had activated the Engineering station and was working on it.

"We will enter the sun's photosphere in three minutes."

"Maneuvering thrusters?"

"I've got thirty percent power, it won't be enough to stop us."

"No. But it may be enough to turn us into orbit and hold our distance from the photosphere."

Nita stood at the Engineering panel and bent to work.

"Port thrusters ahead full, starboard back full."

Nita worked the panel.

"Our flight path is changing, right ten point seven degrees, insufficient to clear the photosphere."

"Divert all power from auxiliary relay systems to the maneuvering thrusters."

"Our angular deflection is increasing. Now at fifteen degrees, eighteen, turn now twenty point one degrees."

They looked at the main viewer. The giant image of the star gradually shifted to the left as the TARDIS managed to turn away.

"We're in orbit, Doctor. Our altitude is one hundred and fifty thousand kilometers."

"I'll see about getting main power back online."

"Very well." The Doctor headed back to the console as Nita left. "Carolyn, begin a scan of the interior surface for life forms. I want to know who brought us in here and why."

"Yes, Doctor."

In the time capsule's ops centre, Jamie and Michelle were working on two panels of the console. Michelle was very concerned. "I can't find them anywhere in orbit."

"They could've crashed into the sphere like this ship."

"No, we'd be picking up background radiation if they'd gone down."

"There's another possibility, they could be inside the sphere."

"Maybe. Whatever's happened, we've got to find them. If we can get these engines back online, we could track them by their artron trail."

Jamie was outraged. "Are ye daft? The main drive assembly's shot, the inducers are melted, and the power couplings are wrecked, we'd need a week just to get started."

Michelle looked frustrated for a moment and was just about to argue with him, when Jamie took a breath and then went on. "But we don't have a week, so there's so sense crying about it. Come on, let's see what we can do with your power converter."

Jamie turned away and moved toward the engines, leaving Michelle a little surprised. She followed Jamie with a bemused look.

In the TARDIS control room, Carolyn and the Doctor were at one of the science stations.

"The sphere appears to be abandoned." Carolyn worked the panel and a schematic diagram of the sphere and star appeared on the monitor. Several sections of the star had been highlighted. "Our sensors show that the star is extremely unstable. It is experiencing severe bursts of radiation and matter expulsions."

"That would explain why they abandoned it. But if there's no one still living here, how were we brought inside?"

"I believe we triggered a series of automatic piloting beams which were designed to guide ships into the sphere."

Nita entered the control room. "Doctor. Sensors show a large magnetic disturbance on the star's surface."

Carolyn worked her console panel. "It is a solar flare, Doctor. Magnitude: twelve. Class: B."

"Shields?"

"Shields are up, but only at twenty-three percent."

"The star has entered a period of increased activity. Our sensors indicate that solar flares will continue to grow. In three hours, our shields will no longer be sufficient to protect us."

The screen showed a huge solar flare reaching out from the star and heading directly toward the TARDIS.