'Not yet. I'll have to make a few more adjustments to get the balance completely stable, or the force-field will re-establish itself.'
The Vardans stood silent, as if receiving some distant signal. Far above, the Vardan flag-ship was slowly descending towards the Capitol.
As the ship passed the force-field level unharmed the Vardan Leader turned and said exultantly. 'It is done. We are safe now.' The Vardans began to materialise.
10
False Victory
Kelner stared in astonishment, as the three shimmering shapes were replaced by three solid forms.
He stared at the Vardans in a kind of astonished disappointment.
The Vardans were human-or humanoid at least.
Three tall, stern faced men in drab green battle-dress, belts cluttered with pouches and equipment, helmets on their heads.
They carried no weapons, but they did not need them. The Vardan flag-ship hovered above the Capitol. The merest thought-impulse could see the Vardans whisked back to safety and the Capitol blasted to dust.
Kelner said dully, 'But they're just ordinary humanoids...'
'That's right,' said the Doctor. 'Disappointing, isn't it?' He nodded affably to the Vardans. 'Nice to see you again.'
'You have work to do, Doctor,' said the Vardan Leader coldly. 'Continue with it. One of us will assist you.'
'Oh, I can manage nicely, thanks all the same.'
'Accompany him!' ordered the Leader and one of his two companions moved to the Doctor's side.
'Tell you what,' suggested the Doctor brightly. 'Why don't you assist me in my work?"
A Vardan close behind him, the Doctor left the Panopticon.
Leela halted her band on the edge of the Capitol. Its sheer white walls looming above them. 'Nesbin, you and your men move on to the far side. Attack the guards, make them think it is a mass attack. I shall slip through the other way with Jasko and Rodan.'
Nesbin nodded, and led the bulk of the force away.
Leela, Rodan, and a burly young Outsider called Jasko set off for the nearby tunnel to the Capitol. Jasko wasn't especially bright, but he was brave and strong, and he knew how to obey orders.
Rodan knew the control codes that opened the tunnel door-clearly no one had bothered to change them. They came through the tunnel, out into the corridor. They didn't see a living soul. No Time Lords, no guards, no Vardans, no one.
'Something's wrong,' whispered Leela. 'It's all too easy. We must move carefully.'
They crept on their way.
The Doctor led his Vardan guard not to the control room, but back to the president's office.
'Why do we come here?' asked the Vardan suspiciously.
The Doctor smiled disarmingly. 'Shan't keep you a moment old chap, I've forgotten my hat.'
Before the Vardan had time to realise that the Doctor was wearing his hat, he had opened the door, slipped inside, and slammed it. The Vardan reached for the door handle to follow and heard the sound of heavy bolts being slammed home. He tried to open the door, found he could not move it, and promptly dematerialised intending to materialise on the other side. To his astonishment, he found it was impossible-he simply re-appeared in the corridor. Angrily, the Vardan disappeared again.
Inside the office, the Doctor guessed what had happened and grinned. 'No use trying that one, old chap.' He patted the door with its ornately carved lead screen, and turned to find Andred and K9 staring at him. 'So pleased you could both make it.' The Doctor waved around the lead-lined room. 'Nothing like lead, is there. Good old base lead.'
'Insulation,' said Andred realising. 'This room is insulated against the Vardans.'
'That's right. Come on K9, we've got a lot to do!'
The baffled Vardan re-materialised inside the Panopticon and reported to his leader, who rounded upon Kelner. 'The Doctor has betrayed us. Kill him. You are now in charge here. I must have discipline!'
Kelner felt his moment had come. 'I shall take control immediately.'
Despite Leela's fears, she and her two friends had reached the TARDIS unopposed. Now Jasko and Rodan stood watching as Leela hammered on the door.
'Suppose he isn't in there?' asked Jasko.
Leela turned impatiently to Rodan. 'If he's not in here, where else would he be?'
'Well, he is the President isn't he? I suppose he could be in the President's office.'
'Take us there!'
The little party set off again.
From the safety of his office, Kelner was despatching his men to capture the Doctor, an event he had no intention of attending in person. 'This order is to be expedited immediately. I assume complete authority. The President will be shot on sight!'
The Doctor took the Rod of Rassilon from his pocket and handed it casually to Andred. 'Hold this a minute will you?'
Reverently, Andred took the sacred Rod.
'And this!' The Doctor took the Circlet from the other pocket and passed it over. He unfastened the Sash of Rassilon. 'This too!'
Astonished and overawed, Andred stood holding Gallifrey's equivalent of the Crown Jewels, while the Doctor grabbed K9 round the middle and with a grunt of effort set him upon the Presidential desk.
He took the Rod, the Sash and the Circlet from Andred, looped the Sash and the Circlet over K9's head, and thrust the Rod between them.
Andred tried to protest, but the Doctor said soothingly. 'Just trust me. Ready, K9?'
'Affirmative!'
'Then do as you've been told.'
There was a tremendous thud from outside, then another and another. Someone, several someones by the sound of it, was raining heavy blows on the other side of the door.
A picked squad of Kelner's bodyguard had been issued with the heavy ceremonial axes carried in Gallifreyan ceremonial parades. Now they were busily trying to smash down the door of the Presidential office with clumsy old-fashioned weapons that had never been intended for serious use. Despite the fact that a watching Vardan was urging them on, it was taking them quite a time. Work became even slower when two of the axe-squad suddenly dropped, transfixed by arrows. Leela had arrived.
Leela and Jasko fired again, two more men fell, the Vardan dematerialised and the attack was over.
Leela glared at the space left by the vanishing Vardan. 'What was that?'
'Someone vanishing,' said Rodan unhelpfully.
'Is this the President's office?'
Rodan nodded.
Leela snatched up an axe. 'Then let us break the door down!' She began hammering at the door. 'Doctor,' she yelled. 'Do not fear, we come to save you!'
The Doctor groaned at the sound of the familiar voice. 'I might have guessed. Let her in, Andred!'
Andred drew the bolts.
Waving axes, Leela and her two friends tumbled into the room. 'Doctor!' said Leela delightedly.
'Shut up, Leela,' said the Doctor. 'Ready, K9? Now!'
K9 began to whirr and click and buzz in the most alarming fashion, as he called on the mighty forces now at his disposal. His eyes glowed, his antennae quivered. Leela, Andred and the others watched in silent astonishment.
Inside the Panopticon, the Vardan War Leader stiffened in sudden alarm. 'Alert! Alert! I detect an unauthorised frequency tracer. Alert! Full Alert!'
'Contact!' said K9 suddenly. 'Co-ordinates of Vardan home planet are Vector three zero five two alpha seven, fourteenth span.'
The Doctor's voice was suddenly urgent. 'Activate Modulation Rejection Pattern, Time Loop mode.'
'Activating-now!'
Kelner ran into the Panopticon, eager to report that the Doctor was trapped in the Presidential office, his capture only a matter of time, and then paused in astonishment. The three Vardans stood in a tight group in the centre of the dais. As he watched they blurred, shimmered-and disappeared!
High above the Capitol, the Vardan space ship vanished too.
In the President's office there was complete and utter silence. Everyone was watching K9.
At last he spoke
. 'Wave pattern negative, repeat, negative. No trace of Vardan life-form on Gallifrey.'
Slowly, very slowly, the Doctor got up. He began removing the regalia from K9, taking off Rod, Sash and Circlet, and handing them to Andred.
'What happened?' asked Leela.
'We've won,' said the Doctor gently.
'Won?'
'Yes. I've sent the Vardans back home-to stay.'
Leela sounded almost disappointed. 'But we have fought only a few guards and some cowardly thing that vanished. How have we won?'
'It's not always like Waterloo, or the relief of Mafeking, you know,' said the Doctor wearily. 'This was a battle of intellect, of technology.'
'All right, all right,' said Leela. 'I'll take your word for it.'
They went out into the corridor, and the Doctor looked down at the four arrow-pierced guards. 'Have you ever thought of taking up killing people seriously, Leela? If you set your mind to it, you could become quite proficient! Come on, let's see what's going on!'
He headed for the Panopticon.
'Proficient,' muttered Leela. 'What does proficient mean?' She wasn't sure if she was being complimented or insulted.
The Doctor entered the great hall of the Panopticon, to find no one there except Kelner, who bowed before him, wringing his hands. 'Doctor! President! Sir!' he cried in anguish.
'Confusing, isn't it?' said the Doctor amiably. 'Is the Chancellor still in his office?'
Kelner had almost forgotten old Borusa, put under house arrest such a very long time ago. 'As far as I know, sir.'
'I shall want to see him, immediately.'
'Yes, Excellency.'
'Kelner, as Castellan you are responsible for the security of Gallifrey in general, and for my safety in particular, aren't you?'
'Yes, Excellency.'
The Doctor shook his head. 'I don't think you're very good at it,' he said sadly. 'Mind you, that's only my opinion. Every oligarchy gets the Castellan it deserves, eh, Castellan?'
Kelner was too frightened to reply. Clearly, he expected immediate execution at the very least. The Doctor sighed. 'Never mind. Just clear up the mess when you've a moment or two.'
Kelner retreated bowing.
Andred hurried into the room, and saluted the Doctor. 'Victory, Your Excellency,' he called exultantly.
The Doctor gave a weary but triumphant smile. 'Victory it is,' he said solemnly. 'It has been a long hard fight, but the safety of Gallifrey has been assured.'
He became aware of a sudden silence. Instead of giving three rousing cheers, they were all staring fixedly over his shoulder.
The Doctor turned.
Three strange figures stood in the doorway, watching him. Not the vanquished Vardans, but three very different figures.
They wore shining space armour. They were short and squat with immensely wide shoulders, broad powerful limbs, and great dome-shaped helmets.
The leader of the three figures removed his helmet to reveal a face from some ancient nightmare. The head was huge and round and it seemed to emerge directly from the massive shoulders. The hairless skull was greeny-brown and small red eyes were set deep in cavernous sockets. The nose was a snubby snout, the wide mouth a lipless slit.
It was the face of a Sontaran.
The Sontarans
The Sontaran held a slubby hand-blaster aimed unerringly at the Doctor.
'Please don't fire that thing,' said the Doctor mildly.
'Pointless killing is unproductive. Slavery is more functional.' The Sontaran's voice was a harsh, guttural whisper.
'What are these things?' whispered Leela.
'Sontarans.'
'You know them?'
'Oh yes, I know them.' The Doctor had encountered Sontarans before. They were a savagely militaristic species with only one interest-war! In the intervals of their unending war with their deadly enemies the Rutans, the Sontarans occasionally turned their attention to other species. The Doctor had foiled their plans before, once in Earth's medieval past, and once in its far distant future.
I should have known, thought the Doctor wearily. The Vardans were only the forerunners, the puppets. They had the technological skills, but not the savagely militaristic will for an operation such as this. Only the Sontarans would dare to attempt the greatest military coup in the galaxy. The conquest of Gallifrey-the invasion of Time itself!
The Sontaran announced, 'I am Commander Stor of the Sontaran Special Space Service.'
'Isn't that carrying alliteration a little too far?'
Commander Stor ignored the Doctor's joke. Sontarans have no sense of humour, though they occasionally smile at the death-throes of an enemy.
'What about the Vardans?' asked Leela. 'They were your allies?'
'The Vardans were expendable. They served their purpose-to open the force-field and let us in.'
Typical Sontaran ruthlessness, thought the Doctor almost admiringly. How like the Sontarans to use an entire species for their shock troops-and sacrifice them without a second thought in the cause of Sontaran victory.
Commander Stor said suddenly, 'Which one is "Dok-tor"? Are you "Dok-tor"?' The name sounded strange in the harsh alien voice.
The Sontaran looked at Kelner who said hurriedly, 'Oh, no!' and shot a quick betraying glance at the Doctor.
The Sontaran swung round. 'You, then?'
'I am Lord President of the Supreme High Council of the Time Lords of Gallifrey,' announced the Doctor loftily.
'Your description matches one called "Dok-tor", an enemy of the Sontaran race.'
'I can't help that, can I? I'm the Lord President of Gallifrey. You may address me as "sir".'
Stor raised his blaster and fired. The Doctor writhed in agony, as a red haze enveloped his body. 'I call no one "sir" but my military superiors,' said the Sontaran dispassionately.
The red haze disappeared, leaving the Doctor weak and shaken. 'That must mean several thousand sirs,' he muttered.
'Thousand? The glorious Sontaran army reckons its numbers in hundreds of millions.' Stor turned to one of his aides. 'Find the one called, "Dok-tor" and kill him.'
The Sontaran raised an arm in salute and marched away.
Cardinal Borusa sat at his desk in the Chancellor's office, a tiny intercom unit in his hand. The Doctor's voice came from the speaker. 'I was only trying to help.'
Borusa switched off the intercom and sat lost in thought. He had been confined to his suite of offices in the Chancellery ever since his confrontation with the Vardans, regaining his strength and awaiting an opportunity to help the Doctor. He had been woken from an uneasy sleep by the noise and confusion in the Capitol, and soon realised that his guard had disappeared. In an attempt to find out what was going on, Borusa had monitored the conversation in the Panopticon. He had just been about to emerge and congratulate the Doctor on his victory when the arrival of this new threat made him decide to stay in hiding. Borusa switched on the corn-unit.
The Doctor was still managing to hold the Sontaran in talk. 'I take it you have invaded Gallifrey in search of knowledge, Commander Stor? Knowledge must always be the ultimate goal, must it not?'
'A means to an end only. The ultimate goal is victory.'
'Victory over whom?'
'Victory over all!'
'Victory over time?' suggested the Doctor.
There was sudden suspicion in the harsh alien voice. 'What did you say?'
'Do you seek victory over time itself?'
Borusa knew that the words held a message for him. The Doctor had realised that he would be listening, and was warning him of the Sontaran plans. Borusa smiled, and his hand went to a control panel set into the desk top.
In the Panopticon, Stor had sensed that he was being delayed, and had become uneasy. 'Enough of this idle talk. When my troops arrive you will all be placed in confinement--'
An indescribable noise filled the Panopticon. It was a high-pitched, howling, screaming, reverberating chime. It assaulted the ear with intolerable force.
No one could hear what he was saying, but the Doctor's friends instinctively followed him as he sprinted from the hall.
Sontaran hearing is surprisingly sensitive, and Stor seemed to be affected worse than anyone else. Gauntleted hands clutching his head he reeled in agony.
Kelner, anxious to ingratiate himself with this new regime went to help him. He got in the way of a flailing arm and was sent spinning across the hall.
The Doctor pounded along the corridor with Leela, Rodan, Andred, two of Andred's men and an Outsider called Jablif close behind him. Suddenly the howling noise stopped and the Doctor realised it was time to stop running and start making plans. He raised a hand. 'Stop!'
Everyone stopped. They all began shaking their heads and rubbing their ears.
'What was that noise?' gasped Leela.
'Celebration chimes. Should have been played at my election about fifty times quieter! I think someone's trying to help me.'
'We all are,' said Leela. 'What do we do next?'
'Follow me.'
'Where to?'
'My office. I've got an urgent appointment!'
Kelner scrambled to his feet, and immediately began to grovel. 'I am sorry, Lord Stor, this was none of my doing...'
Stor was rasping orders into his communicator. 'To all advance units. The President is to be apprehended. You may kill those with him, but take the President alive!'
Kelner said timidly, 'But surely you realise, the President is--'
'Silence!' roared Stor, and Kelner obeyed.
The Doctor stopped at a corridor junction flattening himself against the wall. 'Look out-a Sontaran!'
They heard the clumping of heavy booted feet, and a squat, menacing figure appeared at the other end of the corridor.
Leela drew her knife. 'Do not worry, Doctor, I will kill him.'
'You don't know how!'
'Then tell me.'
'There's a small opening at the back of their necks called the probic vent. It's their only weak point.'
Doctor Who - [093] - The Invasion Of Time Page 8