6. Stowaway of the Moonraker
SCENE #59 – INT – TURBO-LIFT, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
DOCTOR
Dalek wreckage?
The Doctor and Billy are in the turbo-lift with Elaine Thomas as they’re making for Deck #8 where the Moonraker’s cargo bay is.
ELAINE
“It was found on our way to Yondamus space. Just floating adrift and abandoned. We salvaged what we could collect and stored it in the cargo bay.”
BILLY
“You think the Dwaxi are responsible.”
DOCTOR
“Has Mr. Wilson or Mr. Frakes been able to analyse the Dwaxi data?”
ELAINE
“They’re still working on it. It’s taking time to store the records and gather crew logs about the experiences of the Dwaxi incident.”
The turbo-lift slows to a stop and the doors slide open.
ELAINE
This way, please.
The Doctor and Billy follow Elaine out of the turbo-lift. The turbo-lift doors slide shut once they’re out.
SCENE #60 – INT – CORRIDOR, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
Elaine escorts the Doctor and Billy down the corridor on Deck #8 to the cargo bay.
ELAINE
I’m sorry about your friend. In a way I understand. I have a son back on Earth.
BILLY
You’re married?
ELAINE
Not yet. Once we’re finished here, I’m going back for the wedding. It’s to stop my Mum and Dad nagging us really. But Eddie and I are looking forward to it.
DOCTOR
Well, congratulations to you both.
ELAINE
Thank you, Doctor. But if I lost my future hubby and Mark my baby, I’d be devastated. (Pause) Your young friend must mean a lot to you.
DOCTOR
“Yes, she does.”
BILLY
“Yes. She really does.”
They turn around the corner and enter cargo bay #1, with the doors sliding open for them.
SCENE #61 – INT – CARGO BAY #1, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
Cargo bay #1’s doors slide shut, once he Doctor, Billy and Elaine are inside. The cargo bay is filled with activity, as crew members busily move cargo and some scan; analyse and store the cargo into specified units on the ship. There is dust and oily fumes that make the place unclean and mechanistic.
BILLY
(coughs) “This place’s so stuffy.”
DOCTOR
(enthused) “Ah! I see my TARDIS.”
ELAINE
“Yes, Doctor. We’ve got it stored safely and protected with a force field.”
DOCTOR
(reassuringly) “Oh I wasn’t going to take off in it, Commander. I am here to help.”
ELAINE
“It’s a precaution. We like to salvage things when exploring the galaxy.”
DOCTOR
“Why are you here in Yondamus space, Commander Thomas?”
ELAINE
“We’re here to collect some grain from the Yondamons in exchange for some water supplies.”
DOCTOR
“Hence the nitro-tritium grain we found in the warehouse.”
ELAINE
“You saw the cargo?”
DOCTOR
“Once we arrived, yes.”
BILLY
“And it explains why you got a funny looking alien aboard.”
DOCTOR
(reproaches) Billy!
BILLY
(apologetically) Sorry, Doctor. I didn’t mean any disrespect.
ELAINE
Yes. Ambassador Togal does have an air of foreboding. But if these negotiations are successful, then we’ll be able to win the war with the Daleks and return to Earth.
DOCTOR
If you ever get back to Earth.
ELAINE
(subdued momentarily) Here’s the Dalek wreckage.
They look to see the Dalek wreckage on the floor.
BILLY
Yikes! This belonged to an alien ship?
ELAINE
“What you see here is an example of destroyed Daleks. Pieces of ship, parts of Dalek casing…”
The Doctor picks a piece of Dalek wreckage up from the floor and examines it.
DOCTOR
“The Dalek slime spreads when crushed. I’ve always wanted to see the Daleks in pieces.”
Billy also picks a piece of Dalek wreckage up from the floor and examines it.
BILLY
(amazed) “Extraordinary!”
DOCTOR
“Careful how you hold the wreckage, Billy. Dalek slime can be lethal.”
Billy drops the piece of wreckage to the floor.
ELAINE
“I’ll let you look, Doctor. I’m just going to check something.”
DOCTOR
(absorbed) “Fine, Fine.”
Elaine leaves the Doctor and Billy, as they continue examining the wreckage.
BILLY
“Doctor? These…Daleks? How come they’re nasty?”
DOCTOR
“They’re one of the most feared creatures in the universe. They’ve been fighting and causing wars between other species in their attempt to conquer and destroy everything.”
BILLY
Why? What’s it all for?
DOCTOR
It’s what they believe in. The Daleks have no concept of sharing. They want to rule the universe by themselves and become the dominant species.
BILLY
It sounds like the Nazis again. (Pause) How long have they been fighting with Earth?
DOCTOR
Oh, they’ve had many wars with Earth. But the one they’re fighting now must be considerably a long time.
BILLY
I haven’t seen a Dalek yet.
DOCTOR
Oh, you won’t mistake it once you see one.
Moment of silence.
BILLY
“What do you think, Doctor? About this wreckage.”
DOCTOR
“Oh the wreckage isn’t the main issue. It’s this ship and its crew I’m worried about.”
BILLY
“The Moonraker? And it’s crew? What’s wrong with them?”
DOCTOR
“Oh, nothing. That’s the whole point.” (Pause) “The way things are…with the rift we detected in the TARDIS, the Yondamons, the appearance of the Dwaxi which I believe is wrongly justified and now the Daleks…”
BILLY
“Yes?”
DOCTOR
“Well…the way of history, Billy. The way of history.”
SCENE #62 – EXT – MICROS PLI, YONDAMUS IV – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
On Yondamus IV, Nyssa and Nina run and escape from Dwaxi Guard #2 who chased them. They are somewhere on the plains of Micros Pli, that is like a desert.
NYSSA
(exhausted) “Down here! Behind this foliage, quick!”
They run down a hill to get behind some rocks. They duck as they hide. Moment of silence. After a while, they sigh with relief.
NINA
“I think we lost him.”
NYSSA
“Thank goodness. I thought he was never going to stop chasing us!”
NINA
“That hiding place was definitely a bonus.” (Pause) “Poor Jack. We should have gone back for him.”
NYSSA
“I’m sorry, Nina. But if we went back we would have all been caught.”
NINA
“But why? Why do they want to keep Jack prisoner?”
NYSSA
“We can’t stay here for long. We’ve got to find some help.”
NINA
“Help? Help from where?”
NYSSA
“There’s always hope, Nina.”
NINA
“Better you than me. We’ve got horrible storm troopers chasing…”
NYSSA
(urgently) “Hush.”
NINA
“What is it?”
They listen, as there is a sound of movement. Something mechanical approaches close to where Nyssa and Nina are.
NYSSA
(urgently) “Nina, get down!”
NINA
“What?”
NYSSA
“Get down!”
Nyssa and Nina duck, as two Daleks come around the corner. One Dalek (Dalek Survivor #1) is fine shape, but the other (Dalek Survivor #2) is battered and scarred. They pass Nyssa and Nina hiding from them, as they glide on the sand dunes.
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
WHAT IS YOUR FUNCTIONAL STATUS?
DALEK SURVIVOR #2
(croaks) POWER RESERVES FAULTY. MUST RECHARGE SYSTEMS.
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
NO TIME. CONDITIONS OF TEMPORAL SHIFT ESCAPE ROUTE WERE EXPECTED! CONTINUE YOUR FUNCTION.
DALEK SURVIVOR #2
(croaks) I UNDER-STAND!
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
CALCULATE DISTANCE OF OUR PRESENT POSITION TO MICROS WARE-HOUSE ESTATE!
DALEK SURVIVOR #2
(croaks) DISTANCE ONE FOUR POINT FIVE MILES.
As the two Daleks confer with each other, Nyssa and Nina watch as they hide.
NINA
(quietly) “How did they get here?”
NYSSA
(quietly) “They said they’d escaped through a temporal shift. Perhaps they were on a ship and something attacked them. The Dwaxi?”
NINA
(quietly) “Well it’d be bad luck if we had more to worry about.”
Meanwhile, the Daleks advance towards the warehouse estate.
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
“WE SHALL SET FORTH. WE WILL FIND THE DWAXI …”
Just then, there is a ferocious roar. Then, a hideous monster appears before the Daleks. It advances towards them ferociously.
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
“WHAT IS THAT?”
DALEK SURVIVOR #2
(croaks) “INSTRUMENTS INDICATE IT TO BE ONE OF THE CREATURES THAT INHABIT THIS PLANET. IDENTIFICATION: GLOBTOL FERROCA.”
The Globtol Ferroca is like a ferocious gorilla (according to the Doctor). It roars and snarls as it gnashes its huge fangs. Nyssa watches horrified, as she sees the beast.
NYSSA
(quietly) “So that’s what a Globtol Ferroca looks like? I see how those security men found them terrifying.”
But the Globtol Ferroca doesn’t seem to impress the Daleks.
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
(barks) OBSTRUCTION MUST BE REMOVED! PREPARE TO DESTROY! FIRE!
The Daleks fire on the Globtol Ferroca with their guns. The monster roars in agony.
DALEK SURVIVOR #2
MY POWER SUPPLY IS DEPLETED!
The Daleks’ firepower doesn’t instantly kill the Globtol Ferroca. The monster lunges forward and grabs hold of the battered Dalek.
DALEK SURVIVOR #2
(cries) HELP! HELP! IT HAS GOT ME! HELP! HELP! IT IS EATING ME!
Despite Dalek Survivor #2’s cries, it gets eaten up by the Globtol Ferroca in a very animalistic and ferocious way. Dalek Survivor #2’s shrieks as it dies, as the Globtol crunches the metal casing with its fangs and munches it as food. Nyssa and Nina are horrified by what they’ve seen.
NINA
“How ghastly!”
The Globtol finishes eating its Dalek meal.
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
(panics; raises voice) “YOU WILL BE DESTROYED! DESTROYED! DESTROYED! DESTROYED!”
Dalek Survivor #1 fires again at the monster. Eventually, the Globtol roars in agony before collapsing to the ground dead. Dalek Survivor #1 trundles forward and examines the corpse.
DALEK SURVIVOR #1
“IT IS DEAD! I MUST SET FORTH! SET FORTH!”
The Dalek trundles forward, leaving the dead monster, to make for the warehouse estate. As soon as the Dalek has gone, Nyssa and Nina come out of hiding. They approach the dead Globtol, kneeling to the ground to examine it themselves.
NINA
“It’s just a lump of fur now.”
NYSSA
(sympathetically) “Poor thing. It must have been frightened when it saw those Daleks.”
NINA
“Frightened? That thing ate one of those tin pots.”
Moment of silence.
NINA
“Without the medical equipment I have, I say this creature is definitely dead.”
NYSSA
“Yes.” (Pause) “Come on, Nina. Let’s move on, shall we?”
Nyssa takes Nina with her, as they leave the dead Globtol Ferroca.
SCENE #63 – INT – CARGO BAY #1, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
Back in cargo bay #1 of the Moonraker, the Doctor fiddles with some Dalek wreckage before dumping it on top of the other wreckage. Billy is kneeling down beside the Doctor, startled once the Doctor throws something.
BILLY
Hey, watch it!
DOCTOR
Sorry, Billy. (Pause) The Daleks certainly have found their greatest enemy. Not so powerful now, are they.
BILLY
There’s lot of slime…as well as metal. (Pause) Reminds me of those sci-fi movies where the alien’s revealed. It’s quite intriguing.
DOCTOR
Never trust to film, Billy. They never present the genuine article of an alien quite so well.
BILLY
Well, the sooner we get out of here the better. The more we have to deal with Daleks and Dwaxi, the more I think of seeing Nyssa’s home.
DOCTOR
(gradually) “You want to see Traken?”
BILLY
“Yes. Very much. Nyssa told me it’s a nice place.”
DOCTOR
“Oh indeed. It was one of the most peaceful places in the universe!”
BILLY
“I hope Nyssa will forgive me for leaving her behind on that planet. She might not want me to see Traken if she thinks badly of me.”
DOCTOR
“Oh Nyssa doesn’t think badly of you, Billy.”
Moment of silence.
BILLY
(realises) “You said…‘was’ one of the peaceful places in the universe.”
DOCTOR
“Did I say ‘was’?”
BILLY
“Yes you said ‘was’. What did you mean by that?”
DOCTOR
(gradually) “Err…”
But before the Doctor can answer, Elaine returns.
ELAINE
“Doctor?”
DOCTOR
“Oh hello, Commander.”
ELAINE
“How’s it going?”
DOCTOR
“Oh not so bad. Saw parts of dead Dalek mutant sprawled all over the floor. Thought it was squiggling a bit but was nothing. But apart from that just a pile of wrecked Dalek spaceship.”
Just then Gregory Cornwall enters.
GREGORY
“Excuse me, Commander.”
ELAINE
“Gregory? What are you doing here?”
GREGORY
“I was collecting some quantum inductors for the warp engines plasma conduits. I’ve had to bypass some of the engine coils to make sure this baby doesn’t blow up.”
ELAINE
“Do you need some help?”
BILLY
“I can help.”
GREGORY
“You?”
ELAINE
“Do you know anything about engineering?”
BILLY
“No. But if you tell me to hand you something then that’s fine. Besides, I want to see how a spaceship works.”
Moment of silence.
GREGORY
“Alright then. Come this way Mr…”
BILLY
“Walker. Billy Walker.”
GREGORY
“Come this way, Mr. Walker.”
DOCTOR
“Are you sure you’ll be alright, Billy. You might find the engine work rather startling.”
BILLY
“I’d like to help out, Doctor. I don’t want to feel useless.”
DOCTOR
“Very well.”
Billy follows Gregory, as they leave the cargo bay to go to engineering.
ELAINE
“Now Doctor. If you’ll come with me.”
DOCTOR
“Why? Where are we going?”
ELAINE
“Mr. Wilson and Mr. Frakes have completed their initial diagnosis. Captain Sulley thought you’d like to see the Dwaxi data.”
DOCTOR
“Ah. Well that’s splendid. Lead the way, Commander.”
SCENE #64 – INT – BOARD ROOM, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
In the board room of the Moonraker, the Doctor and Elaine enter to find Captain Sulley with Colin and Gavin. The Captain swivels in his chair to face the Doctor and Elaine.
CAPTAIN
“Doctor; Commander Thomas. Glad you’re able to come.”
DOCTOR
“Well, Captain. It’s nice of you to invite us!”
CAPTAIN
“Take a seat.”
The Doctor and Elaine take their seats at the board room table. They wait for Colin and Gavin to give their presentation about the Dwaxi.
CAPTAIN
“Where’s the boy? Mr. Walker?”
ELAINE
“He’s with Gregory in Engineering. He’s helping him with the quantum inductors in the warp engines.”
COLIN
“I thought that boy was meant to be your responsibility, Commander.”
ELAINE
“I know my duty, Mr. Wilson.” (to Captain) “Captain, we need to put our trust in these two…”
CAPTAIN
“I’m starting to wonder Commander Thomas, whether I can rely on you for these strangers.”
DOCTOR
“Oh please, Captain. Billy doesn’t know anything about your engines!”
ELAINE
“I assure you, Captain. I will be responsible if anything happens.”
Moment of silence.
CAPTAIN
“Very well.” (to Colin) “Mr. Wilson.”
COLIN
(to Gavin) “Mr. Frakes. Will you start explaining your findings to Commander Thomas and the Doctor?”
Gavin begins his presentation, as he presses a button to activate the screen.
GAVIN
From what our scanners were able to detect, the shield frequency on each Dwaxi ship is anything beyond what we consider above normal. It contains an energy mass of two hundred and fifty-eight thousand, and it’s centred on the forward and rear shield perimeters.
ELAINE
Two hundred and fifty-eight thousand?! They must have more lattice crystals to generate that kind of power.
GAVIN
Indeed. The weapons array is beyond normal. They have tons of torpedo bays compared to the inertial mass of their own ships let alone their fleet. The manoeuvring thrusters of their vessel have a measure of power beyond the light speed engines we have on our own ships. The deflector array’s quite phenomenal….
CAPTAIN
(interrupts) This is all very interesting. But I’d like to know what makes these Dwaxi tick and able to destroy Daleks.
COLIN
(agitated) “But don’t you see, Captain. These Dwaxi are not what we consider to be fit according to the physical nature of the universe. The law of physics for them denies the possibilities they embrace. So why isn’t the universe crumbling?”
DOCTOR
I agree with Mr. Wilson, Captain.
COLIN
(startled) You do, Doctor?
DOCTOR
Yes. Why are the Dwaxi capable of destroying the Daleks is the main question.
CAPTAIN
I don’t see how. The Dwaxi seem to be a powerful space fleet.
DOCTOR
One even the Daleks can’t beat? The Dwaxi’s existence here contradicts the laws of physics. And that is why it doesn’t seem right.
ELAINE
What do you mean, Doctor?
DOCTOR
Well, the fact that they are capable of so many things. Uncontrollable violence, devastating firepower. Their technology is far too advanced to reach this time period.
CAPTAIN
“To reach this time period, Doctor?”
DOCTOR
“Unless…”
ELAINE
“Unless what?”
DOCTOR
“Unless…” (Pause; realises) “Of course the rift in time and space we discovered in the TARDIS. Perhaps the Dwaxi and the rift are somehow connected.”
COLIN
“Time rift? That’s what Mr. Frakes was about to explain.”
CAPTAIN
“Mr. Frakes?”
GAVIN
“Yes, sir. It was what I detected in the security logs as well as pointing it out to Mr. Wilson here.”
DOCTOR
(to Gavin) “Pardon me, what’s your name again?”
GAVIN
(startled) “My name? Um…Mr. Frakes. Gavin Frakes.”
DOCTOR
(enthused) “Well Mr. Frakes, Gavin Frakes. Nice to meet you.”
CAPTAIN
(insistent) “Mr. Frakes, start explaining.”
GAVIN
“Well…there were some temporal readings on the perimeters of their ships like background radiation.” (enquiringly) “Err…did you know that, Doctor?”
DOCTOR
“No, I didn’t. But I know now.”
GAVIN
“Well, it’s like the Dwaxi fleet was bathed in time. I checked the scientific logs with Mr. Wilson’s permission about any further evidence of some temporal readings and it reminded me of the random emissions we had earlier.”
DOCTOR
“What random emissions?”
GAVIN
(to Captain) “Well you know, Captain. The ones Jack picked up before we entered Yondamus space.”
CAPTAIN
“I do remember, Mr. Frakes.”
GAVIN
“Well it was located in the black region of Yondamus space. When I checked the visual scanners of that region from probe data, it seemed there was a crack in the fabric of space.”
ELAINE
“A wormhole?”
GAVIN
“No. It wasn’t a wormhole. It was like an invisible crack that emitted particles of temporal energy. And this is the interesting part. The particles of temporal energy emitted from that crack, were similar to the temporal readings…on the perimeter of the Dwaxi ships.”
DOCTOR
“Fascinating.”
Moment of silence, as everyone realises the implications of the information they’ve discovered.
SCENE #65 – INT – ENGINEERING, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
In engineering, Billy helps Gregory with the quantum inductors for the warp engine plasma conduits. Gregory opens a safety valve to reveal the conduits that need the inductors inserted.
BILLY
(awed) “This is an engine of a space ship? It’s so clean.”
GREGORY
(heartily) “Hey! It’s a chief engineer’s job to leave nothing to chance with hygiene.” (Pause) “Now before we implement the quantum inductors we need to reset the space curve protocols.”
BILLY
“And how do you do that?”
GREGORY
“Easy.” (to Billy) “Pass me the anti-matter fuser.”
BILLY
“The what?”
GREGORY
“The anti-matter…the small red tool beside you on that table.”
Billy eventually sees the anti-matter fuser. He picks it up and hands it over to Gregory.
BILLY
This thing?
GREGORY
Yes. That’s it.
Gregory takes the fuser from Billy. He switches it on and it emits a whirring sound. He places the fuser into the plasma conduits.
GREGORY
Once these conduits are clean of plasma, we can reset the protocols through this diameter.
The cleaning process takes a short while. Gregory eventually finishes.
GREGORY
There.
Gregory switches the fuser off. He begins to reset the space-curve protocols.
GREGORY
(to Billy) “How come you don’t know much about starship engines? It’s usually the sort of thing that gets included in the training courses at Star Academy.”
BILLY
“Uh…I didn’t do a training course.”
GREGORY
“Oh really? Usually young men want to go on training courses to become crew members of a starship. It’s a highly rated job.” (Pause) “There. I’ve reset the protocols for a maximum output of fifty to sixty parsecs.”
BILLY
“Well I’ve always wanted to know about space rockets.”
GREGORY
“Space rockets? Where do you come from kid? The nineteen sixties?”
Moment of silence.
BILLY
“I always thought engine rooms would be dirty. Like engines on steam trains or ocean cruisers.”
GREGORY
“See those crystals?”
BILLY
“Yeah.”
GREGORY
“Pass a few of them to me, will you?”
Billy hands the crystals over to Gregory. Gregory takes the crystals from Billy, before he places them into the conduits.
BILLY
“How big is this spaceship?”
GREGORY
“Oh seventy metres in mass, four hundred and fifty metres in length. The ship has a crew compliment of sixty hundred and fifty with twenty decks.”
BILLY
“Amazing.”
Moment of silence.
BILLY
“How much more have you got to do?”
GREGORY
(focused) “Just place the crystals into the conduit like so.”
Gregory inserts the crystal fittingly into the conduit.
GREGORY
(continues) “Then place the inductors before the ship destabilises. They’re outside.”
BILLY
“I’ll get them.”
Billy leaves Engineering to fetch the inductors.
SCENE #66 – INT – CORRIDOR, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
In the corridor outside Engineering, Billy finds the inductors. Before he picks them, there is a clank of metal close by. Billy, intrigued by the sound, steps forward as he spots something in the shadows of the corridor.
BILLY
(calls) “Hello? Is there anybody there?” (Pause) “Hello?”
No response.
BILLY
“I can see you.” (Pause) “Who are you?” (Pause) “Do you need any help?”
Still no response.
BILLY
“I must be imagining things again.”
Just then, a machine glides slowly towards Billy.
BILLY
(realises) “No you’re not, Billy. There’s a blue glow.”
Moment of silence, as a grating voice speaks from the machine. It is an Agent Dalek.
AGENT DALEK
(pathetically) “HELP ME.”
BILLY
(puzzled) “Sorry? What did you say?”
AGENT DALEK
(pathetically) “HELP ME. I AM…LOST. I AM…LOST.”
BILLY
(compassionately) “We can help. Are…are you alone here?”
AGENT DALEK
(pathetically) “YES. I…I AM…ALONE. I AM SO…LONELY. SO…LONELY.”
BILLY
“Hey, come on. There’s no need to feel like that. People say that they’re lonely…”
AGENT DALEK
(pathetically) “I AM…ILL.”
BILLY
“Ill?”
AGENT DALEK
(pathetically) “I HAVE LOST MY FRIENDS. I HAVE LOST MY SHIP. LONELY. SO…LONELY.”
BILLY
(reassuringly) “Well, don’t worry! I’ve got a friend called the Doctor.”
AGENT DALEK
(raises voice) “DOC-TOR?” (calms down; pathetically) “THE DOC-TOR?”
BILLY
“You know the Doctor?”
AGENT DALEK
(gradually; pathetically) “HE IS…A FRIEND. HE IS…MY…FRIEND!”
BILLY
“Well I’m sure he can help you. I can go and find him if you like.”
AGENT DALEK
(pathetically) “YES. PLEASE. LET’S…GO…TO…THE…DOC-TOR!”
BILLY
“Alright. Come with me. I think I know where to find him.”
The ‘suffering’ Dalek follows Billy, as they go to find the Doctor. It glides slowly beside Billy.
BILLY
“We’ll take the lift.”
AGENT DALEK
(pathetically) “THANK YOU.”
Billy and the Agent Dalek make for the turbo-lift, as the doors slide open for them. They go inside the turb-lift.
BILLY
(intrigued) “You seem to be made out of metal.”
AGENT DALEK
(sharply) “DOES MY APPEARANCE UPSET YOU?”
BILLY
(taken aback) “No, no. I…I was just curious.”
The turbo-lift doors slide shut once Billy and the Agent Dalek are inside. Meanwhile, Gregory exits Engineering and enters the corridor.
GREGORY
(calls) “Billy? Billy, where are you?”
SCENE #67 – EXT – MICROS PLI, YONDAMUS IV – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
On Yondamus IV, Nyssa and Nina walk on heedlessly through the plains of Micros Pli.
NINA
“This is ridiculous, Nyssa. We can’t keep going on like this. We’re getting nowhere.”
NYSSA
“Maybe that escape attempt from the Dwaxi wasn’t worth it in the end after all.”
NINA
(apologetically) “Oh don’t say that, Nyssa. I didn’t mean what I said in a cruel way.”
NYSSA
“I know. This is pointless, I agree with you. It’s a stupid expedition without knowing what we’re getting ourselves into.” (Pause) “The Dwaxi can’t have scavenged all of Yondamus Four, surely.”
NINA
“It’s hard to know what the Dwaxi are capable of.”
NYSSA
“I’m sorry about Jack, Nina. I know we shouldn’t have left him. But I couldn’t think of what else we could do.”
NINA
(cries) “Look Nyssa! Look up ahead!” (Pause) “Do you see?”
NYSSA
(filled with joy) “Yes! Yes I do see it! It looks like a kind of…satellite station of some sort.”
NINA
“It’s one of the communication stations that the Yondamons use to contact in Yondamus Space and outside across the galaxy.”
NYSSA
“Oh it’s a joy just to see it there.”
NINA
“Let’s get there at once.”
NYSSA
“Yes. We might be able to contact the Doctor and Billy. Or contact your ship. Come on!”
Nyssa and Nina run towards the communications station. They don’t realise that they’re beign watched a Globtol Ferroca. It growls quietly as it follows after Nyssa and Nina.
SCENE #68 – INT – MAIN BRIDGE, MOONRAKER – 26TH CENTURY – AFTERNOON
On the bridge of the Moonraker, Togal waits impatiently as the Captain is still in conference with the Doctor; Elaine; Colin and Gavin in the board room. Togal addresses the female Ensign at the helm of the ship.
TOGAL
“How much longer is the Captain going to be?”
ENSIGN
(reassuringly) “He’ll be out shortly, sir.”
At that moment, Captain Sulley enters the bridge, followed by Elaine; Wilson; Gavin and the Doctor.
TOGAL
“Ah, Captain Sulley! I must speak with you!”
CAPTAIN
“Not now, Ambassador.” (to Ensign) “Ensign, set a course for the dark region of Yondamus space.”
ENSIGN
“Aye, sir.”
DOCTOR
“I take it Captain, you’re taking us to the rift of time and space?”
CAPTAIN
“I don’t like what’s happening here more than you do, Doctor. But I’m determined to find out where those space thugs came from and put them back where they belong.”
DOCTOR
“Believe me, Captain. It’s not as simple as that.”
ELAINE
“He’s right, Kevin. We don’t know much about temporal energy…”
CAPTAIN
(abruptly) “I really don’t need a lecture about temporal mechanics from you, Commander. Just follow my instructions.”
COLIN
(whispers; to Elaine) “You see, Elaine! You see what you’ve done now. You’ve upset the Captain.”
ELAINE
(whispers) “Oh shut up, Colin!”
TOGAL
(interrupts) “Captain Sulley, I really must speak to you…
CAPTAIN
“Please, Ambassador, I’m busy. Now whilst I think about it, I’ll need to go down to engineering…”
Just then, the turbo-lift doors slide open. Billy and the Agent Dalek step out onto the bridge.
BILLY
(calls) “Doctor!”
DOCTOR
“Billy?” (realises; panics) “Billy, get away from that…”
AGENT DALEK
(threateningly) “STAY WHERE YOU ARE! DO NOT MOVE!”
CAPTAIN
(shocked) “A Dalek!” (barks) “Mr. Frakes…”
TOGAL
“I really wouldn’t, Captain!”
The Captain turns to see himself being threatened by Togal with a gun.
CAPTAIN
(astonished) “Ambassador!”
TOGAL
(coldly) “I really must speak to you, Captain!”
AGENT DALEK
(threateningly) “DO NOT MOVE! DO NOT MOVE! OR I WILL KILL THIS MALE HUMAN!”
The Agent Dalek grabs hold of Billy with its sucker stick.
BILLY
(cries) “Hey! Let me go! Let me go you…you…whatever you are…”
DOCTOR
(anxiously) “Please Billy, don’t move!”
AGENT DALEK
(threateningly) “DO NOT MOVE! EVERY-ONE! YOU ARE ALL PRISONERS OF THE DALEKS!”
© Tim Bradley, 2016
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Bradley's Basement 
Hi Tim
Great chapter!
I like the scene setting with moving to the cargo bay, that was really good.
I like that Billy is trying to impose his own world views on the world that he now finds himself in – asking Elaine whether she was married, when women in his time would be married if they had a son. And saying the alien ambassador was funny looking. All part of someone trying to find their place in this strange new universe in which they find themselves. Perfectly placed, Tim, and quite appropriate to have all that at this quiet point in the narrative, as Billy tries to adjust.
Made me chuckle when Billy picked up the piece of Dalek casing, and the Doctor told him the slime could be lethal, and he drops it back on the floor!
Oh, I’m intrigued by the Doctor’s musing that things are not the way they’re supposed to be in the way of history!
Ah, Daleks on Yondamus IV, and escaping through a temporal shift! So the Daleks are using time tunnels more frequently now?
I like that the Doctor doesn’t tell Billy about Traken; he seems very sensitive to the topic, and believes that it’s not his place to tell Billy about it. I like that.
I like that Billy volunteered to help with the engine repairs. It’s good to think he’s finding his feet, or at least anchoring himself to something that might feel familiar to him, and attempting to take back control of this strange environment for himself.
Oh, interesting that the Dwaxi technology shouldn’t allow them to exist in the universe! The plot thickens!
Oh, goodness, Billy’s found a Dalek and he doesn’t know! That was very scary!
Oh, and what is the Ambassador doing!? My goodness!
Oh, my goodness! What an end to a chapter!
Great stuff, Tim!
Leigh
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Hi Leigh
Thanks for your comments. Glad you’re enjoying ‘Doom of the Daleks’ so far!
Yes Captain Sulley does that a ‘needs of the many, outweight the needs of the few’ view like Spock did. I wanted Sulley to behave in a believable way that whilst he distrusted the Doctor he wasn’t going to condemn him so ruthlessly as say Colin might want to. It’s part of the job when a starship captain is under so much pressure when getting involved in a space war as I’m sure it must have been for captains like Kirk; Picard; Sisko; Janeway and Archer from the ‘Star Trek’ series.
I liked your comments about Billy and how his journey progresses as a companion from ‘The Railway of Time’ to ‘The Space Hotel’ to ‘Doom of the Daleks’. It’s interesting how you see the character of Billy from your point of view compared to how I wrote him in the stories. It’s very refreshing to hear your side of the story and reassures me that I enjoyed writing the stories I did with the Doctor; Nyssa and Billy in them.
Yes Billy does rely on Nyssa as an anchor as he finds her presence reassuring when he gets worked up or anxious about a dangerous situation he’s in. Sometimes that anxiety that Billy has for Nyssa overides his reason, especially when he gets emotional and rash in his actions. I like the term you used – ‘baptism of fire’ – to describe how Billy copes in dealing with unfamilar situations different from his time.
I’m pleased you approve of how I’ve given Nyssa her own story in this adventure. Sometimes writers find it easy to miss those aspects about Nyssa being an independent; intelligent and capable young woman when writing her into a story. But I don’t find it difficult as I find it easy to write for Nyssa in that way compared to some other writers.
Yes I like the Borg to as they’re my favourite ‘Star Trek’ villains/monsters/aliens. Although I associate the Borg more with the Cybermen compared to the Daleks and that was clearly established in the graphic novel ‘Assimilation2’ with the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory and the TNG crew which I enjoyed reading very much indeed.
Interesting about your theory that the Dwaxi are grown out of clones like the Sontarans. It is possible, I suppose. But that would be telling, wouldn’t it? 😀
Yes Billy is sheltered from the dangers of the universe at this point, so he’s not quite as prepared as he thought when taking on the dangers of TARDIS travelling like with the Daleks and the Dwaxi. Billy’s introduction to the Daleks was to be a fresh approach and I wanted to have those moments when the Doctor tells Billy about the Daleks. The Doctor and Nyssa have faced Daleks already and it was interesting how that compares to Billy who he’s never met the Daleks before.
It was a matter of trying to find that balance of having the Daleks sounding robotic-like and being very angry; panicky and belligerant at the same time. It was a challenge at first, but as I got into the flow of things for writing Daleks it got better. I’m glad you enjoyed how I approached the Daleks in writing the story for them as well.
Thanks Leigh. I’m glad you enjoyed how I wrote the scene setting for the cargo bay at the beginning of Chapter 6.
I’m glad you liked the moments when Billy tries to impose his 1963 world views in the 26th century. Yes, Billy would be surprised that Elaine wasn’t married when she had a son. For him, it would be a natural thing for someone to be married when having a children. It doesn’t get addressed as to whether Billy’s shocked by that or whether he takes it in his stride. But I’m glad you like how I dealt with that in the story as well as Billy’s reaction to the Yondamon Ambassador and how he found him funny looking. I’m pleased you like how I’ve placed Billy’s adjustment to this strange environment in the story.
Oh I’m glad you chuckled at the moment when Billy drops the bit of Dalek casing after the Doctor told him the slime could be lethal. It’s a natural thing for Billy to do isn’t it and it is a rare comedic moment in the story.
Yes the Doctor begins to hint at things about future history at this stage in the story. He seems to know about the Moonraker and its crew and where they’re going to be heading in terms of future history. What could it be mean though? What’s going to happen to the Moonraker and its crew then? You’ll have to wait and see. 😀
It seems to be doesn’t it, with the Daleks using more time-travel technology such as temporal shifts and time tunnels. As I indicated before, we don’t know exactly at what point the Daleks are at in their timeline, do we? I’m sure it must be sometime before the Time War takes place as they must have had advanced time-travel technology in the interm between the end of the classic series before the beginning of the new series.
Did you like Nyssa and Nina’s adventure in the chapter and how they were hiding from the Daleks and the Globtol Ferroca? What did you make of the Globtol eating a whole Dalek, hey? 😀
I’m glad you like the moment when the Doctor’s sensitive with telling Billy about Traken. He is sensitive about the topic isn’t he, as it must have hurt him dealing regarding what happened to Traken, as clearly established by the Sixth Doctor in ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’. No, I don’t think it is the Doctor’s place to say about what happened to Traken as that’s more Nyssa’s place to tell Billy about it. But Billy is beginning to suspect that the Doctor and Nyssa haven’t told him the whole truth, isn’t he?
I’m glad you liked Billy volunteering to help out with the engine repairs aboard the ship with Gregory Cornwall. It was important for me to not make Billy inactive and make him feel useless as that is always a trapping to fall into when writing a character in an unfamilar situation. It’s also important for Billy to feel that he is of some use, so it is pretty brave of him to volunteer his services when he doesn’t know about starship engines in the 26th century is it?
I’m glad you find it interesting that the Dwaxi’s technology shouldn’t allow them to exist in this universe. I hope you’ll find more interesting things about the Dwaxi as the plot develops later on.
Oh good! I’m glad you found it scary when Billy meets a Dalek and doesn’t know what it is. The Doctor got it wrong when he told Billy he would know what a Dalek would look like when he saw one. That scene was obviously inspired by Rose talking to a Dalek in ‘Dalek’ and I thought it would be pretty creepy to have a Dalek sounding so pathetic and lonely that Billy would take pity on him. This shows Billy’s naviety to unfamilar situations and how he shouldn’t take things on face-value as he seems to be doing so far in the story.
Yes! The Ambassador! You didn’t see that coming, did you? That must have been terrifying for you to read when all was happening at once with the Dalek entering the Moonraker bridge.
Is it all getting too much for you now, Leigh?! Take a breather and calm yourself down before you move onto the next chapter. 😀
Thanks Leigh. Glad you enjoyed this chapter.
Tim. 🙂
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Hi Tim
I am enjoying my read very much! I’m trying to pace myself, so I don’t read it all in one go; I want to savour the cliffhangers and the building up of the tension in the story. I can’t imagine where it’s all going, so it’s great!
I agree with you completely; Sulley has to take a very different approach to that of Elaine or, say, Colin would. In his role his responsibilities are not to any one individual above him, but to the greater good of his crew, his ship and the Earth forces. So his responsibility is much more, and he has to weigh every angle. I agree totally, it would have been like that for Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway and Archer most definitely, and you can see that in the way the tensions often were pulled between the Captains and their commanding officers in stories. You’ve done very well in pulling that character element out in Sulley, I think.
Oh, yes, I can see how Billy has progressed, as he should, in the changing circumstances that he finds himself in. It’s part of that character progression which should most definitely happen in a character that has depth enough for development, which Billy definitely does. I hadn’t thought of that, I suppose it’s good for you to see Billy as someone else, fresh to the stories and to Billy, sees him. I think you’re doing a great job with his character development, definitely, Tim.
I think, for Billy, Nyssa is someone about his own age, and with whom he can relate, as opposed to the Doctor who is somewhat older (even to Billy, who doesn’t know how old he really is!) and somewhat more distant, and a more authoritarian figure, as opposed to Nyssa, who can be first and foremost a friend and guide in this strange new environment Billy finds himself in. His first instinct is to protect her, and preserve that, which is quite understandable. It is definitely a baptism of fire for him. You can see this sort of thing in many of the companion’s development – Tegan, who reacted by getting shrill and argumentative is a good example. It’s all part of dealing with the stress of the situation that the person has now found themselves in, quite beyond their initial understanding.
I think you’ve captured Nyssa well; she is intelligent and capable, and having travelled with the Doctor she is becoming more independent and able to act on her own initiative more by this time, isn’t she? The Doctor has given her that confidence to be herself, I think, so it’s important to write that in to a story where she features.
I agree, I like the Borg. And they do seem more, to me, like the Cybermen, who are my favourite Doctor Who aliens by far. I like that complete amorality and drive to ‘assimilate’ or ‘convert’ – the Daleks always seem to need to justify their drive to kill or gather people, but the Borg and the Cybermen seem to be driven by a more innate need simply to make everyone like them. I liked the Assimilation graphic novel, too. I thought it was very good.
Ha, that would be telling, and you’re not going to, are you!? Got me there, Tim!
I agree, Billy hasn’t by any means realised yet the diversity of life that can be found in the universe, and he’s getting a few shocks while doing so in this story already. Aliens from Yondamus, the Dwaxi, unfriendly humans even, and now the Daleks! He has a steeper learning curve than he realised, but he’s coping as best he can, and that’s all you can expect, I think. The Doctor realises that, too.
I think your writing for the Daleks was very good; it is necessary to have some kind of communication between them which allows us, the audience, to find out something of what they’re up to, so that’s a good way of doing it.
I think you’ve taken Billy, a young man who’s led a fairly sheltered life so far, from his home environment on Earth in 1963 and introduced him to a whole new environment full of things he could never have imagined. And his reactions to some of the strange things he’s found so far have been absolutely as I would imagine they would, and should be, including the child, the aliens, the ‘space rockets’ remark, which made me laugh. But his inherent keenness to help, and to be useful and productive also shows through, and he is a good person throughout, which I think is nice to highlight in the story as well.
I did chuckle when the Doctor told Billy about the lethal slime, and he dropped the bit of Dalek casing.
Yes, the Doctor clearly has suspicious that all is not as it should be. So are the Daleks mucking about in time causing the issues, or is there something they’re taking advantage of? I don’t know, but you do, and I’ll find out eventually! Yes, part of the problem for the reader is that they don’t know what point the Daleks are at, but that’s half the fun, I think! That’s what time travel is all about, isn’t it – never really knowing.
I did like Nyssa and Nina having to hide, and run from the Globtol Ferroca. Eating the Dalek whole was a horrible thing, but what you’d imagine such a nasty monster would do!
Yes, I think the Doctor doesn’t want to tell Billy about Traken, because he thinks that Nyssa will want to, but also because he, the Doctor, feels that what happened was such a tragedy and an awful thing. I think the Doctor takes such things very personally, and to talk about it would bring it all up again for him.
I did like that Billy volunteered to help with the engine repairs. It’s good that Billy always tries to fit in with the environment that he finds himself in, I think.
Yes, Billy has some harsh lessons to learn, I fear, but again I think that is so true of what it would be like, so he does act totally in character for himself and the situation he finds himself in, and does the right thing, still, by taking the Dalek to the Doctor, as he would know to be the thing he should do. It was very horrifying, but so true, to realise how easily that could happen!
No, I did not see the Ambassador coming! That was a shock! That, and the Dalek – I could imagine the scene playing out on the screen, and all those players all in the midst of that danger and shock! A great cliffhanger to the chapter!
I think I’ll be all right now, I’ve got over the shock! Full of surprises, this story!
Leigh
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Great chapter Tim the Doctor saying “fascinating” is another funny Star Trek nod lol.
Billy he’s been manipulated by a Dalek & in deep trouble it’s because he always looks, i like this chapter as it plays to Billys strengths a great character & willing to help others brilliant character development Tim..
Poor Nyssa her situation hasn’t improved much still trapped, but it’s poor Elai & she getting more flak off Colin, could you please rewrite the scene to include a Elaine punches Colin quote he’s so snarky & smug lol
The Dalek being eaten was truly horrific & i could definitely imagine that scene happening on tv & reminded me of Enemy Of The Daleks.
Great story which is moving along nicely & paced brilliantly.
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Thanks Simon. Glad you enjoyed Chapter 6! I’m pleased you’re finding the story moving along nicely and paced brilliantly.
I don’t think I had Mr Spock in mind when I had the Doctor say ‘Fascinating’ in that moment. But it’s good you pointed that out as a ‘Star Trek’ nod! 😀
Yes poor Billy. Fancy him not knowing it was a Dalek and he got easily manipulated by it. I’m glad you find the story plays to Billy’s strengths as a character. It also plays sometimes to Billy’s weaknesses as he can be naive at times, especially in his early travels with the Doctor and Nyssa and not knowing what the Daleks are capable of and how they can easily use him for their own ends.
Yes Nyssa seems to be still in trouble at the moment. But it’s good that Nyssa’s taking charge when it’s just her and Nina out on the plains of Yondamus IV, hiding from Daleks and Dwaxi on the planet.
You really have a grudge against Colin, haven’t you?! 😀 Now come on! I can’t be that cruel to Colin with having to rewrite the scene for Elaine to punch him. Besides that wouldn’t be in her character would it, as she’s supposed to be caring and compassionate among the Moonraker crew.
Glad you enjoyed the scene where the Daleks get eaten up by the Globtol Ferroca! I thought that would be very funny as well as horrific. Interesting that it reminded you of ‘Enemy of the Daleks’. I’ll have to listen to that BF audio again. I’m pleased you can see it visualized on TV.
Thanks for your comments, Simon. Hope you enjoy Chapter 7 next!
Tim. 🙂
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