Doctor Who_ Shakedown Part 38

Bernice Summerfield looked at Chris and Roz and went up and hugged them both.

'Is there a drink on this tub?' she asked hopefully.

'If there is, we'll find it,' said Roz. 'Come on!'

Chris started to follow, but Roz put out a hand. She nodded towards the pool of slime, all that remained of the Rutan.

'You heard the Captain. Get a bucket and clear up that mess!'

22.

Payback The solar yacht Tiger Moth Tiger Moth, currently on special charter, was proceeding under power to s.p.a.ce Station Beta.

The hypers.p.a.ce jump was completed, the power drive was running smoothly, and the voyage was proceeding under automatic pilot, with nothing to worry about until docking.

Captain, owner, charterer and pa.s.sengers were socializing in the crewroom, drinking Eridanean brandy and all getting on surprisingly well.

It was explanation time, with the Doctor, as usual, reluctantly fielding most of the questions.

'Surely you know it all by now,' he protested.

'Yes, but only a.s.s-backward, and out of order,' said Kurt.

'Begin at the beginning.'

'It started years ago, when the Rutans first discovered the wormhole,' said the Doctor. 'They popped out close to Sentarion, where the simple insectoid natives treated them as G.o.ds. The Rutans decided that the wormhole should serve as a secret escape tunnel if ever the Great Mother should be in danger. They accelerated the development of the Sentarrii and set up a religious cult at the same time. They set up a warping template device so they could close both ends of the wormhole, and open them again at will, and concealed the control mechanism in the Great Temple. Everything was fine until a Rutan spy, then calling himself Karne, accessed some Sontaran data and discovered that the Sontarans were on the trail of the Great Secret.'

'Sort of a "he knew that they knew" deal?' said Kurt.

'Precisely. Karne got blown up in a battle soon afterwards and stranded in s.p.a.ce. It was some time before he got himself together again and set off home to warn his fellow-Rutans that their secret was in danger. Before long the Sontarans became aware that Karne was still alive, and that he knew that they were close to discovering the secret.'

'So they knew that he knew that they knew!' said Kurt.

Lisa jabbed him in the ribs. 'Shut up. Go on, Doctor.'

'I tried to warn the Rutans, but they wouldn't listen. I also tried to find Karne I knew they'd believe him. I set Roz and Chris on his trail. But the Sontarans were after him too. Oh, and I also sent Bernice to Sentarion as well to poke around.

She did so well she got herself locked up in the Temple.'

'On a diet of fruit juice and salads,' said Bernice.

She poured herself another slug of brandy remembering how long she'd been deprived.

The Doctor nodded at Kurt and Lisa. 'Eventually Karne got to Station Alpha and stowed away on your s.h.i.+p, and Steg came after him. You know what happened then. What you didn't know was that before he made his last break for freedom, Karne divided, and left Karne Two hiding on the s.h.i.+p in case Karne One failed which thanks to you two, he did!'

'I get the feeling you'd have preferred us to get ourselves killed just so Karne got through with his message,' said Lisa.

'Sorry to cause so much trouble.'

'Not at all,' said the Doctor. 'You weren't to know!

Anyway, Karne Two decided it was too dangerous to try to get to the homeworld, so he decided to make for Sentarion and get himself home via the wormhole. We set off after him, so did Steg, and the rest you know!'

'One thing I don't know,' said Kurt, 'or rather don't understand. How could you deliberately sabotage that wormhole, knowing it would get you and all the rest of us killed?'

'I've been thinking about that myself,' said Lisa.

'We were all going to be killed anyway,' said the Doctor.

'Steg would never have let us live. It was a choice between dying for nothing, or going down fighting and dying for something. You faced a very similar situation yourselves, on this very s.h.i.+p. Besides, there's always a chance something will turn up and luckily it did.'

'But you couldn't know that,' said Bernice.

'You never do know,' said the Doctor. 'You just keep trying. You don't give up until you're dead.'

'Or even then, if you're Steg,' said Chris.

There was an awkward pause. To bridge it Bernice said, 'What will happen now on Sentarion, Doctor?'

'I imagine they'll go on wors.h.i.+pping their s.h.i.+ning Ones.

It's embedded deep in their culture by now. But with any luck, the Rutans will leave them alone from now on.'

Chris looked at Lisa, who was looking grim and determined. 'Cheer up it's all over now. You'll be rid of us soon.'

'That's right,' said the Doctor. 'When we get back to Beta we'll get the shuttle to Alpha they'll have retrieved my transport by now and be off.'

'Oh no you won't,' said Lisa. 'Not till you've paid me back. You still owe me, Doctor.'

'My dear lady,' said the Doctor, 'if you are alluding to your charter fee, I paid that in advance.'

'I told you, Doctor the fee didn't include heroics. We left the safety of the s.h.i.+p to warn you the Sontarans were coming.

You nearly got us killed.'

'If you're trying to negotiate an increase in your already exorbitant fee '

'Oh, I want a payback, Doctor,' said Lisa. 'But not in money...'

Two weeks later, the solar yacht Tiger Moth Tiger Moth, refitted and refurbished to the highest standard, was en route from s.p.a.ce Station Beta to s.p.a.ce Station Alpha on a shakedown cruise.

When Captain Deranne arrived on the sail deck, she found her crew ready and waiting for her.

A vast shadowy area, lit by an eerie green glow, the sail deck held a main control console at the centre of a semicircle of virtual reality platforms.

All four were occupied. Roz, Chris and Bernice wore inexpensive green s.p.a.ce coveralls, while Kurt was in his usual black. All four held VR goggles and gloves.

Lisa Deranne looked round the group.

'Remember this, it's important. In solar yacht racing, the start is everything. Whether we win or lose can all be decided in those first minutes. This new sail rig of the Doctor's we're using is exceptionally tricky. So, we do it right, and we do it quick. Right, stand by!'

The crew pulled on their VR gloves and goggles and the others did the same. A holograph sprang to life in the centre of the sail deck, a representation of the Tiger Moth Tiger Moth as she was now, drifting through s.p.a.ce with furled sails. as she was now, drifting through s.p.a.ce with furled sails.

Lisa began snapping out commands.

'Set mainsail, full extension.'

Kurt's gauntleted hands moved in the air before him.

The Tiger Moth Tiger Moth's enormous, s.h.i.+mmering mainsail spread out in s.p.a.ce in reality, in Kurt's virtual reality, and on the hologram in the centre of the sail deck.

'Mainsail set,' he reported.

'Set port sails, full extension,' ordered Lisa.

Working feverishly in his own virtual reality, Chris called, 'Port sails set.'

'Starboard sails, full extension.'

Now it was Roz Forrester's turn. Anxious she'd never raced before but determined not to show it, she hauled determinedly on her virtual reality cable, in her virtual reality world.

'Starboard sails set.'

'Set spinnaker, full extension.'

Standing on the deck of a great sailing s.h.i.+p sweeping through s.p.a.ce, lost in the wonder of it all, Bernice was slow to react. Sharply, Lisa repeated the command.

'Set spinnaker, full extension. Wake up, Benny!'

Adjusting her goggles, Bernice fumbled for the cable and the spinnaker rose upwards.

'Spinnaker set!'

Studying the solar wind readings on her console, Lisa gave more orders.

Together in their virtual reality world, wrestling with wheels and cables in the rigging of the great sailing s.h.i.+p as it sailed through s.p.a.ce, Chris, Roz, Kurt and Bernice obeyed her commands.

Lisa considered the final result and then snapped, 'All sails set. Maintain position. Lock off.'

Transformed from an ungainly insect into a s.h.i.+mmeringly beautiful b.u.t.terfly, the Tiger Moth Tiger Moth swept through s.p.a.ce, propelled only by the pressure of solar winds on her enormous set of fragile metal-foil sails. swept through s.p.a.ce, propelled only by the pressure of solar winds on her enormous set of fragile metal-foil sails.

The astonis.h.i.+ng sight was reflected in the transformation of the hologram on the sail deck.

Bernice pushed up her goggles and studied the glowing holograph with awe. 'It's beautiful,' she whispered.

The crew removed goggles and gauntlets, returned to the real world, and waited for Lisa's reaction.

She studied her console. She studied the holograph. At last she raised her eyes and surveyed the little group.

'Great!' she said. 'Terrific! Wonderful!'

The crew members looked at each other in pleased surprise.

Did she really mean it?

She didn't.

'More like an arthritic Algolian dung beetle than a Tiger Tiger Moth Moth. By the time we set off, the other s.h.i.+ps in the race would be halfway home. Benny, you must must be quicker with that spinnaker. Roz, your lower starboard sail is a degree out of line. We'd be going round in circles. Chris, no problems, well done!' be quicker with that spinnaker. Roz, your lower starboard sail is a degree out of line. We'd be going round in circles. Chris, no problems, well done!'

By this time, Bernice was red-faced, Roz was furious, Chris was looking smug, and Kurt mildly amused.

'I don't know why you're so cheerful, Kurt,' said Lisa.

'You're still elevating too high, I said five degrees, not six!'

Kurt's smile disappeared.

Actually, thought Lisa, they'd done better than she'd expected. Not that she was going to tell them so, not yet. You break them down before you build them up.

She looked around her chastened crew.

'We are going to repeat this and similar manoeuvres until you can do them perfectly, smoothly, swiftly, and if necessary, in your sleep. Is that clear?'

She turned and marched from the sail deck.