'There is no need for fear. We wish only to know where the Doctor is.'

Colman's mouth moved silently, fear muting the words.

Karthakh was disgusted at this show of weakness.

The supervisor managed to gasp, 'I don't know.'

Sha'ol leaned forward, and attached a small crystalline disc to the side of Colman's head, just behind the ear. 'You may speak without fear.' Colman took on a vaguely muddled look.

'His TARDIS was here. He should be with it.'

'TARDIS?' Colman's face cleared. 'It's gone. We were trying to cut it open, and it just took off.' Sha'ol and Karthakh exchanged glances. This was not good. 'We think it was a defence mechanism.'

Karthakh was already checking the portable scanner.

'Artron energy readings,' he said aloud. 'Two hundred yards In that direction.' He pointed to one side and upwards. 'What is that place?'

'Gunboat launch bay,' Colman answered.

'Was the Doctor inside the TARDIS?'

'No. It is being held to persuade him to work for us. He and his associates have been given a ship, the Nosferatu. Nosferatu. They are to steal a cylinder, a Veltrochni relic, from the Thor Orbital Facility, and take it to Elchur.' They are to steal a cylinder, a Veltrochni relic, from the Thor Orbital Facility, and take it to Elchur.'

Glitz had introduced the Doctor to Chat and her brother, Liang. 'The best cat-burglars in the Delphinus group,' he said. They had then retired to the pair's dressing room to talk more privately. Divested of their ceremonial make-up and wigs, Chat proved to be a heart-faced woman with shoulder-length hair, while her brother was leaner, of face, with a mop of black hair.

'An exquisite display,' the Doctor said encouragingly. 'You certainly know your stuff.'

'Two dozen years' practice makes fairly perfect,' Chat said.

Liang had yet to utter a word. He didn't speak much in general, since Chat spoke so much more effectively than he did. He had always been the listener of the pair. 'Are you a fan?'

'Not exactly,' the Doctor admitted, a little theatrically. 'As a matter of fact I am simply a traveller. But at this precise moment, I'm a traveller who happens to be looking for the members of a team who stole something from Veltroch ten years ago.' Liang started to rise, but the Doctor made a placating motion. 'Don't worry. I'm not with the police, and I'm certainly not here to arrest anyone. Quite the opposite, in fact,' he added rather uncomfortably.

'The opposite?' Chat didn't bother to deny anything, seeing as they were in the company of equals. 'Let me guess, you and Glitz have got a job on to steal something else, and you want our help?'

'Actually, not something else. The same thing,' the Doctor said solemnly. 'Not that stealing it would be my first choice, and in any case I intend to return it to its rightful owners.'

Liang couldn't believe his ears. They had been willing to listen, because Glitz was an old acquaintance, but this was a fantasy.

Chat shook her head. 'What did you plan to do with it? Sell it to the Veltrochni? They won't give you a reward for it.'

'A reward isn't quite what we had in mind,' the Doctor said grimly. 'I am not a thief by nature. My interest in this is to return the Veltrochni's property to its rightful owners before they devastate this planet to take it back themselves. I imagine you do know about their ships that have been visiting this system?'

'We try to get away from the newscasts, but unfortunately they're difficult to avoid.' Chat smiled, her whole face lighting up. 'We're in.' The Doctor started in surprise, and Glitz was positively stunned. She laughed aloud. 'Didn't expect that?'

'Not exactly, no,' the Doctor admitted.

Chat grinned. 'Let's just say I have my reasons. I may even tell you them some day.'

Gorrak stood on the factory floor that ran through the heart of the Speculator, Speculator, looking at a spiderweb of enormous chains and ropes as thick as tree trunks. The factory was a huge arena intended for mining asteroids for raw materials, but now it was filled with dozens of sweaty Ogrons hauling on the lines. 'How does this help us?' he asked his chief engineer. looking at a spiderweb of enormous chains and ropes as thick as tree trunks. The factory was a huge arena intended for mining asteroids for raw materials, but now it was filled with dozens of sweaty Ogrons hauling on the lines. 'How does this help us?' he asked his chief engineer.

Borrk used to carry heavy things in a sapper regiment, so he was uniquely qualified to maintain the ship.

Borrk indicated the stolen reactor core, which had been crudely welded into place at the heart of the Speculator's Speculator's engines. Ogrons might not actually understand much of quantum mechanics, but they were good with their hands, and could copy what they saw others doing. Borrk had seen Men installing engine cores, so he was able to copy what they did. 'It overdrive, Boss.' engines. Ogrons might not actually understand much of quantum mechanics, but they were good with their hands, and could copy what they saw others doing. Borrk had seen Men installing engine cores, so he was able to copy what they did. 'It overdrive, Boss.'

'Overdrive?'

'Yeah. Make ship go faster than faster,' Borrk said, with the eagerness of all second-hand vehicle salesmen across the galaxy.

Gorrak wasn't too sure about this. He was no expert, but he was fairly certain that it was bigger engines that made ships go fester, not smaller ones; no matter how many chains you added. 'How does it work?'

'This newer engine. It add extra boost to old engines.'

Ogrons had never actually developed space travel for themselves, but had been taught to fly some kinds of vessels by other races. Other ships they had learned to fly by simply copying what they saw the crew do. Gorrak knew that other races called his people stupid and empty-headed, and it was true to some extent. An empty mind, however, had enough room to be filled with the ideas of others.

This tended to make Ogrons indebted to their ships'

owners, and so for the most part they became a race of mercenaries, working for anyone who was willing to supply board and lodgings. It also often meant slavery. What people considered unimportant - like Ogron lives - they tended not to value or defend. Gorrak had seen this for himself, working for Men and Draconians.

Now that he had his own ship, big enough to accommodate his whole Nest, Gorrak discovered the joys of self-employment. The primary joy being that the Nest was allowed to keep all the booty from their raids, instead of handing over the majority to others. It also meant that his nestlings had no one to fear other than him. Not Men, not Draconians, and most especially not the Metal Gods.

It had been the Metal Gods who first discovered the Ogrons, and sent them to stars, but only to be exploited under the threat of death. When the races of Men had defeated the Metal Gods, many had wanted to destroy the Ogrons too, but here their fear had proved to be their saviour. Men realised that the Ogrons were afraid of the Metal Gods, not willing helpers, and so decided to spare them.

Ogrons then became useful to Men and, unlike the Metal Gods, Men allowed them to keep a payment for their services.

Apart from that, nothing had truly changed. Ogrons were still hired muscle in the service of those who couldn't even tell the difference between a good rock, a bad rock, and a mere stone. All the same, Gorrak thanked the spirits of the mountains that he had never been employed by the Metal Gods. Men and Draconians were bad enough.

Wei had conveniently overlooked his own cowardice when explaining things to the squad of security guards who had joined him in the corridor outside. He tightened the straps on a riot vest, and hefted a reassuringly large energy rifle.

'They're armed and extremely dangerous,' he was saying.

'Shoot to kill, you understand?'

'Yes, s-'

There was a distant explosion, which sounded as if it came from farther along the corridor. 'What the hell?' By the time they cut the door open, all they found was a group of dead or unconscious engineers, and a gaping hole in the far wall.

'What's through there?' Wei demanded of the nearest guard.

'If they keep going, the gunboat launch bay. That blue box of yours is there.'

'Damn!'

The security officers who were guarding the launch bay opened fire with their laser pistols as Karthakh marched along the corridor towards them. His armour, however, was designed to absorb directed energy to recharge its holographic projector. As a result, the laser shots didn't even break Karthakh's stride.

Reaching a suitable point before the barricade, Karthakh loosed a couple of explosive darts at the ceiling above the guards. The ceiling exploded, depositing chunks of rock and broken pipes on the guards' heads. Though it didn't do too much damage, it did cause the guards to start panicking, and try to get out of the way. This gave Sha'ol clearer shots at them with his disruptor.

As several guards fell twitching to the ground, Karthakh now took aim at the centre of the barricade, and fired. The explosive darts blew a gaping hole in the makeshift barricade, and sent guards flying headlong across the corridor.

Karthakh smashed the buckled door aside. Beyond it was a pair of large delta-winged gunboats, large enough to carry several people. There was no sign of the TARDIS until Sha'ol peered inside the gunboats' entry hatches. The TARDIS had materialised inside the far one. Sha'ol was pleased; for this, the Doctor would come to them.

They could hear movement outside, so while Sha'ol started up the gunboat's engines, Karthakh blew a couple of holes in the other boat. It wouldn't do to let the humans follow them out.

Seconds later, as Wei and his riot squad burst in, the gunboat lifted off the floor and shot forward, rapidly vanishing into the blackness outside.

Chapter Eight.

Frobisher was beginning to forget what a good fish tasted like. There wasn't even a river within miles as far as he could see, so a relaxing swim in a decent stretch of water was out of the question too. When the Doctor got back, he thought he'd probably shift into something with better wings, and go for a long flight. If he could find some good thermals, there was plenty of meditation to be had while being a circling condor.

The Nosferatu's Nosferatu's hatch opened, and the Doctor and Glitz entered, followed by two Asiatic humans in loose clothes. hatch opened, and the Doctor and Glitz entered, followed by two Asiatic humans in loose clothes.

Monty grinned like a maniac. 'Chat! Liang!' He did his best to take both of them in his arms with one hug. 'I haven't seen you two in... what?'

'Six years,' Chat supplied.

'Too long,' Liang murmured.

Monty nodded, eyes moist. 'Far too long.' He half-laughed.

'To be honest, I never expected that a life of crime could lead to tears like these.'

'Any life with friendships can do that,' Chat told him.

'Criminal or otherwise.' She turned to Dibber. 'You still hanging around with Glitz?'

'Looks like it, Chat.' Dibber didn't seem to be much of a one for heartfelt conversation, Frobisher noted. After spending an hour with Glitz, that was a definite improvement.

'And this,' the Doctor told the new arrivals, 'is my chum Frobisher.' Liang and Chat both bowed from the neck.

'It seems we are to be conspirators,' Chat said. 'So I'm pleased to meet you.'

'Me too,' Frobisher agreed. 'I reckon we're going to need all the help we can get.'

A draught of displaced air preceded the transit carriage's arrival at the top of the forty-mile-long tether. Four members of the SID riot squad, in full body armour, stepped out. They swept the area with cold eyes and gun muzzles before Mandell emerged into the smoke-stained entrance bay.

Wei and the assembled staff shuffled nervously. 'Welcome aboard, sifu,' sifu,' Wei began. Wei began.

Mandell raised a hand to cut him off. 'Formalities can be attended to later, Wei. I trust we aren't about to be interrupted by yet more armed intruders?'

'No, Mandell lo lo. I've had security tripled.'

'Good,' Mandell said mildly. 'One open day per year is quite enough. How did they get in?'

'We're not certain,' Wei admitted. 'It looks like an open-ended transmat beam, but we can't figure out how they could transmat through the deflection barrier. It was operating at full strength.' Mandell looked into Wei's eyes, trying to judge how worried he was. It looked to him as if Wei wondered whether he would still be breathing in an hour's time. Wei was sensible in that regard.

'Well, then, your tactics were correct, if about as useful as copper insulation. How did they leave?'

'They took a gunboat from the roof bay.'

A straight and simple answer; Mandell was impressed. 'Did you track them?'

'They were on a heading to enter parking orbit, but then the signal stopped. They must have disabled the transponder. I have two more gunboats on patrol, trying to identify them by visual contact.'

'If you find them, I want them taken alive.' If they had indeed been able to transmat through a shield specifically designed to prevent such action, he would much rather find out how it was done than just kill them out of hand. He was a professional, after all.

Glitz had gone through to the cockpit, and was surprised when Chat followed him in. 'I don't know why you agreed,' he admitted to Chat, 'but I'm glad you did.'

'Why?' She looked down. 'Did you ever ask yourself what was most important to you? To me, it used to be the thrill and the challenge. But now I've got that with my art. I don't need the larceny to make me happy any more.' She sat beside him, and hesitated a moment before speaking again.