DOCTOR WHO.

THE DOMINATORS.

by Ian Marter.

1.

Island of Death.

A huge crescent of brilliant pinpoints of light sliced through the unimaginable emptiness of s.p.a.ce near the edge of a remote spiral galaxy. Like a colossal scimitar, it flashed in a relentless sweep towards an insignificant little planet which orbited a isolated minor star. Suddenly the very tip of the point of the crescent separated itself from the rest. It decelerated into a right curving path which gradually spiralled closer and closer to the pale, ochre-coloured planet. Far above, the gigantic blade of lights swept on through the galaxy, leaving the meteor-like object to burn its deadly way down through the hot dry atmosphere towards the barren waste shimmering below.

A vicious whirlwind of sand and rock splinters was sucked into the air around a vast dune-covered basin at the foot of rugged sandstone cliffs. A sickening throbbing sound sheered through the dense clouds as an enormous circular shadow darkened the swirling hollow. Slowly a ma.s.sive silver disc descended and hovered a few metres above ground. Its upper surface was a shallow dome with cowlings radiating from the centre like flattened tubular spokes. A band of circular ports pulsated in rapid sequence round and round the rim, giving the impression that the saucer was rotating as it slowly gyrated and steadied itself while emitting a piercing rhythmic whine. After a few seconds, a broad silver shaft emerged from the underside and extended itself to the ground forming a central support.

For several minutes the whirlwinds raged around the weird craft and the oscillating whine reached a deafening climax. Then gradually the noise decreased, the pulsation of the rim slowed and stopped, and the shrieking sandstorm subsided. An eerie silence enveloped the giant metallic mushroom as the thick dust settled and the ground ceased to tremble. Then from far in the distance came the faint sound of waves monotonously breaking. For a while nothing happened.

All at once a curved panel at the base of the central shaft hummed smoothly open and something stirred in the dark interior. Two ma.s.sive figures strode menacingly into the hot air. They were human in form but towered more than two and a half metres in height. Their leathery features were starkly chiselled, with thin bloodless lips and deeply set red-rimmed eyes which burned with a cold green light beneath heavy brows. Their short hair was black and sleeked back, like a skullcap, from their shallow foreheads.

The creatures were clad in protective suits consisting of black quilted material like rubber, armoured with small overlapping plates and built up around the shoulders so that they appeared to have no necks. Ma.s.sive boots encased their long thick legs and their hands were concealed inside huge padded gloves which creaked when they moved their fingers.

The two figures stalked c.u.mbersomely around under the saucer, surveying the arid landscape with piercing emerald stares.

'Is flux absorption complete, Toba?' one of them suddenly rapped in a hard imperious voice.

The other checked a small instrument he was carrying.

'Affirmative, Navigator Rago,' he announced. 'Energy now transferred to fuel fields. But we require much more.'

Rago waved his big arm impatiently. 'That is the purpose of our visit, Probationer Toba.'

Like two giant turtles on their hind legs, the figures marched slowly through the soft sand.

Toba glanced sideways at his superior.'With respect, I still submit that we should continue to Epsilon Zero Gamma. This planet has not been fully evaluated...'

Rago drew a hissing breath and his eyes reddened. 'This planet is ideal,' he retorted sharply. 'At this location, crust parameters are optimum. Also an intelligent life-form is present.'

'But the species might be unsuitable,' Toba objected. 'It might be hostile.'

Rago's gloves creaked ominously. 'If necessary we shall destroy it, Toba.'

A trace of a ghastly smile buckled Toba's iron features.

'Yes we shall destroy...' he rasped eagerly.

Rago glared contemptuously at his subordinate.

'Commence the preliminary survey at once,' he ordered.

'Command accepted,' Toba replied submissively.

Turning towards the dark hatchway at the foot of the shaft he rapped out a harsh summons: 'Quarks!'

lnstantly an excited whirring and chattering sound issued from within, a noise that was part human and part mechanical. Something glinted and sparked in the shadows. And then the Quarks emerged...

On the far side of the parched plateau stretching back from the ridge of sandstone cliffs, lay a vast grey sea covered with a smoky mantle of fog. Across the gently heaving, murky water a large hovercraft shaped like a flat beehive was gliding towards the sh.o.r.e. Its hull was composed of concentric rings rising from a broad base and tapering to a small dome and several faintly illuminated panels glimmered around its middle ring. Otherwise the vessel was featureless, looming through the cloud with a low-pitched grinding sound.

In the cool, softly lit interior, four people were lounging in padded seats set in a semicircle around a well-worn instrument console. They were staring up at the large display-screen at an angle above them, which showed a clear image of the approaching land, while through the observation ports the thick vapours writhed and swirled outside. The four travellers three male and one female wore sleeveless garments like togas, cut low around the neck but with curiously bulging pleated waists. Their legs were bare and their feet were clad in thong sandals reaching to their ankles.

A slender but athletic young man with fine bronzed features and wavy blond hair turned to his companions with a smile. 'This really is a terribly primitive way to travel,' he exclaimed.

'Well, we wanted some excitement for a change didn't we, Tolata?' replied a second youth with dark curly hair, turning to the beautiful fair girl beside him.

Tolata nodded eagerly. 'An adventure. That is why I came, Etnin.'

The blond youth gestured round the shabby cabin.

'Excitement? What's exciting about sitting for hours in this obsolete old tub?' he demanded. 'In a capsule we'd only have taken a few minutes.'

Just then the fourth traveller a short balding man with a plump body and a mischievous expression sprang up to adjust some controls. 'Not without a permit, Wahed!' he retorted. 'You seem to forget... all this is extremely illegal.'

At that moment the craft shuddered and lurched violently from side to side. The helmsman smiled at his pa.s.sengers' gasps of dismay. 'You can hardly complain.

You've travelled hundreds of kilometres by sea with a real live navigator...'

The vessel lurched again 'Well, Kully, perhaps that does add a little zest,' Wahed admitted doubtfully.

Kully gestured up at the scanner. 'The Island of Death!'

he announced dramatically. 'Uninhabited for 170 annos.

Nothing could survive in this poisoned wasteland...'

The pa.s.sengers stared at the brownish coastline and distant cliffs. There were no signs of life of any description.

Eventually Wahed shrugged. 'It's not so impressive.

There's a regular visit by the Monitoring Unit and...'

'And sometimes Students are allowed to see the effects of atomic radiation there...' Tolata added, her large blue eyes wide with fascination.

Kully snorted dismissively and jiggled his controls. 'But all that's organised by the Council,' he cried. 'This is the real thing real thing!'

Wahed frowned at the screen. 'It looks like the images on my video at home,' he objected. 'You could be cheating us, Kully.'

Kully shook his pinkish round head impatiently. 'This is real. You're actually here,' he protested.

Etnin rose to his feet. 'Why don't we land on the Island... and see for ourselves?' he suggested in a hushed voice. Kully stared at him in horror. 'You can't.'

'Whyever not?' demanded Wahed, standing up on. the other side of their perspiring little guide.

'Yes. Why not?' Tolata joined in excitedly.

Kully gripped the control console and swallowed nervously. 'Without proctective suns.' he murmured. 'It would be madness.'

At that moment, warning systems started buzzing and flashing urgently.

Kully went pale. 'Radiation hazard... Radiation...' he stammered, gazing in panic at his instruments.

Suddenly they were thrown violently sideways.

'Kully... do something, Kully...' Tole. screamed as the ship swung abruptly to and fro and than shuddered to a stop, its propulsion systems grinding in protest.

Kully struggled to regain control, but the systems whined and squealed uselessly. The craft would not move.

'We've run aground,' he admitted in a whisper. 'The drives are completely stuck.'

There was an appalled silence.

'You mean permanently?' Wahed asked uncertainly.

Kully nodded miserably, falling back into his seat and covering his face in his hands.

'This certainly is exciting!' Ernie murmured, clutching Tolata's arm nervously.

'Running aground on radiation-contaminated islands isn't my idea of excitement'' Kully wailed.

Suddenly Wahed pointed to the instruments. 'Look, the radiation detectors are indicating zero!' he exclaimed.

Kully peered through his stubby fingers. 'Zero? But they can't be.'

'So much for your real live navigation,' Wahed laughed.

He turned to the others. 'Wherever we are, this can't be the Island of Death,' he scoffed.

Kully roused himself and thumped the console. The detectors continued to register zero radiation. 'It must be a malfunction,' he protested defiantly.

Behind his back, Wahed had reached across and craftily operated a series of switches.

'Hey, what do you think you're doing?' Kully shouted angrily as a hatchway rumbled slowly open somewhere in the vessel.

Wahed grinned. 'Let's go and see where we really really are,' are,'

he suggested mischievously.

Kully stared at him incredulously. 'Go out there?' he echoed. 'But you'll all be cooked to a frazzle in seconds!'

Ignoring him, Wahed gestured to Tolata and Etnin to follow and walked fearlessly out of the cabin.

For a moment Kully could only watch in horrified silence as Etnin disappeared after him. Then his shiny face puckered with rage. 'Don't complain to me if you all kill yourselves,' he shouted, 'because I don't refund money to...' He clutched his spa.r.s.e hair in panic. 'Refund? What am I saying' You haven't paid me yet. Come back!'

He darted forward and seized Tolata's arm as she was about to follow the others. 'Don't he a fool. This is the Island of Death!' he screamed. 'The detectors are malfunctioning...'

The tall girl shook herself free, reached the hatchway and jumped elegantly down into the shallows. 'You are a rogue, Kully!' she cried setting off eagerly up the beach through the thinning mist. 'This can't be the Island of Death.'

'I tell you it is!' Kully yelled after her. 'And I must insist that you pay me the agreed price...'

Just then, Wahed appeared over some nearby dunes and ran down towards them. 'People... up by the cliffs!' he shouted v triumphantly.

'That settles it, Kully,' Tolata said over her shoulder.

'There would be no people on the Island of Death '

'Only the Monitoring Unit,' Kully gasped, cowering in the hatchway as Wahed splashed towards him.

'The two I just saw are not wearing radiation suits,'

Wahed retorted smugly.

Suddenly Etnin appeared, waving his arms excitedly.

'They've got robots with them!' he cried.

Reaching up, Wahed grabbed Kully's pudgy hand and pulled him into the shallows. 'Robots,' he exclaimed.

'Come on, Kully, perhaps we can persuade them to a.s.sist us.' Dragging Kully behind him he set off towards the dunes.

Kully glanced back at his marooned ship listing drunkenly in the soft sand. 'Robots!' he muttered scornfully and stumbled reluctantly afrer the others.

Beyond the dunes, at the four of the towering cliffs near the saucer, two Quarks were being programmed by Probationer Toba. Each Quark stood about two metres tall.

It consisted of a squat 'body', like a heavily armoured box mounted upon two stout extendable 'legs' and surmounted by a large spherical 'head'. This head was covered with a network of eyes and sensors, and resembled a crystal-studded ball. From it protruded five antennae shaped like elongated gla.s.s pyramids one each side, front and back, and the fifth projecting vertically from the crown. For 'arms', each Quark possessed two extendable probes hinged across its 'chest' and ending in a complex 'hand' bristling with sensors, sockets and implements.

The robots acknowledged Toba's instructions with a continuous metallic chuckling sound, eerily resembling the laughter of small children. Around their sharp-edged and pointed antennae, the air buzzed and crackled menacingly.

'Drilling targets will be established at the five vector nodes and depth parameters calculated for each target...'