Carefully, Azmael dried his eyes. It was time to stop remembering.

Whether the people of Jaconda wanted to fight or not, was up to them. As far as he was concerned, Mestor had to die, as he had brought nothing to the planet but famine, suffering and death.

But alone, he wondered, how effective would he be?

As the TARDIS had made its way towards Jaconda, the Doctor had waxed lyrical about the beauty of the planet, of its lush meadows, its wooded countryside, its easy-going, friendly people.

The reality proved somewhat different.

As the Doctor and his party stepped from the TARDIS, they couldn't believe the devastation before them. It was as though a nuclear explosion had taken place.

The ground was scorched and black. What was left of the trees looked like skeletons that had been gnawed and ravaged by sharp-toothed scavengers. In spite of the barrenness of the planet, a heavy obnoxious stench hung in the air, reminiscent of a particularly unpleasant compost heap.

Although the Jacondan sun shone, it seemed to offer little warmth, as though the desolation absorbed the life-giving heat, jealous that it was unable to utilise its energy, but determined no-one else should enjoy it.

Cautiously, the Doctor moved around, examining first the stripped trunks of the trees, then the heavy, impacted soil. Everything was covered in a thick, mucus which hardened into a concrete-like substance, making close examination difficult.

As the Doctor continued his exploration, he caught sight of the frightened, timid face of a child staring at him from a nearby hill.

The Time Lord waved and smiled, but the boy scurried off to whatever pa.s.sed for safety in such a lifeless place.

Peri and Hugo watched the painfully thin child and wondered how anyone managed to survive in such a place.

'Can't we help him?' asked Peri anxiously.

The Doctor shook his head. 'The only way we can help him is to destroy what has caused this desolation.'

'That will hardly help him survive,' snapped Peri. 'He needs food now!'

Ignoring her outburst, the Doctor continued to examine the terrain.

He knew only too well that the child would probably die, but where there was one hungry boy, there would be many others in just as much need. Although there was food aboard the TARDIS, there wouldn't be enough to keep anyone alive longer than their current condition would permit. The Doctor knew this and considered their time better spent searching out Mestor.

'What caused this devastation?' asked Hugo, crumbling a dry, lifeless twig.

'Gastropods...'

Peri and Hugo looked at each other. Slugs did this?

'Giant gastropods...' added the Doctor, reading their thoughts.

'Look at the slime trails if you don't believe me.'

As they returned to the TARD1S, the Doctor briefly related the myths and legends surrounding the gastropods of Jaconda.

It went something like this: Hundreds of years earlier, a then queen of the planet had offended the sun G.o.d, who in his revenge had forced her to give birth to a half-human, half-slug creature. (The reasons for this rather unpleasant retribution weren't certain.) Before long the gastropod had multiplied until its offspring had become numberless, ravaging and plundering the planet until every living plant had been eaten and everyone was on the verge of starvation.

It wasn't until the planet had been devastated that the sun G.o.d relented and sent a drought to destroy the slugs.

'But that's all myth,' said Peri. 'Outside is real devastation!'

The Doctor started to set the navigational coordinates. 'As you well know,' he said, glancing over his shoulder, 'myths are often embroidered stories that contain more than a grain of truth. Forget about sun G.o.ds and offending queens. Just concentrate on the fact that somehow giant slugs found their way to Jaconda.'

'But you said they had died out.'

'My dear Peri, use a little of your not inconsiderable imagination.

The beast itself may have died out but it seems fairly obvious that it left a heritage in the form of many clutches of eggs. Somehow they must have

hatched.'

'Starting the whole cycle again?'

'Correct.'

'Pity there isn't a sun G.o.d to relent and send a drought nowadays,'

said Hugo.

Peri glared at him. Why didn't he keep his mouth shut, she thought.

With the current state of the Doctor's mind, all it required was such a silly suggestion to set him off again. Cautiously, Peri glanced at the Time Lord. If he had heard what had been said, he hadn't reacted.

At least not yet.

Peri hoped this indicated the Doctor was beginning to stabilise.

With the coordinates set, the Doctor operated the master control and the time rotor started to oscillate. If his calculations were correct, as they often were nowadays, they would soon arrive at Azmael's palace where they could delight in the company of Mestor and his friends.

From their rude, sarcastic remarks, the Doctor reckoned his companions could barely restrain their eager antic.i.p.ation ...

Upon arriving on Jaconda, Azmael had been summoned before Lord Mestor. Again he had been subjected to a ranting tirade.

This time, though, Azmael had felt doubly embarra.s.sed, as Mestor had insisted on insulting him in front of his courtiers, many of whom had served the elderly Time Lord when he had been President. Although some remained silent, Azmael hoped as a mark of respect, many others had joined in the jeering and general abuse.

After being dismissed, Azmael dejectedly made his way back to his laboratory. There he found the twins staring through the gla.s.s wall that separated his work area from Mestor's hatchery.

Fascinated, the boys watched the technicians as they loaded gastropod eggs onto a conveyor belt system which then took them deep into the heart of the incubation area.

'So many eggs,' said Remus, noticing Azmael. 'Will they all hatch?'

The Time Lord nodded. 'And now you're going to ask me why we're breeding so many gastropod eggs when I have already said that Jocanda is on the verge of starvation?'

'Not at all,' said Romulus. 'My brother and I were wondering how our mathematical skill could possibly aid you in slug husbandry.'

'Come with me.'

Azmael led the twins to a corner of the laboratory where there was a beautifully made astronomical model of the Jacondan solar system. Pressing a b.u.t.ton built into the base the model jerked into life.

'As you can see, there are only three planets in our solar system.

The largest and nearest to our sun in Jaconda. The two other planets, Muston and Senial, are not only much smaller but are also uninhabited.' Fascinating, thought the twins. But it was hardly an answer to their question.

'It is the intention of Mestor,' continued the Time Lord, 'to bring Muston and Senial into the same orbit as Jaconda.' He tried to make the statement sound as matter of fact as he could. 'Once the planets have adjusted to their new position, I am informed by our agronomists, we shall be able to farm them.'

The twins stared at Azmael as though he were mad. 'Have you any idea what would happen if anything were to go wrong?"

'1 am a.s.sured that nothing will,' said Azmael rather stiffly.

'And what is supposed to be our part in this ridiculous plan?'

'We already have the technology to move the planets. What we require from you is the mathematical delicacy that will stabilise them once they are in their new orbit.'

'And what if we refuse to help?'

'Then 1 shall kill you.'

The statement was casual, unforced and the twins knew he meant it. For the first time in their dual existence they had been threatened with death. Instead of feeling hurt and outraged, they understood the pain that Azmael must be suffering. Moving the outer planets into the same orbit as Jaconda's was for him one way of trying to save his people from starvation. He was desperate to succeed. And they accepted it.

They were also aware that the scheme was a lunatic one.

Carefully, they considered what they should do. Somehow they had to stop him. The thought of dying heroically, however glamorous it may appear to the onlooker, did not appeal to them.

To aimlessly throw away their lives by not cooperating would be pointless. Neither would it stop Mestor or Azmael. They would simply go ahead without them. Alive, they had power to control events. But how?

It was possible that Azmael would respond to reasoned, logical argument and the reality of events. As Mestor started to move the first planet and the impossibility of his task became obvious, Azmael would be forced to do something. After all, to die from another planet crashing into your own is as permanent as dying from starvation.

At least, that's how they reasoned.

On the other hand, Mestor was something else. The twins wondered how much he cared about anything. If things started to go wrong, he might insist that they continue irrespective of the consequence. As he had the power to back his insistence, they could all finish up dead and with the Jacondan corner of the universe in chaos.

The twins decided they would have to play the situation by ear.

Trying to make too many plans was foolish. But first they would have to gain the confidence of Azmael.

'All right...' they said as one voice. 'We'll cooperate.'

Azmael smiled. 'Your decision pleases me. Thank you.'

Then in spite of their good intentions (or was it a subconscious reaction to make their sudden conversion credible?) Romulus muttered, 'We still think you're mad.'

'Quite mad ...' Remus chipped in.

'Neurotic, psychotic ...'

'And despotic.'

Azmael nodded. 'You could be right. We'll just have to wait and see.'

What was referred to as Azmael's palace was, in fact, a ma.s.sive citadel. It was said that parts of it were over two thousand years old, but such had been its piecemeal development that any architectual or historical value it may have once had had long since been lost. Instead, its collected buildings gracelessly sprawled down from the top of the mountain on which the original structure had been built.

Peri and Hugo were not destined to see this view of the citadel, as the Doctor had decided to materialise in one of its maze of forgotten corridors.

As the trio stepped from the TARDIS into a dingy, dank corridor, Peri heard herself saying indignantly, 'This is the seediest stately home I've ever seen.'

'You didn't expect me to materialise in the throne room?' was the sharp retort.

Peri didn't answer. Nowadays she didn't know what to expect from the Doctor. Although he seemed to have stabilised since his earlier erratic outbursts, there was still something odd and remote about him.

As they moved off along the pa.s.sageway, going they knew not where, it had occurred to Hugo that if the twins were on Jaconda, he could still fulfill his mission and rescue them, thereby also saving his own career.

The more he thought about it, the more the idea excited him. He had always dreamed of being declared a hero, ever since he had joined starfighter command. His natural good looks, easy charm and ability to look good in a uniform made him, so Hugo thought, a perfect choice.

As a hero he would be able to give up flying -something that still frightened him - possibly enter politics, or specialise in appearing on the numerous chat shows that dominated the public viddy channels. The money was good, the adoration overwhelming and, most of all, it was safe.

Heroes never slipped in the ratings. As they grew older, wiser and better informed, they would transfer to the debate programmes, of which there were even more than chat shows. If Hugo proved really successful, he might even be granted the ultimate accolade, that of becoming the chairman of his very own show!

Carried away on the wings of his own fantasy, Hugo had overlooked one thing: he still had to find the twins. There was also the Doctor and Peri to consider, but Hugo had decided to dump them at the first opportunity. He didn't want to risk anyone eclipsing his success. Neither did he need the Doctor to pilot the TARDIS. Careful study of it in flight had convinced Hugo that he was capable of handling the ship alone.

As the group continued to move cautiously along the pa.s.sage, Peri whispered. 'Are you sure we're going the right way?'

The Doctor nodded. 'Azmael gave me a conducted tour the last time I was here. This pa.s.sage leads to his laboratory.'

As he spoke, the group became aware of a strong, pungent smell, very similar to the one that had pervaded the wasteland they had visited earlier.

Quickly, the Doctor pushed Hugo and Peri into a deep alcove leading off the pa.s.sageway.

They were no sooner in place then through the silence they heard the faint mooing and slithering of two gastropods.