'So lonely in s.p.a.ce without a woman, I know,' Sam sighed. 'Well what about Chayn? She certainly looks like a woman to me.'

He had the grace to blush at least. 'Oh, she's a woman,' he admitted. 'But, well, she's just not on my intellectual plane, you see. I need more than physical stimulation.'

'I can see that,' she told him sincerely. Electro-shock, probably, she thought. 'And I might be the woman you need... only...'

'Oh.' Loran almost groaned. 'You and the Doctor...?'

'Certainly not!' Sam exclaimed. 'It's just that I'm...' She lowered her voice. 'Under-aged. Just a child, really. I know, I'm very mature for my age, but, sad to say...' She let her voice die out, as if regretfully.

Loran withdrew his hand instantly. 'I had no idea!'

'I know.' Sam sighed theatrically. 'It's a curse, being so young and looking so...' She paused, as if seeking the right word.

'Desirable?' Loran suggested.

'Quite.' She patted his hand, and he almost cringed. Too smart for you, mate, she repeated mentally. 'Thank you for understanding.' She smiled brightly. 'Maybe you could show me some more of the ship.'

'Oh, yes,' he enthused. 'Wonderful idea. Let's take a look at the bridge, shall we? It's quite impressive.'

Sam had been hoping for cargo bay eight, but she didn't want to be too obvious. The bridge first, then she'd ask to see the bay.

They were finished in less than an hour, which amazed Chayn. She was good with machinery she'd always known that. But the Doctor was a magician. He seemed to have perfect affinity with whatever he touched, and it was primarily due to him that the repairs were completed so swiftly.

He was getting more and more interesting all of the time. Chayn was feeling almost intoxicated in his presence. He was like a little boy in a man's body, his enthusiasm contagious and real.

'Now,' he said, when the lifter checked out perfectly, 'which way is it to bay eight?'

Chayn sighed, and followed him out. 'This way, Doctor.'

In the corridor, he stopped and looked at one of the conduits. 'Your work?' he asked her, indicating the spliced power flows. She nodded, suddenly embarra.s.sed. 'It's very elegant,' he said, and she blushed at the praise.

'Just a patch job,' she mumbled.

'You're too modest,' he told her. 'You have a real skill for this.' He grinned. 'I'll bet you could take apart a Dalek killcruiser without the Daleks knowing you were doing it. This way, is it?' He moved on before she could think of anything to say.

They reached the bay a few minutes later. Her face was still warm, and she couldn't think what to say to him. Usually she had the man eating out of her hand. But this Doctor...

'It appears to be locked,' he said, gesturing to the access panel.

Chayn frowned. 'Why would anybody lock it?' she asked rhetorically. There was nothing in there worth stealing or small enough to walk off with. Only crew cabins normally had locks on them. Why bother anywhere else?

'To keep us out,' the Doctor suggested. He stared at the panel. 'Can we see what's going on in there?'

Chayn brushed him aside, hormones forgotten for the moment. 'Yes.' She tapped in her control code for the screen. It stayed dead. 'I'm locked out,' she muttered.

'That's a problem.'

'Not really.' Chayn tapped in Balatan's code next; she wasn't supposed to know it, of course, but there was precious little about the Quetzel Quetzel that was a secret to her. This overrode the lockout, and the door hissed open. that was a secret to her. This overrode the lockout, and the door hissed open.

The Doctor pushed her aside as a staser bolt zapped through the air where she had been standing seconds before. She crouched behind the bulkhead, stunned.

'I think we've found our saboteur,' he murmured.

'It's very... impressive,' Sam said, looking around the bridge.

'I knew you'd like it,' Loran beamed. 'This is my seat. Try it.'

Sam could hardly refuse. She sat in the chair and surveyed the bridge. It was about twenty feet deep and the same wide. The ceiling was about twelve feet high. She'd been expecting Star Trek Star Trek and had ended up with early BBC. It looked like a set from some Fifties TV serial tiny, cramped, and claustrophobic. There were five work stations, all manned, and the main viewscreen was about the size of the big-screen TV back home. The room was dimmed, probably because some of the bulbs had died and not been replaced, rather than for technical reasons. It was the sort of bridge a couple of computer nerds might build, and not the kind of thing you'd expect to see on a real starship. Sam felt definitely let down. and had ended up with early BBC. It looked like a set from some Fifties TV serial tiny, cramped, and claustrophobic. There were five work stations, all manned, and the main viewscreen was about the size of the big-screen TV back home. The room was dimmed, probably because some of the bulbs had died and not been replaced, rather than for technical reasons. It was the sort of bridge a couple of computer nerds might build, and not the kind of thing you'd expect to see on a real starship. Sam felt definitely let down.

'It's very... comfortable,' she said.

'From here, I can survey the whole bridge,' Loran told her proudly. 'That's navigation, that's power, that's comm, and that's scanners.'

Sam nodded as he gestured to the various stations, wishing desperately she were somewhere else.

'Loran!' That was the woman at... what was it? Oh, yes, communications. A slightly overweight, pleasant-looking blonde. 'I'm getting a signal. Another ship. No,' she corrected herself. 'Two ships. Approaching fast.'

'What?' Loran looked puzzled, and then out of his depth. 'But there's not supposed to be anyone here, Faylen. This area was abandoned as strategically useless. We wouldn't be here otherwise.'

'I think someone's found a use for it,' Sam said, starting to worry.

'What am I going to do?' Loran asked her, fidgeting nervously.

'Maybe they're nice guys,' Sam suggested. She jumped out of his chair. 'Sit down, and calm yourself. Try opening hailing frequencies.'

'What?'

'Contact them,' she snapped, exasperated. 'Find out what they want. Arm all weapons. Raise shields. The usual stuff.'

'Weapons?' he echoed. 'Shields? What are you talking about?'

Oh, wonderful! 'Thank you, Doctor,' Sam muttered. Trust him to strand them on a ship with no weapons, no defensive shields... and n.o.body home in the captain's seat. Where was Captain Kirk when you needed him? 'Maybe you should call your father?' she suggested.

'Right!'

Since he didn't seem to be giving any commands, Sam called out, 'Put them on the main screen!' She hoped that made some sort of sense to these idiots.

It evidently did. Faylen tapped something into her console, and the screen sprang to life.

Two heavily armed ships were approaching, obviously quite swiftly.

Loran went pale.

'Doctor,' Sam muttered, 'I'm going to kill you. If either of us live that long.'

CHAPTER 3.

REVELATIONS.

Chayn and the Doctor stood with their backs to the bulkhead, the door to storage bay eight open. 'At least he's stopped shooting,' she said.

'I don't think whoever that is wants to kill us,' the Doctor mused. 'Just to stop us.' His eyes lit up. 'I'm dying to get a look at whatever it is he's guarding.'

'I wonder if it's Harmon,' Chayn said. She pulled out her palm comp and tapped in Harmon's access code. 'I'm sending a call signal to him,' she explained.

The call signal two fast, one slow sounded from the bay.

'It's him,' she said, feeling both satisfaction and irritation. 'He's always been a bit moody, but this is downright antisocial.' She moved to turn off the comp, but the Doctor stopped her. It felt rather nice to have him touch her, but this was neither the time nor the place to explore that.

'Maybe he'll talk,' the Doctor suggested.

To her surprise, Harmon answered the call. 'Chayn, stay back,' he said. 'I don't want to hurt you, but it's important that you don't open this artefact.'

'Why?' Chayn asked.

'I'm saving it intact for a client,' he replied. 'It's just business, nothing personal. They should be arriving any time now.'

'Who should?' asked the Doctor gently.

The comp link switched off.

'I suppose it's a trade secret,' the Doctor decided. 'We need another way in.' He glanced at the roof. 'Can we get into the collection tubes?'

'I don't see why not,' Chayn answered, grinning. 'He'll be watching the doors, but he may not have thought about the tubes. It's this way.' She started to lead him off when her palm comp chimed. She opened the link, expecting to hear Harmon again, and was surprised when she heard from Faylen.

'You'd better get to the bridge immediately,' Faylen said, clearly agitated. 'We've got two battle cruisers closing in on us.'

'Dear G.o.d!' Chayn signed off. 'This could be trouble. We're not armed.'

'I don't think they'll open fire,' the Doctor replied. 'I believe Harmon's customers have arrived. I wonder if they'll want their purchase gift-wrapped.'

'I'd still better get to the bridge,' Chayn decided.

The Doctor nodded, and accompanied her as she ran along the corridors. What had Harmon done now? Maybe the owners of the battle cruisers weren't going to open fire, but just having them close by made Chayn very nervous. She'd never trusted the military mind, of any race. She tended to hate all violence but especially when it took the form of weapons being pointed in her general direction.

She burst in on the bridge just behind Balatan, who glared at the image of the closing ships. The Doctor slipped over to join Sam, and he placed a kindly hand on his young companion's shoulder.

'Who the blazes are they?' Balatan demanded.

'I don't know,' Faylen replied. 'They haven't answered any of my signals.' She looked at Chayn, hoping for leadership, an idea of what to do next.

But Chayn couldn't help. The shapes were long, slender tubes with a reactor at the rear. Blisters pockmarked the ship at intervals, obviously weapon housings. They were finished in dull black, without markings of any kind. 'Nothing I've ever seen before,' she had to admit. At least, to the best of her knowledge, they weren't Dalek ships. They'd have been blazing away by now if they were.

'Nor I,' the Doctor admitted. 'Though there's a familiar feel to them that I can't quite put my finger on.'

'I told you we should have left earlier,' Sam muttered.

'Yes, you did,' the Doctor agreed, not looking at all contrite. 'And you were quite right. Perhaps there's time to pop back to the TARDIS before trouble begins. It's none of our business, after all.'

Sam sighed. 'Yeah, right,' she replied. 'I know. Not really our style, is it?' She looked hard into his eyes.

'That's the spirit,' he said approvingly. 'And it may not be all that bad. I think whoever they are just want to do a spot of shopping.'

Balatan scowled at him. 'What are you babbling on about?'

'Harmon's down in bay eight,' Chayn informed him. 'He's guarding the pod, and says he's got a customer coming to collect it.'

'What?' Balatan looked furious, and then interested. 'A customer? That's different, then.' He rubbed his hands together. 'I smell profit, after all.' He turned to Faylen. 'Can't you get an answer from them?'

Chayn glanced at the screen, and then at the navigation panel. One of the ships was standing off, the other coming alongside. 'They'll be docking in a minute,' she reported.

There was a buzz of static as the communications channel sprang to life. A harsh voice ordered, 'You are being boarded. Resist and you will die.'

'Whoever said the customer is always right obviously didn't deal with these people,' the Doctor observed.

The Quetzel Quetzel shuddered as the ship clamped hold of them. The battle cruiser was three times its size, filling the screen now. Faylen turned off the picture, which did little to make them feel better. 'Perhaps we'd better go and meet them,' Chayn suggested. shuddered as the ship clamped hold of them. The battle cruiser was three times its size, filling the screen now. Faylen turned off the picture, which did little to make them feel better. 'Perhaps we'd better go and meet them,' Chayn suggested.

'Good idea,' the Doctor approved.

Balatan stepped forward. 'This is my ship,' he growled. 'And I I say who goes to meet them. Chayn, you're with me.' He glared at the Doctor. 'You can come along, if you like, but the girl stays here.' He looked at his son. 'You're in charge here, even if there isn't much you can do.' say who goes to meet them. Chayn, you're with me.' He glared at the Doctor. 'You can come along, if you like, but the girl stays here.' He looked at his son. 'You're in charge here, even if there isn't much you can do.'

Sam looked as if she was going to protest, but the Doctor gave her a short shake of the head and an encouraging smile before following Balatan and Chayn from the bridge. It was a short walk down to airlock three, where the ship had docked. As they hurried, Chayn could feel the vibrations in the floor that meant the locks had been opened. They reached airlock three just as the inner door swung open.

She couldn't help feeling nervous and scared as the first of the suited figures marched into the corridor, their guns held casually, but ready for use. Each looked almost identical to the next, just over six feet tall. The armour encased them completely, only a small face plate showing portions of their faces. The visors were tinted, though, and she could make out little. The figures all had packs on their backs and at their hips, but wore no insignia or markings of any kind. They stood, impa.s.sively.

'What is the meaning of this outrage?' Balatan yelled at the first three figures, apparently choosing to ignore the fact that they had guns and he didn't. 'You have no right to be on my ship!'

The lead figure moved forward a couple of paces. Then it touched a connection on the helmet. The headpiece swung back, and Chayn saw the features of the intruder.

He was one of the physically most perfect specimens she had ever seen. Solid, regular features, eyes so blue that they seemed to burn, and short-cropped white hair. He looked to be in his mid-thirties.