Doctor Who - [073] - The Monster of Peladon

  Fifty years after his first visit to Peladon, the Doctor returns to find that Queen Thalira has inherited a troubled kingdom from her father.

  Membership of the Galactic Federation was expected to bring peace and prosperity to the planet, but the spirit of the sacred monster Aggedor is once more spreading terror and death.

  The Doctor uncovers a treacherous plot to steal the mineral wealth of Peladon, and is again confronted by his old enemies - the Ice Warriors.

  DOCTOR WHO AND THE MONSTER OF PELADON

  Based on the BBC television serial by Brian Hayles by arrangement with the British Broadcasting Corporation.

  Novelised by Terrance Dicks.

  A Target Book Published in 1980 By the Paperback Division of W. H. Allen & Co. Ltd A Howard & Wyndham Company 44 Hill Street, London W 1X 8LB

  Copyright (c) 1980 by Terrance Dicks and Brian Hayles "Doctor Who" series copyright (c) 1980 by the British Broadcasting Corporation

  ISBN 0 426 20132 9

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Made and printed in Great Britain by The Anchor Press Ltd, Tiptree, Essex

  Contents

  Return to Peladon

  Aggedor Strikes Again

  The Fugitives

  The Hostage

  The Wrath of Aggedor

  The Intruder

  The Ice Warriors

  The Madman

  The Return of Aggedor

  Trapped in the Refinery

  The Threat

  Aggedor's Sacrifice

  Return to Peladon

  On the remote edges of the galaxy was a planet called Peladon. It was a bleak and mountainous place, lashed by howling storms, lit at night by the fierce blaze of three moons. A primitive, barbarous world, inhabited by warriors, hunters, and savage beasts, fierce bear-like creatures with tusks and one mighty horn, who roamed the wooded slopes of the high mountains.

  The warriors of Peladon both hunted and worshipped the beast called Aggedor. No young Peladonian was reckoned truly a man until he had slain one in single combat. Because of its strength and valour, Aggedor became the sacred symbol of the Royal House of Peladon. Unfortunately, it also became very nearly extinct.

  Time brought other changes. Under a young and progressive king, Peladon joined the Galactic Federation, allying itself with other more civilised planets.

  The alliance was not accomplished without difficulty. Hepesh, High Priest of Peladon clung fiercely to the old ways, rebelling against his king and combining with a treacherous Federation delegate called Arcturus to keep Peladon isolated. The plot was foiled by a wandering Time Lord called the Doctor. He arrived on Peladon apparently by chance, was mistaken for a Federation delegate, and later vanished as mysteriously as he had come.

  Time passed, and King Peladon was succeeded by his daughter. The Galactic Federation became embroiled in war with Galaxy Five, and suddenly Peladon was a planet of vital strategic importance. The mountains and rocks of Peladon were rich in trisilicate, a mineral vital to the war effort.

  Now more intensive mining began, and Federation technicians were brought in to speed up the process.

  The war with Galaxy Five dragged Peladon towards a technological future with brutal speed. Clashes between the old ways and the new were inevitable, and once again there were rumblings of mutiny from the more traditionally minded Peladonians. Was this all the benefit of joining the Federation - more toil in the mines, now under alien overseers?

  Affairs on Peladon were moving towards a crisis. Then the Doctor reappeared…

  A little party of miners toiled through an immense cavern deep in the heart of Mount Megeshra, sacred mountain of Peladon. They wore rough working-clothes, and their hands and faces were grained deep with trisilicate dust. The cathedral-like cavern was the meeting point of many tunnels and mine galleries, and its strangely twisted stalagmites and stalactites gave a weird subterranean beauty to the scene.

  Between them the miners trundled a sonic lance, a device like a small wheeled cannon, newly introduced into the mining operation. Ettis, the squad leader harried them along, a thin, wiry young man, sharp-featured and sharp-voiced.

  "Come on, come on, keep it moving. Mustn't keep our lords and masters waiting." He pointed to a tunnel directly ahead. "Straight down there."

  Suddenly a glowing spot appeared on the cavern wall. With terrifying speed it grew into a blazing corona of light, and in the heart of the fireball appeared a familiar and terrifying form.

  The miners staggered back, before the blast of heat, covering their eyes and bowing their heads in fear.

  A ray of light sped from the heart of the apparition. It touched one of the miners, his body glowed brightly, and he screamed once and vanished. His fellows turned and fled in terror. Behind them the glowing apparition faded from the cavern wall.

  In a tunnel not far away, two relative newcomers to Peladon were engaged in an earnest technical discussion. One was called Vega Nexos, a mole-man from the planet Vega. Most of the inhabitants of Vega lived in tunnels of one kind or another, and the Vegans were famous mining engineers, who sold their skills all over the galaxy. The second was an Earthman called Eckersley, a tall, lean man with a wry, sardonic face. Like Vega Nexos, he was a mining engineer. Both wore light silver cover-alls - the badge of the technician throughout the galaxy.

  Eckersley was brandishing a chunk of rock, shot through with gleaming metallic veins. "I agree, the quality's marvellous - but we're not even producing enough to refine yet."

  Vega Nexos gave a snort of discontent. "How can we, when these primitives cling to their picks and shovels? We bring modern equipment here and they refuse to let us use it."

  "Oh, they'll come round in time," said Eckersley tolerantly. "At least they agreed to try out the sonic lance."

  There were yells from down the tunnel, and the sound of rushing feet. A group of terrified miners rounded a bend in the tunnel, shot past them and ran on.

  Eckersley reached out a long arm and grabbed the last of the group, forcing him to a halt. "Hey, Ettis, what's going on? What's all the panic?"

  "It is Aggedor! We brought the sonic cannon as you ordered and the spirit of Aggedor appeared and slew one of us for blasphemy." Ettis wrenched himself free. "Do you think anyone will use your alien equipment now, Earthman?"

  Before Eckersley could reply, Ettis had followed the others down the tunnel.

  In the throne room of the Citadel of Peladon, the great castle on the peak of the sacred mountain, a meeting was held to discuss the crisis.

  The huge stone-walled chamber was richly draped with hanging tapestries. Torches flared smokily in holders formed in the shape of the snarling face of Aggedor.

  At the end of the great hall on a raised dais was the great ceremonial throne, now occupied by the slender figure of Queen Thalira. A frail and beautiful girl, still very young, she seemed almost crushed by the weight of her crown and ceremonial jewels. Behind her towered the massive figure of Blor, the Queen's Champion, powerful arms folded over his mighty chest. At the Queen's right hand, a little behind the throne, stood Ortron, who was both Chancellor and High Priest. An ornately robed, impressively bearded figure, he was the Queen's chief adviser and the holder of the real power on Peladon.

  A strangely assorted group was assembled before the throne. At the centre were the two engineers, Eckersley and Vega Nexos. Beside them stood Alpha Centauri, Ambassador of the Galactic Federation. To the Peladonians, unused to the infinite variety of intelligent lifeforms, his was an extraordinary figure. The body was a single column, draped in a cloak emblazoned with the insignia of a Federation Ambassador. The head was octopoid with a single enormous eye. Six rippling tentacles projected from beneath the cloak. They waved and stirred continuously, like branches in the breeze, reflecting every shade of Alpha Centauri's feelings. For all his rather intimidating appearance, Alpha Centauri was a gentle and sensitive creature. He was finding the position of Federation Ambassador on a primitive and strife-torn planet a considerable strain on his delicate sensibilities.

  Chancellor Ortron surveyed the motley group with disfavour. He was no lover of aliens, however politically distinguished or technically qualified. His glare settled on Eckersley. "One of our miners has been killed; the others are terrified and refuse to work. Explain!"

  Eckersley had worked on a lot of planets and it took more than an angry Chancellor to intimidate him. "Not up to me to explain, is it? The miners say it was the spirit of Aggedor, whatever that means."

  "Do not blaspheme, alien," rumbled Ortron.

  Alpha Centauri said "I am sure no disrespect was intended, Chancellor." His voice was high-pitched and twittering, a fitting expression of his nervous temperament.

  In his low grunting voice, Vega Nexos said, "I am a practical engineer. I find it difficult to accept that this incident was brought about by supernatural means."

  "Then what is your explanation?"

  "Sabotage."

  "And who are these saboteurs?"

  Eckersley said, "Saboteurs or spooks, the result's the same. Your miners are refusing to use the sonic gun."

  Queen Thalira spoke for the first time
. "The use of this sonic cannon is essential to you?"

  Eckersley shrugged. "It will increase output tenfold, Your Majesty. Save your miners a lot of hard work with pick and shovel."

  "Then arrange an immediate demonstration. If our people see that we have faith in the new technology, it may calm their fears."

  Alpha Centauri's tentacles rippled as he inclined forward in a bow. "Allow me to thank Your Majesty on behalf of the Federation."

  Thalira raised her hand. "Thank you, Ambassador. The audience is at an end."

  The aliens left in a group, and Ortron leaned closer to the throne, dominating the Queen with his bulk. "I must protest, Your Majesty. To expose yourself to danger..."

  "You know as well as I, Ortron, that it was my father's dream to see Peladon a member of the Federation. He signed the treaty, and now I must honour it - even if it means my people must make sacrifices in a quarrel not their own." Queen Thalira sighed. "We must accept the duties of Federation membership, Ortron, as well as its privileges."

  Ortron bowed, "I shall go to the temple, Your Majesty, and seek guidance from the spirit of Aggedor."

  In one of the tunnels just beneath the Citadel, a guard on routine patrol was astonished to hear a strange wheezing, groaning noise and even more astonished to see a square blue box appearing out of thin air. Strange rumours of terrifying events in the mines below had been circulating through the Citadel, and overcome with superstitious terror, he turned and fled.

  Since he was a brave and conscientious man despite his fear, he stopped at a bend in the tunnel keeping the box under observation from a safe distance.

  He was amazed to see its door open and a tall white-haired man in strange clothes step out, followed by a female alien, equally strangely dressed.

  The Doctor looked around him and rubbed his chin.

  "Well, according to my calculations, Sarah, we should be in the Citadel of Peladon, one of the most impressive sights-"

  "Well, we're not, are we?" interrupted the girl. Her name was Sarah Jane Smith. She was an independently minded freelance journalist from the planet Earth in the twentieth century, and she had been the Doctor's more or less unwilling companion on a number of adventures.

  She was already regretting that she had let the Doctor talk her into this trip. He had persuaded her with the promise of a fascinating visit to a picturesque and primitive planet, just making the transition from feudal savagery to technological civilisation.

  Sarah looked round disgustedly. "We're not in your precious Citadel of Peladon at all, we're in another rotten gloomy old tunnel!" For some reason tunnels seemed to feature largely in their adventures-and there was usually something nasty at the other end.

  "I'm afraid the scanner must still be on the blink."

  "There's more than the scanner on the blink," muttered Sarah darkly.

  "I'm afraid the spatial co-ordinates must have slipped a bit," said the Doctor apologetically. "We may not actually be in the Citadel, but we're not far away. It's built on the peak of a mountain, you see, and the mountain is honeycombed with mining tunnels."

  "I don't suppose we could just get back in the TARDIS and go home?"

  "Have a heart, Sarah, I've been looking forward to a return visit to Peladon for ages."

  The Doctor set off, and Sarah sighed and followed him.

  Silently the watching guard slipped away.

  In the main cavern a party of miners was setting up the sonic cannon, supervised by Eckersley and Vega Nexos.

  Ettis looked on gloomily. Beside him was an, older man, a burly, thick-set miner, with an air of natural authority. This was Gebek, leader of the Miners' Guild. Fiercely loyal both to his Queen and to the miners he led, he was having a difficult time reconciling the conflicting claims.

  They looked up as Queen Thalira swept in, attended by Blor, her Champion, Chancellor Ortron and a squad of guards.

  Gebek fell to one knee. "We are honoured by your presence, Your Majesty."

  "And we are grateful for yours," said Thalira regally. "Can your miners be persuaded to overcome their fears?"

  "The demonstration may help, Your Majesty. But as Ettis will tell you ... "

  Ettis threw himself on his knees before the Queen. "I beg you not to permit this blasphemy, Your Majesty. I have seen the wrath of Aggedor ... "

  "You have seen the work of alien spies and saboteurs, agents of Galaxy Five," interrupted Vega Nexos peevishly.

  A guard ran in and threw himself down before Ortron. "Aliens, my lord. They appeared in the tunnel as if by magic."

  Ortron turned to the Commander of the Queen's Guard. "You heard him! There are aliens in the tunnels, enemies of Peladon and the Federation. They must be found and destroyed."

  As the guards ran from the cavern, Eckersley said, "Everything is ready, Your Majesty. May we begin?"

  Thalira inclined her head.

  Eckersley said, "If you will kindly keep your eyes on that section of wall over there …" He pointed to the rock face on which the sonic cannon was trained.

  Vega Nexos bent over the controls, there was a hum of power, and a circular chunk of the rock face exploded into fragments, instantly creating a miniature cave.

  "Direct access to the main seam in a matter of moments," said Eckersley proudly. "Take weeks to do that by hand."

  A fierce light blazed from inside the newly created cave, and a shattering savage roar filled the cavern.

  The Peladonians were transfixed with fear, but before anyone could stop him, Vega Nexos hurried forward to the gap. "Do not be afraid, it is only some trickery ... "

  As he reached the hole there was another terrifying roar and a beam of brilliant light shot out. His body glowed brightly and vanished.

  "You see," screamed Ettis. "It is the curse of Aggedor! Now do you believe?"

  "Come, Your Majesty," shouted Ortron. "You must leave this place at once." He led the Queen away, and the others hurried after them.

  The Doctor stopped at a tunnel junction and looked thoughtfully around him.

  "Go on, admit it, Doctor," said Sarah. "We're lost!"

  "Well, a little mislaid possibly."

  "Why don't we go back to the TARDIS?"

  "For two very good reasons, Sarah. Firstly I don't want to leave Peladon without seeing my old friend the King."

  "Name-dropper!"

  "And secondly-we're lost!"

  The Doctor led the grumbling Sarah along the tunnels. "Cheer up, Sarah, we're nearly there."

  "As far as I'm concerned a tunnel is a tunnel is a tunnel," muttered Sarah.

  They heard voices and the sound of marching feet. "That'll be the palace guard," said the Doctor cheerfully. "We'll be all right now."

  A squad of savage-looking soldiers, armed with spears, swords and pikes, swung round a bend in the tunnel.

  "Don't run," said the Doctor. "As soon as I explain who I am ..."

  They heard the voice of the guard Captain. "There they are! Kill them!"

  "I've changed my mind," shouted the Doctor. "Run!"

  The guards clattered after them as they fled down the tunnels. There were tunnel openings on all sides and the Doctor took first one and then another, apparently at random. His last choice seemed to be a bad one, since the tunnel ended in a blank wall, in which was set a single flaring torch.

  They could hear the sound of the guards running up behind them. "We're trapped, Doctor," gasped Sarah.

  "Oh no we're not," said the Doctor cheerfully. "I've been here before." He reached up and twisted the torch-holder. It turned sideways, a section of wall slid back and they hurried through.

  The door closed behind them and the pursuing guards turned the corner to find only a blank wall.

  The Doctor and Sarah were in a dark and gloomy chamber, lit by flaring torches. The walls were decorated with rich tapestries, and at the far end was an altar, dominated by an immense stone statue, a bear-like beast with a single terrifying horn.

  "There we are, Sarah," said the Doctor. "The Temple of Aggedor in the very heart of the Citadel of Peladon."

  "Very impressive. What about those guards? I thought you said they knew you here?"

  "Oh, just a little misunderstanding, I imagine we startled them. Take a look at old Aggedor, there he is - bless him!" The Doctor beamed affectionately at the terrifying statue.