Doctor Who_ Combat Rock - Mick Lewis [37]
At first the Doctor suspected the man did not actually speak any English, despite being obviously able to understand a good deal of it. He had tried to communicate with him via Kepennis, but the guide looked more concerned about the gun barrel jostling him from behind than interested in chatting to their captors.
At last the man yielded to the Doctor’s incessant questions. He was walking behind the Doctor, a machete at the ready should the alien try any sudden moves. His face was weary, his eyes bloodshot, and the Doctor guessed that he had been travelling for some time with his squad of guerrillas. But despite the machete, despite the sternness of his expression, the Doctor could see a passion in the man’s large eyes that was not purely fanaticism. He was handsome in the broad-featured, animated fashion that all Papul men seemed to share. He was undeniably powerful and fierce-looking with it, but a gentleness shone through that spurred the Doctor on in his persistent attempts at understanding the guerrillas.
Of course, the Doctor knew exactly the right questions to ask too.
‘They different to us, alien. As different to us, as you.’ His English was imperfect, but up to now the Doctor had not known whether he could speak any at all, so that hardly mattered. ‘You can see,’ he lifted his machete to gesture at Santi’s rounded rump just ahead of them, the object of more than a few of the guerrillas’ appreciative glances, as indeed was Wina’s. ‘Indoni not look like us, so why they think we belong to them? Papul is independent country, alien. Our island separate –’ he was searching for the words, his passion rising to confound his articulation, ‘– in geography, in culture, in flora and... and fauna. Everything different here to Indoni islands. We been invaded...”diplomatically”...’ and here he spat into the dripping undergrowth beside him as he walked.
He was now level with the Doctor, and was staring at him intensely, his fury barely contained.
‘Diplomatically?’ the Doctor prompted.
‘Democratic referendum, yes!’ These words were obviously well known to the guerrilla. Presumably they had been rehearsed for just such an opportunity as this, when dealing with offworld parties. ‘Democratic referendum rigged! Papul leaders from many villages offered choice: vote for Indoni...”integration”... or be shot.’
Jamie was right behind them, and until now had been largely silent.
‘Och, I know what ye mean. I’ve fought against sassenachs who wanted to take my people’s land away before.
But we’re not your enemy, you know.’
The Doctor knew he was thinking constantly of Victoria, and maybe assuming that the Doctor was not doing the same.
But there was no time to explain to the Scot that in order to ever stand a chance of finding their companion, they had first of all to understand their captors, and hopefully get them on their side.
‘Colonised in the most insidious way, I see...’ he murmured, his voice almost lost under the weird ululation of an unseen jungle beast. From ahead, Wina gave an involuntary little cry of alarm at the sound. Some of the guerrillas laughed harshly.
‘A strange sort of democracy,’ the Doctor continued. ‘But surely there are more peaceful ways of securing your people’s freedom?’
‘There no other way. Violence only they understand. Only thing President Sabit understand. We take you to the Krallik and negotiate with enemy from there.’ He slashed at a vine that was blocking their way, but the Doctor could see the action was more of a demonstration to emphasise his next words: ‘If Indoni concede to our demands for an independent Papul, you released. If not, you killed.’
The Doctor uttered a little sound of alarm and threw a look of dismay over his shoulder at Jamie.
The guerrilla leader was still talking, having now well and truly got into his stride. ‘We fighting in the name of our ancestors, whatever happen. We know that now. Their ghosts have spoken and pointed the way for us to take. We must not surrender to Indoni rule. The Mumis have made the sign.