Doctor Who_ Curse of Peladon - Brian Hayles [47]
‘It must’ve taken a fair bit of handling, that’s why,’ retorted the Doctor. ‘You see, the sacred beast is not extinct. Hepesh found that a few still existed on the far slopes of Mount Megeshra, the holy mountain. He managed to capture one—
heaven alone knows how—kept it hidden in a sort of lair beneath the citadel, and trained it to do his bidding in some way.’
‘He made the Royal Beast... perform? Like a circus animal?
But how?’ demanded the king.
‘There are various ways,’ murmured the Doctor, his face serious. ‘Kindness, conditioning by a system of rewards—and cruelty. The last ones the most likely, I’m afraid. Hepesh had to act quickly and effectively, and it was necessary to have the beast in a permanent state of fury.’ He paused, ‘In fact, Aggedor is a highly intelligent animal who would respond willingly to gentle persuasion—given the chance.’
Peladon said nothing. His mind brooded on the man who had once had a hand in educating him in kingly responsibilities.
Was power so important that Hepesh should degrade himself to the level of a common assassin—and, in the process, treat the Royal Beast as though it were a common cur, yet all the time revering its holy image as all-powerful?
‘But why did he do all this?’ demanded Jo. ‘What could he hope to gain? He was already the second most important person, next to the king.’
‘He had to have complete control of the planet and its resources,’ said the Doctor. ‘And that’s where Arcturus came in.’
‘After all he had said,’ muttered the king. ‘Then to have allied himself with an alien that he claimed to despise... ‘
‘I still don’t understand what Arcturus was after,’ said Jo, looking puzzled.
It was Izlyr that answered her. ‘Peladon is rich in mineral deposits. The planet of Arcturus is within ten years of running out of its own natural resources. That’s why Arcturus had to make sure Peladon didn’t become part of the Galactic Federation. He could then make an independent treaty with Hepesh, take all the minerals required, and leave the Pel economy apparently unchanged. It was a neat trick. Virtually nothing would be paid and Peladon would be even more backward. In fact, exploitation of the worst kind!’
‘Extremely unethical!’ squealed Alpha Centauri. ‘Fortunately the scheme has been foiled and all is well!’
‘I’m not so sure about that,’ said the Doctor grimly.
‘But Arcturus is dead!’ exclaimed Jo.
‘Yes, but Hepesh is very much alive and kicking,’ insisted the Doctor. ‘It was Arcturus who sold Hepesh on the idea that joining the Federation would mean slavery. Now, nothing will ever change that belief. Hepesh will go to any lengths to prevent this planet losing its independence. And I don’t just mean civil war!’
‘Such violent action would conflict directly with the peaceful intentions of the Federation!’ twittered Alpha Centauri, palpitating with shock. ‘We will be forced to disengage ourselves from further negotiations!’
‘That may be more difficult than you think, Alpha old chap’, declared the Doctor. ‘Hepesh could cause an awful lot of trouble at Federation level, if he wanted to.’
‘There will be no more attempts to harm delegates,’ Peladon said firmly. ‘My royal guard will see to that.’
‘We can defend ourselves,’ whispered the Martian warlord,
‘if the situation calls for such extreme measures.’
‘Hepesh knows he can’t compete against the power of your weapons,’ pointed out the Doctor. ‘He’d be cleverer than that.
For instance, he could accuse Izlyr and Ssorg of murdering Arcturus over a political dispute. Even though it isn’t true, can you imagine the consequences?’
‘Yes,’ hissed Izlyr, ‘Mars and the world of Arcturus are old enemies. There would be war!’
‘Exactly,’ agreed the Doctor. ‘Within no time at all, the rest of the Federation would be taking sides, and then—’
‘The Federation would be wrecked!’ cried Alpha Centauri.
‘It would mean a vast, interplanetary conflict; a terrible war, using the most destructive weapons!’
The Doctor turned a sombre face to Peladon, and directed his words to the young king. ‘And Peladon will be the first battlefield-blasted,