Doctor Who_ Enlightenment - Barbara Clegg [15]
‘What are you doing?’ he asked urgently. Striker ignored him.
‘Hold her on course,’ he said again. ‘We’ll cut it as fine as we can.’
‘D’you think that’s wise?’ the Doctor asked tightly.
Marriner seemed to share his concern.
‘We’re coming in too fast,’ he called.
‘Take in the upper topsail.’ The Captain’s order was relayed down the speaking-tube, ‘Take in the upper topsail.’
‘Come about or you’ll crash!’ the Doctor implored desperately.
‘Certainly not. Hold her steady, helmsman.’ The Captain was adamant, and seeing the wretched sailor struggling, the Doctor rushed to help him hold the wheel.
‘Get them up there,’ Marriner’s shouts came thick and fast. ‘Stand by to lower the gaffs. Get those men aloft –’
The black smog banks seemed to be rushing towards them at enormous speed, lightning flashing within them, and the helmsman gasped in horror.
‘Hold her on course, man,’ Striker grated, and then, with an impatient gesture, shoved the wretched sailor to one side and took his place at the wheel with the Doctor.
‘What are we down to, Mr Mate?’
‘Staysail, fore lower topsail and main trysail,’ came the reply. ‘If we strip her any more she won’t steer.’
‘Heave to!’ demanded the Doctor.
‘And lose our chance of being first round? Never!’
There was elation in Striker’s voice and his face was transformed. ‘This is the sort of excitement that makes eternity bearable.’
It was at that moment that Tegan and Turlough burst in
– and cowered back in horror at the sight which filled the port – the shimmering heat of hell itself.
‘What’s happening?’ Tegan cried. ‘Stop!’
‘We can’t! We’re running before the wind,’ the Doctor called back. ‘Some sort of ion drive.’
‘We’re going to hit!’ Turlough shouted.
The ship lurched wildly. Everyone but the Doctor and Striker was thrown across the room. There was a momentary glimpse of clinging wisps of fog at the portholes, as though it was trying to suck them down –
down into the sulphurous clouds, down to where acid fell like rain, to where the great wind whirled unceasingly, to the surface of the planet itself, molten with heat. Then they pulled away. The ship resumed even keel. Venus receded to the left of the screen. Slowly everyone began to pick themselves up, and there was the sound of distant cheering from the men aloft. Tegan could hardly believe her eyes when she saw Marriner’s grin.
‘A close shave, Captain,’ he said.
‘They’ll never catch us now!’ Striker was triumphant.
Turlough found he was shivering, whether with relief or fear he was not sure. ‘We must have entered the gravitational pull of the planet,’ he whispered to the Doctor. ‘Why didn’t we crash?’
‘Luck,’ came the sardonic reply. But Tegan heard it.
‘Luck!’ She was hopping mad and her fury was turned on Marriner and Striker. ‘We could have been killed!’ Her accusing look meant nothing to them. ‘Worth risking to win,’ Marriner answered mildly; Striker seemed to be communing with himself. ‘We are determined to win.’
‘And “winner takes all”,’ said the Doctor quietly.
‘Let’s see who’s next to round her, Mr Marriner.’ Striker operated the scanner screen, and into view, rounding the rim of Venus, sailed a galleon and a Greek battle cruiser.
‘Critas and the Buccaneer!’ came Marriner’s excited comment. ‘Neck and neck!’
Tegan looked at his face, and then at Striker’s –
animated and alive, the frozen look banished completely.
But before she had time to draw the Doctor’s attention to the transformation, a sudden blinding flash suffused the screen, and they reeled as shock waves hit the ship. On the scanner the Greek ship showed as nothing but a mass of flames. A second later there was another shattering explosion, and she disintegrated and disappeared completely. Where she had been was simply the blackness of space.
‘Gravitational pull, would you say?’ Nothing but detached interest was apparent in Striker’s voice. Marriner was equally casual. ‘Must have cut it a bit too fine. Bad luck, really.’
‘Bad luck!’ Tegan