Doctor Who_ Original Sin - Andy Lane [117]
In the Doctor’s almost unparalleled experience of the various forms of space travel, most of the time spent journeying from planet to planet was taken up by the manoeuvring through the solar system at either end. Comparatively little time was spent in hyperspace. Because the Hith didn’t intend leaving hyperspace at all when they arrived in the vicinity of Earth, the journey time was cut to less than an hour.
The Doctor watched from the oval, mazelike control deck of the Hith flagship as they made their approach. He and Beltempest were standing beside Hater Of Humans in a central hub of the maze, obviously making the Hith leader uneasy by their proximity. Above the walls of the maze, the ceiling was one vast screen upon which the Earth showed up as a vast distortion, a gigantic twist in the grey, swirling non-realm of hyperspace.
‘We have a homing signal,’ one of the Hith crew announced. It, like its compadres, was out of sight around a bend in the maze, sitting at its own set of controls, unable to see anybody else. Given the Hith dislike of company, it probably made them feel better if they could each imagine that they were the only Hith on the ship.
‘Daph Yilli Gar has left the transmitter on,’ Hater Of Humans announced.
‘Head directly for it.’
Beltempest, standing beside the Doctor, said, ‘Has it occurred to them that this might be a trap?’
‘And what would they do differently?’ the Doctor asked.
Beltempest shook his head. ‘I don’t know,’ he said finally. ‘I’ve lost track of who’s doing what to whom, and why. If somebody had told me a week ago that I’d be standing on the flight deck of an armed slug battle cruiser heading for Earth I wouldn’t have believed them. I keep having to stop myself from trying to sabotage the controls.’
‘And why don’t you?’ the Doctor asked, interested.
‘Because I have the sneaking suspicion that I might be doing more harm than good that way,’ Beltempest said.
‘Ship sighted!’ a Hith crew member shouted jubilantly. ‘Positive identification: it’s the Skel’Ske!’
A cheer broke out through the maze as a small, thorny shape appeared on the main screen. The hyperspatial distortion made it shimmer, as if it was being viewed through water, but it was apparent that large parts of it had been dismantled already.
‘Bring us up close,’ Hater Of Humans ordered.
199
As they drew nearer to the Skel’Ske, the Doctor could make out the walkway that led away from the ship. At the other end there was a doorway, hanging in the void without visible means of support.
‘See,’ the Doctor said, pointing it out to Beltempest. ‘That’s how the radiation from the ship got to Earth.’
‘That’s a doorway to the real world?’ Beltempest stuttered. ‘I don’t believe it!’
‘That’s human ingenuity for you,’ the Doctor said.
He glanced over to where Hater Of Humans sat in its Sshaped chair. The Gatherer of the Scattered Shards of Hithis was poised eagerly, watching with bright eyes and erect eyestalks as they drew alongside the sleek, spiked ship.
‘Glorious,’ it murmured. ‘Absolutely glorious.’
‘The weapon bays have been removed,’ the Doctor murmured.
‘We can replace them,’ Hater Of Humans said.
Its eyestalks suddenly
whipped around towards the Doctor. ‘Not that we want to,’ it added. ‘We’re merely trying to turn the icaron ring off.’
‘Of course,’ the Doctor said. ‘I believe you.’
‘Look!’ a Hith shouted. On the screen a squad of ten tall, angular robots were running along it towards the Skel’Ske. As they watched, the bots disappeared inside the hatchway at the front of the ship.
‘So,’ the Doctor mused, ‘that part of Powerless Friendless’s story was true, at least.’
‘Bring us alongside that walkway,’ Hater Of Humans ordered. ‘Order a squad of my personal honour guard to prevent further incursions through the doorway. Two more squads to enter the ship and find Daph Yilli Gar!’
The ship slowed to a halt under the expert pseudo-limb of the pilot, and rotated until it lay parallel to the walkway. A tube extruded from the ship’s side towards the walkway. Lasers flared as the tubes joined.