Doctor Who_ Space War - Malcolm Hulke [39]
‘Have you come round, old chap?’ The Doctor crossed to the Ogron. ‘Why does the Master want war between Earth and Draconia?’
The Ogron replied, ‘We obey the Master.’
‘It hasn’t done you much good, has it? Did he ever explain why he wants to start a major war?’
‘We obey, not ask.’
The Draconian Prince called from where he stood near the throne. ‘Did you attack our spaceships and those of the Earthmen?’
‘We obey...’
‘I shall use the mind probe on him,’ announced the Prince. ‘That will force him to talk.’
‘You’ll be wasting your time,’ said the Doctor. ‘The Ogrons have the greatest defence of all—stupidity. He hasn’t got a mind to probe!’
‘I should like to ask something,’ said the Emperor in his fragile, high-pitched voice. ‘Why did that sound make us see this creature as a soldier from Earth?’
‘Because you’re frightened of the people from Earth,’ said Jo.
‘Be silent, female!’ roared the Prince. ‘Draconians fear nothing.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ she retorted. ‘Of course you do. You fear them and they fear you. That’s why when Earthmen heard the sound, they saw Draconians.’
‘It’s true.’ said the Emperor. ‘We both fear each other.’
‘And fear breeds hatred,’ said the Doctor. ‘Fear leads people into war.’
The Emperor slowly, thoughtfully, nodded his head. ‘As happened before with the terrible cost of life. We shall tell the Earthmen what has happened here. They too must know the truth.’
‘They will not believe us,’ said the Prince.
‘Your son is right,’ added the Doctor. ‘Therefore I suggest a special mission be sent to Earth. ‘We can take the Ogron as evidence.’
The Prince hissed. ‘You imagine a Draconian ship can cross the frontier in Space now without being destroyed by the Earth ships? You forget that the two empires are on the verge of war.’
‘Then we can use the ship the Master brought us in,’ said Jo. ‘It’s an Earth police spaceship.’
‘I have warned you,’ said the Prince, cold with anger. ‘Females are not permitted to speak.’
The Emperor raised his claw. ‘The female may speak. We must respect the peculiar customs of our guests.’ He turned to Jo. ‘Your suggestion has merit.’
‘Thank you,’ she replied, then turned to the Prince. ‘See!’
The Emperor continued to speak. ‘You, Doctor, will go with this mission. And you, my son, will lead it.’
Jo made her way down the spaceship’s main corridor to the cage where she and the Doctor had been held prisoner. She carried a container of food for the Ogron who now stood glaring angrily through the bars at his Draconian guard. To Jo’s relief she saw that the Draconians had clamped a new bar into position to replace the one the Doctor had cut away with his string file.
‘I’ve brought you something to eat,’ she announced. ‘This is going to be a long journey to Earth.’
She offered the container at arm’s length. The Ogron reached out a hairy fist and snatched it. He prised open the lid, picked an item wrapped in tin-foil and put it down his mouth.
‘You’re supposed to unwrap the stuff first,’ Jo warned. But the Ogron had already swallowed and was now stuffing his mouth full with another item from the container, tin-foil and all. Jo turned to the Draconian guard. ‘You want to be careful. They’re not as stupid as they look.’
The guard ignored her.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘I know—females are not allowed to speak. I can’t imagine how you treat your poor wives.’ She turned and went to the flight deck where the Doctor was piloting the ship.
The Draconian guard, bored by his task of watching over the ape-like creature in the cage, crossed to a port hole and looked out. While the guard had his back turned, the Ogron took the opportunity to match his strength against the bars of the cage. Exerting great force he fractionally bent two bars, widening the gap between them.
‘The guard turned back from the port-hole. The Ogron slunk into a corner,