Doctor Who_ War Games - Malcolm Hulke [54]
‘We have already discussed your crimes,’ said the accusing Time Lord. ‘In your selfish desire of conquest you have squandered the lives of millions of intelligent beings.’
‘You call humans intelligent?’ said the War Lord. ‘They are primitive, always fighting among themselves.’
‘What they do among themselves,’ said the accusing Time Lord, ‘is their own affair. We have received full details of your crime from one of.our own race. Step forward, please.’
A pool of light appeared before where the Doctor was standing. He stepped into it.
‘That box,’ Zoe whispered to Jamie. ‘That’s how he told them. He put his thoughts into it.’
‘Do you swear to the truth of your report?’ asked a Time Lord.
‘I certainly do,’ said the Doctor.
A voice from someone unseen boomed down from above. ‘Let me hear the defence.’
The War Lord bristled with indignation. ‘First, I do not agree the authority of this court. I am War Lord of a sovereign planet. As for this so-called witness, he collaborated with me. He captured the leaders of the human resistance for us. If I am guilty, then so is he!’
While the trial continued, two Time Lord technicians were checking over the Doctor’s TARDIS. They were intrigued by its shape and puzzled by the words Police and telephone on its little windows. Their inspection was interrupted by the familiar materialisation sound. It was a common enough sound to them, but they were not expecting an arriving TARDIS. The box-like object took shape in line with the others. Strangely, its door remained closed.
Curious, the two technicians went forward to investigate.
Possibly the door had jammed and a Time Lord inside was trapped.
As they approached the door flew open. Five silver-uniformed security guards from the planet of the War Lords came out, firing their stun-guns and killing the two Time Lords instantly. They raced for the area where the War Lord was on trial.
The voice from above was pronouncing judgment. ‘We find you guilty. That one of your party, your War Chief, was once a Time Lord gives you no excuse. Had he lived he would have been punished. Your attempt to incriminate the Time Lord who wishes to be called the Doctor is equally useless. Your crimes were monstrous and your punishment will be severe—’
The five security guards came running into the court, aiming their weapons at the Time Lords and the three witnesses. Smiling, the War Lord stepped down from his dais.
‘Thank you, gentlemen. This farce is now over. We shall return to our planet.’ The War Lord looked up towards the unseen voice. ‘And we shall bring vengeance upon the planet of the Time Lords—’
A finger of brilliant white light stabbed down, engulfing and paralysing the War Lord where he stood.
The five guards all looked up instinctively; as they did fingers of light also fell onto them. All were frozen instantly.
‘This isn’t fair,’ the War Lord shouted. ‘After sentence there should be a right of appeal. I too could produce witnesses... And you have no authority over me... You have only heard half my story...’
The great voice spoke. ‘You and your murderous accomplices will be dematerialised. It will be as though you never existed.’
The six stabbing fingers: of light increased in intensity.
The War Lord and his security guards slowly began to fade.
‘No,’ screamed the War Lord. ‘You don’t understand.
We wished to bring everlasting peace... A New Order for the whole universe... Peaceful co-existence, a place for you, a place for us...’
Only the beams of light now remained. Yet the War Lord’s voice, though fading, could still be heard.
‘We shall win... We shall be masters of the universe...
We have the superior intelligence... It is our destiny to rule...’
The lights snapped out. Not a trace remained of the War Lord and the five guards who had come to rescue him.
‘Bravo,’ exclaimed the Doctor. ‘Good riddance.’ He looked up. ‘I’m glad that my evidence was so useful to the court.’ He turned to Zoe and Jamie. ‘Well, come along.
We’d better continue with our travels.