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been attempted before. The amount of power required to keep it there, so
close to a planetary core, would destroy the planet entirely!
Not with this ship, the Doctor said. Remember: it likes being in hyper-
space. It prefers it. With the engines off, it s almost impossible for it to be
anywhere else.
But the icaron radiation is still escaping, Hater Of Humans said. Our pre-
dictions may have been wrong, but humans are still going mad. If the ship
was in hyperspace . . .
Whoever is in charge of taking it apart has to get to it, the Doctor persisted.
The portal has to be opened in order to get the workers to and from it, and to
get components back and forth. If they d known about icarons driving people
mad they could have fitted a double door at least, but they obviously haven t,
despite He glanced over at Pryce. despite the evidence. If your ship is
in the INITEC building on Earth, then the urgent thing is to switch the icaron
power source off. Can you do it?
In reply, Hater Of Humans beckoned to Hopeless Itinerant, who picked up
the box at his feet and slithered forward, placing it on the table in front of
Hater Of Humans, who said: In this box is a control nexus for the Skel Ske.
As with much of our technology, it is a living being, genetically engineered for
its task.
Is it intelligent? the Doctor asked, intrigued.
To a certain extent, Hater of Humans replied. These mechanisms require
some measure of self-determination in order to carry out their tasks. This one
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is more intelligent than most, as it has to control the functions of our most
advanced craft.
A spare, I presume?
The original was on board the Skel Ske, Hater of Humans admitted, dipping
its head. We must presume that either the pilot or the navigator stole it.
And their names were Homeless Forsaken Betrayed And Alone and Power-
less Friendless And Scattered Through Space, the Doctor said quietly.
How did you know? Hater Of Humans was incredulous.
The Doctor just shook his head. It s a small universe, he said. I met one of
them on
He was interrupted by Zebulon Pryce, who calmly leaned forward and
picked up the box.
Put the nexus down! Hater Of Humans screamed.
Am I right in thinking, Pryce said casually, that this organic device is the
only thing that can switch the icaron generator off?
Put it down!
Pryce s long fingers flicked the lid of the box up. Something shifted inside,
and he reached in. A thin, piercing shriek filled the room, making Hater Of
Humans, Hopeless Itinerant and the two guards flinch.
Am I right? he repeated, his voice calm and level.
Yes, Hater Of Humans said tightly. It is our last hope. Put it
And if it is destroyed, then thousands, if not millions of people will go mad
and kill each other? He withdrew his hand from the box. He was holding a
small creature shaped rather like an Earth cuttlefish. Its skin was slimy and
orange, and its three stalked eyes had a nasty gleam in them. It twisted in
Pryce s hand and sank its cogwheel teeth into his palm. He smiled slightly as
the blood trickled down his arm.
With a sickening realization, the Doctor could see where the conversation
was leading. If he hadn t spent so long talking to Pryce on board Beltempest s
spacecraft he wouldn t have believed it himself, but he knew what the man
was going to do. The Hith, with limited knowledge of the limits to which the
human mind could be driven, had no chance. He opened his mouth to warn
Hater Of Humans, but he was too late.
Yes, said Hater Of Humans. As the shielding around the icaron ring is re-
moved and the radiation builds, more and more people will be affected every
time the door into hyperspace is opened. According to the fastline reports
we have been receiving, there are already riots on Earth and insurrections on
some of the colony planets. Murder rates are rising steadily. Earth is on the
verge of collapse. If you value the lives of your fellow humans, put the nexus
down! It s your only chance!
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Pryce suddenly clenched his hand. The nexus screamed shrilly for a brief
moment before it ruptured and a pink liquid splattered up and across the
table. Pryce smiled at the other six people in the room.
My only regret, he said licking at the gelatinous remains that slid down his
wrist and forearm, is that I will not be around to watch it.
Kill him, said Hater Of Humans.
Pryce made no attempt to escape as the female guard aimed her weapon
at him and pulled the trigger. His face creased into a smile as the beam of
pure, unsullied energy burned its way through his forehead, blackening and
blistering his flesh. Amazingly, he stood up and stretched his arms wide. For
a split second, light shone from his eyes and mouth as he was consumed from
within. The Doctor wasn t sure, but he thought that Pryce said something just
before his head imploded and his body slumped to the floor. Whatever words
he said, the Doctor couldn t make them out, and he was glad that he couldn t.
Whatever message Pryce had sent back from the edge of death, it wasn t one
the Doctor wanted to hear.
Pryce s death took just under three seconds, but the Doctor felt as though
he had been sitting watching the man die for an eternity. When he turned
back to Hater Of Humans, he felt older than he ever had before.
Hater Of Humans was ashen and shivering. Beside it, Hopeless Itinerant
reached down towards its tail.
No! the Doctor shouted, but before he could stop it, Hopeless Itinerant
curled a pseudo-limb around its vestigial shell and, without a moment s hesi-
tation, pulled it right off.
It screamed, and died before its blood could hit the walls.
The Doctor shook his head sadly. There were moments in his life when he
felt as if he was in the last act of a Jacobean tragedy.
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Chapter 14
Please listen carefully. This is an announcement by the Imperial
Landsknechte. By order of Her Highness the Divine Empress, Glory
of the Empire, Ruler of the High Court, Lord of the Inner and Outer
Worlds, High Admiral of the Galactic Fleets, Lord General of the Six
Armies and Defender of the Earth, a state of martial law has been
declared across the planet. From this moment forward until further
notice, a twenty-four-hour curfew is in effect. This is purely for your
own protection, and law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear. The
punishment for rioting is immediate death. The punishment for loot-
ing is immediate death. The punishment for sabotage is immediate
death. The punishment for breaking the curfew is immediate death.
The punishment . . .
Powerless Friendless? Bernice hissed. Where the hell are you? The spongy
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