The Tamaras Crisis – The Story (Part Three)

Feymar helps the Doctor up from the floor of the control room; it appears that he was temporarily knocked out from the electric shock but has regained consciousness, although he’s still very shaky. They hear Ian shouting from his bedroom and run to him. Ian has collapsed next to his bed and reveals that he was bitten by a Gastrid insect when he was in the mine, and Feymar confirms that the infection is incurable. Ian deteriorates very quickly and asks the Doctor to tell the Brig of what’s happened. He then passes away.

The Rani has realised that the force field is the Doctor’s handywork. As she walks back towards the mine she sees the Doctor’s TARDIS dematerialise, noting that this means the force field has been deactivated.

The TARDIS hovers in space above Tamaras, and the Doctor stands by the console deep in thought. He presses a button on the control panel and observes the scanner which shows a beam of light shooting across the planet’s atmosphere. Ian’s remains have been jettisoned, an astrological version of a burial at sea. After a minute or so of brooding, the Doctor suddenly regains his sense and decides that they must pursue the Rani. He also realises that the force field around her TARDIS has been lifted.

The Rani sends her personal Android into the mine to reactivate the other Androids.

The Doctor, Kymal and Feymar arrive back at the mine. As they enter, they hear the army of Androids approaching the entrance from within, and retreat back to the safety of the TARDIS. The Tamarans question the Doctor as to his next move, but his recent bereavement causes him to snap at them. They calm him down, and he recalls the events leading up to his recent regeneration. He then contacts the Timelords to enlist their help in defeating the Rani, asking them to place her and the Androids in a Time Bubble. The Councillor informs the Doctor that he has only managed to put the Androids in the Time Bubble as the Rani has rendered her own ship immune. Councillor Karoz then reveals that it was the Time Lords who sent the Rani to help the Tamarans in the first place as she’s knowledgeable in the field of Androids. They tried to enlist the Doctor’s help but observed that he was engaged in saving a doomed spaceship (the previous story we made) and could not trace the Master. Other than that they would not interfere themselves, other than advising Kymal and Feymar exactly where to send their mayday message.

As the Doctor realises what has happened prior to him arriving on Tamaras, he reprimands Kymal and Feymar for not telling him the whole story. He then announces that whilst the Androids are in a Time Bubble he’ll be able to rig up a device to permanently control them. They exit the TARDIS and head back towards the mine, finding a ‘frozen’ Android at the entrance.

The Rani is busy in her own ship trying to deactivate the Time Bubble.

Whilst the Doctor examines the Android, it suddenly comes to life and strangles Feymar. The Doctor and Kymal try to revive him but to no avail. The Android moves to attack them but they run away, though the Android shoots at the Doctor who falls to the ground. Kymal runs off and the Android goes to follow him. The Rani arrives at the scene and orders the Android not to bother with the Tamaran and to bring the Doctor to her TARDIS instead. The Android approaches the Doctor but stops as a shimmering apparition begins to materialise on the ground next to him, and gradually the form solidifies to reveal the Doctor’s immediate predecessor. The Rani looks on in amazement and tries to shoot at them but hits the Android instead. The Doctors regain consciousness and grab the Rani, taking her to a nearby tree where they tie her up. They notice the Android wandering about out of control, and watch it eventually fall into a nearby bush.

They return to the TARDIS and begin work on the new control device. The Doctor explains to his predecessor what has happened, and also tells him about Ian’s death. As she has so much to answer for, both the Doctors vow to stop her plans for Tamaras. They return to where they had tied her to a tree, discovering that she’s escaped. As they ponder as to whether the tree was her TARDIS, they turn round to be greeted by the Rani with a gun in her hand and a motionless Kymal at her feet. She goes to shoot at them but the previous Doctor grabs her and our Doctor takes her gun. The Rani announces that they can’t stop her as she has an army of Androids ready to crush the Tamaran resistance, but the Doctors retaliate with some succinct reprimanding of their own. They then gag her and tie her up. The Doctor activates the new control device and an explosion is heard within the mine. The Doctor announces to Kymal that he’ll have to find another way to work the mines now that all the Androids have been destroyed.

They return to the TARDIS with the Rani and tie her to a chair, still gagged. The Doctor contacts Councillor Karoz again and asks that he now takes the Rani off their hands. Karoz argues that the Time Lords were happy to be rid of her in the first place and don’t want her back, but the Doctor insists. Karoz also remarks as to the other Doctor’s presence, but the Doctor can offer no explanation. Whist they are talking, the fiendish Rani has escaped yet again, and they run out of the ship after her.

The Rani runs to her nearby TARDIS and disappears inside. The Doctor uses the control device to put a force field around her ship, and her TARDIS fails to dematerialise. She exits her ship and runs towards the Doctor’s TARDIS. The Doctors intercept her and there is a struggle. She wriggles free and continues towards the TARDIS, but there is a sudden flash of white light and the Rani screams before disappearing completely.

When they return to the TARDIS, Karoz confirms that he now has the Rani in custody and she will be put on trial imminently. The Doctor’s previous incarnation suddenly dematerialises from the ship.

As the Doctor prepares to leave Tamaras, he offers Kymal a chance to travel with him and keep him company, but the Tamaran politely refuses as he has far too much to do to rebuild the mines and get them working again.

The Doctor says goodbye, remarking that he has to return to Earth to give his old friend the Brigadier some bad news…….

Next Episode: The Tamaras Crisis – Writing the Script!