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‘Here we are, then,’ Alf said, opening the door to the curio shop, the President following just behind her. She took one more step inside and stopped cold. Her eyes automatically turned to where the TARDIS stood... that is, where it was supposed to be. ‘It’s gone,’ she said, surprise in her voice. ‘The Doctor’s TARDIS? So it is,’ the President replied quietly. It had vanished. But how could it have? The Doctor was in no condition to go anywhere. She glanced all around the curio shop, puzzled. She noticed a coffee maker on the counter, its contents almost empty, but EnalcKarnip was not about the place either. And as for Nick? Alf had no idea if he was nearby or still off somewhere trying to sort things out in his own mind. ‘That’s odd.’ The President moved up to Alf. ‘It seems the Doctor is still indisposed,’ he said calmly. Alf met the Federation President’s eyes briefly. The dark eyes that gazed back at her were full of wisdom, intelligence and more than a little mystery. Who are you, really? She wondered. I have a feeling you know much more than you’d admit. She hadn’t asked him anything of importance while they were coming back to the shop, but now her curiosity was getting the best of her. Well, there was no time like the present, so this time she was going to ask him, right now. ‘How well do you know the Doctor?’ ‘Oh, he and I knew each other a few lifetimes time ago. We were schoolmates on Gallifrey.’ He added with a smile. ‘My name is Koschei.’ ‘You’re a Time Lord?’ That was very much a surprise to her. ‘When I saw you last time, I didn’t know you were in politics,’ she continued. ‘That was something I hadn’t foreseen either, Alf. After my encounter with my evil future incarnation, I was given a second chance to put things right. To walk a light path. So here I am. And now have certain obligations to the Galactic Federation. There must not be another war.’ He paused, walking back to the spot where the TARDIS should have been, and looked thoughtful. ‘Pity. I wanted to talk with the Doctor again, but now that’ll simply have to wait.’ ‘But how…’ She stopped talking abruptly and turned at the sound of footfalls on the staircase. Nick entered the room, Alf’s knapsack over his shoulder, a yellow biker’s jacket in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He looked up, surprised to see Alf there, and even more surprised to see a Federation Official with her. He waved in a rather clumsy manner. ‘Erm, hi,’ he said. Alf pointed at the space where the TARDIS had once stood. ‘Where’s it gone?’ For the third time since entering the shop area Nick looked surprised. ‘Oh.’ His jaw set tightly, and he muttered; ‘Looks like the clone has sodded off and left us to it. Figures.’ Alf and Koschei looked at each other. Neither knew what Nick was talking about. ‘Come again?’ Alf said. Nick placed his jacket on the counter and took a sip of his coffee. Alf noticed that, unusually, he was drinking black coffee. ‘It’s quite simple, isn’t it, the Doctor died on Nova Mondas and the clone he created stayed behind. The Doctor knew he was going to die and he didn’t tell us.’ Alf felt stung by the amount of pain and anger in Nick’s voice, and was glad that his bile was not directed at her. She just stood there, watching as Nick placed some food cubes into her bag, taking this new information in. Koschei stepped forward. ‘You mean it was a clone that went to Voga?’ ‘How do you know about that?’ Nick asked in return. Koschei pointed at Alf. ‘She told me.’ Alf was about to point out that she hadn’t, but changed her mind. Since Koschei was another Time Lord she suspected he had a few more secrets up his sleeve. She decided that when the Doctor (or the clone, whatever) returned (and he would) then she would ask him all about Koschei. ‘And just who the hell are you, anyway?’ Alf looked up from her thoughts, shocked at the amount of venom in Nick’s words. ‘Nick, take it easy. What’s eating you?’ Nick blinked. ‘Huh? Gee, let me think,’ he said with a good deal of sarcasm, ‘oh yeah, the man I have trusted these past few months turns out to be fake. Is that good enough?’ Alf bit back her own response, instead feeling the pain emanating from Nick. Koschei raised his hands, trying to placate Nick’s foul mood. ‘I’m going to leave and use my own sources to try and track the Doctor down.’ He turned to leave, then glanced back at Nick. ‘Oh and I am the President of the Federation, since you asked so nicely.’ With that he walked out of the shop. Once he had gone Alf turned on Nick. ‘There was no need for that. Koschei isn’t the one who has hurt you.’ Nick looked at the closing door and let out a deep sigh. He glanced back at Alf, his eyes glazing over. ‘How do you do it, Alf? Deal with all these feelings. One minute you’re on top of the world and then the next you want the world to swallow you up.’ Alf stepped forward. ‘I don’t know. You just do.’ She reached out for him, but he pulled back. Alf tried to not take it personally. Nick sniffed and pulled his yellow jacket on. ‘You just do, eh?’ He shrugged. ‘Fine, I’ll just deal with it then.’ He slung the knapsack over his shoulder and finished his coffee off. ‘Look, I’m going away for a while. I need some time out, something else to take my mind off all this shit.’ Alf was taken aback by this seemingly abrupt decision. ‘Running away won’t help.’ ‘Maybe not. But I’ve tried the drinking thing, and that didn’t work.’ Nick took Alf’s hands in his. ‘I need to do this, Alf. Vlaash wants me to go to Mars with him, to help expose a serious threat to the Empire and possibly the Federation.’ ‘Is this to do with Peladon’s request?’ Nick nodded, again surprised by how on the ball Alf always seemed to be. ‘Yes.’ Alf smiled, and clasped Nick’s hands tighter. ‘Brilliant. Then I’m coming with you. The Senate wants me to go to Mars to find out what is going on.’ She winked. ‘Looks like you’re stuck me with, sunshine.’ To his surprise Nick’s realised that despite wanting time out away from things that reminded him of the Doctor, he was not all disappointed by the prospect of Alf joining him. Somewhere within the very heart of the caverns of Mount Megeshra, on the planet Peladon, a faint groaning noise began. Gradually it rose in volume until it reached a crashing crescendo. With a large thump the noise ended abruptly. A tall blue box had materialised inside the caverns. A cold, bitter mist settled over the surface of Peladon as King Garet and his entourage gathered to meet the incoming Galactic Federation shuttle. After five months of negotiations the King still had some hope that eventually the Martians might be persuaded to apologise. They’re not the only ones with honour, he repeated to himself firmly. Peladon was still a proud planet, and his people deserved justice. ‘Is everything in order?’ King Garet asked Tershin, who was standing to his right. ‘Yes, your Majesty. The conference room is ready.’ Nodding in acknowledgement, King Garet pulled his cloak closer to him as the shuttle approached and slowly descended. Behind the King, his aides exchanged murmurs of nervous conversations. Each of them knew how vitally important this was for the people of Peladon. Maybe this time the Federation wasn’t coming for yet another meeting, but to announce that the Martians were prepared to issue an official apology. As the doors to the shuttle started to open, almost without realising it, the King took a step forward, but as one King Garet and all of his entourage froze in absolute horror. The figures that emerged from the shuttle sent a sensation of dread through the official welcome party like a tidal wave - it affected each Pel in the same way. Fear and hate. It was a sight that King Garet had hoped to never witness ever again. It wasn’t a Galactic Federation delegation, but Martian warriors that marched in formation out of the shuttle. The leader of the warriors lifted an arm and pointed his sonic gun at King Garet‘s party. ‘I am Commander Sshaarp, and on behalf of Emperor Izlyr I declare that Peladon belongs to the Martian Empire - again!’
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