With fast, determined strides, the “Doctor” wound his way back down the hidden passageways to the TARDIS, realising it was only there that he could safely transmit a distress call to the Galactic Federation fleet. He hesitated once as he walked, tugging on his left earlobe as he decided, Hmm, do I want to go left here or right? ‘Right,’ he said out loud, smiling to himself and quickening his pace. As he reached the TARDIS, he breathed a little sigh of relief. It felt good to be back here, after that struggle in the communications room he had wondered if he would even make it back in time. The “Doctor” moved to the console, and began pushing various buttons when he heard a soft noise. Looking about the softly lit, dark panelled control room, he noticed the small black cat watching him in the corner. He smiled down at her, but Missy wasn’t content just to catch his eye. With a graceful move she jumped onto the console and started to meow insistently. ‘Just a moment, Missy! I have to get this message out to the Federation fleet, it’s vital,’ he murmured while he tried to work, but Missy walked back and forth in front of him, swishing her long tail in his face. He quickly pushed a few more buttons. ‘There, that should do it. The call is on its way.’ He turned his attention back to the cat, and gently picked her up from the console. ‘What are you doing out here anyway?’ he asked as he gently stroked Missy’s ears. ‘Come along, now, maybe it’s dinnertime, hmm?’ He carried her out of the control room and toward one of the inner rooms. The words echoed inside Nick’s mind like some kind of cruel, bitter mantra. They’re all dead. He sat hunched up on the table, slightly rocking back and forth as he felt his whole world collapsing around him. First the Doctor, now Alf and Vlaash. Alf! Shit, is everyone I care about gonna die on me? He shut his eyes tight, and tried to stop the waves of agony tearing at his heart. He was alone now without them. Their faces danced in front of him for a moment, first the Doctor and Vlaash, then finally Alf. And I thought loving you without you even knowing was bad enough, how am I supposed to go on living without you? It was too much to bear, to lose the three of them, and Nick, numb with grief, stared at the door almost in a stupor. If that Martian surgeon wanted to come back and operate on him, Nick wouldn’t put up much of a fight. How long he sat there, he didn’t know and when the door opened, Nick was hardly aware of it at first. ‘Nick!’ a voice coming close repeated urgently. ‘Nick, we have to get out of here.’ Nick finally looked up at the Martian who entered. ‘Xzalnyr, is that you?’ he answered slowly, his voice far away. Xzalnyr went up to Nick quickly, saying, ‘We don’t have much time. Vlaash is about to be ordained by Emperor Izlyr, and we have to stop...’ That finally penetrated Nick’s daze and he interrupted the Martian. ‘What? Vlaash, he’s alive? What about Alf?’ he demanded, the tears already welling up in his eyes. ‘Yes, they’re alive, they escaped,’ he assured Nick. ‘But we have to go…’ ‘Oh god, they’re alive!’ Nick repeated to himself. Overwhelmed by emotion, he started to sob uncontrollably at the pure relief and joy of knowing he would see Alf again. Xzalnyr watched Nick cry in bafflement, was this how humans behaved when they were happy, when they received good news? He shook his head slightly as Nick struggled to get control of himself again. Suddenly, a look of fierce anger reflected in Nick’s eyes as he looked up at Xzalnyr. ‘He lied to me! Xylat, he told me they were all dead!’ he said, his voice raging with hatred as he remembered the Martian’s very words. ‘Bloody bastard, he’ll pay.’ Xzalnyr couldn’t wait any longer, so he grabbed Nick by the arm and pulled him toward the door. ‘Nick, now! We have to leave.’ Vlaash looked up from the floor into the face of his Emperor, Izlyr. Vlaash was dressed in the saffron robes of a High Priest, his slight armour having been discarded a while ago. Despite the fact that there was an ordination in progress the Throne Room was quite empty, but for the Emperor, Vlaash and two other Priests of Oras (both of whom wore ceremonial robes, the hoods covering their heads). Vlaash was not surprised, but he was a little disappointed. His becoming the Abbot of the Order was the biggest honour of his life; something he never thought he would see happen, not after fifty years of being cut off from the Empire. But he knew that the Martian Empire was stretched thinly - only half of the Emperor’s subjects were on Mars, the other half were still either on New Mars or transporting things back to the home planet. (And a fraction of them are on Peladon, Vlaash reminded himself.) The Emperor raised the Sword of Tuburr and lowered it onto each of Vlaash’s shoulders, while at the same time uttering an age-old Martian hymn. The two priests echoed the words, and then the Emperor held the Sword out before Vlaash. The High Priest took the blade in both hands and gripped tight. He kissed the blade, then looked up at Emperor Izlyr. ‘I pledge my life and my Order to your service, Most High Emperor of the Martian Empire,’ Vlaash said with feeling. Emperor Izlyr nodded, and lifted the Sword. As per the ceremony Vlaash did not remove his hands, and the Sword cut into his leathery skin as it was raised. Vlaash showed no pain, merely contentment, as his green blood dripped off the blade. Emperor Izlyr held the Sword of Tuburr aloft. ‘Rise, Abbot Vlaash, of the Order of Oras.’ The Abbot rose and turned to look at the representatives of his Order. Emperor Izlyr placed a hand on his shoulder, and the ceremony was over. Vlaash turned to look at Izlyr. ‘Well done, Vlaash. It pleases me to have you leading the Order of Oras.’ Vlaash nodded. ‘And it is my honour to serve you, old friend.’ He glanced at the two priests. ‘But I must now speak to you as a friend. And warn you.’ Izlyr was puzzled. ‘What is there to warn me about, Vlaash?’ ‘Marshall Wellarzlee and his Chosen Ones.’ Izlyr was about to speak, but Vlaash cut him off. ‘I know he has been advising you, your Highness, but he has also been manipulating you. I take it you are aware of his thirst for the Empire to return to the warrior nature of old?’ Izlyr nodded his head. ‘Of course, he is a warrior of the old world. But I have told him that that is not the way forward.’ ‘Then why haven’t you responded to the Galactic Federation’s request?’ Izlyr was startled. The voice that had spoken was not of Martian origin, yet it had come from one of the priests. The priest stepped forward and lowered her hood. Underneath was a face that Izlyr remembered from the celebration ceremony after the war. ‘What is the meaning of this?’ Izlyr asked. ‘Shsurr Alf is a friend, your Highness. And she is here on behalf of the Galactic Federation, and at my request.’ ‘Your request?’ Vlaash lowered his head. ‘Yes.’ Izlyr did not know what to say. Before he could formulate any words, though, Alf had reached the throne and spoke. ‘Emperor Izlyr, you need to know that the Chosen Ones have invaded Peladon. And Marshall Wellarzlee is behind it all.’ A dark shadow formed over Alf’s eyes. ‘All ready one of my people has been killed to get this information to you, and as for Commander Xzalnyr... Well, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ ‘Xzalnyr?’ Izlyr thought back to that fateful day when Commander Xzalnyr had returned the Sword of Tuburr to him, and the subsequent trouble of getting the Sword back to Mars. ‘This one who has died, was he your friend, Vlaash, the one who helped with the diversion?’ Vlaash nodded sadly. ‘Yes, your Highness. Nick is the one who gave his life for the sake of the Martian Empire.’ ‘Do you have proof?’ Before Vlaash could respond the doors to the Throne Room burst open and Marshalll Wellarzlee stormed in, followed by a Chosen One. There was such a rage on the Marshall’s face that any doubts held by Izlyr quickly vanished. Wellarzlee noticed this. ‘It doesn’t matter any more,’ he hissed in anger. Wellarzlee lifted a clawed hand and pointed at Izlyr and Vlaash. ‘You will both stand down and give me the Sword of Tuburr or you will die.’ End of Chapter Six 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |