Doctor Who - Past Doctor Adventures - 56 - The Suns of Caresh (3rd Doctor) by Paul Saint

Author:Paul Saint [Saint, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General, Science Fiction, Adventure, Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 9780563538585
Google: SpYJAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 0563538589
Publisher: Random House UK
Published: 2002-07-31T07:00:00+00:00

‘Not Dassar,’ Troy Game confirmed when she’d rejoined them. ‘I don’t know where, but we must be closer to the equator. The sea here is not yet ice.’

The Doctor slowly nodded his maneless head in acknowledgement and said, ‘I could try a short hop in the TARDIS. The trouble is,’ he rubbed the back of his neck, ‘the old girl’s database is far from complete for this particular planet.’

‘I thought you said Caresh was a landmark world,’ Jo said.

‘In theory it is, but in practice it’s rarely used by the...’ He broke off, looking up the mountain slope. After a few seconds’

scrutiny he said, ‘I could have sworn I saw a movement just then.’

Jo and Troy Game followed his gaze. There was no movement now, but there was something else which both women saw at the same time: the glint of sunlight reflecting off metal. Now that they were aware of it, it was possible to discern the outline of a structure, a low tower or pylon on a higher ledge.

‘Curious,’ the Doctor said. ‘The ledge seems to continue along the mountainside. There’s another tower, look, and another one there. You know, I’m inclined to get a closer look at one of those things.’ He turned to Troy Game. ‘I doubt it’s a particularly difficult climb, and it might give you a better idea where we are, don’t you think?’

Troy Game nodded. ‘I will come with you.’

‘Good! Jo?’

‘If it’s all the same to you, Doctor, I think I’ll stay here.

I’d rather acclimatise myself to the local gravity before I start climbing.’

‘That’s probably wise,’ the Doctor agreed. ‘We shouldn’t be more than half an hour all told.’

The Doctor’s estimate was typically over-optimistic and it was more than half an hour before they had even reached the ledge.

This was hardly surprising; there was no path to speak of, the slope was very steep in places and the snow-covered rocks were treacherous. In the last few minutes of the climb both the Doctor and Troy Game were aware of a rumble like distant thunder, although there were few clouds in the sky.

‘The acoustics of a dense atmosphere and mountains on three sides,’ the Doctor announced airily. Troy Game, some distance ahead of him, wondered if this was supposed to be an explanation – and if so, was it for her benefit or his own?

Giving it no more thought, she climbed onto the ledge.

It extended in either direction as far as she could see, curving around the mountains but maintaining a more or less constant height above sea level. It was between two and three metres wide. There was a horizontal cable suspended above it throughout its length at roughly twice her height – this, evidently, was the purpose of the towers or pylons. On the floor of the ledge ran a pair of parallel rails, the distance between them maintained by a series of wooden planks.

Troy Game knew at once what it was, having seen something very like it running through the outskirts of town near Cloud Base, though that one had lacked the overhead cable.

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