Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 10 - Legacy of the Daleks by John Peel

Author:John Peel [Peel, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General, Science Fiction, Science Fiction; American, Doctor Who (Fictitious Character)
ISBN: 9780563405740
Publisher: BBC Books
Published: 1998-05-14T07:00:00+00:00

‘Set a thief to catch a thief?’ Estro asked, amused. ‘Most droll.’

‘You have thirty seconds to explain your actions to my satisfaction,’ Haldoran snarled.

How crude the man was. ‘I need only five seconds.’ He gestured at the Dalek crates. ‘There is your answer.’

Haldoran glanced at the crates. ‘You’re getting those guns from this DA-17

thing?’ he asked. ‘That’s where the power’s going?’

‘Yes,’ Estro lied. ‘Dalek guns from a Dalek Artefact. How else do you think I managed to obtain them?’ Since there was no way for him to know the answer to that question, there was no way he could possibly know that this was a complete fabrication.

Musing, the Lord stepped around the table and looked at the guns. ‘You’re using the power you’re stealing to obtain those guns?’

81

‘Exactly,’ Estro agreed. ‘The power I’m borrowing is being used to an end you desire,’ He spread his hands. ‘And, once the Artefact is completely opened, there may well be even more weapons inside it. So far, we’ve only penetrated the first level. Who knows how many more there might be?’

Haldoran considered the point, an old, deep-seated fear gnawing at him.

‘But the Peace Officers say it’s dangerous to meddle with the Dalek Artefacts,’

he protested.

‘Dangerous!’ Estro scoffed. ‘The only danger is to them. You’ve got your hands on the weapons you need to make you master of this entire planet! Of course they’ll claim it’s dangerous! They want this power for themselves. It’s why they’ve excluded you from their investigations for this long. They’ve been secretly searching for precisely what I have found. If they had these weapons in their hands, do you think they’d be braying “peace”? No, they’d be seizing control with them, just as you’re doing! Only we’ve beaten them to it.’

‘More weapons. . . ’ Haldoran mused, rubbing his chin. Decisively, he nodded. ‘You’re right, Estro. The work must continue. We must have whatever is down there.’

‘And so you shall,’ Estro lied.

‘But why didn’t you tell his Lordship?’ Portney demanded, realising his little scheme to depose Estro had gone awry.

If he was worth the sport, Estro would have killed him. But where was the joy in murdering a worm?

‘Because I wasn’t certain it would work,’ Estro said gently. ‘I’m pleased to report that it is working, and the next batch of Dalek guns will be ready by morning. Besides. . . ’ he smiled at Haldoran, ‘I need to keep some secrets in order to remain valuable. If I’d told you initially that the guns were coming from a Dalek Artefact, you might well have protested, knowing no better. Or you might have tried to cut me out of the loop, thinking you didn’t need me.’

‘What makes you so sure that I won’t do that now?’ Haldoran asked, grinning.

The fool. He was wasting his time posturing. ‘Because you’ve. . . spoken to Murdock. I’m sure he didn’t tell you very much before he died. And nobody else involved will tell you any more. You won’t get anything further out of DA-17 without my help, and you must know that.

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