Doctor Who: BBC Past Doctor Adventures [012] - Mission: Impractical

Author:David A. McIntee
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780563405924
Publisher: BBC Books
Published: 1998-07-13T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Pack-Leader Hyskanth looked at the blackness in the viewing cube attached to his command couch. ‘The distress signal came from here?’

The Thazrakh’s lead prospector gestured an affirmative. ‘The signal was weak; a freighter reporting that another vessel was colliding with it.’

Hyskanth glanced at the reading that threaded along the edges of the display. No sign of wreckage. ‘Are there any vessels in detector range?’

‘Two Vandorian patrol vessels, a frigate and corvette. They are undoubtedly responding to the distress signal. We are scanning for residual weapons signatures; no result so far.’

Hyskanth started sharpening his foreclaws on a small whetstone. ‘Continue the search, and let me know when it is complete.’

The two new ships slowed as they entered the area, the stretched bar-bell form of the Cobb coming alongside the small angular corvette Mead.

Aboard the Cobb, the lanky and unshaven Captain Franke was surprised to see an unshrouded Veltrochni Dragon show up on the navigational sensors. It seemed to be quartering the area, conducting a search of some kind. They must have picked up the same transmission that his own ship had, he realised.

The Captain of the Mead also saw the Dragon in her main display tank, but came to a quite different conclusion.

‘Hail the Veltrochni. Tell them to stand down and prepare for boarding.’

The communications officer obeyed, and in a (few moments, a Veltrochni face appeared on a small monitor.

‘This is Pack-Leader Hyskanth. We are responding to a distress signal.’

A likely story. ‘Pack-Leader, I receive a distress signal in time of crisis from a Vandorian freighter, and arrive to find a Veltrochni warship and no freighter. What am I supposed to think?’

‘You are supposed to think that we are searching for your missing ship,’ Hyskanth growled. ‘Since you seem incapable of doing so.’

So, the Captain thought, they were admitting already that their story was a bluff… ‘Pack-Leader, I must insist that you stand down and prepare for boarding. I do not wish to fire upon your ship, but I will if I have to.’

‘What the fipe is she doing?’ Franke breathed. Her first command, and she was going to screw it up. She probably believed all that guff the newscasts put out, criticising the Veltrochni and going on about how warlike and expansionist they were supposed to be. Hell, he’d be pretty warlike himself if he thought someone had stolen his property. ‘Get me an open line to Hyskanth.’

‘I’m trying, but they’re not responding.’

‘This is free space, Captain,’ Hyskanth rumbled ominously.

‘Do not attempt to disrupt our operations.’

The Captain of the Mead then made a very small, predictable and foolish mistake. ‘Starboard weapons array: ten per cent burst across their forward shields. Let them know we mean business.’

Aboard the Cobb, Franke saw the flash out of the corner of his eye, and cursed. ‘Mead, take evasive action!’ He gestured to his own communications officer. ‘Hail the Veltrochni, and tell them –’

A stroke of green lightning swept through the Mead as easily as if it wasn’t even there. The Vandorian ship was

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