Doctor Who Independence Day P. Darvill Evans

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.INDEPENDENCE DAYPETER DARVILL-EVANSPublished by BBC Worldwide Ltd,Woodlands, 80 Wood LaneLondon W12 OTTFirst published 2000Copyright © Peter Darvill-EvansThe moral right of the author has been asserted Original series broadcast on the BBCDoctor Who and TARDIS are trademarks of the BBCISBN 0 563 53804 XImaging by Black Sheep, copyright © BBC 2000Printed and bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham Cover printed by Belmont Press Ltd, Northampton PrologueFirst of all.A tiny circle of colour appeared from behind the distant forest of evergreens.It was the signal.Madok watched the balloon, buffeted by the winds, as it rose into the pale violet sky.He stamped his feet, holstered his revolver, and slapped his gloved hands against his arms.Kedin Ashar‟s summer workshops were to the north of the tropic, where the climate was never warm.The building Madok was guarding - the workshop without a name or number, whose location was known to no more than twenty people - was at the northernmost limit of habitation, concealed in the forests that covered the foothills of the ice mountains.He unlatched the outer door, stepped into the gloom, and struck the inner door until it reverberated in its frame.He hoped the banging could be heard inside the cavernous, noisy workshop.„Yes, Madok?‟ It was the voice of Tevana Roslod, as calm and gently amused as ever, despite the distortion of the sound that brayed from the speaker of the address system.„The signal, Tevana Roslod,‟ Madok said.He remembered not to shout, but he still felt ridiculous talking to the air.„The Duke and his party are on their way to the house.‟„Come in, Madok.‟ This was Kedin Ashar‟s voice.„Come and see.It‟s ready for its test flight.‟Madok smiled.Kedin Ashar took such enthusiastic pleasure in each new piece of machinery.This, Madok knew, was the most ambitious scheme yet.He felt a bubble of excitement expand within him as he fumbled his key into the lock of the inner door.Madok stood in the doorway.He was motionless with wonder.Kedin, Tevana and their team of craftsmen were gathered at the winged base of the cylinder.It was thicker than the trunk of a beam-oak; it shimmered.Madok‟s gaze rose up the metal spire: its nose-cone almost touched the roughly-hewn planks that supported the roof.„Well, come in, Madok,‟ Kedin Ashar shouted.„Have you frozen solid out there, or have you been chewing on a spore-seed to alleviate the monotony of guard duty?‟„My lord,‟ Madok said as he approached the base of the rocket, „it is exactly like the photographs you showed me.It‟s magnificent.But I didn‟t expect it to be so tall.‟Kedin Ashar grinned and shook his head, as if he could hardly believe it himself.„Neither did I, Madok, to be quite honest.But the whole thing‟s packed solid with fuel, and even so Tevana assures me that there‟ll be only just enough thrust to take the damned thing beyond the atmosphere.And I can‟t argue with her calculations.‟„That‟s because they‟re correct, my love,‟ Tevana Roslod said.She appeared beside Kedin and twisted his ear.She was wearing craftsman‟s overalls, her blonde tresses were escaping from the rag with which she had tried to tie them back, and her face was smudged with dirt.Nonetheless it was still clear to Madok why his lord, for so many years a determined bachelor and rakehell, had become enthralled by her.Kedin pulled away from Tevana‟s grip and retaliated by tickling her midriff.She squealed with laughter and began punching his chest.„My lord,‟ Madok said.„My lady.The Duke will be at the house within half an hour.If we leave now, and use the vehicle, we will be there when he arrives.However, there will be little time in which to prepare ourselves to welcome him.I should change out of this winter hunting gear and into a dress uniform.And I can‟t imagine that Vethran would be much impressed with my lady‟s oily overalls.‟„Oh, Ked,‟ Tevana said, „do I have to be there to greet him?You know how I hate these stuffy receptions.‟„Of course you have to be there, light of my life.I know I‟m brilliant, but I‟m prepared to let you take some of the credit.‟Kedin grinned as he avoided a flurry of her punches.„Vethran‟s got to meet you some time.I‟ve told him that you and I are - well, you know.‟Madok shook his head.When Kedin Ashar and Tevina Roslod were together they seemed to forget that they were landholders and merchants.They acted and spoke with all the formality of farm children.And whatever the subject - the calibre of the air inlets of a carburettor, the burn rate of liquid petroleum fuel, the price per head of mountain-reared cattle or the selection of a tapestry - they could talk for hours.It was time to abandon newfangled protocol.„Kedin,‟ Madok said.„Tevana.Put on your coats and come to the vehicle now.We must go to see Vethran.Forget about his bloody dukeship.Ignore the fact that he‟s the leader of our nation.Just remember that he‟s a potential customer.Let‟s go and clinch a sale.‟Outside, Madok announced that he would drive the vehicle.He was still more used to riding a camelope than trying to direct one of Kedin Ashar‟s roaring machines, but he knew that both Kedin and Tevana loved sitting in the driver‟s seat, and there wasn‟t time for a discussion about which of them should drive.In any case, Kedin and Tevana were engaged in an unspoken competition to discover which of them could coax the highest speed from one of their self-propelled vehicles, and Madok desired never again to be a passenger with either of them.„It‟s ready to launch,‟ Kedin yelled over the noise of the exhaust.He clapped Madok on the shoulder.The vehicle bounced over the ruts of the track that wound downwards through the forest.„Ready to launch, Madok.I can‟t wait.‟„You‟ll have to,‟ Tevana told him.„I want to be sure that Vethran and everyone from the court is back in the capital before we send the rocket up [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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