Doctor Who The Ark Paul Erickson

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.This spaceship is the largest I have known.’‘It is two thousand leagues long,’ she replied proudly.‘Leagues?’‘Yes.Oh – the old measurements used to be in miles or kilometres.One league equals three of them; I forget which.’‘A mere trifle,’ the Doctor shrugged.‘Whichever interpretation is used it still means that this is a giant spaceship.’ He studied her appraisingly.‘What is your name, my dear?’ he asked.‘I am Mellium, daughter of the First Commander.’‘First Commander?’‘He’s over there, talking to your friends.’‘Oh, yes – that gentleman! Funny how times might change, but gentlemen always emerge.’‘That sounds like a class distinction of some kind.Something that was common in the old days.’‘But now no longer is?’‘No.Although we have certain titles aboard this ship they only indicate skills in certain duties.’The Doctor indicated the Monoids: ‘And those?’‘The Monoids?.They have an equal ranking.’‘Among themselves, I presume,’ the Doctor observed.‘But how, in the system of ranking, do they compare with your father.and with you.and the rest of your kind?’‘We try to treat them as equals, but they remain at some position between human kind and the animals that you have seen in the jungle.’‘I see.Equal.but different!’‘Well, they are,’ Mellium stated.‘For instance they have no language.They cannot speak because they have no vocal chords.’‘Ah, that explains it!’‘What?’‘When they escorted us from the jungle to this city I attempted to talk to them, but there was no response.I and my companions took it personally.We thought they didn’t like us!’‘Oh, that would be nonsense!’ Mellium responded.‘They are gentle creatures.They never give any trouble, and they are very happy working with us.’‘Glad to hear it!’ the Doctor observed.For a moment Mellium seemed uncertain, as though she had dismissed the Monoids too indifferently.‘They have made progress,’ she went on.‘They have learned to understand us by reading our lips and a form of sign language.They can comprehend most of our written data, and several of them can even write it!’‘Ah, that is good to know.Soon you might have – what does one call them? – pen clubs!’ Mellium shook her head, not quite understanding the phrase.‘But don’t worry about it, my dear! Just treat it as the ramblings of an old wanderer!’The Doctor smiled and moved away.Steven spoke up: ‘May I ask a question?’‘No!’ Zentos snapped.The Commander placed his hand reassuringly on Zentos’s shoulder.‘Why not? We’re all friends here.’‘Is this really a spaceship? This city and everything that we saw outside? The jungle, the cave, the animals, the flora– everything?’‘Yes, indeed,’ the Commander answered.He indicated the bank of panels.‘Everything that you see on those screens is contained within our ship.The jungle, as you say, but also lakes and rivers, deserts.and even simulated polar regions which are constantly bathed in snow and ice.’Steven was amazed.‘But this must be the biggest ever.he faced them ‘.Look, who are you?’‘Like you, we are human beings.We come from the Earth.’Dodo indicated the Monoids.‘But what about them – where did they come from?’‘Ah, the Monoids!’ The Commander smiled at them in a friendly manner.‘They came to the Earth many years ago, apparently from their own planet, which was dying.An obscure place.But they offered us their assistance and services in return for places on this spaceship.’‘Where are you going?’ Steven asked.‘The planet Refusis,’ replied the Commander.‘The Earth is also dying and now we have left it for the last time.’‘The last time?’ asked Dodo in alarm.‘Yes.In a short time it will burn and be swallowed up in the gravity pull of the Sun.’Steven tried to take this in, working out what the statement meant.‘Then we must have journeyed forward.millions of years!’Zentos interposed, ‘You are human, I take it?’‘Of course!’ Dodo replied hotly.‘Do you doubt it?’Zentos ignored her and addressed the Commander.‘They could be Refusians, sent here to intercept us – to spy on us!’‘Refusians? Us!’ Dodo retorted.‘We wouldn’t know one end of.of this Refusis from our elbow!’‘To try and sabotage our mission,’ Zentos continued,‘they could have assumed human form.After all, we only know of the Refusians as intelligences that inhabit their planet.They may have the means to pass as human beings and attack us before we reach them!’The Doctor had completed his very satisfying tour of the Control Room, taking in the advanced technical detail of its lay-out and smooth running operation.But now he returned to join his companions and the humans.‘Oh, rubbish! Rubbish! With all my imperfections, sir, I can assure you that if you were to cut my skin I would bleed.So would my two friends.’‘Right!’ Steven assented.Dodo’s nose puckered again and before she could contain herself a sneeze burst forth.‘ Atishoo! ’‘There, you see,’ the Doctor stated.‘Complete with chills.’‘Chills?’ Zentos was puzzled.‘Yes! A cold.Quite common to human beings.’‘Ah, yes, I have heard of them,’ the Commander said.‘But cured and eradicated so long ago that we have completely forgotten what they were like.Fascinating! It’s like history coming to life.’ He took the Doctor’s arm.‘Tell me, Doctor – if you cannot direct your space craft your journeys must have taken you to some strange places! Is that not so?’‘Correct!’ affirmed the Doctor.‘And I could tell you some strange stories.’Zentos gave Steven a slow, appraising stare, then moved away to join Mellium at a scanner.She noticed his attitude and watched as he paused to speak to a Monoid in sign language.The Monoid nodded, then left the Control Room.‘What were you telling him?’ Mellium asked.‘I wish to know more of the intruders’ space craft.I know very little of them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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