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{{Infobox Story SMW
{{Infobox Story
|image             = The Creed of the Kromon cover.jpg  
|image = The Creed of the Kromon cover.jpg  
|range            = Main Range
|name = The Creed of the Kromon
|number in range  = 53
|series = [[Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories|Big Finish ''Doctor Who'' audio stories]]
|series           = ''[[Main Range]]''
|number = 53
|number           = 53
|doctor = Eighth Doctor
|doctor           = Eighth Doctor
|companions = [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley Pollard]]<br />[[C'rizz]]
|companions       = [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]], [[C'rizz]]
|enemy = The [[Kromon]]<br /> The [[Kro'ka]]
|enemy             = [[Kromon (species)|Kromon]]
|setting = [[Zone Eutermes]] and the [[Interzone]], the [[Divergent Universe]]
|featuring        = [[Kro'ka]]
|writer = [[Philip Martin]]
|setting           = [[Eutermes|Zone Eutermes]] and the [[Interzone]], the [[Divergent Universe]]
|director = [[Gary Russell]]
|writer           = Philip Martin
|post production = [[David Darlington]]
|director         = [[Gary Russell]]
|music=[[David Darlington]]
|producer          = Gary Russell, [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]
|cover=[[Steve Johnson]]
|music            = [[David Darlington]]
|publisher = [[Big Finish Productions]]
|sound            = [[David Darlington]]
|release date = [[January]] [[2004]]
|cover             = [[Steve Johnson]]
|format = 4 Episodes on 2 CDs
|publisher         = Big Finish Productions
|production code = [[List of production codes|8P]]
|release date     = 20 January 2004
|isbn = ISBN 1-84435-036-3
|format           = 2 CDs<br/>Download
|prev = Scherzo (audio story)
|production code   = [[List of production codes|8P]]
|next = The Natural History of Fear (audio story)
|isbn             = ISBN 978-1-84435-036-0 (physical)<br/>ISBN 978-1-78703-876-9 (digital)
|prev             = Scherzo (audio story)
|next             = The Natural History of Fear (audio story)
|made prev        = The Natural History of Fear (audio story)
|made next        = The Twilight Kingdom (audio story)
|soundcloudtrailer = https://soundcloud.com/big-finish/doctor-who-the-creed-of-the-kromon-trailer
|epcount = 4
}}{{audio stub}}
}}{{audio stub}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the fifty-third [[Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories|monthly ''Doctor Who'' audio story]] produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was the debut story for new companion [[C'rizz]] played by [[Conrad Westmaas]]. This story was written by [[Philip Martin]], who wrote [[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'' and ''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]]''.
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the fifty-third story in [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]'s [[Main Range|monthly range]]. It was written by [[Philip Martin]] and featured [[Paul McGann]] as the [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[India Fisher]] as [[Charlotte Pollard]] and introduced [[Conrad Westmaas]] as the new companion [[C'rizz]] and [[Stephen Perring]] as The [[Kro'ka]].


== Publisher's summary ==
== Publisher's summary ==
The [[Interzone]] is a fearsome nether-world protecting a zone ruled by the [[Kromon]]. Theirs is an arid land of dust and dying trees. Across the landscape are spheres that look like giant anthills. The [[Eighth Doctor|Doctor]] believes that within one of these structures lie the clues that will lead him to his lost [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]].
The [[Interzone]] is a fearsome nether-world protecting a zone ruled by the [[Kromon (species)|Kromon]]. Theirs is an arid land of dust and dying trees. Across the landscape are spheres that look like giant anthills. The [[Eighth Doctor|Doctor]] believes that within one of these structures lie the clues that will lead him to his lost [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]].


The spheres are ruled by the insect-like Kromon who covet the TARDIS. When [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]] is captured she is forced to metamorphose into a hybrid-insect Queen, and so to save her, the Doctor must barter his knowledge of space-travel technology, all the while knowing that he risks opening up all the realms of space to a rapacious race whose creed is not to create, only to plunder.
The spheres are ruled by the insect-like Kromon who covet the TARDIS. When [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]] is captured she is forced to metamorphose into a hybrid-insect Queen, and so to save her, the Doctor must barter his knowledge of space-travel technology, all the while knowing that he risks opening up all the realms of space to a rapacious race whose creed is not to create, only to plunder.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
=== Part 1 ===
Walking out of the [[Scherzo (audio story)|glass tube]], the Doctor and Charley are fighting against a force that opposes them from proceeding. Charley then hears insects approaching, but the Doctor tells her that it's in her imagination. He embraces her and yells out an Okiya Warrior cry to drive away the hallucination, but it can only be used once. As the Doctor and Charley regain their composure, the atmosphere feels different and find themselves in the middle of a desert. They spot two red hot suns and Charley shields her eyes and she hears a voice that identifies itself as Kro'ka. Kro'ka tells Charley that she can't travel anywhere until she's nice to him. Kro'ka invades her mind and forces her to relive her death onboard the burning R101, much to her disturbance. Charley panics and wakes up from her state to find herself and the Doctor pinned to the ground by psychic coils. Soon enough, Kro'ka speaks to the Doctor and Charley and asks if they want to enter the zone of Eutermes. The Doctor obliges if Kro'ka is kind enough, but there must be a price in order to contribute to the Eutremes society. The Doctor is sure that Charley will be an asset to society and Kro'ka decides to look into her mind. The Doctor then tells Charley to think of one object and one object only to offer to Kro'ka. Charley is confused by the Doctor's advice and Kro'ka moves on to the next question in defeat. Kro'ka then asks the purpose of the Doctor and Charley's coming here, to which the Doctor answers “pleasure”, but Kro'ka sees through the Doctor's words and knows that he really wants to find the TARDIS. Kro'ka begins to dismiss the Doctor and Charley, but Charley objects that the TARDIS will be every contributing factor to the Eutermes. Interested, Kro'ka asks if the TARDIS is capable of space exploration, to which the Doctor responds yes if they can find it first. Agreeing to let them find the TARDIS, Kro'ka releases the Doctor and Charley off from the ground. He then informs the two that there are other people on the other side of the barrier of the Eutermes Zone who are also interested in the TARDIS and requests that the Doctor and Charley help them. The Doctor and Charley are released from the invisible coils and Charley asks if they can really go. Kro'ka kindly responds that they can and she and the Doctor are allowed to enter the Eutermes Zone. As the two wonder away, Kro'ka talks to someone and says that “experiment 2.70 has begun”.


Part One
Exploring the dryness of the Eutermes Zone, the Doctor notices evidence of water courses that were once there, suggesting a drought hence why the nearby trees are drying out. Charley wonders why Kro'ka is so interested in the TARDIS, but the Doctor is distracted by how desperately he wants his “old girl” back. Charley then notices giant lumps in the distance and the Doctor sees that the Eutermians live in biospheres. Suddenly, lasers are fired and the Doctor grabs Charley both duck and cover. They both spot a humanoid creature running away and the lasers hit and kill him. The Doctor sees that a ship is hovering over them, but are not firing at them, leading the Doctor to believe that they are observing them on the behalf of Kro'ka. The ship leaves and Charley notices that the creature that was shot starts moving, revealing that it's still alive and they go investigate. Taking advantage of this, the Doctor wants to introduce themselves to the first alien species they have encountered. Its features are bizarre as it is human shaped, but has different coloured skin and has an exoskeleton. The creature trembles again, startling Charley. Deciding that it needs water to live, the Doctor and Charley lift the creature up and carry him to a pool of water.
 
Having travelled into another Universe only to lose the TARDIS in what appeared to be a deliberately engineered environment, the Doctor and Charley now find their progress thwarted by some form of inter-zone resistance. To Charley, this force takes the form of a swarm of deadly insects. The Doctor drives off the swarm with a warrior cry useful for dispersing spirit attacks, and he and Charley catch a glimpse of a desert environment on the other side of the barrier -- but as they try to press through, the resistance returns, stronger than before. Charley then hears a voice in her head which identifies itself as the Kro’ka, the inter-zone guardian -- and far more besides. The Kro’ka begins rooting through Charley’s private thoughts without so much as asking, and when she tries to drive it out, it becomes upset and forces her to relive her death aboard the R101 -- although this death no longer actually happened.
 
Charley recovers from the traumatic memories to find herself and the Doctor pinned down by a powerful psychotronic force, and the Doctor informs her that the Kro’ka also attempted to turn his memories against him. The Kro’ka then interrogates the Doctor and Charley, asking them what skills they have to contribute in Zone Eutermes should it permit them to pass through the inter-zone barrier. As the psychic coils tighten around their bodies, the Doctor and Charley admit that they’re searching for their home, the TARDIS. Though such things should not exist in this place, the Kro’ka appears quite interested when the Doctor admits that the TARDIS could be used to facilitate space travel. On the other side of the barrier, they will meet others who are equally interested in this TARDIS of theirs, and the Kro’ka thus permits them to pass through, into Zone Eutermes. Experiment number 2.70 has begun...
 
The Doctor and Charley find themselves in the desert they glimpsed earlier, but upon closer inspection realise that it was once lush with water and life. Though concerned by the Kro’ka’s apparent interest in the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to proceed towards the distant bio-spheres which he assumes are the home of the native Eutermersans. As he and Charley proceed, however, they see a flying car pursuing a fleeing humanoid figure, and as they watch, the car opens fire and apparently guns the fugitive down.
 
The flying car departs, and the Doctor and Charley investigate to find that its victim is still alive. His skin matches the colour of his surroundings, he has a vestigial exoskeleton, and he appears to be dehydrated. The Doctor and Charley carry the man to a nearby river, where he nearly drowns himself trying to quench his thirst. Obviously traumatised by his experiences, the man, C’rizz, raves about an “elixir” which will make him a king alongside his beloved L’da. He regains enough control over himself to tell the Doctor and Charley that his people have been enslaved by a race called the Kromon; C’rizz himself escaped from Alpha Sphere, the primary Kromon biosphere, but in his haste he left his lover behind, and he now vows to rescue her.
 
The Doctor advises C’rizz to get some sleep and recover his strength before he acts. He does so, but is woken during the night by a terrible dream. More lucid now that he’s rested, he explains that the Kromon took their slaves to Alpha Sphere to classify them into work groups. L’da and C’rizz were selected to become royals, and were taken to a laboratory to be force-fed an elixir which would cause them to think as the Kromon do. C’rizz’s body rejected the bitter drink, but he saw enough of the Kromon soul to drive him from the biosphere in terror. The Doctor promises to help him rescue L’da, but is personally more interested in the implication that the Kromon are not native to this world. The Kro’ka told him that he would meet people with an interest in spaceflight; perhaps it was implying that the Kromon have his TARDIS.
 
The next morning, the Doctor, Charley and C’rizz set off for Alpha Sphere. C’rizz and Charley are separated from the Doctor during a sandstorm, and Charley notes that C’rizz’s skin colour is changing to blend in with his surroundings. This comes in useful when a Kromon patrol ship passes overhead, as C’rizz covers Charley’s body with his own and the patrol fails to notice them. The ground then begins to move, indicating that an Oroog, a friendly burrowing creature, is tunnelling beneath them. The Oroog leads Charley and C’rizz to the Doctor and surfaces to say hello, apparently honoured to have helped one such as C’rizz. It claims to be the last Oroog outside of captivity, but even as it speaks, another Kromon patrol arrives and captures the four new friends.
 
The Oroog is gunned down as it tries to escape, but the Kromon have only stunned it, knowing it to be a valuable specimen. The others will be assessed and classified back at the sphere; if deemed unsuitable as slaves, they will be converted to fertiliser. The Oroog recovers on the way back to Alpha Sphere, but does not lash out at its captors, knowing to save its strength for an opportune moment. Concerned that C’rizz will be severely punished if identified, and noting the Kromon’s strict adherence to bureaucratic logic, the Doctor suggests that C’rizz use a false name, Z’ricc, so the Kromon will continue to think that the prisoner they gunned down is dead. Also noting the advanced technology of the patrol ship, the Doctor fears what the Kromon might be capable of if they acquire the secrets of time travel from the TARDIS -- but C’rizz doesn’t understand what kind of travel the Doctor is referring to. Not that it matters; the patrol ship is descending into Alpha Sphere, and C’rizz is convinced that this is where they are all doomed to die.
 
Part Two
 
In Alpha Sphere, the Kromon take the Oroog away to be pacified, and interrogate the others to determine how they shall be put to work. The Doctor claims to have a talent for space flight, and the Kromon decide to assign him to the relevant research department. Charley is classified as potential reproductive stock, and C’rizz, under his false name, is assigned to the gardening labour force. The three prisoners are marched to L laboratory, where they will be force-fed elixirs to brainwash them into obeying the Kromon without question. On the way, Charley notes the extreme humidity in the dome, evidence that the Kromon require a great deal of water in order to survive.
 
In the laboratory, C’rizz volunteers to take the elixir first, and as happened before, his body reacts violently against the elixir and he regurgitates it. While the Kromon are caught off guard, the Doctor and Charley flee. The Kromon scientist, enraged, accuses C’rizz of rejecting the elixir deliberately, and orders the guard commander to take him to the fertiliser plants for execution. On the way, the commander admits that many of C’rizz’s kind cannot digest the Kromon elixirs -- and the same fate has befallen them all.
 
The Doctor and Charley hide nearby, and follow C’rizz and his guards to a processing chamber for giant fungi. There, they rescue C’rizz from a firing squad by flinging mud at the Kromon as a distraction, and flee back to the laboratory. Charley, aching from the humiliations she’s been forced to endure, overpowers the sole guard and takes his laser gun, but C’rizz rejects the gun when she offers it to him, as if repulsed. Apart from the one guard, the laboratory is deserted; presumably the scientist is off replenishing the stocks of elixir. Fortunately, the computer remains active, and the Doctor enters false data into the system, claiming that he and his friends have been successfully pacified and assigned to their duties. At C’rizz’s request, the Doctor looks up information on L’da, and finds that she has been chosen for a hybridisation experiment and transformed through the application of specialised elixirs. It should not be possible for creatures as different as the insect-like Kromon and the reptilian Eutermersans to cross-breed, but it appears that this is what they’re attempting to do with L’da.
 
L’da is currently on Level 5 of the sphere, and the Doctor and his companions are on Level 1; nevertheless, the Doctor and Charley set off to help C’rizz find and rescue his lover. They hitch a lift on a freight transport to Level 2, only to find more Kromon waiting at the other end; there are too many to overpower, and Charley thus abandons her gun beside the tracks. When the train pulls to a stop, the Doctor informs the Kromon that he and his friends decided to report to work on their own after their guards were called away to deal with an emergency. Since the computer records indicate that the Doctor and his friends have been pacified, the Kromon guard sends them on their way; the Doctor attends an interview with the director of space research, while Charley is sent to the reproductive reserves on Level 5 and C’rizz (still going under his false name) is assigned to catering duties on Level 2.
 
C’rizz is shown to the food preparation chambers, where he’s horrified to learn that he is expected to chew and partially digest the Kromon’s food before it is delivered to them. He claims to have a weak stomach, and the supervisor thus takes him to another preparation room to tend to the worms, maggots and flies intended for the higher directorate. This job is no more palatable to C’rizz, and the supervisor, irritated, agrees to assign him to another, temporary position until something more suitable can be found.
 
The Doctor attends his interview with the director of space research. Despite C’rizz’s claims, it seems that the Kromon are incapable of spaceflight, and that they believe Eutermes to be a different part of their own world. The Doctor outlines some suggestions for a ship capable of spaceflight, but the director does not respond to the Doctor’s description of the TARDIS, implying that the Kromon do not have the craft after all. Furthermore, the director does not understand what the Doctor means by “time travel”, or indeed “time”. Nevertheless, it does find many of the Doctor’s theories interesting, and thus agrees to appoint him as consultant to the Kromon space programme.
 
C’rizz then arrives, having been assigned to deliver lunch to the Kromon management levels -- although he first stopped off to collect the gun Charley had abandoned. As the space research director chews on his pre-digested food and maggots, the Doctor pops out, claiming that he wants to place an order for dinner. He and C’rizz travel to Level 5, where the controller of the genetics programme is waiting impatiently for his lunch. As C’rizz sets off on his rounds, intending to find and rescue L’da, the Doctor tries to convince the controller that Charley must be reassigned to work as his assistant. The controller initially refuses to give up one of his workforce, but becomes more amenable when the Doctor suggests that he might be willing to consider the controller for a position in a future space colony. He flatters the controller by showing an interest in his work, and the controller proudly shows off the recent generation of Kromon hatchlings; though many are experimental hatchlings, the controller is confident that enough of them will survive to justify future experimentation. Since Charley has not yet begun the transformation process, the controller agrees to reassign her to the Doctor’s department.
 
Sadly, C’rizz is not so fortunate, as when he tracks down L’da he finds to his horror that she has been transformed into a hybrid Kromon queen, effectively an enormous slug acting as nothing more than a breeding machine for the Kromon. L’da begs C’rizz to kill her, and the horrified C’rizz rushes back to his food cart for the gun. The Doctor arrives too late to stop C’rizz, who empties the gun into what was once his lover...
 
Part Three
 
The Doctor prevents the grief-stricken C’rizz from killing himself, but the genetics controller then arrives with Charley only to find that the new hybrid queen has been murdered. Enraged, it has the Doctor, Charley and C’rizz all arrested for the crime. After the proper forms have been filled out, the directorate prepares to hear their case, and although C’rizz tries to take full responsibility for L’da’s death, the Kromon have by now discovered that the Doctor has falsified records within their computer system, and he and Charley must answer for that crime as well.
 
The facts are clear; L’da had been transformed into a valuable queen, and her loss will mean the death of an entire generation of Kromon young unless she is replaced immediately. The genetics controller thus demands that Charley take her place. The director of space research intervenes on the Doctor’s behalf, or rather on behalf of the space research programme, claiming that the risks of allowing the Doctor to continue working for them are outweighed by the benefits should he help the Kromon to acquire the power of spaceflight. The Doctor refuses to discuss spaceflight as long as he and his friends are under threat, and the chairman thus passes sentence. C’rizz is to be strapped to a water wheel on the lower levels, so that his slow death by water torture serves as an example to his fellow slaves, discouraging further rebellion. The Doctor is to be fed elixirs which will turn him into a loyal follower of the Kromon creeds. And Charley is to be taken to the department of applied genetics and transformed into a new hybrid queen.
 
The Kromon take the Doctor back to L laboratory, where he is strapped down and forced to ingest a series of mind-altering elixirs. The Kromon scientist guides him through the strange visions and sensations that follow, as the Doctor experiences a vision of the humid Kromon homeworld as it was before the Company came prospecting for minerals and stripped the planet bare. The Kromon only survived because of their strength of will and their ability to organise, and though it took them a thousand years, they overcame the Company by adapting its policies as their own. The corporate philosophy became their creed, and when the water at last ran out on their devastated world, they travelled to Eutermes and took over, doing to the people of this zone what had been done to them.
 
Despite the risks to the Doctor’s mind, the director of space research demands that the process be accelerated. The second draught of elixir stimulates the Doctor’s memories of Mars before it became devoid of life, but the director urges him to his memories of space travel, promising him great rewards -- promotion, personal assistants, even shares in the company. The Doctor bursts out laughing at the paucity of the Kromon’s imagination; having taken over a Company capable of creating a second sun for their planet, the Kromon have let the incredible possibilities of this technology slip through their fingers while occupying themselves with the minutiae of management. Enraged, the director orders the scientist to feed the Doctor another draught of elixir.
 
Elsewhere, a sadistic Kromon soldier ties C’rizz securely to the water wheel so his suffering will demonstrate to all the futility of rebellion. The guard leaves, laughing, as C’rizz is submerged for the first time. Meanwhile, in the genetics department, Charley is forced to drink the first of the elixirs which will transform her into a hybrid Kromon queen; when she struggles, she is sedated and the elixir is drip-fed to her.


The laboratory technician feeds the Doctor the final elixir, the one which will cause the essence of the Kromon to manifest itself in his consciousness. The laboratory seems to fade away around the Doctor as he comes face-to-face with the Kromon soul, the embodiment of the species’ survival instinct. When he attempts to resist, he is submerged in a river of fire until he begs for the torture to end. The Kromon soul withdraws, satisfied that the Doctor will obey all orders without question from now on. The Doctor awakens and promises to tell the director everything he knows, starting with the construction of an interactive gyroconductorscope, and it soon becomes clear that the director is far out of his depth.
The creature wakes up and believes that he has died and has gone to the afterlife. The Doctor and Charley introduce themselves to the creature, who begs to drink water rapidly. The creature drinks too much water to a point of nearly drowning himself and Charley struggles to stop him. The creature then asks the whereabouts of “L'da” and swears that if “they” give him the “elixir”, he'll be with her. The Doctor asks about the elixir and the creature responds that it would make him a “king that cares”. The creature identifies himself as C'rizz and says that his village are now all dust and potentially L'da, who was a woman he loved deeply. He then reveals that he escaped from one of the biospheres called the Alpha Sphere and was hunted down, but was believed to be dead from the earlier shooting. The Doctor then tells C'rizz that they are here to find something that belongs to them, but C'rizz proceeds to tell them that this place is now under the tyrannical rule of the Kromon. C'rizz then vows that he will return to the Alpha Sphere to be with L'da, but the Doctor tells him that he needs to rest first.


Charley is taken for a walk around the genetics laboratory to ensure that the blood continues to circulate through her body, accelerating her metabolic changes. Disoriented and confused, she doesn’t understand at first why her legs feel so strange, until she realises that they’re becoming more like the legs of a stick insect. Soon, she won’t have legs at all... Meanwhile, C’rizz receives a visitor -- the Oroog, who is now trusted to work without supervision. The Oroog stops the wheel briefly, giving C’rizz a brief respite, and although he’s forced to start it going again when a guard happens by, he assures C’rizz that soon he will return to rescue him for good.
During sleep, C'rizz suffers a nightmare and wakes up. The Doctor and Charley ask if L'da is in danger, but C'rizz responds that she's being well cared for by the Kromon. He then tells them that the Kromon have rounded up all of C'rizz's kind and divided them into groups. He and L'da were chosen to be “elects” as potential royals. The Kromon are described to be bipedal insect-like creatures that resemble [[termite]]s, who dictate all actions against C'rizz and his people as well as constructing the biospheres. C'rizz reveals that he escaped the Alpha Sphere when they were all forced to drink an “elixir”, which will make him have the same mentality as the Kromon. C'rizz couldn't take the bitter taste of the elixir and swallowed a small portion of it. With that small portion, he saw the soul of the Kromon and what they truly were. This prompted him to escape the Alpha Sphere and was eventually shot. The Doctor notes that the Kromon have very advanced technology and asks C'rizz when the Kromon occupied his race. C'rizz answers that his father saw them when he was a child, before the river dried up. He then says that the Kromon also divided some to be researchers into something he's not sure of. Because of the Kromon's advanced technology and will to research, the Doctor wonders if the Kromon have the TARDIS, remembering that Kro'ka told them that some were interested in the TARDIS for space travel. C'rizz insists that he must return and find L'da, but the Doctor tells him not to, but promises that he'll find a way tomorrow morning. For now, they must rest. C'rizz immediately falls asleep.


The Doctor outlines his plans for a space-travel machine, but hits a snag when it becomes clear that there is no zeiton-7 ore in this Universe to provide the ship with a means of propulsion. He thus offers to model a substitute fuel using compressed hydrogen. The research director and the chief scientist don’t fully understand the mathematical and chemical formulae which the Doctor is outlining, but they have a target delivery date to meet, and thus reluctantly trust him to model the new fuel on their computers -- albeit under close supervision. The Doctor soon finishes his work, but warns the Kromon that he can’t be sure whether it will work without experimental trial. Nevertheless, the hypothetical model seems sound, and the satisfied director prepares to present the prototype “tardis” craft to the directorate.
The next morning, the three continue walking in the desert. The Doctor asks C'rizz when did the rain stop, but he answers that they haven't; it's always been raining, despite that the area's still dry. Eventually, they're caught in a dust storm and the Doctor is separated from C'rizz and Charley. Charley is nearly suffocated from the dust, but C'rizz holds on to Charley tight and suggests that the Doctor might be waiting for them. Charley then jokes that C'rizz is beginning to sound like the Doctor, to which C'rizz asks naively if that is bad. The dust settles and Charley notices that C'rizz's skin has changed colour, which is part of his biology. They then look around them, but still can't find the Doctor. They call out to him, but C'rizz sees something in the distance. It is revealed to be a hovering ship that shot him from earlier and C'rizz and Charley duck down to hide as it passes over them. As it disappears, C'rizz then sees a line under the dust and sees that it's an Oroog, a digger that lives under the sand. The line moves away and C'rizz believes that it's guiding them to something. C'rizz and Charley see that it has led them to the Doctor, who is trapped underneath several branches. C'rizz and Charley free him and thank the Oroog. Charley introduces herself and her companions to the Oroog, who reveals that it's the last of its kind and another hovercraft is approaching. The Doctor, C'rizz and Charley duck until it goes away. Suddenly, Kromon soldiers hold the them all at gunpoint, ordering them to surrender themselves and be taken to the Alpha Sphere for interrogation. They then shoot and stun the Oroog as they take the Doctor, C'rizz and Charley away.


As soon as the coast is clear, the Oroog stops the water wheel and chews through the ropes binding C’rizz to it. C’rizz, weakened by his ordeal, allows the Oroog to carry him to safety in a tunnel that the Oroog has hollowed out beneath the fungi garden. There is a guard on duty, but the Oroog lulls it into a false sense of security and then tears it apart. The Oroog apologises to C’rizz for this violence, and is disturbed when C’rizz admits that he also has recently committed acts of violence. The Oroog gets C’rizz inside the tunnel and then fills in the entrance, poking a few air holes and settling in for a nap. C’rizz rests and recovers, and by the next morning he feels strong enough to venture back out in search of the Doctor and Charley. However, Charley’s mutation has continued throughout the night. It is still incomplete, but soon the controller of genetics will be ready to present the new Kromon hybrid queen to the high directorate...
The Kromon take the four and C'rizz decides to fake his name as Z'rric to let them think that C'rizz is “dead”. The Doctor sees that because of the advanced technology the Kromon have, it may be that they know the secret to time travel from the TARDIS. C'rizz ponders what time travel is, as the Kromon patrol ship carrying him, the Doctor and Charley to the Alpha Sphere.


The Doctor’s space machine is ready to be presented to the directorate. The director of space research takes most of the credit for developing the Doctor’s raw ideas, and the Doctor sidles quietly away so as not to intrude on his supervisor’s moment of glory -- or so he claims. But when the director activates the space machine, believing that it will instantaneously transport a ball of fungus across the room, the machine instead explodes.
=== Part 2 ===
The ship lands to the Alpha Shere and the prisoners are asked to stand aside while the Oroog is ordered to be caged and forced to work with other diggers. One of the Kromon asks where the Doctor is from. He casually answers “Gallifrey”, but that is not a coherent answer and the Kromon asks if he is from a neighbouring zone. The Doctor answers that he is and he was allowed here. The Kromon then asks if the Doctor informed Immigration that he has certain skills that are useful to them, to which the Doctor answers that the Immigration services is a bit eccentric.  The Kromon then decides that he can assign the Doctor to labouring duties before asking what he can do. The Doctor hesitates and answers that he has a tenant for space flight. The Kromon answers that space flight requires a long period of research to reach that possibility, so he orders the Doctor to be taken to the research facility. As for Charley, the Kromon ask questions and the Doctor answers that she's far older than she looks. The Kromon then see that Charley is at a “breeding age” and orders her to be taken to the reproductive reserve. They then ask C'rizz, who only assume he's a native, why he's covered in filth. C'rizz answers that the gunship didn't have a washing facility. The Kromon then ask C'rizz's abilities, which are farming and cattle. C'rizz gives his name as Z'ricc, taking Charley's advice. C'rizz is ordered to be taken to the central gardening labour force. Charley tries to object to her position, but it's declined. The Doctor insists that he needs her as an assistant, but is still denied.


Part Four
The three prisoners are being guided and C'rizz explains that where he last saw L'da was in the central transport system. The Doctor asks about the lab they are being taken to and C'rizz says that it's where they will be forced to drink the elixir which will make them think like the Kromon. The Doctor then notices that there are water fountains everywhere because the Kromon, being insect-like creatures, need water to survive.


The Doctor flees in the confusion, and literally runs into C’rizz who has disguised himself as a food service worker. Together, they return to the breeding chamber where C’rizz killed L’da, but it remains empty; Charley obviously isn’t ready to take up her duties as a hybrid queen yet. The Doctor stops the sickened C’rizz from destroying the breeding machinery, and after hiding from a guard patrol with guns set to kill, they set off in search of the genetics research chambers. Unfortunately, the chambers are now heavily guarded, and the Doctor and C’rizz have no choice but to retreat to Level 2, shelter with the Oroog and try to come up with an alternative plan.
In the lab, the Kromon explain the process of the elixir that they are about to take. C'rizz volunteers to be first to spare the Doctor and Charley. C'rizz is laid on a slab and the Kromon pour the liquid down C'rizz's throat. C'rizz's body can't take the liquid and starts to gag. Taking the opportunity, Charley lunges and makes a run for it along with the Doctor. The Kromon open fire, but they escape. Back at the lab, the Kromon see that C'rizz volunteered himself to create a diversion, allowing the Doctor and Charley to escape. Angered, one of the Kromon orders C'rizz to be taken to the fertilisation facility where he will be disposed of 


The enraged Kromon chairman, injured by the explosion in the space research department, sentences the Doctor to death in absentia and reassigns the research director to grade-D clerical duties. The experiment in the genetics chambers is proceeding much more satisfactorily, however, as the Kromon elixirs overcome Charley’s weak attempts to hold onto her humanity. She is soon able to keep down the nutrient drink supplied by the genetics controller, and the scientists thus give her the final elixir, putting her in touch with the essence of the Kromon spirit. Unlike the Doctor, she is unable to resist and is genuinely converted. No longer Charley, she takes the regal name Charlotte, fitting for a Kromon queen, while the scientists prepare to bring the previous queen’s eggs to her to see whether she can support their life force.
In a room, the Doctor is searching for a way out while Charley is keeping an eye out.  Someone is coming, but the Doctor decides to take a chance. The Doctor then discovers an exit, but whoever's coming is near. The Doctor and Charley hide and witness C'rizz being taken somewhere.


The Doctor, C’rizz and the Oroog find a temporary respite in the Oroog’s makeshift underground cavern, but Charley remains in danger, and C’rizz believes that she will have to be put out of her misery, as was L’da. The Oroog explains that the Kromon have diverted all water to their domes, which is why the planet has dried up outside; however, they constantly need more water to survive, and the Oroog and his people have been forced to dig deep in search of it. Sickened by the elixir the Kromon had used on him, the Oroog dug deep beneath the surface of the world -- so deep that he dug into the realm of the Salanders, creatures which live in the fiery heart of the world and give comfort and guidance to Oroog who have lost their way. The Salanders guided him to natural roots and minerals that cleared the confusion from his mind, after which he returned to rescue C’rizz.
C'rizz is being led to the fertilisation facility where he will be cremated alive. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Charley sneak into another room and see several fungi, so they are in a processing plant, which means this is the fertilisation facility. From a distance, Charley sees C'rizz, who is about to be executed. The Doctor then thinks of an idea to use the fungi as a catapult to hurl mud at the Kromon, distracting them long enough to rescue C'rizz. Charley lands a successful hit at one of the Kromon and they open fire in retaliation and chase after them. As the Kromon leave C'rizz, the Doctor and Charley emerge and free him. One of the Kromon guards return to where they are, but Charley manages to knock it out cold and grabs its weapon. The three then decide to look around the facility and come across the lab manager's room. They then notice that their names are on the computer monitor and the Doctor decides to hack in to their system and put false information in their data records that he, C'rizz and Charley have been given the elixir and are obeying Kromon commands. The Doctor then uses the computer to find L'da's location and they learn that she's been taken to level 5 of the Alpha Sphere. They also learn that L'da is part of an experiment to transform her into a hybrid capable of breeding by consuming a specialised elixir. As of now, they are on level 1 and must go up four.


The Doctor realises that if the Oroog can collect enough of these roots and minerals, he can free the rest of his clan, and they can shut down the domes’ water supply, distracting the Kromon long enough for the Doctor and C’rizz to try rescuing Charley. If her transformation has progressed too far, however, they run the risk that she is now dependent upon the water supplies, and that cutting them off may kill her. Nevertheless, the Oroog sets off on his mission while the Doctor and C’rizz settle in for the difficult part -- waiting. C’rizz can’t stop thinking about L’da’s death, and the Doctor can’t stop worrying about the Kromon; if they acquire spaceflight, their wide array of elixirs could make them a threat to any planet within their reach. Eventually, he and C’rizz decide that they’ve waited long enough, and as they set off for the upper levels, they see the water fountains begin to run dry; presumably the Oroog has succeeded.
As they make their way up the levels, the three notice boxes being carried by freight and decide to climb on one and see where it'll take them. It takes them into a tunnel, but Charley spots the Kromon at the end of the tunnel. Charley arms her laser gun, but the Doctor tells her that there are too many of them so they'll try to use their wits to escape. Charley, the Doctor and C'rizz introduce themselves and lie that they got lost in their jobs. The Kromon check their records and they tell C'rizz that he is now at the correct place while the Doctor and Charley are to be at their work places.


In the genetics laboratory, Charley concentrates upon L’da’s eggs as they hatch into larvae. The fact that they are a previous queen’s eggs gives her some difficulty, but Charley finds that she can sense the larvae’s confusion, and gives them the direction they seek. The genetics controller watches in delight as the larvae form into lines and begin carrying food to their new queen. The experiment is a success, and once the controller has reported to the directorate, Charley will be installed in the breeding chambers. However, the controller’s report to the board is interrupted by the arrival of the panic-stricken guard commander, who reports that the flow of water through the biosphere has stopped.
The Doctor is interviewed in the research facility and a Kromon tells him that interstellar travel is something that would benefit the Kromon such as visiting luscious planets and enslaving them. The Doctor then describes the appearance of the TARDIS, but the Kromon doesn't know what he's talking about. The Doctor then mentions time travel, but the Kromon doesn't know what time travel is. Nevertheless, Kromon is impressed with the Doctor's knowledge and decides to make him a speculative consultant for the Kromon space program.


The Doctor and C’rizz run into a patrol of Kromon repairing the emergency water system controls, but their Oroog friend arrives and tears the patrol apart, once again apologising to C’rizz for the violence. He accompanies the Doctor and C’rizz to the upper levels, where they see that the royal Kromon are dying off, deprived of the constant water supply they need to survive. Together, they proceed to the breeding chambers, where the attempt to install Charley in the breeding pool has hit a snag due to the lack of water pressure in the fertilisation jets. C’rizz guns down the Kromon scientists, including the genetics controller, but the Doctor stops him from doing the same to Charley. There’s still a chance to save her, if they can get her to a pool of water and supply her with the drugs provided by the Salanders. The directorate guard bursts in to stop them, but stutter to a halt and collapse before they can open fire. The entire Kromon hive is linked to the minds of the royals, and now that they’re dead, the others have no direction and cannot even move.
Meanwhile, C'rizz tries to adjust to the odour of labouring, but the Kromon sees that his stomach can't adjust to the smell. They suggest that he should try another position. The Kromon are then on lunch break and C'rizz and the Doctor are assigned to serve them food. As the Kromon are busy eating on maggots, the Doctor whispers to C'rizz that Charley's been taken to genetic research, which is where L'da was taken as well. C'rizz then reveals that he smuggled a laser gun under a food trey. The Doctor then makes up a lie that he is part of an organisation that deals with space travel and reiterates that he cannot do this without his assistant, Charley. The Kromon insists that she is part of genetic research now, but the Doctor holds his ground and says that it may be possible for future space colonies. They then hear a scream and the Kromon explains that someone is being experimented on. One of the Kromon orders the Doctor to follow him to the genetics division and hope that Charley hasn't already been experimented on.


The Oroog helps the Doctor and C’rizz carry Charley to the reservoir, and gives her the roots and minerals which helped clear his mind of the Kromon influence. C’rizz opens the doors of the dome and releases his fellow Eutermersans from slavery while the Doctor watches over Charley; her body is returning to its human form, but what will happen to her mind? They may not have time to wait for her to recover, as the Doctor fears that the other biospheres will send forces to retake Alpha Sphere -- but fortunately, Charley does wake, with little memory of her traumatic transformation. As the Doctor and his friends leave Alpha Sphere, the Oroog lays the Doctor’s fears to rest; once it was clear that Alpha Sphere had fallen, the Oroog’s people cut the water supply to the other spheres as well. Now, water is returning to the surface of the planet, and the Oroog, bidding a fond farewell to his new friends -- and particularly C’rizz -- sets off to help the Eutermersans reclaim their world.
As the Doctor and a Kromon head to the genetics lab, the Doctor spots several eggs which are the result of experimentation. The Kromon escorting the Doctor is informed that Charley is now being examined if her biological function is compatible for the elixir but Charley is then ordered to be turned over to the Doctor. Meanwhile, C'rizz sneaks into the genetics facility and comes across L'da, who has been transformed into a hybrid Kromon queen. L'da sees C'rizz and is horrified at what she has become and begs him to kill her and end her misery. C'rizz obliges in distress and aims his laser gun at her. The Doctor tries to stop C'rizz, but it's too late. C'rizz shoots and kills his once beloved.


The Doctor and Charley now have more mysteries to solve. What is the nature of the company that devastated the Kromon homeworld? Are they the ones who created these mysterious interconnected zones? And what has happened to the TARDIS? They will have help on their quest; with L’da dead, there is nothing to keep C’rizz here any longer, and he’s come to realise that there is more to life than he had previously imagined. He thus asks if he can accompany the Doctor and Charley on their travels, and they accept the offer of his company. The interzone barrier then opens up for them, and the Doctor, Charley, and C’rizz step through.
=== Part 3 ===
''to be added''


In the interzone, however, the Doctor is temporarily separated from his companions once more by the Kro’ka, which seems to know far more than it’s saying. It does, however, advise the Doctor to be wary of C’rizz, who was a man of peace in his previous life, the Eutermersan equivalent of a monk or priest; this is why the Oroog was so reverent towards him. However, the horrors he’s seen since he met the Doctor have undoubtedly damaged his soul; who knows which way he will turn in the future? Amused by the Doctor’s steadfast loyalty to his new friend, the Kro’ka allows the Doctor to proceed to the next zone -- but again, the Doctor’s behaviour is being closely monitored. Experiment 2.70 is over; experiment 3.56 is about to begin...
=== Part 4 ===
''to be added''


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
Line 112: Line 80:
* [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley Pollard]] - [[India Fisher]]
* [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley Pollard]] - [[India Fisher]]
* [[C'rizz]] - [[Conrad Westmaas]]
* [[C'rizz]] - [[Conrad Westmaas]]
* The [[Kro'ka]] / The [[Kromon]] - [[Stephen Perring]]
* The [[Kro'ka]] / The [[Kromon (species)|Kromon]] - [[Stephen Perring]]
* The [[Oroog]] - [[Brian Cobby]]
* The [[Oroog (The Creed of the Kromon)|Oroog]] - [[Brian Cobby]]
* [[L'da]] - [[Jane Hills]]
* [[L'da]] - [[Jane Hills]]
* The [[Kromon]] - [[Daniel Hogarth]]
* The [[Kromon (species)|Kromon]] - [[Daniel Hogarth]]


== References ==
== Crew ==
* Neither the [[Eutermesan]]s nor the [[Kromon]] are aware of the existence of [[time travel]], given that the [[Divergent Universe]] has no concept of time.
* Cover Art - [[Steve Johnson]]
* The Kromon resemble giant termites and are native to the Alpha Zone, a biosphere which resembles an anthill.
* Director - [[Gary Russell]]
* On Charley's advise, C'rizz uses the pseudonym "Z'ricc."
* Executive Producer - [[Jacqueline Rayner]]
* Music & Sound Design - [[David Darlington]]
* Producers - [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]
* Writer - [[Philip Martin]]
 
== Worldbuilding ==
* Neither the [[Eutermesan]]s nor the [[Kromon (species)|Kromon]] are aware of the existence of [[time travel]], given that the [[Divergent Universe]] has no concept of time.
* On Charley's advice, C'rizz uses the pseudonym "Z'ricc".
* The Kromon do not have the technology to leave their world.
* The Kromon do not have the technology to leave their world.
* The Doctor tells the Kromon that an [[interactive gyro conductor scope]] is fundamental to constructing a TARDIS.
* The Doctor tells the Kromon that an [[interactive gyro conductor scope]] is fundamental to constructing a TARDIS.
[[File:Dwe_339_creed.jpg|thumb|Illustration preview by Martin Geraghty in DWM 339]]
 
== Gallery ==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="250">
The Creed of the Kromon cover.jpg|Original CD cover
Dwm 339 creed.jpg|Illustration preview by Martin Geraghty in [[DWM 339]]
</gallery>


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
* ''The Creed of the Kromon'' was written by [[Philip Martin]], who wrote [[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]''. The two stories share many themes.
* ''The Creed of the Kromon'' was written by [[Philip Martin]], who wrote [[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]''. The two stories share many themes.
* This story is unusual in that it does not feature the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]].
* This story is unusual in that it does not feature [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]].
* C'rizz's status as the Eighth Doctor's latest companion was foreshadowed in [[NOTDWU]]: ''[[He Jests at Scars... (audio story)|He Jest at Scars...]]'', which was released in [[September]] [[2003]]. In the non-canonical story, the [[The Valeyard|Valeyard]] tells [[Melanie Bush]] the names of various companions with whom the Doctor might have travelled. Aside from Charley and C'rizz, they included [[Peri Brown]], [[Evelyn Smythe]], [[Ace]] and [[Hex]].  
* C'rizz's status as the Eighth Doctor's latest companion was foreshadowed in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[He Jests at Scars... (audio story)|He Jest at Scars...]]'', which was released in [[September]] [[2003]]. In this story, [[the Valeyard]] tells [[Melanie Bush]] the names of various companions with whom the Doctor might have travelled. Aside from Charley and C'rizz, they included [[Peri Brown]], [[Evelyn Smythe]], [[Ace]] and [[Hex]].
* This audio drama was recorded on [[13 May (production)|13]] and [[14 May (production)|14 May]] [[2003]] at [[The Moat Studios]].
* This audio drama was recorded on [[13 May (production)|13]] and [[14 May (production)|14 May]] [[2003 (production)|2003]] at [[the Moat Studios]].


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor previously referred to the Kromon shortly after he and Charley entered the [[Divergent Universe]], though paradoxically he did not know who they were at the time. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Scherzo (audio story)|Scherzo]]'')
* The Doctor previously referred to the Kromon shortly after he and Charley entered the [[Divergent Universe]], though paradoxically he did not know who they were at the time. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Scherzo (audio story)|Scherzo]]'')
* The Doctor and Charley have lost the TARDIS in what appeared to be a deliberately engineered environment. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Scherzo (audio story)|Scherzo]]'')
* The Doctor and Charley have lost the TARDIS in what appeared to be a deliberately engineered environment. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Scherzo (audio story)|Scherzo]]'')
* The Kro'ka makes Charley relive her death aboard the British [[airship]] [[R101]] in [[France]] on [[5 October]] [[1930]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]'')
* The Kro'ka makes Charley relive her death aboard the British [[airship]] ''[[R101]]'' in [[France]] on [[5 October]] [[1930]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]'')
* The Doctor tells Charley that he once met [[Charles Darwin]] and the experience "put him off [[Silurian|reptiles]] for life. Well, almost." ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Bloodtide (audio story)|Bloodtide]]'')
* The Doctor tells Charley that he once met [[Charles Darwin]] and the experience "put him off [[Silurian|reptiles]] for life. Well, almost." ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Bloodtide (audio story)|Bloodtide]]'')
* The Doctor recalls visiting [[Mars]] before the destruction of its atmosphere millions of years earlier. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Judgement of Isskar (audio story)|The Judgement of Isskar]]'')
* The Doctor recalls visiting [[Mars]] before the destruction of its atmosphere millions of years earlier. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Judgement of Isskar (audio story)|The Judgement of Isskar]]'')
Line 140: Line 120:
* Charley undergoes a transformation similar to that experienced by the [[Sixth Doctor]]'s companion [[Peri Brown]] on Varos in the late [[23rd century]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'')
* Charley undergoes a transformation similar to that experienced by the [[Sixth Doctor]]'s companion [[Peri Brown]] on Varos in the late [[23rd century]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'')
* During their visit to [[Light City]] in the [[Divergent Universe]], the Doctor and Charley's memories were contributed to the pool of information used to programme the Proles. An edited version of their first meeting with C'rizz in Zone Eutermes was included in an infotainment broadcast which the Proles were obligated to watch. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Natural History of Fear (audio story)|The Natural History of Fear]]'')
* During their visit to [[Light City]] in the [[Divergent Universe]], the Doctor and Charley's memories were contributed to the pool of information used to programme the Proles. An edited version of their first meeting with C'rizz in Zone Eutermes was included in an infotainment broadcast which the Proles were obligated to watch. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Natural History of Fear (audio story)|The Natural History of Fear]]'')
* The Kro'ka tells the Doctor that C'rizz is a monk. He is a member of the [[Church of the Foundation]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Faith Stealer (audio story)|Faith Stealer]]'', ''[[Absolution (BFA audio story)|Absolution]]'')
* The Kro'ka tells the Doctor that C'rizz is a monk. He is a member of the [[Church of the Foundation]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Faith Stealer (audio story)|Faith Stealer]]'', ''[[Absolution (BFM audio story)|Absolution]]'')
* The Doctor would later come to believe that C'rizz did the right thing in killing L'da. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Faith Stealer (audio story)|Faith Stealer]]'')
* The Doctor would later come to believe that C'rizz did the right thing in killing L'da. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Faith Stealer (audio story)|Faith Stealer]]'')
* Charley refers to clockwork soldiers. The [[Second Doctor]] encountered [[Clockwork soldier|versions of them]] in the [[Land of Fiction]] in [[TV]]: ''[[The Mind Robber (TV story)|The Mind Robber]]''.


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{bigfinish|releases/v/the-creed-of-the-kromon-219|The Creed of the Kromon}}
{{bigfinish|releases/v/the-creed-of-the-kromon-219|The Creed of the Kromon}}
* {{dwrefguide|who_bf53.htm|The Creed of the Kromon}}
 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151208095450/http://www.chakoteya.net/8Doctor/main53.html The Creed of the Kromon Transcript]
{{dwrefguide|who_bf53.htm|The Creed of the Kromon}}
* {{tetrap|8/creed.html|The Creed of the Kromon}}
* {{tetrap|8/creed.html|The Creed of the Kromon}}
{{BFA monthly}}
{{BFA monthly}}


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Latest revision as of 20:15, 17 January 2024

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audio stub

The Creed of the Kromon was the fifty-third story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Philip Martin and featured Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and India Fisher as Charlotte Pollard and introduced Conrad Westmaas as the new companion C'rizz and Stephen Perring as The Kro'ka.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Interzone is a fearsome nether-world protecting a zone ruled by the Kromon. Theirs is an arid land of dust and dying trees. Across the landscape are spheres that look like giant anthills. The Doctor believes that within one of these structures lie the clues that will lead him to his lost TARDIS.

The spheres are ruled by the insect-like Kromon who covet the TARDIS. When Charley is captured she is forced to metamorphose into a hybrid-insect Queen, and so to save her, the Doctor must barter his knowledge of space-travel technology, all the while knowing that he risks opening up all the realms of space to a rapacious race whose creed is not to create, only to plunder.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part 1[[edit] | [edit source]]

Walking out of the glass tube, the Doctor and Charley are fighting against a force that opposes them from proceeding. Charley then hears insects approaching, but the Doctor tells her that it's in her imagination. He embraces her and yells out an Okiya Warrior cry to drive away the hallucination, but it can only be used once. As the Doctor and Charley regain their composure, the atmosphere feels different and find themselves in the middle of a desert. They spot two red hot suns and Charley shields her eyes and she hears a voice that identifies itself as Kro'ka. Kro'ka tells Charley that she can't travel anywhere until she's nice to him. Kro'ka invades her mind and forces her to relive her death onboard the burning R101, much to her disturbance. Charley panics and wakes up from her state to find herself and the Doctor pinned to the ground by psychic coils. Soon enough, Kro'ka speaks to the Doctor and Charley and asks if they want to enter the zone of Eutermes. The Doctor obliges if Kro'ka is kind enough, but there must be a price in order to contribute to the Eutremes society. The Doctor is sure that Charley will be an asset to society and Kro'ka decides to look into her mind. The Doctor then tells Charley to think of one object and one object only to offer to Kro'ka. Charley is confused by the Doctor's advice and Kro'ka moves on to the next question in defeat. Kro'ka then asks the purpose of the Doctor and Charley's coming here, to which the Doctor answers “pleasure”, but Kro'ka sees through the Doctor's words and knows that he really wants to find the TARDIS. Kro'ka begins to dismiss the Doctor and Charley, but Charley objects that the TARDIS will be every contributing factor to the Eutermes. Interested, Kro'ka asks if the TARDIS is capable of space exploration, to which the Doctor responds yes if they can find it first. Agreeing to let them find the TARDIS, Kro'ka releases the Doctor and Charley off from the ground. He then informs the two that there are other people on the other side of the barrier of the Eutermes Zone who are also interested in the TARDIS and requests that the Doctor and Charley help them. The Doctor and Charley are released from the invisible coils and Charley asks if they can really go. Kro'ka kindly responds that they can and she and the Doctor are allowed to enter the Eutermes Zone. As the two wonder away, Kro'ka talks to someone and says that “experiment 2.70 has begun”.

Exploring the dryness of the Eutermes Zone, the Doctor notices evidence of water courses that were once there, suggesting a drought hence why the nearby trees are drying out. Charley wonders why Kro'ka is so interested in the TARDIS, but the Doctor is distracted by how desperately he wants his “old girl” back. Charley then notices giant lumps in the distance and the Doctor sees that the Eutermians live in biospheres. Suddenly, lasers are fired and the Doctor grabs Charley both duck and cover. They both spot a humanoid creature running away and the lasers hit and kill him. The Doctor sees that a ship is hovering over them, but are not firing at them, leading the Doctor to believe that they are observing them on the behalf of Kro'ka. The ship leaves and Charley notices that the creature that was shot starts moving, revealing that it's still alive and they go investigate. Taking advantage of this, the Doctor wants to introduce themselves to the first alien species they have encountered. Its features are bizarre as it is human shaped, but has different coloured skin and has an exoskeleton. The creature trembles again, startling Charley. Deciding that it needs water to live, the Doctor and Charley lift the creature up and carry him to a pool of water.

The creature wakes up and believes that he has died and has gone to the afterlife. The Doctor and Charley introduce themselves to the creature, who begs to drink water rapidly. The creature drinks too much water to a point of nearly drowning himself and Charley struggles to stop him. The creature then asks the whereabouts of “L'da” and swears that if “they” give him the “elixir”, he'll be with her. The Doctor asks about the elixir and the creature responds that it would make him a “king that cares”. The creature identifies himself as C'rizz and says that his village are now all dust and potentially L'da, who was a woman he loved deeply. He then reveals that he escaped from one of the biospheres called the Alpha Sphere and was hunted down, but was believed to be dead from the earlier shooting. The Doctor then tells C'rizz that they are here to find something that belongs to them, but C'rizz proceeds to tell them that this place is now under the tyrannical rule of the Kromon. C'rizz then vows that he will return to the Alpha Sphere to be with L'da, but the Doctor tells him that he needs to rest first.

During sleep, C'rizz suffers a nightmare and wakes up. The Doctor and Charley ask if L'da is in danger, but C'rizz responds that she's being well cared for by the Kromon. He then tells them that the Kromon have rounded up all of C'rizz's kind and divided them into groups. He and L'da were chosen to be “elects” as potential royals. The Kromon are described to be bipedal insect-like creatures that resemble termites, who dictate all actions against C'rizz and his people as well as constructing the biospheres. C'rizz reveals that he escaped the Alpha Sphere when they were all forced to drink an “elixir”, which will make him have the same mentality as the Kromon. C'rizz couldn't take the bitter taste of the elixir and swallowed a small portion of it. With that small portion, he saw the soul of the Kromon and what they truly were. This prompted him to escape the Alpha Sphere and was eventually shot. The Doctor notes that the Kromon have very advanced technology and asks C'rizz when the Kromon occupied his race. C'rizz answers that his father saw them when he was a child, before the river dried up. He then says that the Kromon also divided some to be researchers into something he's not sure of. Because of the Kromon's advanced technology and will to research, the Doctor wonders if the Kromon have the TARDIS, remembering that Kro'ka told them that some were interested in the TARDIS for space travel. C'rizz insists that he must return and find L'da, but the Doctor tells him not to, but promises that he'll find a way tomorrow morning. For now, they must rest. C'rizz immediately falls asleep.

The next morning, the three continue walking in the desert. The Doctor asks C'rizz when did the rain stop, but he answers that they haven't; it's always been raining, despite that the area's still dry. Eventually, they're caught in a dust storm and the Doctor is separated from C'rizz and Charley. Charley is nearly suffocated from the dust, but C'rizz holds on to Charley tight and suggests that the Doctor might be waiting for them. Charley then jokes that C'rizz is beginning to sound like the Doctor, to which C'rizz asks naively if that is bad. The dust settles and Charley notices that C'rizz's skin has changed colour, which is part of his biology. They then look around them, but still can't find the Doctor. They call out to him, but C'rizz sees something in the distance. It is revealed to be a hovering ship that shot him from earlier and C'rizz and Charley duck down to hide as it passes over them. As it disappears, C'rizz then sees a line under the dust and sees that it's an Oroog, a digger that lives under the sand. The line moves away and C'rizz believes that it's guiding them to something. C'rizz and Charley see that it has led them to the Doctor, who is trapped underneath several branches. C'rizz and Charley free him and thank the Oroog. Charley introduces herself and her companions to the Oroog, who reveals that it's the last of its kind and another hovercraft is approaching. The Doctor, C'rizz and Charley duck until it goes away. Suddenly, Kromon soldiers hold the them all at gunpoint, ordering them to surrender themselves and be taken to the Alpha Sphere for interrogation. They then shoot and stun the Oroog as they take the Doctor, C'rizz and Charley away.

The Kromon take the four and C'rizz decides to fake his name as Z'rric to let them think that C'rizz is “dead”. The Doctor sees that because of the advanced technology the Kromon have, it may be that they know the secret to time travel from the TARDIS. C'rizz ponders what time travel is, as the Kromon patrol ship carrying him, the Doctor and Charley to the Alpha Sphere.

Part 2[[edit] | [edit source]]

The ship lands to the Alpha Shere and the prisoners are asked to stand aside while the Oroog is ordered to be caged and forced to work with other diggers. One of the Kromon asks where the Doctor is from. He casually answers “Gallifrey”, but that is not a coherent answer and the Kromon asks if he is from a neighbouring zone. The Doctor answers that he is and he was allowed here. The Kromon then asks if the Doctor informed Immigration that he has certain skills that are useful to them, to which the Doctor answers that the Immigration services is a bit eccentric.  The Kromon then decides that he can assign the Doctor to labouring duties before asking what he can do. The Doctor hesitates and answers that he has a tenant for space flight. The Kromon answers that space flight requires a long period of research to reach that possibility, so he orders the Doctor to be taken to the research facility. As for Charley, the Kromon ask questions and the Doctor answers that she's far older than she looks. The Kromon then see that Charley is at a “breeding age” and orders her to be taken to the reproductive reserve. They then ask C'rizz, who only assume he's a native, why he's covered in filth. C'rizz answers that the gunship didn't have a washing facility. The Kromon then ask C'rizz's abilities, which are farming and cattle. C'rizz gives his name as Z'ricc, taking Charley's advice. C'rizz is ordered to be taken to the central gardening labour force. Charley tries to object to her position, but it's declined. The Doctor insists that he needs her as an assistant, but is still denied.

The three prisoners are being guided and C'rizz explains that where he last saw L'da was in the central transport system. The Doctor asks about the lab they are being taken to and C'rizz says that it's where they will be forced to drink the elixir which will make them think like the Kromon. The Doctor then notices that there are water fountains everywhere because the Kromon, being insect-like creatures, need water to survive.

In the lab, the Kromon explain the process of the elixir that they are about to take. C'rizz volunteers to be first to spare the Doctor and Charley. C'rizz is laid on a slab and the Kromon pour the liquid down C'rizz's throat. C'rizz's body can't take the liquid and starts to gag. Taking the opportunity, Charley lunges and makes a run for it along with the Doctor. The Kromon open fire, but they escape. Back at the lab, the Kromon see that C'rizz volunteered himself to create a diversion, allowing the Doctor and Charley to escape. Angered, one of the Kromon orders C'rizz to be taken to the fertilisation facility where he will be disposed of 

In a room, the Doctor is searching for a way out while Charley is keeping an eye out.  Someone is coming, but the Doctor decides to take a chance. The Doctor then discovers an exit, but whoever's coming is near. The Doctor and Charley hide and witness C'rizz being taken somewhere.

C'rizz is being led to the fertilisation facility where he will be cremated alive. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Charley sneak into another room and see several fungi, so they are in a processing plant, which means this is the fertilisation facility. From a distance, Charley sees C'rizz, who is about to be executed. The Doctor then thinks of an idea to use the fungi as a catapult to hurl mud at the Kromon, distracting them long enough to rescue C'rizz. Charley lands a successful hit at one of the Kromon and they open fire in retaliation and chase after them. As the Kromon leave C'rizz, the Doctor and Charley emerge and free him. One of the Kromon guards return to where they are, but Charley manages to knock it out cold and grabs its weapon. The three then decide to look around the facility and come across the lab manager's room. They then notice that their names are on the computer monitor and the Doctor decides to hack in to their system and put false information in their data records that he, C'rizz and Charley have been given the elixir and are obeying Kromon commands. The Doctor then uses the computer to find L'da's location and they learn that she's been taken to level 5 of the Alpha Sphere. They also learn that L'da is part of an experiment to transform her into a hybrid capable of breeding by consuming a specialised elixir. As of now, they are on level 1 and must go up four.

As they make their way up the levels, the three notice boxes being carried by freight and decide to climb on one and see where it'll take them. It takes them into a tunnel, but Charley spots the Kromon at the end of the tunnel. Charley arms her laser gun, but the Doctor tells her that there are too many of them so they'll try to use their wits to escape. Charley, the Doctor and C'rizz introduce themselves and lie that they got lost in their jobs. The Kromon check their records and they tell C'rizz that he is now at the correct place while the Doctor and Charley are to be at their work places.

The Doctor is interviewed in the research facility and a Kromon tells him that interstellar travel is something that would benefit the Kromon such as visiting luscious planets and enslaving them. The Doctor then describes the appearance of the TARDIS, but the Kromon doesn't know what he's talking about. The Doctor then mentions time travel, but the Kromon doesn't know what time travel is. Nevertheless, Kromon is impressed with the Doctor's knowledge and decides to make him a speculative consultant for the Kromon space program.

Meanwhile, C'rizz tries to adjust to the odour of labouring, but the Kromon sees that his stomach can't adjust to the smell. They suggest that he should try another position. The Kromon are then on lunch break and C'rizz and the Doctor are assigned to serve them food. As the Kromon are busy eating on maggots, the Doctor whispers to C'rizz that Charley's been taken to genetic research, which is where L'da was taken as well. C'rizz then reveals that he smuggled a laser gun under a food trey. The Doctor then makes up a lie that he is part of an organisation that deals with space travel and reiterates that he cannot do this without his assistant, Charley. The Kromon insists that she is part of genetic research now, but the Doctor holds his ground and says that it may be possible for future space colonies. They then hear a scream and the Kromon explains that someone is being experimented on. One of the Kromon orders the Doctor to follow him to the genetics division and hope that Charley hasn't already been experimented on.

As the Doctor and a Kromon head to the genetics lab, the Doctor spots several eggs which are the result of experimentation. The Kromon escorting the Doctor is informed that Charley is now being examined if her biological function is compatible for the elixir but Charley is then ordered to be turned over to the Doctor. Meanwhile, C'rizz sneaks into the genetics facility and comes across L'da, who has been transformed into a hybrid Kromon queen. L'da sees C'rizz and is horrified at what she has become and begs him to kill her and end her misery. C'rizz obliges in distress and aims his laser gun at her. The Doctor tries to stop C'rizz, but it's too late. C'rizz shoots and kills his once beloved.

Part 3[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Part 4[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gallery[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Original CD cover

    Original CD cover

  • Illustration preview by Martin Geraghty in DWM 339

    Illustration preview by Martin Geraghty in DWM 339

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

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