Hexagora (audio story)

Hexagora
Adapted from:	Hex
Doctor:	Fifth Doctor
Companion(s):	Tegan, Nyssa
Main enemy:	Lord Zellenger, Lord Jezzavar
Main setting:	Brisbane, 1983; Lupara, 1983; London, 1977
Key crew
Publisher:	Big Finish Productions
Writers:	Paul Finch, from a story by Peter Ling and Hazel Adair
Director:	Ken Bentley
Producer:	David Richardson
Music:	Simon Robinson
Sound:	Simon Robinson
Cover by:	Alex Mallinson
Release details
Release number:	3.02
Release date:	November 2011
Format:	4 Episodes on 2 CDs
ISBN:	ISBN 978-1-84435-574-7
Official trailer
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Hexagora was a Big Finish Doctor Who audio story released in 2011. It featured the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan Jovanka.

Publisher's summary

When a newspaper reporter goes missing, the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa uncover a case of alien abduction. The trail leads them to the planet Luparis, and a city that appears to be a replica of Tudor era London.

What are the monsters that lurk in the shadows? And what is the terrible secret at the heart of Luparis? To save a world, the Doctor must try and defeat the evil plans of Queen Zafira.

And one of her plans is to marry him...

Plot

Part one

An Australian reporter speaks on the phone with someone in his apartment. Suddenly he hears a strange noise and the power goes off in his apartment. He goes to investigate and ends up being attacked by a strange creature.

Nyssa interrupts the Doctor watching cricket. They are staying in a hot villa just a bit of a ways from Brisbane. They agree that it is nice to finally be someplace where they can have a relaxing vacation, only to be interrupted by Tegan. She runs into the room exclaiming that her friend from high school, Mike Bretherton, has gone missing. He is a reporter who was always investigating top stories, according to Tegan, trying to expose corrupt officials and law-breaking denizens. The Doctor wants to just relax and take a holiday, but Nyssa insists that they help Tegan investigate his disappearance.

They take the TARDIS to Mike’s apartment which they find is extremely messy. They find articles that Mike has gathered surrounding strange disappearances. Tegan reads from the news article about Mike’s disappearance that his last known contact had mentioned him explaining that he saw a meteor above his apartment before he disappeared.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor retrieves an ionograph that he says can help them. They use it to find the diminishing ion trail of a space pod, which the Doctor dubs "a space eddy" that most likely abducted Mike.

They find that the "space eddy" as the Doctor refers to the space pod as has returned to its place of origin, Luparis. The Doctor is puzzled about this. This is because Luparis, the Doctor explains to a confused Tegan, is an uninhabited planet with a climate similar to a tropical paradise. They decide to go and investigate.

Meanwhile on the planet Luparis, a man named Lord Jezzavar makes his way through the streets on horseback as people yell insults at him. He arrives at a palace where he is greeted by Lord Zellenger. They argue about the unrest going on in the city as Zellenger inquires as to why Jezzavar has twelve guards armed with rapiers following him wherever he goes, even if it's just to see their wife, the Queen Zafira. They continue on with their business.

The TARDIS crew arrive on Luparis and find it is not at all what they expected, as it is colder and resembles Tudor earth. Tegan even notes the uncanny resemblance of the London bridge, visible from their landing spot. Tegan runs off and the Doctor and Nyssa are forced to follow.

Queen Zafira is teaching a dance lesson to her handmaids when Zellenger arrives. He argues with her about the alarming amount of guards Lord Jezzavar is hiring to be in his presence. Zafira accuses him of being jealous of Jezzavar. She explains to him that his duty is to her, and that if she has grown tired of him then he must accept that and move on. The two argue about the public unrest, with Zafira suggesting that they publicly hang the drunkards and vagabonds. Zellenger disagrees and argues with her but she dismisses him. He chides her, explaining that while she has been a strong leader in the past, she is being faced with a challenge never before seen in their planet’s history. He advises her to deal with it rather than simply be affronted by it, but, disgusted, she demands he leave.

Tegan accidentally bumps into a rowdy crowd of commoners. One of them is interested in her and offers to buy he a drink. Disgusted, she attempts to leave but the man summons his friends. The Doctor and Nyssa manage to catch up with her. The Doctor intervenes, but the man, insulted, claiming that just because they dress fancy and are royalty means they think they can do whatever they want, demands his friends bring him his weapons. The royal guard then arrives and scares the men away.

Their saviour turns out to be Lord Jezzavar. He apologizes for the rudeness of his people, and asks them to identify themselves. The Doctor explains that they are from off-world and were interested in visiting the planet to see their society for themselves. Pleased, Lord Jezzavar decides to give them an audience with the Queen. Tegan protests, but Nyssa defuses the situation by addressing Lord Jezzavar honorific-ally. He is impressed and the Doctor explains that Nyssa herself is also from royalty from the planet Trakken. Lord Jezzavar is pleased to learn that the aristocratic system survives on other planets. They agree to then go see the Queen, with the Doctor quietly explaining to Tegan that if this place is indeed a replica of Tudor London, then there are about 200,000 people here and they are unlikely to find Mike by simply looking around, convincing her that seeing the Queen might give them a better chance to find him.

As they travel to the palace, Lord Jezzavar inquires as to Nyssa's heritage. She sadly explains that her family have all perished. Lord Jezzavar offers some comforting words, but Tegan says he is trying to court Nyssa, having ulterior motives but the Doctor points out Jezzavar's wedding ring and he explains he is only trying to offer some comfort. They arrive at the palace and the Doctor exclaims that it looks exactly like the Palace of Whitehall "to the T".

The TARDIS crew meet the Queen. She is impressed with Nyssa's heritage and the Doctor's knowledgeable background but no so much with Tegan. She sets up chambers for them to stay in close to her own quarters and has her guards escort them there. Talking privately with Jezzavar and Astorius, she comments that the Doctor has the air of a warrior, and when asked whether she would like them to get rid of him, she insists that they may need him, as there are times when powerful men are beneficial to their cause. The two leave and Astorius asks Jezzevar about the "sleepers".

The trio of Nyssa, Tegan and the Doctor agree to play along for now in order to try and gain their hosts’ trust. Lord Jezzavar interrupts and asks that Nyssa accompany him on a ride. He tell the Doctor, meanwhile, that the Queen has requested an audience with him. Tegan asks about herself and Jezzavar hesitantly says that she can admire the palace.

The Doctor and the Queen go for a walk on the veranda.

Elsewhere, Tegan, upset about having been left out, goes around asking for the garden and with access to the gates to go outside the palace. She talks with a servant who initially warns her about the "sleepers" but when Tegan begins to inquire about them, the servant drops the subject and shows her to the gates. They are locked, and despite being 12 feet high, Tegan decides to climb over them.

The Queen explains that she built the city herself. She asks where he comes from and he tells her that he is a Timelord from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. The Doctor asks her about the hexahedron and comments that the mountains in the distance looked well-sculpted. She says that his questions should be directed at Astorius, her minister of science. The Doctor requests an audience with him later which she consents to. She changes the subject to the Doctor, however, explaining that she is quite interested in him, seeing him as a fine specimen of manhood as he is handsome, strong yet also a man of science and wide travelling but also a man who has the courage to be a maverick. She asks him for his opinion of her and he comments that she is a remarkable women. She says that this is the correct answer.

Meanwhile, Tegan walks the streets, getting into small squabbles with the locals. She arrives at the Dragon's head pub and realizes that the TARDIS must be close by. Rounding a corner she finds it has disappeared. Just then she sees a shadow and hears a noise. Backing into a corner trembling, she is approached by a figure... who turns out to be Mike. However, when she exclaims her relief at finding him, he says that his name is Sargent Zacs of the City Watch and he has never seen Tegan in his life....

Part two

Mike arrests Tegan for breaking Zellenger’s by-law about walking the streets unaccompanied. He brings her to him and she asks him where the TARDIS is. He says they have taken it and brings her back to the palace.

The Doctor and the Queen walk through the palace. She asks him if he’s been to the Luparis before. He comments he has but it was a different planet. She reveals that there are dark spots appearing on the sun and this is causing the planet to cool drastically, as it is no longer hot and tropical as the Doctor had described. She brings him to the nursery and reveals that they are doing work here to deal with the problem of the planet icing over. Astorius arrives and reveals that their solution is to put people into hibernation, or rather that people are already falling into comas as they are not able to deal with the rapid cooling. The Doctor is surprised at the reveal of an electromagnetic locking system. They observe a man in a tank connected to a series of web-like vines that feed them nutrients. The Queen explains that she has put husbands and wives together in adjacent chambers.

Nyssa describes the fall of Trakken to Jezzavar. He comments that she has become quite a fighter given her circumstances and nature, but she denies this saying it is only by happenstance. He exclaims that she is meant to be a ruler as he believes she posses these qualities.

The Doctor asks how many pairs of chamber there are and they reveal to him that the palace and beyond is full of them. The chambers are sealed as part of the cryo-process. The Doctor notes that only the left chambers are being monitored but the right ones are not, indicating that the occupants could be gone or dead. He also notes that the palace is much warmer than the outside. She explains it is artificial. They ask him to share his knowledge about ice ages and he reluctantly consents. She then reveals that they will be married that evening. The Doctor, confused, is hesitant, but the Queen insists that it was she who asked him. With that she leaves. The Doctor expresses his hesitance to Astorius who says that there is no greater honour than being married to the Queen.

Jezzavar explains that the ice age falling over the planet has forced the farmers to move to the city when their crops were destroyed. Nyssa explains that this must be the cause of the restlessness but Jezzavar reveals he only cares about the solution, which is increased authority. He asks Nyssa of her opinion on what kind of ruler they require and she suggests a kind and benevolent monarch. Jezzavar agrees with her that a highly efficient society is the best but Nyssa says she has seen societies like that before and they are not as perfect as one might think. He suggests that Nyssa should preside over them as ruler but she declines, citing that she is not in line to the throne and that Queen Zafira loves her people already and is sure she is already, as Jezzavar has revealed, seen to be a great ruler. He says that one may never know what can happen to the Queen, and if she were to pass away it is up to her royal consults to rectify the situation immediately, this time with a hint of malice.

A commoner accuses Zellenger of his misdeeds and tries to harm him. The commoner is arrested and Zellenger heads back to the castle to inform the Queen, wanting to deal with the uprising situation in the current.

The Doctor is told he will be known as the Queen’s Consult Consellor, and that Luparis is a matriarchal society. They arrive at his pre-marital apartment, and is told to wear his wedding suit, complete with trunk hoes, cartwheel ruff and tights.

The Doctor wants to stay with his own clothes but Astorius warns him that Queen Zafira is would rather he wear what he is told.

Tegan explains to Nyssa what has happened to Mike and Nyssa reveals to him that Jezzavar intends to lead a revolt and wants to make Nyssa the Queen. The two agree they need to find the Doctor and get back to the TARDIS. They are interrupted by the palace seamstress Anza, who says that the queen would like them to be maids at the wedding. Nyssa points out that Anza and Eva are about their shape and size, after they have left.

The Doctor puts on his new clothes but is interrupted by Zellenger who introduces himself as Minister of Security. Zellenger is suspicious of him and upset at discovering his sudden marriage. The Doctor explains he wants to leave soon. Zellenger, however, accuses him of being a coward and says that he loves Zafira for who she is, not for the crown, and that they had fought many battles together and he would die for her.

The Doctor then asks to help him leave by taking him to his TARDIS so he may leave.

Nyssa and Tegan are caught walking around the palace in disguise by a guard. They begin to run as the guard chases them, and they climb over the wall of the gate just as Tegan had done earlier.

The Doctor is taken by Zellenger to the queen’s private rose gallery. There he finds the TARDIS. But then Zellenger unsheathes his rapier, suspicious of the Doctor’s motives, and explains that he is going to frame him, telling the Queen that the Doctor was really after her secrets and planned to run away. Zellenger forces the Doctor to take up a rapier and fight him. The two begin to spar.

Tegan and Nyssa wonder around the city and head down a passage. They hide but then hear the same sound Tegan heard before and run.

The two watch as the creature goes onto the street. They decide to stay put and wait for the creatures to go away.

The Doctor and Zellenger continue to spar, with the Doctor eventually disarming him. Suddenly guards come to Zellenger and report the disturbances of several sleepers invading the streets. The Doctor comments that he’s seen the guard before but cannot make any further comment as Zellenger has him arrested on charges of terrorism. Zellenger commands the Doctor be cocooned in the nurseries.

Nyssa and Tegan hear more strange noises and see a panel move. They realize they’re right in the nest of the sleepers who take on a insect-like form. The two are surrounded. Suddenly a voice whispers out Tegan’s name. It turns out to be one of the insects, and he tells Tegan that it’s him, Mike Bretherton...

Part three

to be added

Part four

to be added

Cast

• The Doctor - Peter Davison
• Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
• Nyssa - Sarah Sutton
• Queen Zafira/ Bev - Jacqueline Pearce
• Mike Bretherton - Toby Hadoke
• Lord Jezzavar - Richard Mark
• Lord Zellenger/ Bill - Dan Starkey
• Astorius - Sean Brosnan

References

• Luparis is the third planet of Proxima Centauri and is supposed to be overgrown with no intelligent life.
• Proxima Centauri is the closest solar system to earth's own.
• Tegan and Mike Bretherton, who were next door neighbours, went to high school together in Brisbane. They were taught physics and chemistry by Miss Anderson. When she was fifteen, she broke her toe during track and gym and Mike carried her books home for her.
• Luparis is a replica of Tudor London, featuring reproductions of the River Thames (which has frozen over due to the planet's rapidly falling temperatures, leading to a frost fair), London Bridge and the Palace of Whitehall.
• The Doctor once sparred with Errol Flynn.
• Tegan and Nyssa each have their own TARDIS keys.
• The Doctor says that Gallifreyans can live for "millennia".
• When attempting to climb the locked 12 foot gate, Tegan comments to herself about "always wearing heels at times like these."

Notes

• After Prison in Space, this is the second Lost Story in which a female ruler seeks to marry the Doctor. Babs, the Chairman of the World Federation of Womanhood, became infatuated with the Second Doctor immediately after meeting him in that story.
• The Doctor uses a device called an Ionograph to help track down Mike. This is a device that can detect a diminishing ion stream from a spacecraft or rather spacepod, The Doctor further explains that "a spacepod isn't made of solid material, it is a spherical force-field, a sort of gravity bubble that uses photonic propulsion, capable of fantastic velocity and ideal for interplanetary travel, expect that it can only usually carry one or two passengers at a time”.
  • He likens them to Eddy currents.
  • Nyssa comments that it is similar to a vapor trail from an earth aircraft.
• After The Foe from the Future and The Valley of Death, this is the third Lost Story to partially take place in 1977.
• This audio drama was recorded on 10 and 11 February 2011.
• The original working title for this story was simply Hex.

Continuity

• The Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan spend several days on holiday in Brisbane, Australia following their ordeal with the Elite on Florana. (AUDIO: The Elite) The three of them and Turlough would subsequently visit Brisbane during World War VI in the early 51st century. (AUDIO: The Butcher of Brisbane) Later in his personal timeline, the Doctor would return to the city on 22 September 2006, where he would be reunited with Tegan, approximately 22 years after she had left the TARDIS following an encounter with the Daleks in London in 1984. (AUDIO: The Gathering)
• The Doctor tells Lord Jezzavar of the destruction of Traken in 1981 while Nyssa obliquely refers to the death of her father Tremas. (TV: Logopolis)
• Nyssa mentions the time of Malador. (AUDIO: The Guardians of Prophecy)
• Tegan refers to the Great Fire of London in September 1666. (TV: The Visitation)
• The Doctor tells Queen Zafira that he has previously visited the Palace of Whitehall. He did so in November 1688 during his second incarnation in the company of Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot (AUDIO: The Glorious Revolution) and again, during his fourth incarnation, in 1588 in the company of Leela. (AUDIO: The Devil's Armada)
• The Doctor mentions that he has witnessed humans thriving during one of Earth's Ice Ages. (TV: An Unearthly Child)
• Tegan refers to Nyssa being brainwashed by the Elite on Florana. (AUDIO: The Elite)
• The Doctor has been reluctantly engaged before. (TV: The Aztecs) He would get engaged to a royal monarch again, (TV: The Day of the Doctor) as well as, accidentally, to Marilyn Monroe. (TV: A Christmas Carol)
• The Doctor would again encounter aliens snatching human bodies. (TV: The Unquiet Dead)
• The Doctor and Nyssa have visited a planet resembling a period of England's past. (AUDIO: Spare Parts)
• The Doctor once sparred with Errol Flynn. He would mention this again in his twelfth incarnation during his duel with Robin Hood. (TV: Robot of Sherwood)
• The Doctor mentions that his home planet Gallifrey is located in the constellation of Kasterborous. (TV: Voyage of the Damned, The Day of the Doctor)
• The Doctor is forced to wear a wedding suit, complete with trunk hoes, cartwheel ruff and tights. He wore a similar costume under different circumstances when attending a party at Cranleigh Hall. (TV: Black Orchid)

External links

• Official Hexagora page at bigfinish.com