Hexagora (audio story): Difference between revisions

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=== Part three ===
=== Part three ===
''to be added''
Tegan can’t
believe that this creature is Mike. He eventually convinces her by
saying things only the real Mike could know. Tegan realizes it is him
and asks him how this happened. He explains that this was done to
them by the Hexagora. He was kidnapped because he was getting close
to uncovering the turth while others just happened to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time, and they were taken from their bodies and
put in the insects. They hear lord Zellenger in the distance and Mike
leads them somewhere safe.
 
<nowiki> The Doctor is
brought to the Nursery but Astorius refuses to cocoon the Doctor as
he is supposed to be married to the Queen. When the guard protests,
Astorius chides him for always obeying Lord Zellenger, reminding him
who holds the real position of power. He tells him to put the Doctor
in his solar.</nowiki>
 
<nowiki> </nowiki>The guard brings the
Doctor into the solar room. He wants to get someone to stand guard
over the doctor but Astorius says it will not be necessary as he does
not believe the Doctor will cause trouble. He is surprised by the
Doctor when the Doctor contradicts him saying there likely will be
trouble, so Astorius takes out a flint-lock pistol and assures the
Doctor there won’t be. The Doctor comments about how they have
taken even the technology of 16<sup>th</sup> century Earth, saying it
is a very primitive tool for a race that travels by space pod but
they are interrupted by a sudden commotion. The Guard (Mike’s body)
explains that Astorius that a sleeper has been captured and brought
back to the palace. Astorius demands the guard go help the others and
he obeys.
 
<nowiki> The Doctor and
Astorius have a hostile talk fraught with tension. The Doctor reveals
that he is aware that everything Astorius told him was a lie and that
he suspects that the people in the chambers below are not citizens of
Luparis who have succumbed to the cold but something else entirely,
surmising probably the native species fallen at the hands of Astorius
and his race’s aggression. Astorius confirms his suspicions. The
Doctor continues, angrily explaining that the giveaway was that while
he was talking to Lord Zellenger, Zellenger revealed that they had
waged war with the Agellae of the Acteon galaxy and that the Acteon
Galaxy had never set foot in the Milky Way, so that they must have
fought them somewhere else, as well as the fact that they are only
occupying a small portion of Luparis as further proof. He further
elaborates that if they had lived here by any substantial amount of
time they would have spread out across the planet by now. He suspects
that Astorius and his species’ next move is to take over Earth,
accusing them of being a race of space-travelling conquerors.
Asotrius tells him, however, that the Agellae attacked first, and
they are a race of hideous, moronic ape creatures  Astorius explains
they had just colonized Zagara IX when they attacked, and the Doctor
recalls that tragic event as 100s of Agellae ships were ripped apart,
with bodies and debris floating all around the planet. No one ever
knew who had defeated them, until now as the Doctor realizes.
Astorius asserts that he is not a man of war and neither are his
people. They are mostly farmers, scholars and such and are merely
citizen soldiers, only taking up the call to arms when threatened. He
further explains that Zagara IX was a paradise, uninhabited and
fruitful, warm winds rippling across fertile meadows. They built a
colony there that flourished, becoming the ideal environment for the
next generation. Meanwhile the Agellae were seeking new conquests and
decided to strike, but Astorius claims that when they attacked they
had this time chosen the wrong species and most certainly the wrong
Queen. The Doctor questions their innocence, asking Astroius to
explain what happened here on Luparis. Astorius elaborates by
mentioning that when the arrived, Luparis was a warm planet with no
intelligent life, but the Doctor counters him by asking about the
mountains in the East he noticed earlier, saying that looked a great
deal like termite hills that one finds on Earth. He further surmises
that when they arrived they discovered an intelligent insect species
already living here and when they tried to exterminate them a war
followed. Astorius takes out the flint-lock pistol and although the
Doctor begs him not shoot, reminding him that he claimed to not be a
man of violence, Astorius reveals that the Doctor knows too much and
that this is the only solution, despite being a drastic one.</nowiki>
 
<nowiki> </nowiki>Mike escorts Tegan
and Nyssa through the secret passageways. Nyssa asks how this
happened but Mike can’t recall much, other than travelling through
space at light speed, and then blacking out and awaking in his
current insect-like body. They see the other insects and Mike
comments that he is one of the only ones who seems to have almost
full control of his new form, and excuses himself to go and try and
help one of the other struggling insects. Tegan is in shock and Nyssa
tries to calm her down by saying that the Doctor may be able to think
of a way to fix the situation.
 
The Doctor is
grateful that Astorius doesn’t shoot, but Astorius says they only
would ever do so in self-defence and that y sparing the Doctor he
hopes there won’t be any more trouble. The Doctor assures him there
won’t. They then head to the nursery. Astorius reveals the real
reason there is no monitoring equipment on the right hand chambers is
because they are empty, which the doctor checks and confirms. When
the Doctor asks about the use of flint-lock pistols and other archaic
weapons, Astorius explains that much of their technology has been
lost in the war and they make do with what they can find. He reveals
that the chambers on the left contain strange insect-like creatures
called “Hexagora” in hibernation, the species from the termite
mounds. The Doctor reveals his knowledge about the Hexagora, how they
travel in swarms across the cosmos under the leadership of a powerful
Queen and notes he is seeing a pattern. Astorius reveals that they
would move from planet to planet only to farm, never to enslave, only
selecting planets that had no intelligent life. The Doctor, realizing
the Astorius includes himself in the pronoun, asks him about this and
Astorius explains that they, the Hexagora, have always had the
ability to disguise themselves and go unnoticed among a native
inhabitants population, but it was only for reconnaissance reasons,
and if the planet was not suitable they would simply scout out the
next planet. Initially they had arrived on Earth in the 16<sup>th</sup>
century and studied its history as well as current architecture and
societal structure, scouting among the local natives inhabiting
England but eventually Earth was found unsuitable and so they moved
on to Luparis... except that they did not realize that Luparis was
entering a period of its history with extreme cooling. The Doctor
realizes Astorius is telling the truth and asks for forgiveness but
asks why he saw a human being in one of the chambers earlier.
Astroius says that they only did it to trick him and that they are
certainly guilty of that but they only did this because they feared
the Doctor would disagree with them if he discovered the full truth.
When the Doctor asks what this is, Astorius reveals that when they
noticed the climate beginning to drop, they had originally thought
about simply moving to another planet but they still had several
young Hexagorans whom were not fit for space travel yet and were not
sure if many other would be able to handle a second migration, having
already just come out of a first massive one to Luparis. One by one
they began to slip into unconsciousness due to the climate and to
which no end was foreseeable. Queen Zafira contemplated many
solutions, however, they agreed on only way out. They sent a
scry-warp into Earth’s atmosphere to observe humans living in polar
communities an adopt their methods to survive, but soon realized that
this was not possible since humans were mammals who possessed bodies
better-adapted to cold weather since they possessed warm blood and
could grow hair. Queen Zafira, he explains, faced with no other
choice, but the Doctor finished Astroius’ sentence by saying that
the Scry-warps were reprogrammed to select human targets. Hexagoran
commanders would then travel in spacepods to earth and bring the
chosen targets back. At first they would pick randomly, but the
reason the began to target specific groups of humans like athletes
was that they were found to have better standards and provide better
material. He explains that when they targeted randomly, the humans
abducted were not missed but when they began to target groups like
athletes, people began to notice and so those people were abducted as
well. The Doctor comments then that the cocooons are not for health
but Astorius assures him they are, although now their primary
function has become for mind-transference.
 
<nowiki> </nowiki>Nyssa and Mike talk
while Tegan sleeps. She apologizes to him on behalf of Tegan and
explians that Tegan told her that they were very intimate. She also
explains that they had come here with the Doctor as Tegan insisted on
coming when she discovered he had disappeared, showing that she still
cares about him and holds feelings for him. She explains to Mike who
the Doctor is and says that he might be able to fix this if they can
find him. Nyssa suspects he is still in the palace and makes a plan
with Mike to find him, using Lord Jezzavar.
 
Astorius explains
that the material used for the cocoons is called “Hexion”, from
their homeworld. They usually use it as food, but in difficult times
they use it on Hexagorans husks too damaged to survive by draining
the hexagoran’s mind essence into their genetic memory pool, in
which the memory nutrients of the Hexagoran is stored. The Doctor
likens this to a pool of memories, and Astorius continues by
explaining that the vast knowledge they have gathered over the eons
is stored in it, which is why they have been able to reconstruct
almost perfectly the many palaces and buildings of 16<sup>th</sup>
century London. He also explains that the minds of the humans are
also in this pool while their Hexagoran bodies lie in repose in the
cocoons in the palace. He also notes that process for switching the
minds between the bodies is quite harmless. Astorius continues,
telling the Doctor that the reason the Queen would like to marry him
is that due to the impending ice age, she believes mating with the
Doctor will give her off-spring the ability to live much longer,
through the Ice age, as the doctor had earlier mentioned that his
people have the ability to live for millenia at a time. The Doctor
berates Astorius, saying that his society is under immense stress, as
it is the only reason that they have hatched such a heinous scheme
but notes that he suspects Astorius has shared this information with
him because it is troubling him. Astorius says the plan was just
originally to occupy the human hosts until the young had matured but
by then it was too late as the cold had so damaged their technology
that for the swarm to move on was too difficult. The Doctor demands
he reverse the process and return the captives but Astorius says it
is not his decision to make. Meanwhile, they hear a commotion outside
as a guard reveals to Zellenger that Astorius refuses to cocoon the
Doctor. The two hear this and Astorius tells the Doctor to go find
the only person who can protect him, Queen Zafira. The Doctor,
infuriated, makes a run for it.
 
Jezzavar hosts a
party as his house consisting of his fellow revolutionaries. He asks
that although they had originally planned to overthrow tonight, and
the wedding presenting a perfect opportunity, they delay the case
given the circumstances. Just then Nyssa arrives and announces that
she would like to aid them in their revolution.
 
Zellenger barges in
on Astorius and demands the Doctor’s location, but he reveals that
the Doctor has gone and says no more. Zellenger chases after him.
 
Tegan awakens to
find herself alone with Mike. Despite him warning her she runs off to
find Nyssa.
 
The Doctor,
meanwhile, searches for the throne room but is spotted and chased by
a pair of guards.
 
Tegan is pursued by
Mike who tries to stop her from going. She insists on escaping and
continues on.
 
The
Doctor continues looking for the throne room but is found by
Zellenger. He manages to incapacitate Zellenger by pulling a rug out
from underneath him and makes a break for it. He finally finds the
throne room but is stopped by an armed guard. He manages to outwit
the guard and escapes.
 
The
Doctor barges in on Queen Zafira and demands an audience with her.
Zellenger catches up with him and demands the Queen order his arrest
on him being a spy and an alien. The Doctor, however, reveals to the
Queen that he would love to be her husband...


=== Part four ===
=== Part four ===

Revision as of 04:06, 14 June 2020

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You may be looking for the titular species.

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 Traken 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 wander 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 realise 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

Tegan can’t believe that this creature is Mike. He eventually convinces her by saying things only the real Mike could know. Tegan realizes it is him and asks him how this happened. He explains that this was done to them by the Hexagora. He was kidnapped because he was getting close to uncovering the turth while others just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they were taken from their bodies and put in the insects. They hear lord Zellenger in the distance and Mike leads them somewhere safe.

The Doctor is brought to the Nursery but Astorius refuses to cocoon the Doctor as he is supposed to be married to the Queen. When the guard protests, Astorius chides him for always obeying Lord Zellenger, reminding him who holds the real position of power. He tells him to put the Doctor in his solar.

The guard brings the Doctor into the solar room. He wants to get someone to stand guard over the doctor but Astorius says it will not be necessary as he does not believe the Doctor will cause trouble. He is surprised by the Doctor when the Doctor contradicts him saying there likely will be trouble, so Astorius takes out a flint-lock pistol and assures the Doctor there won’t be. The Doctor comments about how they have taken even the technology of 16th century Earth, saying it is a very primitive tool for a race that travels by space pod but they are interrupted by a sudden commotion. The Guard (Mike’s body) explains that Astorius that a sleeper has been captured and brought back to the palace. Astorius demands the guard go help the others and he obeys.

The Doctor and Astorius have a hostile talk fraught with tension. The Doctor reveals that he is aware that everything Astorius told him was a lie and that he suspects that the people in the chambers below are not citizens of Luparis who have succumbed to the cold but something else entirely, surmising probably the native species fallen at the hands of Astorius and his race’s aggression. Astorius confirms his suspicions. The Doctor continues, angrily explaining that the giveaway was that while he was talking to Lord Zellenger, Zellenger revealed that they had waged war with the Agellae of the Acteon galaxy and that the Acteon Galaxy had never set foot in the Milky Way, so that they must have fought them somewhere else, as well as the fact that they are only occupying a small portion of Luparis as further proof. He further elaborates that if they had lived here by any substantial amount of time they would have spread out across the planet by now. He suspects that Astorius and his species’ next move is to take over Earth, accusing them of being a race of space-travelling conquerors. Asotrius tells him, however, that the Agellae attacked first, and they are a race of hideous, moronic ape creatures Astorius explains they had just colonized Zagara IX when they attacked, and the Doctor recalls that tragic event as 100s of Agellae ships were ripped apart, with bodies and debris floating all around the planet. No one ever knew who had defeated them, until now as the Doctor realizes. Astorius asserts that he is not a man of war and neither are his people. They are mostly farmers, scholars and such and are merely citizen soldiers, only taking up the call to arms when threatened. He further explains that Zagara IX was a paradise, uninhabited and fruitful, warm winds rippling across fertile meadows. They built a colony there that flourished, becoming the ideal environment for the next generation. Meanwhile the Agellae were seeking new conquests and decided to strike, but Astorius claims that when they attacked they had this time chosen the wrong species and most certainly the wrong Queen. The Doctor questions their innocence, asking Astroius to explain what happened here on Luparis. Astorius elaborates by mentioning that when the arrived, Luparis was a warm planet with no intelligent life, but the Doctor counters him by asking about the mountains in the East he noticed earlier, saying that looked a great deal like termite hills that one finds on Earth. He further surmises that when they arrived they discovered an intelligent insect species already living here and when they tried to exterminate them a war followed. Astorius takes out the flint-lock pistol and although the Doctor begs him not shoot, reminding him that he claimed to not be a man of violence, Astorius reveals that the Doctor knows too much and that this is the only solution, despite being a drastic one.

Mike escorts Tegan and Nyssa through the secret passageways. Nyssa asks how this happened but Mike can’t recall much, other than travelling through space at light speed, and then blacking out and awaking in his current insect-like body. They see the other insects and Mike comments that he is one of the only ones who seems to have almost full control of his new form, and excuses himself to go and try and help one of the other struggling insects. Tegan is in shock and Nyssa tries to calm her down by saying that the Doctor may be able to think of a way to fix the situation.

The Doctor is grateful that Astorius doesn’t shoot, but Astorius says they only would ever do so in self-defence and that y sparing the Doctor he hopes there won’t be any more trouble. The Doctor assures him there won’t. They then head to the nursery. Astorius reveals the real reason there is no monitoring equipment on the right hand chambers is because they are empty, which the doctor checks and confirms. When the Doctor asks about the use of flint-lock pistols and other archaic weapons, Astorius explains that much of their technology has been lost in the war and they make do with what they can find. He reveals that the chambers on the left contain strange insect-like creatures called “Hexagora” in hibernation, the species from the termite mounds. The Doctor reveals his knowledge about the Hexagora, how they travel in swarms across the cosmos under the leadership of a powerful Queen and notes he is seeing a pattern. Astorius reveals that they would move from planet to planet only to farm, never to enslave, only selecting planets that had no intelligent life. The Doctor, realizing the Astorius includes himself in the pronoun, asks him about this and Astorius explains that they, the Hexagora, have always had the ability to disguise themselves and go unnoticed among a native inhabitants population, but it was only for reconnaissance reasons, and if the planet was not suitable they would simply scout out the next planet. Initially they had arrived on Earth in the 16th century and studied its history as well as current architecture and societal structure, scouting among the local natives inhabiting England but eventually Earth was found unsuitable and so they moved on to Luparis... except that they did not realize that Luparis was entering a period of its history with extreme cooling. The Doctor realizes Astorius is telling the truth and asks for forgiveness but asks why he saw a human being in one of the chambers earlier. Astroius says that they only did it to trick him and that they are certainly guilty of that but they only did this because they feared the Doctor would disagree with them if he discovered the full truth. When the Doctor asks what this is, Astorius reveals that when they noticed the climate beginning to drop, they had originally thought about simply moving to another planet but they still had several young Hexagorans whom were not fit for space travel yet and were not sure if many other would be able to handle a second migration, having already just come out of a first massive one to Luparis. One by one they began to slip into unconsciousness due to the climate and to which no end was foreseeable. Queen Zafira contemplated many solutions, however, they agreed on only way out. They sent a scry-warp into Earth’s atmosphere to observe humans living in polar communities an adopt their methods to survive, but soon realized that this was not possible since humans were mammals who possessed bodies better-adapted to cold weather since they possessed warm blood and could grow hair. Queen Zafira, he explains, faced with no other choice, but the Doctor finished Astroius’ sentence by saying that the Scry-warps were reprogrammed to select human targets. Hexagoran commanders would then travel in spacepods to earth and bring the chosen targets back. At first they would pick randomly, but the reason the began to target specific groups of humans like athletes was that they were found to have better standards and provide better material. He explains that when they targeted randomly, the humans abducted were not missed but when they began to target groups like athletes, people began to notice and so those people were abducted as well. The Doctor comments then that the cocooons are not for health but Astorius assures him they are, although now their primary function has become for mind-transference.

Nyssa and Mike talk while Tegan sleeps. She apologizes to him on behalf of Tegan and explians that Tegan told her that they were very intimate. She also explains that they had come here with the Doctor as Tegan insisted on coming when she discovered he had disappeared, showing that she still cares about him and holds feelings for him. She explains to Mike who the Doctor is and says that he might be able to fix this if they can find him. Nyssa suspects he is still in the palace and makes a plan with Mike to find him, using Lord Jezzavar.

Astorius explains that the material used for the cocoons is called “Hexion”, from their homeworld. They usually use it as food, but in difficult times they use it on Hexagorans husks too damaged to survive by draining the hexagoran’s mind essence into their genetic memory pool, in which the memory nutrients of the Hexagoran is stored. The Doctor likens this to a pool of memories, and Astorius continues by explaining that the vast knowledge they have gathered over the eons is stored in it, which is why they have been able to reconstruct almost perfectly the many palaces and buildings of 16th century London. He also explains that the minds of the humans are also in this pool while their Hexagoran bodies lie in repose in the cocoons in the palace. He also notes that process for switching the minds between the bodies is quite harmless. Astorius continues, telling the Doctor that the reason the Queen would like to marry him is that due to the impending ice age, she believes mating with the Doctor will give her off-spring the ability to live much longer, through the Ice age, as the doctor had earlier mentioned that his people have the ability to live for millenia at a time. The Doctor berates Astorius, saying that his society is under immense stress, as it is the only reason that they have hatched such a heinous scheme but notes that he suspects Astorius has shared this information with him because it is troubling him. Astorius says the plan was just originally to occupy the human hosts until the young had matured but by then it was too late as the cold had so damaged their technology that for the swarm to move on was too difficult. The Doctor demands he reverse the process and return the captives but Astorius says it is not his decision to make. Meanwhile, they hear a commotion outside as a guard reveals to Zellenger that Astorius refuses to cocoon the Doctor. The two hear this and Astorius tells the Doctor to go find the only person who can protect him, Queen Zafira. The Doctor, infuriated, makes a run for it.

Jezzavar hosts a party as his house consisting of his fellow revolutionaries. He asks that although they had originally planned to overthrow tonight, and the wedding presenting a perfect opportunity, they delay the case given the circumstances. Just then Nyssa arrives and announces that she would like to aid them in their revolution.

Zellenger barges in on Astorius and demands the Doctor’s location, but he reveals that the Doctor has gone and says no more. Zellenger chases after him.

Tegan awakens to find herself alone with Mike. Despite him warning her she runs off to find Nyssa.

The Doctor, meanwhile, searches for the throne room but is spotted and chased by a pair of guards.

Tegan is pursued by Mike who tries to stop her from going. She insists on escaping and continues on.

The Doctor continues looking for the throne room but is found by Zellenger. He manages to incapacitate Zellenger by pulling a rug out from underneath him and makes a break for it. He finally finds the throne room but is stopped by an armed guard. He manages to outwit the guard and escapes.

The Doctor barges in on Queen Zafira and demands an audience with her. Zellenger catches up with him and demands the Queen order his arrest on him being a spy and an alien. The Doctor, however, reveals to the Queen that he would love to be her husband...

Part four

to be added

Cast

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."
  • 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.

Notes

Continuity

External links

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The Lost Stories
First Doctor
Second Doctor
Third Doctor
Fourth Doctor
Fifth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
Seventh Doctor
Sara Kingdom
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