Titan Declares War! (short story)

Titan Declares War!
Main character(s):	Special correspondent
Featuring:	Commander Shore Black Dalek Leader
Main setting:	Marineville, Skaro 20 February 2065
Key crew
Publisher:	City Magazines
Editor:	Alan Fennell
Release details
Printed in:	TV21 5
Release date:	20 February 1965
TV Century 21 cover stories
← Previous	Fireball Surrenders!
Next →	Marineville Waits!

Titan Declares War! was a short story printed in TV Century 21 that contained elements from the Doctor Who universe. Framed as the front page of an in-universe periodical, the titular article made reference to the Stingray content in the issue while smaller pieces tied-in to The Daleks comic story Power Play and the Lady Penelope crossover comic Mr. Steelman.

This story saw the debut of the Black Dalek Leader in TV21 through the use of a photograph taken during the production of the television story The Dalek Invasion of Earth which depicted the Supreme Dalek featured in that story, eventually confirmed to be the same individual as TV21's Black Dalek in the 1988 short story The History of the Daleks. It would be eight more issues after the publication of Titan Declares War! before the Black Dalek Leader made his comic strip debut in the third part of Duel of the Daleks, becoming a recurring character in The Daleks from that point on.

Summary

TV Century 21's special correspondent at Marineville updates readers on the situation, explaining that they are currently writing this article from an air-attack shelter sixty feet below the ground as aircraft from Marineville's own aircraft carriers cause devastation to its surface installations with "salvo after salvo" of rockets. They explain this is war with a vengeance between Marineville and the W.A.S.P. aircraft under Titan's control, which has left Marineville High Command "reeling". While Commander Shore decides his next course of action, colour video-scan pictures reveal the W.A.S.P. vessel Stingray is trapped in an undersea cavern by Titan's monster jellyfish.

Meanwhile, the Space News Agency reports that the position on Skaro is "extremely confused" following the landing of a "strange" saucer-like spacecraft close to the Daleks' newly-constructed city. With the sole purpose of the enemy's mission seeming to be the mining of sand, their slaves are ordered to collect the sand with which the Daleks concealed their city as both protection and camouflage. As the Space News Agency concludes its report, it states there is "no doubt" that the Daleks are planning some form of counter-attack.

Finally, a source which must remain a secret indicates that one of Lady Penelope's undercover agents has been kidnapped by the "mysterious underworld figure" known as Mr Steelman after his car was forced from the road. TV21 comments that if this report is true and the agent has indeed been captured then there can be little hope for his safety.

Characters

• Special correspondent
• Commander Shore
• Black Dalek Leader

Worldbuilding

• A "dramatic picture report" via Marineville's colour video-scan is available on the tenth page of TV Century 21 while a full colour report on the Daleks' activities is on page twenty.
• The Daleks are described as "war-like".

Story notes

• This story is another crossover with Stingray and Lady Penelope. Although readers would not have known it at the time, this story was also a crossover with Thunderbirds, which was then still seven months away from premiering on television. In a specially staged photograph, Tracy Island, the home base of International Rescue, can be glimpsed behind a surfaced Stingray.

Continuity

• The mystery of Marineville's disappeared aircraft carriers has progressed significantly, with it now confirmed Titan was planning to use them to attack Marineville itself. (PROSE: Stingray Attacked!, Fireball Surrenders!, COMIC: Power Play)
• TV Century 21's special correspondent would also deliver their next report from Marineville's underground shelter as it was still being pounded by rockets. (PROSE: Marineville Waits!)
• The Space News Agency correctly predict that the Daleks were planning a counter-attack to deal with the Krattorians who had landed on Skaro. (COMIC: Power Play, PROSE: Superjet Shot Down)
• Contrary to the belief of TV21 regarding Roger Lyon's safety, Lady Penelope and Parker were able to track him down and successfully rescue him from Mr Steelman's clutches. (COMIC: Mr. Steelman, PROSE: Marineville Waits!)

Gallery

• 

  Stingray in front of an island.

• 

  A Dalek.