The Master's Dalek Plan (audio story)

As the Master inflitrates the Kaled scientific elite, the Time Lords seek to counter his interference. But while Narvin and President Livia try to stabilise the past, a new and horrifying future dawns in the wastelands of ancient Skaro.

Plot

On Skaro, the surviving members of the Kaled Scientific Elite gather for a service for ten victims of a Thal shelling on the bunker. amidst the quiet talking, a familiar gliding sound of a wheelchair can be heard as it approaches the microphone. it is the war master. he begins his speech with how the dead kaled victims gave their lives to ensure the survival of the kaled race. among the list of the deceased, which he honours as "So many valiant heroes," he names Dalazar, Darius, Frenton, Parran, Kavell (who he mis-pronouces as Akavell, much to the chagrin of the crowd) Gharman, Nyder, Ral, Shan, and finally, Davros. he goes on to list Davros triumphs in the Thousand Year War, and concludes the speech by bidding a mocking farewell to his rival, saying that he, Sorvad, Master of Science will light the fire to lead the Kaled race out of the darkness of their war with the Thals.

after the service ends, he askes if they are able to play some music for the sombre occasion, claiming to the assembled kaleds that it would have lifted their spirits.

meanwhile, the Time Lord war-criminal Lamarius who was convicted of firing on a dalek ship which in turn killed her wife and child whilst her squadron of battle-tardises was attacking a dalek fleet over a planet called vectim-4, has been sent by Narvin to Skaro with orders to kill the Master before he can catatrophically damage the time lines which lead up to the Time War. although succesful in her arrival on skaro, she found the masters tardis and got careless: she got caught by a living piece of barbed wire. Struggling to escape a flock of carrionoids circling above her location, she muses on the fact that her mission is doomed to failure due to the nature of the charges held against her. at the thought of her own death sealing the fate of her deceased family which would ensure their existences continued even for a short time, espsecially her daughter, she renews her escape attempt, screaming at the flock to come in and get her...

In the Bunker, The Master enters the infirmary on a recruiting mission. he reaches out to Elrond, former assistant of Davros, to discuss the Mark III travel machine. whilst talking the old Kaled male explains that he has gone blind due to an accident in the adjecent science block. feigning sympathy, the Master lies to elrond, claiming to have lost the use of his legs and needs to use a mobile chariot to move around. Elrond is suprised when the Master claims to be Davros uncle since he never knew that Davros even had an uncle in the first place. The Master decides to enlist Elrond to further his scheme, claiming that only a monster would prolong suffering and that he himself is no monster. on the Masters orders, Two med-techs drag the frightend kaled out of the infirmary.

the Master glides out after them...

Out in the wastelands, Lamarius still has not freed himself. suddenly a gun-shot is heard, followed by a startled gasp from Lamarius. a figure is kneeling beside her, frantically whispering for her to not let the carrionoids get caught by the wire. shocked by its appearance, she asked who and what it is, even hitting a nerve when she asks if it is kaled or thal in origin. The figure is actually a mutated outcast from the warring races, created when the chemical weapons caused mutations amongst the population. he is called Arfor and he is a Muto. He is distrustful of the stranger, but sees that she is in trouble. After almost abandoning her to her fate, she manages to convince him to cut her free. he does so and they escape from the minefield.

back in the bunker, The Master is operating on Elrond. He installs a lens like eye stalk in the kaleds brain, telling elrond

to be continued...

References

Novar is from the Third Kaled Infantry.
Elrond mentions how carrionoids have evolved to scavenge from the Thousand Year War.
The Master goes by the alias name "Sorvad" which is "Davros" spelled backwards.

Notes

This story's title is a play on the television serial The Daleks' Master Plan.

Continuity

The Master speaks before the Military and Scientific Elite. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, AUDIO: Innocence, Purity)
Kaleds killed in the bombardment of the Kaled Dome (AUDIO: From the Flames) include military officials Dalazar, Davius, (COMIC: Genesis of Evil) Frenton, Parran, Gharman, and Nyder (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) and scientists Ral, Shan, (AUDIO: Davros, Corruption) Kavell, Ronson, and Davros. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks)
Lamarius compares the vulture-like Carrionoids to Vortisaurs. (AUDIO: Storm Warning, et al.)
The Kaled who captures Arfor mentions that Mutos are used to find handmines. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice)
Ripples in history from alterations on Skaro cause change to multiple fronts of the Last Great Time War: in Humanian Era 17000, Daleks win the Hyperon war, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) in 2260, the Dalek Empire moves Earth into position above Peladon and demands surrender of the planet's trisilicate, (TV: The Monster of Peladon, et al.) and in 2160 the Daleks successfully make Earth mobile before, in the temporal chaos, Earth collides with a parallel version of itself. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
The Kaled experimental supply store contains Varga plants from the Forbidden Islands, (TV: Mission to the Unknown, et al.) Rock-Clams (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) from the Drammakin mountains, (TV: The Daleks) eels (COMIC: The Menace of the Monstrons) from the Ocean of Ooze, and Arkellis flowers. (COMIC: Genesis of Evil)
Arkellis flowers sprout in metal. (COMIC: Genesis of Evil)
In one version of history, Narvin talks to Livia about Crazlus. (AUDIO: From the Flames)
In various histories experienced by Narvin and Livia as Gallifrey's time lock is shattered, Galaxy Five (TV: The Monster of Peladon, et al.) the Medusa Cascade, (TV: The Stolen Earth, et al.) and the Mutter's Spiral are burned to nothing (TV: The Deadly Assassin) and a giant Dalek eyestalk appears atop Mount Cadon. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Revelation, et al.)

External links

Official The Master's Dalek Plan page at bigfinish.com