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Duel of the Daleks was the third comic story in The Daleks, published in TV Century 21.
Summary
While the Dalek inventor Zeg is working in the inventions factory on strengthening Dalekanium, a fierce storm hits the Dalek City and a lightning strike damages Zeg's equipment. The ensuing explosion coats Zeg in the newly created metal. A team of Daleks brings Zeg to the examination chamber, where they find his casing stronger, but are concerned by his claims of invincibility. They fire at him but can't destroy him.
In the City Centre, the Dalek Emperor speaks about the problems of metal fatigue slowing the space conquest programme when Zeg announces that his metalert is the key. He demands they make him the new Emperor on the basis of his greater strength. The Black Dalek is summoned to test Zeg's claim but even his gunstick can't destroy him. The Emperor puts the matter to the Brain Machine, but popular support is already moving to Zeg. The Brain Machine declares that Zeg must prove his intelligence and the Emperor must prove his strength in a duel for leadership.
The next day Zeg searches for the Emperor on the plain where they were to meet. When he reaches the acid river, the Emperor blasts away at the rock ledge beneath him. Zeg escapes the acid river unscathed and follows the Emperor's trail to the mercury geysers, where he fires on his rival, who proves to be an inflatable facsimile. The Emperor has used the ruse to get Zeg within range of a geyser diverted towards him.
Unaffected by the mercury, Zeg pursues the Emperor into the abandoned Dalek workshops. When the Emperor douses Zeg in liquid oxygen from one of the tanks, the cold cuts through him and he explodes. The Emperor promises the other Daleks that they will improve on Zeg's invention and take to the stars.
Characters
References
- Oquolloquox
- Metalert
- Brain Machine
- Vep, a unit of artificial sunlight. Twenty veps is described as incredible heat, eighty is blistering.
- Meg, a unit of time likely equal to one second, (see rel)
- Space Station K17 reports the total destruction of Saharis which causes fears to grow for the Fireball XL5 crew.
- Lady Penelope has signed up as one of TV 21's overseas correspondents. Her first major news story is set to appear in next week's issue.
- Space City are puzzled by Matic's radio report that Saharins are seeking revenge for space attacks on Saharis in 1987 by Red Star modules launched in the 1960s.
- Acting on orders from Twenty One, TV 21 printed a secret bulletin.
- The British government have denied knowledge of Lady Penelope's presence in Bereznik and have further stated that she is in no way connected with them.
- Ships of the Solar System's Eleventh Fleet have clashed with the Astran space fleet. Five ships are missing.
- The Bereznik government has declared Lady Penelope a renegade and has offered a reward of 100,000 crownins, £20,000, for her capture, dead or alive.
- The President has issued secret orders to the space fleet. Steve Zodiac is believed to have been called to Unity City to see him. There are also rumours the Astran ambassador has been called to Unity House.
- Jack Elson, TV 21's Unity City correspondent, has been arrested on the grounds of the President's private residence. He was attempting to follow up on the story behind Zodiac's mysterious visit to the President.
- Marineville has received word from Phones, who is aboard Stingray, that he is about to engage a Titan Terror Fish in combat. Commander Shore has endorsed this action.
Notes
- Issue 3 sees the very first appearance of another series regular, the Black Dalek Leader (later distinguished as such in Plague of Death). The same Dalek later appeared on the TV series, becoming the first spin-off character to do so, with its role in The Chase just over a month after the comic's release. It became a recurring character in both mediums, as well as in audio stories. The fact that both Daleks were one and the same was not established until the release of John Peel's Target novelisations many years later, however.
- The concluding instalment sees the last use in The Daleks comic strip of the familiar spiked angular text for the Daleks' speech balloons.
- In 2004, Altered Vistas released an animated adaptation of this story.
Reprints
- reprinted in black-and-white in Doctor Who Weekly issues 35-36
- reprinted in colour in Doctor Who Magazine issues 189-193
- reprinted in colour in DWMS The Dalek Chronicles
Continuity
- Magnetised sand is used once again, this time as a defence against the elements. (COMIC: Power Play)
- The Daleks are working on space-flight after recovering the plans to the Krattorian vessel. (COMIC: Power Play)
- Even before Zeg's challenge, the Emperor had been tested by the Brain Machine to validate his claim. This does not contradict Genesis of Evil, in which he just made himself Emperor.
- The Emperor orders the conquest of space. (COMIC: The Amaryll Challenge)