Absence (audio story)
Absence was the forty-sixth Bernice Summerfield audio story released by Big Finish Productions. It was the second story of the tenth season.
Publisher's summary
Cluster worlds are one of the great mysteries of space travel – planet-sized objects that have spontaneously fused together from the detritus, junk and flotsam left behind by both human and alien space travellers. The archaeologist who solves the mystery will become rich and famous overnight.
Professor Bernice Summerfield just wants to live.
Bernice and her son Peter are stranded on Absence, a cluster object that has been settled by a cartel operating beyond human space. It's an artificial world where everything is at a premium and nothing comes without a price. For the wealthy few who can afford it there is the relative freedom of the world beyond the sterile cartel domes, but Bernice is almost penniless.
The reclusive entrepreneur Lamarque Aslanides is leading a mission to explore the largely uncharted interior of Absence. For Bernice it will mean a long and painful period of separation from her son – but the money will pay for their passage off this world.
As the expedition descends into madness and death, they discover that they are not the only ones interested in the mysteries at the heart of the cluster. Then when Peter's life is placed in danger, Bernice is powerless to help.
Plot
On the way to Venus, the power cells of Benny's spaceship fail and she and Peter are forced to stop at Absence, a cluster world. She applies to join an Interspatial Systems Acquisitions research expedition to the interior of Absence to be able to afford the necessary repairs to continue the journey and makes the unwilling Peter do so as well after Cindy notes how useful he could be at heavy lifting, not wanting to leave him alone with a hand-to-mouth job. Several days later, the names of those whose applications were successful are made public and Benny is surprised to find that Peter has been accepted whilst she has not, which Cindy explains is due to her uncertain background and gaps in her CV.
to be completed
Cast
- Bernice Summerfield - Lisa Bowerman
- Peter Summerfield - Thomas Grant
- Cindy - Rachael Elizabeth
- Aaron Keep - Paul Thornley
- Lamarque Aslinedes / Newsreader - Trevor Littledale
Crew
- Cover Art - Adrian Salmon
- Director - John Ainsworth
- Executive Producers - John Ainsworth and Jason Haigh-Ellery
- Music and Sound Design - Martin Johnson
- Producer - Eddie Robson
- Writer - Daniel O'Mahony
- Line Producer - David Richardson
Worldbuilding
- Benny is heading from the Bethesdan system to Venus.
- Benny's spaceship's power cells are "knackered".
- Benny drinks water.
- Benny suffers a headache.
- Aslinedes owns Interspatial System Acquisitions.
- ISA is a major partner of the Absence Free Zone Cartel.
Notes
- This audio drama was recorded on 21 December 2008.
- A download version of this story was released on 23 May 2022.[1]
Continuity
- Benny and Peter are heading to Venus to collect monies owed bequeathed to them by Jane's will, which they learnt about in Glory Days [+]Loading...["Glory Days (audio story)"].
Footnotes
External links
- Official Absence page at bigfinish.com
- Absence at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
