The Cradle of the Snake (audio story): Difference between revisions

Using Dr Kerrem and Dadda's influence with the public, the Doctor paints a positive image of the Mara and announces that it will accept [[sacrifice]]s at [[midnight]]. Tegan and Turlough persuade Baalaka to let them go and split up; Turlough calls Yoanna for help and learns that she is already outside of the studio whilst Tegan tries to get through to Nyssa and goes with her into the disabled TARDIS to find a [[dress]] for her to wear. Turlough joins Tegan and they pretend to agree to join Nyssa, who believes that the Doctor is unworthy of his current role as the Mara's right-hand [[servant]].

Satisfied, she leaves and joins the Doctor and the others while Tegan and Turlough secretly discuss a way to get the crystal away from the Mara, which it is currently tightly wound around, and get rid of it for good to try save their friends. Yoanna finds them and tells them how the people are too terrified to reject the Mara and are about to become enslaved. Outside, the Mara-possessed Dadda prepares the crowd for the Mara's reveal, and claims that the [[Manussan Empire|Manussan empire]] will fall to make way for the [[Sumaran Era|Sumaran]] empire. The Mara begins to feast on the fear and subjugation of the gathered crowds but Tegan and Turlough try to trap the Mara-possessed Doctor in the studio and use the cameras and mirrors but to no avail. Suddenly, at the behest of Baalaka staring into the crystal, they are transported to the [[place of dreams]] where they find Dadda and an unpossessed Nyssa. They then find the Doctor and free him from the Mara's possession.

They return to reality with the Doctor and Nyssa freed from the Mara's possession, however the Mara is still alive and still has ausGarten and now Yoanna under its control. They go inside the TARDIS but the Mara swallows them whole, and Nyssa mockingly reveals she is still under the Mara's control and converts Turlough. Tegan attempts to sacrifice herself by taking the crystal out into the beast's belly but Baalaka stops her, explaining that he now realises that he is the reason the Mara is still alive, as they are one and the same (earlier Turlough and Tegan were wondering where he came from and where his family was, however he mentioned he had no memory of them or his [[Place of birth|birthplace]] and that he just sort of 'came-to-be'). He takes the crystal from an unwilling Tegan and sacrifices himself to destroy the Mara.

 

All returns to normal, despite the sad loss of Baalaka and the Mara is defeated. The Doctor is offered a chance to become a television presenter, with ausGarten insisting he's a natural, but he politely declines and he, Tegan, Turlough and a recovering Nyssa depart and Tegan asks if the Mara is finally gone for good, however the Doctor laments that it never will be, as it dwells within everyone deep down. It is also revealed Yoanna, who has also returned to normal, has started a "Mara helpline".