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Authors: Malcolm Hulke
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on a stalk rose up from the roof of the vehicle, turned and pointed itself at the Doctor. ‘You are an escaped prisoner. Escaped prisoners may be killed. It is an order.’
Defeated, the Doctor got into the hover-car. Instantly the door slid shut. He was a prisoner again.
Security guards flung open the door of the cell and pushed the Doctor inside.
‘No more attempts to escape,’ one of them growled. ‘But I was kidnapped,’ protested the Doctor. The door was slammed in his face.
Jo sat up from the bunk where she’d been trying to sleep. ‘Doctor! What happened?’
Briefly he told her. ‘The Draconians believe we’re working for General Williams.’
‘Oh no,’ she groaned. Then she alerted. ‘Do you hear that sound?’ She put her fingers to her temples as the strange sound increased.
‘Is it the sound you heard on the spaceship?’
Jo nodded. Already it was affecting her mind. She fought to keep her thinking clear. ‘Where’s it coming from?’
Before the Doctor could answer they heard the firing of blaster guns in the corridor outside. Alarm bells clanged and the Security guards shouted, ‘Draconians! We’re being attacked! It’s war!’
The two prisoners listened helplessly, trying to understand what was happening. All at once the crackle of energy from blaster guns ceased. Someone outside was operating the mechanism that locked the cell door. It opened. Two enormous Ogrons stood in the doorway. They were pointing their guns at the Doctor and Jo.
6
Prison on the Moon
‘This is a military situation,’ General Williams was saying. ‘We should attack now!’
The President switched off her wall television screen. The news service had been showing pictures of the violent anti-Draconian riots. ‘No, General. I will not be responsible for starting a war.’
She was tired, exhausted by the constant pressure of her office. For a moment she closed her eyes. Her mind went back to how the previous war between Earth and Draconia began. After much bitterness as to the exact line of the agreed space frontier, Earth and Draconian delegations were to meet on a neutral planet. She was young then, acting as aide to one of the senators selected for the Earth delegation. Young Lieutenant John Williams was a junior officer, responsible for communications. As they approached the planet, their ship ran into a neutron storm and was damaged. The ship’s captain and all the senior officers were killed. Williams was left in command. For the young inexperienced lieutenant it was a terrifying responsibility: a damaged spaceship, full of important political Earth leaders. Just as he got the ship under control again he saw a Draconian vessel approaching. They expected to meet an unarmed civilian ship like their own; instead, the Draconian ship approaching was a fully armed battle cruiser. Williams could get no answer to his signals to the approaching ship. Convinced that the Draconians were about to attack, he blasted the battle cruiser with the retro-rockets of the unarmed Earth ship. The Draconians’ power source exploded, disintegrating the battle cruiser and killing outright the entire Draconian peace delegation. The Earth ship was thrown clear. The Draconian Empire instantly declared war on Earth. It was a full-scale war of inter-stellar ballistic missiles and lasted three days, killing over five hundred million Draconians and Earthmen.
‘I will not be responsible for starting a war,’ the President repeated. ‘We do not attack.’
‘Madam President,’ said the General, ‘the Draconians are taunting us. They arc even now using their Embassy here on Earth as a military base. Their First Secretary’s trick in phoning you then kidnapping our prisoner, and now this latest outrage—an all-out attack by their Embassy guards on our Security Headquarters—are acts of war! If you don’t act against them decisively you can and will be replaced. Your political opponents are clamouring for war.’
The President
Defeated, the Doctor got into the hover-car. Instantly the door slid shut. He was a prisoner again.
Security guards flung open the door of the cell and pushed the Doctor inside.
‘No more attempts to escape,’ one of them growled. ‘But I was kidnapped,’ protested the Doctor. The door was slammed in his face.
Jo sat up from the bunk where she’d been trying to sleep. ‘Doctor! What happened?’
Briefly he told her. ‘The Draconians believe we’re working for General Williams.’
‘Oh no,’ she groaned. Then she alerted. ‘Do you hear that sound?’ She put her fingers to her temples as the strange sound increased.
‘Is it the sound you heard on the spaceship?’
Jo nodded. Already it was affecting her mind. She fought to keep her thinking clear. ‘Where’s it coming from?’
Before the Doctor could answer they heard the firing of blaster guns in the corridor outside. Alarm bells clanged and the Security guards shouted, ‘Draconians! We’re being attacked! It’s war!’
The two prisoners listened helplessly, trying to understand what was happening. All at once the crackle of energy from blaster guns ceased. Someone outside was operating the mechanism that locked the cell door. It opened. Two enormous Ogrons stood in the doorway. They were pointing their guns at the Doctor and Jo.
6
Prison on the Moon
‘This is a military situation,’ General Williams was saying. ‘We should attack now!’
The President switched off her wall television screen. The news service had been showing pictures of the violent anti-Draconian riots. ‘No, General. I will not be responsible for starting a war.’
She was tired, exhausted by the constant pressure of her office. For a moment she closed her eyes. Her mind went back to how the previous war between Earth and Draconia began. After much bitterness as to the exact line of the agreed space frontier, Earth and Draconian delegations were to meet on a neutral planet. She was young then, acting as aide to one of the senators selected for the Earth delegation. Young Lieutenant John Williams was a junior officer, responsible for communications. As they approached the planet, their ship ran into a neutron storm and was damaged. The ship’s captain and all the senior officers were killed. Williams was left in command. For the young inexperienced lieutenant it was a terrifying responsibility: a damaged spaceship, full of important political Earth leaders. Just as he got the ship under control again he saw a Draconian vessel approaching. They expected to meet an unarmed civilian ship like their own; instead, the Draconian ship approaching was a fully armed battle cruiser. Williams could get no answer to his signals to the approaching ship. Convinced that the Draconians were about to attack, he blasted the battle cruiser with the retro-rockets of the unarmed Earth ship. The Draconians’ power source exploded, disintegrating the battle cruiser and killing outright the entire Draconian peace delegation. The Earth ship was thrown clear. The Draconian Empire instantly declared war on Earth. It was a full-scale war of inter-stellar ballistic missiles and lasted three days, killing over five hundred million Draconians and Earthmen.
‘I will not be responsible for starting a war,’ the President repeated. ‘We do not attack.’
‘Madam President,’ said the General, ‘the Draconians are taunting us. They arc even now using their Embassy here on Earth as a military base. Their First Secretary’s trick in phoning you then kidnapping our prisoner, and now this latest outrage—an all-out attack by their Embassy guards on our Security Headquarters—are acts of war! If you don’t act against them decisively you can and will be replaced. Your political opponents are clamouring for war.’
The President
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