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<blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 2547919" data-attributes="member: 6294">&quot;Venusian Christmas Carol&quot; - Part 1&quot;You're useless!&quot;The Targ Head Scientist spits the words with vituperative hatred.&nbsp; Dressed once more from head to toe in her encounter suit, she dominates the screen as she lashes out verbally, thrusting an accusing finger right into the camera. &quot;You're just a jumped up monkey, scrabbling in the dirt and playing with things your feeble mind cannot comprehend.&quot;&quot;Zat is not true -&quot; Gustav's voice protests weakly from off-screen, and the camera swivels to show that the Targ and the human face each other through a primitive set of bars made from Venusian bamboo. &quot;- I haf been called a genius by -&quot;&quot;By others of your pathetic species.&quot; The Targ sneers, &quot;Even a half-wit like you would seem a genius to them.&nbsp; You're too stupid even to realise that you are doomed.&nbsp; You are condemning everyone here to death with your foolish notions of fighting against the Targ Totality.&nbsp; All resistance will be crushed.&nbsp; You should surrender now and live a life of useful servitude to your betters.&nbsp; At least then you would have a purpose.&nbsp; Here you have none.&quot;&quot;I have a purpose!&quot;&quot;Really?&nbsp; What is it?&quot; the Head Scientist cocks her head to one side, &quot;Getting in the way while the others do the work?&nbsp; Or haven't you noticed that they don't even trust you to help them prepare for their ridiculous celebration?&quot;Right on cue, Fury strolls into shot with a large box marked Xmas Decorations in his arms.&quot;What's the matter, Doc?&quot; he asks cheerfully, &quot;One of your experiments blow up again?&quot;&quot;Ah, Captain.&quot; Gustav tries to wave the other man to a stop, &quot;Perhaps I can assist wiz ze decorations?&quot;&quot;Got it covered, Doc.&quot; Fury doesn't even slow down, &quot;No need for you to strain yourself.&quot;&nbsp; He disappears out of shot as a dejected looking Gustav turns to find the Targ Scientist regarding him with folded arms.&quot;See what I mean?&quot; she gloats.&quot;Captain Fury!&quot; S'Ondra's voice comes faintly from off-screen, &quot;We do not need any more mistletoe!&quot;&quot;Face it, monkey-man.&quot; The Targ Scientist sneers, &quot;Even your own companions think you're worthless.&nbsp; Who in their right mind would want anything to do with you?&quot;The camera leaps suddenly to the darkness of space.&nbsp; The red globe of Venus spins slowly in the bottom left corner of the screen.&nbsp; The space at the centre of the screen seems to shimmer for a moment, and suddenly a nearly spherical silver object appears.The camera swoops down toward the object until we can make out windows on its side.&nbsp; There's a slight jump in the footage as the shot clumsily cuts from the model to a set, and we peer through the windows into what is obviously an alien spaceship.A figure with blue-grey skin and close-cropped black hair sits with her back to us as we float inside the vessel.&nbsp; Her hands play across the crystalline surface in front of her, and strange patterns of light flicker in apparently random fashion.&quot;Another system overrun by the Targ.&quot; She sighs, turning slightly so that we catch a glimpse of small grey antennae jutting from her forehead. &quot;I must secure another specimen for the museum, before the people of this world are also destroyed.&quot;Studying the panel in front of her, the alien continues her plot-revealing exposition.&quot;The sensors detect an exceptional specimen on this planet.&nbsp; A mind more powerful than any I have seen before … though his thought patterns seem a little erratic.&quot; She frowns, then shrugs the issue aside. &quot;I must contact him with my brainwave communication.&quot;The alien presses her fingertips to her forehead, closes her eyes, and furrows her brow as if concentrating hard.&nbsp; The screen shimmers in a wibbly-wobbly special effect, then fades to black.&quot;Is somebody zere?&quot; Gustav walks into the shot, which is pitch dark except for himself.&nbsp; He looks around, as if unsure of where he is, then jumps violently as a disembodied blue head appears in the darkness.&quot;I am Larathra of the Sarathi.&quot; The alien woman introduces herself, &quot;And I am speaking to you through the power of my mind.&quot;&quot;Telepathy?&quot; The Doctor gasps, &quot;Zen ze capacity of your brain must be truly extraordinary.&quot;&quot;No more so than yours.&quot; Larathra demurs, &quot;Indeed, Doctor Gustav, it is the power of your own mind that has brought me to you.&quot;&quot;How do you know my name?&quot;&quot;A mind as powerful as yours is very hard to shut out.&quot; Larathra explains, &quot;Some of your thoughts slipped into my mind.&nbsp; I sense that you are distressed.&nbsp; Is it due to the Targ invasion of your planet?&quot;&quot;In a way.&quot; Gustav hedges.&quot;Then I have wonderful news.&quot; Larathra would clap her hands together in glee if she had a body in this scene. &quot;I offer you the chance to leave this place of pain and hatred and come with me to my museum.&quot;&quot;Your museum?&quot;Larathra nods,&quot;Many centuries ago, my people were conquered by the Targ.&nbsp; We were more advanced than they, but we were fewer in number and possessed few warships.&nbsp; Aggression was never our way.&nbsp; I alone escaped the destruction in my shielded vessel.&nbsp; Since then, I have searched the universe for other races under the assault of the Totality, and rescued one exceptional specimen from each, so that their race will never be totally destroyed.&quot;&quot;I do not feel very exceptional right now .&quot; The Doctor gloomily responds.&quot;Nonetheless, you are still the specimen I desire.&quot;Gustav considers this,&quot;So ven you say you would like me to come to your museum, you mean as an exhibit, not as a guest?&quot;&quot;I assure you, you will be an honoured guest.&quot; Larathra shakes her head, &quot;My goal is to conserve and honour a remnant of your species, not put you on display.&quot;&quot;But I would be stuck zere, yes?&quot;&quot;Well, yes.&quot;&quot;I cannot leave my friends.&quot; Gustav shakes his head, &quot;Zough I am not sure zey would notice I was gone.&quot;&quot;You seem depressed.&quot; Larathra observes, &quot;My experience is that certain activities increase the male sense of worth.&nbsp; Perhaps you should kill something or mate with a female?&quot;&quot;Zat would only make zings worse.&quot; Gustav gets a pained expression on his face as he thinks of the Targ head scientist.&quot;May I meet with you in person?&quot; Larathra asks, &quot;I believe I can show you that you are a superior specimen.&quot;&quot;If you insist.&quot; Gustav shrugs.&quot;Excellent.&nbsp; My sensors show some unoccupied tunnels to the west of your position.&nbsp; I will meet you there.&quot;&quot;One thing first!&quot; Gustav holds up a hand.&quot;Yes, Doctor?&quot;&quot;Vich way is west of here?&quot;&quot;To your left, Doctor.&quot;Larathra disappears, and the wibbly wobbly screen effect dumps Gustav back in the tunnel hear the Targ scientist's cell.&quot;- and you smell funny -&quot;Ignoring the Targ's ongoing diatribe, Gustav turns and walks away, eventually arriving in a tunnel where the walls are studded with silvery metallic growths.&nbsp; Larathra stands waiting for him, a strange white and orange object in her hands.&quot;This is the Reality Interface Decision Engine.&quot; She gestures with the object, &quot;It allows me to view alternate possibilities in the time stream.&quot;&quot;You mean some kind of alternate reality drive?&quot; Gustav gives a grim snort, &quot;I already have one of zose.&quot;&quot;Really?&quot; Larathra looks impressed, &quot;You are even more brilliant than I imagined.&quot;&quot;Not really.&quot; The Doctor demures, &quot;I did not realise what it did until after I had used it.&quot;&quot;Oh my.&quot; Larathra looks concerned, &quot;Is that why you are so distressed?&quot;Gustav half-shrugs, half-nods.&quot;It is ze place vere zings started to go wrong.&nbsp; When I created ze Q-Drive.&quot;&quot;Very well, then I shall use the RIDE to transport us to a reality where you never created your 'Q-Drive'.&quot; Larathra presses some buttons on her device, &quot;Perhaps seeing something of that reality will allow you to better understand your own abilities.&quot;As she speaks, the alien presses one last button.&nbsp; A high-pitched whine rises from the RIDE, which begins to vibrate in Larathra's hand.&nbsp; The whine echoes off the metallic objects in the tunnel walls, and they too begin to vibrate.&nbsp; Gustav claps his fingers over his ears as Larathra begins to look concerned.&nbsp; She lifts a hand to deactivate the RIDE -FIZZZ-ACK!- and the RIDE explodes with a flash and a shower of sparks.Everything goes white.....And then the camera fades up one Gustav's face.&nbsp; His features are relaxed, his eyes closed.The camera rises, and we see that the Doctor and Larathra are lying on a field of red and purple Venusian grass.&nbsp; The blackened RIDE lies near Larathra's outstretched hand.A cloud of smoke drifts over the two unconscious travellers, and the camera zooms upward, so that we can see the whole field.Dozens of bodies are sprawled on the cratered and muddy plain.&nbsp; Some are human, some are Venusian ... and all are dead.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Capellan, post: 2547919, member: 6294"] [b]"Venusian Christmas Carol" - Part 1[/b] "You're useless!" The Targ Head Scientist spits the words with vituperative hatred. Dressed once more from head to toe in her encounter suit, she dominates the screen as she lashes out verbally, thrusting an accusing finger right into the camera. "You're just a jumped up monkey, scrabbling in the dirt and playing with things your feeble mind cannot comprehend." "Zat is not true -" Gustav's voice protests weakly from off-screen, and the camera swivels to show that the Targ and the human face each other through a primitive set of bars made from Venusian bamboo. "- I haf been called a genius by -" "By others of your pathetic species." The Targ sneers, "Even a half-wit like you would seem a genius to them. You're too stupid even to realise that you are doomed. You are condemning everyone here to death with your foolish notions of fighting against the Targ Totality. All resistance will be crushed. You should surrender now and live a life of useful servitude to your betters. At least then you would have a purpose. Here you have none." "I have a purpose!" "Really? What is it?" the Head Scientist cocks her head to one side, "Getting in the way while the others do the work? Or haven't you noticed that they don't even trust you to help them prepare for their ridiculous celebration?" Right on cue, Fury strolls into shot with a large box marked [i]Xmas Decorations[/i] in his arms. "What's the matter, Doc?" he asks cheerfully, "One of your experiments blow up again?" "Ah, Captain." Gustav tries to wave the other man to a stop, "Perhaps I can assist wiz ze decorations?" "Got it covered, Doc." Fury doesn't even slow down, "No need for you to strain yourself." He disappears out of shot as a dejected looking Gustav turns to find the Targ Scientist regarding him with folded arms. "See what I mean?" she gloats. "Captain Fury!" S'Ondra's voice comes faintly from off-screen, "We do [i]not[/i] need any more mistletoe!" "Face it, monkey-man." The Targ Scientist sneers, "Even your own companions think you're worthless. Who in their right mind would want anything to do with you?" The camera leaps suddenly to the darkness of space. The red globe of Venus spins slowly in the bottom left corner of the screen. The space at the centre of the screen seems to shimmer for a moment, and suddenly a nearly spherical silver object appears. The camera swoops down toward the object until we can make out windows on its side. There's a slight jump in the footage as the shot clumsily cuts from the model to a set, and we peer through the windows into what is obviously an alien spaceship. A figure with blue-grey skin and close-cropped black hair sits with her back to us as we float inside the vessel. Her hands play across the crystalline surface in front of her, and strange patterns of light flicker in apparently random fashion. "Another system overrun by the Targ." She sighs, turning slightly so that we catch a glimpse of small grey antennae jutting from her forehead. "I must secure another specimen for the museum, before the people of this world are also destroyed." Studying the panel in front of her, the alien continues her plot-revealing exposition. "The sensors detect an exceptional specimen on this planet. A mind more powerful than any I have seen before … though his thought patterns seem a little erratic." She frowns, then shrugs the issue aside. "I must contact him with my brainwave communication." The alien presses her fingertips to her forehead, closes her eyes, and furrows her brow as if concentrating hard. The screen shimmers in a wibbly-wobbly special effect, then fades to black. "Is somebody zere?" Gustav walks into the shot, which is pitch dark except for himself. He looks around, as if unsure of where he is, then jumps violently as a disembodied blue head appears in the darkness. "I am Larathra of the Sarathi." The alien woman introduces herself, "And I am speaking to you through the power of my mind." "Telepathy?" The Doctor gasps, "Zen ze capacity of your brain must be truly extraordinary." "No more so than yours." Larathra demurs, "Indeed, Doctor Gustav, it is the power of your own mind that has brought me to you." "How do you know my name?" "A mind as powerful as yours is very hard to shut out." Larathra explains, "Some of your thoughts slipped into my mind. I sense that you are distressed. Is it due to the Targ invasion of your planet?" "In a way." Gustav hedges. "Then I have wonderful news." Larathra would clap her hands together in glee if she had a body in this scene. "I offer you the chance to leave this place of pain and hatred and come with me to my museum." "Your museum?" Larathra nods, "Many centuries ago, my people were conquered by the Targ. We were more advanced than they, but we were fewer in number and possessed few warships. Aggression was never our way. I alone escaped the destruction in my shielded vessel. Since then, I have searched the universe for other races under the assault of the Totality, and rescued one exceptional specimen from each, so that their race will never be totally destroyed." "I do not feel very exceptional right now ." The Doctor gloomily responds. "Nonetheless, you are still the specimen I desire." Gustav considers this, "So ven you say you would like me to come to your museum, you mean as an exhibit, not as a guest?" "I assure you, you will be an honoured guest." Larathra shakes her head, "My goal is to conserve and honour a remnant of your species, not put you on display." "But I would be stuck zere, yes?" "Well, yes." "I cannot leave my friends." Gustav shakes his head, "Zough I am not sure zey would notice I was gone." "You seem depressed." Larathra observes, "My experience is that certain activities increase the male sense of worth. Perhaps you should kill something or mate with a female?" "Zat would only make zings worse." Gustav gets a pained expression on his face as he thinks of the Targ head scientist. "May I meet with you in person?" Larathra asks, "I believe I can show you that you are a superior specimen." "If you insist." Gustav shrugs. "Excellent. My sensors show some unoccupied tunnels to the west of your position. I will meet you there." "One thing first!" Gustav holds up a hand. "Yes, Doctor?" "Vich way is west of here?" "To your left, Doctor." Larathra disappears, and the wibbly wobbly screen effect dumps Gustav back in the tunnel hear the Targ scientist's cell. "- and you smell funny -" Ignoring the Targ's ongoing diatribe, Gustav turns and walks away, eventually arriving in a tunnel where the walls are studded with silvery metallic growths. Larathra stands waiting for him, a strange white and orange object in her hands. "This is the Reality Interface Decision Engine." She gestures with the object, "It allows me to view alternate possibilities in the time stream." "You mean some kind of alternate reality drive?" Gustav gives a grim snort, "I already have one of zose." "Really?" Larathra looks impressed, "You are even more brilliant than I imagined." "Not really." The Doctor demures, "I did not realise what it did until after I had used it." "Oh my." Larathra looks concerned, "Is that why you are so distressed?" Gustav half-shrugs, half-nods. "It is ze place vere zings started to go wrong. When I created ze Q-Drive." "Very well, then I shall use the RIDE to transport us to a reality where you never created your 'Q-Drive'." Larathra presses some buttons on her device, "Perhaps seeing something of that reality will allow you to better understand your own abilities." As she speaks, the alien presses one last button. A high-pitched whine rises from the RIDE, which begins to vibrate in Larathra's hand. The whine echoes off the metallic objects in the tunnel walls, and they too begin to vibrate. Gustav claps his fingers over his ears as Larathra begins to look concerned. She lifts a hand to deactivate the RIDE - [i][b][size=5]FIZZZ-ACK![/size][/b][/i] - and the RIDE explodes with a flash and a shower of sparks. Everything goes white. . . . . And then the camera fades up one Gustav's face. His features are relaxed, his eyes closed. The camera rises, and we see that the Doctor and Larathra are lying on a field of red and purple Venusian grass. The blackened RIDE lies near Larathra's outstretched hand. A cloud of smoke drifts over the two unconscious travellers, and the camera zooms upward, so that we can see the whole field. Dozens of bodies are sprawled on the cratered and muddy plain. Some are human, some are Venusian ... and all are dead. [/QUOTE]

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