Morrison almost doubled up in pain when the news of Invidious’ death reached him. Thanks to the cybernetic link this was almost instantaneous. He felt the last minute shock of betrayal and futility as the Emperor ordered his destruction; felt it twice, both in his master’s mind and his own. Misery overtook him and a sense of loss so profound he could barely understand it; why wasn’t he immune to such feelings? Again and again his mind drew him back to the image of the Emperor ordering his destruction.
“We’ll see who destroys whom!” he promised himself.
In the ruins of the mess hall an unprecedented conference was going on.
“We will never give into your demands!” snarled the Supreme Dalek from the screen. “The Dalek Empire does not negotiate with terrorists.”
“No, that’s right, because no one does terror better than you, eh?” countered Stillman. Behind him Oscar and Lemuel observed anxiously. “If you do not comply than we will blow this factory to pieces, you’re probably not unaware of the Dalekanium we have stashed at strategic places in this complex.”
“The Daleks will build a new factory,” said the Supreme Dalek. “Your threats are meaningless!”
“How can you build a new factory when the reactor core melts its way through the wall of this asteroid?” asked Stillman. The Dalek was silent. “Didn’t think of that one did you, Mr Master Race?”
“I will need to consult with the Dalek Emperor,” said the Supreme Dalek. “You will have our answer, presently!”
The screen went blank and Stillman turned to an expectant looking Oscar and Lemuel.
“You sure know how to play brinkmanship Simon,” said Lemuel.
“They are playing for time,” said Oscar. “I don’t like it!”
Before Stillman could answer a voice cut through the discussion: “And you still think you can negotiate with these creatures, Still-man!”
They all turned to see a man and a woman entering the main hall, the woman’s face lit up when she saw Stillman.
“Simon!”
Stillman was on his feet: “Jane watch out for Forrester he’s not what you think he is!”
She just had time to frame the word ‘what?’ when Forrester grabbed her from behind and held a rusty piece of sharp metal up to her neck.
“No sudden moves, Stillman! That goes for you two as well,” he said indicating Lemuel and Oscar.
“Captain?” said Lemuel.
“Not the Captain,” said Stillman. “He’s a Dalek replicant!”
“Oh Christ!” muttered Jane. She could feel the sharp cold point of the metal pressing against her skin.
“You have me quite wrong, Stillman,” said Forrester. “Things are never what they appear or even what they appear to be not.”
“Stop talking in riddles Forrester,” said Stillman. “Just tell us what you want?”
Still keeping the rusty piece of metal to Horowitz’ throat the Captain explained: “That is a good question. Well to start with I would like the detonating device for the Dalekanium.”
“And what makes you think we will give it to you?” asked Oscar. “This uprising is not just about Stillman you know. I don’t know who you are or who this woman is, so I see no reason why I should trust either of you with our only bargaining chip!”
“Because you have to,” said Forrester. “Otherwise we are all dead!”
Stillman was baffled: “Who are you Forrester? What are you?”
“I was like you once,” said the Captain. “Human, all too human. I was foolish enough to find myself on the wrong side of the law. Then those wonderful people at terran intelligence offered me an opportunity to redeem myself. Wish I’d told them to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine!”
Stillman’s mind tried to take in this new information but his attention was continually drawn back to Jane’s face. “Go on,” he said.
“Well, after what they euphemistically described as ‘gene therapy’, I was given my first mission, or at least I think it’s my first mission.”
“The Andromeda?”
“Was just a cover, no the real mission, was to seek and destroy the Daleks,” Forrester allowed himself a dark chuckle. “I’m a kind of biological weapon if you like- programmed to forget until the right moment arises!”
Lemuel looked at Stillman: “He might have a point there Simon,” he said. “I always thought it strange I was not allowed access to his genetic profile, it required a level 20 security clearance- only the Captain and the First Mate had access.”
“Yes, Morrison,” said Forrester. “He nearly put paid to the plan with his meddling. Fortunately the preconditioning I had before coming here protected me from going the way he did when they replicated me.”
Stillman’s head was spinning: “So the geological survey was all a sham?”
Forrester shook his head. “Not entirely, I’m sure there was some scientific merit in the data you helped to gather up. But no, the primary mission was always the Daleks: Seek and destroy. We knew they were out here somewhere, but we’d have no hope of finding them, better to let them find us.”
Oscar was still not convinced, Stillman was confused as well: “Why should we trust you?” he asked.
“Because, I have no reason to make it up,” said Forrester. “The detonator, now!”
Reluctantly Stillman found the silver globe that acted as the trigger for the Dalekanium. “I want Jane to be released first,” he insisted.
“Oh no,” said Forrester, keeping an iron grip on her arm. “Give it here Stillman, I must carry out my mission!”
“Whatever the cost eh?” Stillman said as he handed over the sphere. Horowitz was released and ran over to Stillman’s side of the room. He came towards her but she held up a hand to stop him.
“The course of true love never runs smooth!” chuckled Forrester. However his gloating was short lived as one of Oscar’s people came running into the room in a state of panic.
“The Daleks are here!”
The train pulled into a city at war with itself; through the cracks in the doors the terrified miners could see most of the buildings lit up by fires that burned all over the city. As soon as the train arrived Olsen ordered everybody out and they took shelter in the lee of the slave processing building. The windows were dark and empty looking; power seemed to have failed in this part of New Skaro Central. “The ship is on the other side of this building,” said Charley.
“Right we’ll have to go through this thing backwards,” said Olsen.
“Is that possible?” asked Orpheus.
“We’ll just have to find out won’t we!” whispered Olsen urgently as a Mark V screeched overhead. More weapons fire could be heard followed by a series of explosions. “Come on people, time to move!”
On the bridge of the Brigand ship Molloy watched developments in the Dalek City with increasing horror.
“Come on Hecotle! This is madness!”
“We wait!” snapped the Vanid.
“But we’re going to get killed any moment now!” exclaimed Molloy, looking at the view screen intently. “What the bloody hell is that?”
Outside the Vanid guards hoisted their weapons to readiness; several hundred metres away a surging flood of people was exiting the building nearest to the ship. At their head was a strange human female-child, whose eyes were glowing an intense cooper colour and whose hair flickered like a dark flame around her bony white face.
Morrison found the teleport pad much as the Dalek death squad had left it. On the way back he had run into enough close encounters with warring Daleks to know that the brooding conflict was finally coming to catharsis. He cursed himself for not having the courage to insist on coming with his master. The mission he had been sent on was a complete failure and totally irrelevant. The only thing keeping him going now was hatred and a determination to do for the Daleks what they wanted to do to him. He punched in the co-ordinates that he remembered Invidious had used and materialised in a darkened corridor somewhere else on the asteroid. The corridor was littered with dead Daleks, Mark III and Mark V, so in that respect it was little different from elsewhere in the city.
He heard a faint movement behind him: “Who are you?”
Maintaining the Mark V shape was even harder than the original Daleks: “I am here to report to the Emperor regarding the war with the Mark III!” He wasn’t sure if this was how a Dalek would say it. The genuine Mark V examined him carefully.
“The Emperor is boarding the flagship,” it said eventually. “You will follow me!”
Morrison was pleased with his luck and dutifully followed the real Dalek on its way. Nothing could have prepared him for the shock of what happened next, because they then entered an airlock and proceeded to cross an area of open vacuum. To his relief he was able to survive out there, whether by his assumed form or through some other means he wasn’t sure. Space in the raw was something else altogether, but he had little spare attention for the magnificent spiral of the Milky Way that spread itself in the distance. His attention was on the gunmetal grey ship that lurched towards them. So this was the Emperor’s flagship.
“The Andromeda!” he muttered to himself as he hovered towards his fate.

---