"No!" "No, no, no, I won't believe it." "You still continue to ignore the truth?" "I am not responsible for that!" "In your mind, perhaps not." "But in reality, it is somewhat different, Doctor." "Is Peri dead?" "No." "Then what was the point of showing that last sequence?" "Simply as further evidence of the Doctor's interference." "I thought it was somewhat gratuitous." "And highly prejudicial!" "You won't convict me by using shock tactics." "I require nothing so crude, my dear Doctor." "All that will prove necessary is the truth." "Then tell it." "My head!" "Feels as though it has been trampled on by the seven-legged charges of Corogem." "My legs." "Arms." "You are fortunate to live." "So the Mentors can experiment on us?" "Think of it as community service, Tuza." "You are a fool to let us live." "I would have killed you." "But then you are a barbarian." "Ha!" "And you're some angel of mercy, huh?" "Get up, all of you." "How did you know where we were?" "We've always known about the weapon dump." "Liar!" "You would've done something before now if you had." "Weapons are only as good as the training of the men who use them." "You're no warrior, Tuza." "But him?" "Now, he's just enough in love with death to inspire a rabble like yours into action." "And we were right." "Now move!" "The sea..." "The sea..." "Strong!" "Strong, too much..." "Too..." "String." "Sting." "Strike!" "Why is the Lord talking of such things?" "He hates seawater." "The body you used to transplant Kiv's brain, whose was it?" "Just a body." "Just a body?" "It's a bit casual, isn't it?" "It was some fisherman." "I had no other choice." "It's taken me weeks to find one remotely suitable." "I still think it might have been better if you'd waited." "There wasn't the time." "Hey, look at this." "The host cells are trying to influence Kiv's brain, attempting to alter and distort his memory." "Oh, a few must have escaped the laserisation." "You have blundered!" "You have reduced the greatest business brain in this part of the galaxy to a catcher of sea snakes." "Perhaps the trauma of the donor's death lingers and is infecting Kiv's brain." "I must try and rectify it." "Increase the severing drip to 04 microcentiles." "Lord Kiv must not only be present at the meeting with our partner from Possicar, but also able to make sane decisions!" "If he is not, you will all suffer!" "He'll be there." "Though whose body he'll inhabit isn't as yet certain." "We must transfer Kiv's brain to someone else without delay." "My head aches." "Be grateful you've still got it." "Not you." "Why do they want Tuza?" "Execution one at a time." "That's how it will be." "Oh." "Oh, it's strange." "Ever since we came to Thoros Beta, I've been homesick." "Not so much for a place, but a time." "I just want to be back in my own time with people I love." "Well, what is that?" "Love?" "Well, it..." "It's when you care for someone or something more than yourself, I guess." "More than yourself?" "Well, I know it sounds crazy, but..." "Sometimes more than life." "I care nothing for mine." "How can you say that, Yrcanos?" "Well, on my planet of Krontep, when we die, our spirit is returned to life, to be born in a more noble warrior." "Until what?" "Where do you end after all your brave deaths?" "You become a king!" "Me, after my next death, I join the other kings on Verduna, the home of the gods!" "To do what?" "Why, to fight!" "What else?" "Well, that figures." "Hmm." "These Alphan brains are all wrong for Kiv." "Shall I have him implanted and sent to the work centre?" "Yes, yes, take him to the induction centre." "What a pity both you and the Alphan are unsuitable." "Hmm?" "Hmm?" "Oh!" "Yes, yes, yes." "Most disappointing." "Unlike Sil, I would willingly have given up my body." "What about your companion, Doctor?" "Oh, Peri?" "Ah, quite unsuitable." "Female." "Oh, silly, flibbity-jibbity, hopeless!" "Why not examine her?" "I think I'll do that." "Yet, Doctor, you seem uneasy." "Well, I'd prefer it if you used somebody else." "Mmm-hmm, you have strong feelings for the woman." "Well, certainly enough not to want to see her experimented upon." "I understand, I am not without pity." "Go to the induction centre, you know precisely the problem I have here, Doctor." "If you can find a candidate more suitable, I shall use them." "But, Doctor, hurry, you haven't much time." "Die well, my lady." "Where is everyone?" "There is only one subject here, in the implantation cubicle." "May I examine him?" "I have Crozier's permission." "Oh, if you must, but try not to disturb me." "I shall be as quiet as the silence that is in the starry skies." "Only quieter still." "Yrcanos." "Help me." "You know him?" "What?" "Yes." "Who are you?" "Colleague of Crozier's." "A friend." "She is a most promising candidate." "I must arrange for antigen tests." "Well, that's a blood test." "Well, I am not marrying anyone." "Ah!" "Spirit, strength." "That is good." "I must try to retain that if at all possible." "I shall return." "What are you doing?" "He has Crozier's permission." "My apologies, sir." "I didn't realise you were in attendance." "Oh, take no notice of me, few people do." "I'd quite like a word with that captured king." "Yrcanos?" "Hmm, that's him." "I'm sure Crozier wouldn't mind." "Oh, take him." "But be careful, he has a very loud voice, plays havoc with the audio system." "Thanks for the warning." "I was hoping we'd seen the last of him." "He's such a noisy fellow." "Stop that!" "You are a warrior, not a wolf." "Cronixer!" "How do you do?" "Screedner!" "Now, where would a well brought-up king learn a word like that?" "Hmm?" "Open the door, would you?" "You must be out of your mind." "He'll kill you." "I don't think so." "Cover me." "Gronwitcha!" "That's quite enough of that." "I'm here to help you." "You, in." "Your majesty." "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name the last time we met." "Dor..." "Dor..." "Never mind, you can tell me later." "His name is Dorf and you are scum!" "No." "Actually, I am known as the Doctor, and there is no need for you to thank me for helping you to escape." "Come along." "You are unwell, Magnificence." "You shouldn't have left the shelter of Crozier's laboratory." "He's given me drugs to stabilise my condition and keep me alert." "Can you smell fish?" "I have the deepest respect for Crozier's skill but, Magnificence..." "But nothing, Sil!" "I must attend this meeting, otherwise we could all finish up poor." "Now, what is more important, my well-being or your wealth?" "A trick question, Magnificence." "But if you feel fit enough to cope, who am I to contradict?" "Ah, welcome!" "Excellency, welcome!" "Please, please, rest yourself." "Ah!" "There." "I must know!" "What?" "I will not take another step until I am told the truth." "What?" "Why did you release us?" "I should have thought that was obvious." "I need your help to defeat the Mentors." "That I understand, but you are my sworn enemy." "I have vowed to kill you." "Yes, we can deal with all that later." "At the moment, we need each other." "He has a point." "He has..." "Everyone has a point nowadays." "I am a man of action, not reason." "Don't worry, you'll see plenty of action." "Then lead on." "Oh, but first, I must find my bride-to-be." "Haven't got time for you to go courting." "I am talking of the Earth woman, Perpugilliam of the Brown." "Well, we'll find Perpugilliam of the Brown on the way." "Guards!" "Quickly, get this door open." "Yrcanos has escaped!" "So I am fit and healthy, huh?" "Perfectly." "Hey!" "What do you want..." "In fact, you are so perfect," "I think I can serve Lord Kiv my finest experiment yet." "Hah!" "There's Tuza, and there's a guard!" "Hold on!" "We'll do this my way." "I'm not having you causing a bloodbath." "You think like a warrior but you do not act like one." "It is most perplexing." "You stay here and watch out for guards." "Stay!" "Your majesty!" "Ah, Doctor, I see that you found your renegade king." "Certainly the quietest I have ever seen him." "It is my intention to shut him up for good." "Oh, how splendid." "I thought I'd try one of those brain implant things." "Oh, for one wish fulfilling moment, I thought you were going to kill him." "I presume you have Crozier's permission to carry out the experiment?" "Oh, absolutely." "I have carte blanche as far as young Crozier is concerned." "I shall, of course, have to get confirmation of your carte blanche from Crozier." "Be still, old one, unless you wish your wizen life terminated." "Oh!" "Thank you." "For your life?" "It was nothing." "No, for not shouting!" "Come on now." "Come on!" "My friend, we both live to drench the land with the blood of our enemies." "Must you say such nauseating things?" "Be silent, wizen one, otherwise you'll be the first to die." "You'll be all right." "The implant hasn't taken." "What is that implant for?" "It's one of Crozier's newest developments." "We've been having problems with some of the Alphan slaves." "The implant helps to impede any fractious or rebellious thoughts." "It's very effective, Doctor." "Where's the control centre?" "Oh, I..." "I wouldn't know that." "Come now, wizen one." "I know where it is." "Right!" "Let's go." "What, to release slaves?" "I'd envisioned a more noble cause for which to fight." "Well, think of the chaos if we remove their mind control." "And you'd have a very willing army to fight the Mentors." "He's right, you know." "Be silent!" "I am King Yrcanos of the Krontep," "I'm quite capable of making my own decisions!" "Then please hurry!" "Varoonik!" "We'll release the slaves, and then on to death!" "Varoonik!" "I'm sorry about the noise, he does so enjoy his work." "Just go, just go!" "Shave her head." "I've decided to attempt direct transference." "This way!" "Carry on, Doctor." "I somehow knew you'd finish up here." "Have you seen Peri?" "I believe she is with Crozier." "Just as I feared." "I think Mentor Sil would like a word with you both." "Have you met Sil?" "No." "The last person you want to have officiating at your execution." "Oh, he won't have us put to death." "We'll join Peri as material for experimentation." "Come on, move!" "Dorf is dead." "I'm sorry." "No!" "He died fighting." "It was an honourable way." "I'm also sorry about your friend, but we must destroy the slave control." "Lead me to it." "I demand the privilege of initiating the demise of the Mentors." "Yes, of course, I take your point, Excellency, but you must understand our position..." "The Doctor is on the rampage with the barbarian king, Yrcanos!" "Is that reason to interrupt an important conference?" "He is very dangerous." "They could cause a great deal of damage." "That is nothing to what you are doing to my negotiations." "If I am not careful, I could lose an important fish concession." "But you hate fish, Magnificence." "Do I?" "All is ready." "We must wait for Kiv to complete his meeting." "This time you will be successful." "This time could be my last time for anything." "What's happening?" "From an ancient sin, Yrcanos, a great warlord." "And Yrcanos, the even greater liberator!" "He's certainly a man of little modesty." "Yrcanos?" "Eh?" "It's time we found Peri." "Of course!" "I need my queen to grace my moment of triumph." "Varoonik!" "What is all this confusion?" "Get out of the way!" "The Lord Kiv is unwell." "Out of the way!" "Prepare him at once." "What do you want?" "Anarchy has broken out." "The servants have gone mad." "And good riddance, I say." "All they do is eat you out of house and home." "I remember now!" "Whatever made you take me out of time when you did?" "I remember it all." "I was on my way to save Peri." "Things have gone too far." "You had released chaos, and allowed your companion to take part in an experiment that would affect all future life in the universe." "I did try to stop it!" "But you could not succeed." "It was too late." "And therefore necessary, by the direct order of the High Council, to prevent the consequence of Crozier's experiment." "Watch, Doctor." "Watch and listen carefully." "A perfect transfer." "I have altered the basis of all future life." "Kiv's brain is inside the head of that repulsive Earth being?" "No!" "This is what I wanted to achieve from the very beginning." "I have transferred only the contents of his mind into the brain of the woman." "And what of the Earth woman's mind?" "Gone!" "Mentally, she no longer exists!" "And you can transfer any mind into any body?" "When the Earth woman's brain ages, I can transfer the mental energy and consciousness of Lord Kiv into yet another body." "He need never die!" "Good, only two guards." "The gods are with us." "What do we do?" "Two guards, two of us." "We fight like warriors." "And what does that mean?" "Frontal attack!" "Now!" "They're caught in a time bubble." "Everything must be perfect before they drive home their final attack." "You're using Yrcanos as an assassin." "It was judged by the High Council as the most acceptable way, and Yrcanos will never know that he was used." "And so they took it upon themselves to act like second-rate gods?" "Warm." "Not cold." "My body is warm." "Oh, wonderful." "Legs..." "Toes..." "Toes wiggling." "Trunk." "Neck, strong." "Head, free of pain." "Eyesight." "Colours." "Warm blood inside." "Oh, I like this!" "Now I am she." "Alive, within this oh-so-wonderful, wonderful frame." "Not that cold-blooded reptile thing." "It must, must die!" "It already has." "Welcome to your new body." "I wish you could have found a more attractive one." "Ragnaar!" "Protect me!" "I am your lord and master." "No!" "No!" "You killed Peri?" "We had to act." "With the discovery that Crozier had made, the whole course of natural evolution throughout the universe would be affected." "But Peri died, Doctor, because you abandoned her." "We had to end her life because your negligence had made it impossible for her to live." "Lies!" "There's something else going on here." "The High Council has no right to order Peri's or anyone else's death." "Please, Doctor." "No." "I was taken out of time for another reason." "And I have every intention of finding out what it is."