'Secrets of the Stars' (Part 2) by Gareth Roberts

As Trueman continues his broadcast to the people of the world, every star in the universe moves into conjunction – the cosmos is shifting into alignment, fulfilling a destiny that the Ancient Lights have waited thirteen million years to achieve. In the Chandra household, Haresh looks on helplessly as his wife Gita becomes one of the first to succumb to the power that Trueman is channelling via their television set. In a trance, Gita walks out into the street, where she is joined by several other possessed people, all fellow Gemini’s, each leaving their loved ones to become Trueman’s inner circle at the ‘New Theatre’. Meanwhile, in her attic, Sarah manages to calm down Clyde by appealing to the part of his mind that is still her friend, and she convinces him to allow Rani to go free. At that moment, Mr Smith reboots and displays the transmission from the theatre, just as Trueman calls out to the next star sign on his zodiac: Cancer; one by one the people of the world are falling under the astrologer’s terrible spell… In an attempt to get through to Clyde, Sarah tries goading him into killing her; as Clyde struggles with the power controlling him Luke touches his friend’s shoulder: the effect is immediate, and Clyde is somehow returned to normal. Mr Smith shows news reports from across the world, all confirming the mass walkout of members of the population. At the theatre, Trueman calls out to all the Leos… Believing that it was her strategy that saved Clyde, Sarah decides to use the approach to stop Trueman; Rani suggests that they end the astrologer’s transmission by cutting off the theatre’s electricity supply. Trueman’s first wave of victims arrive at the theatre: while the Cancers form a protective circle around the building, Gita and the rest of the Gemini ‘inner circle’ head inside, where they join Trueman on stage just as he calls out to the Libras and the Scorpios, instructing them to accept the power of the Ancient Lights. Sarah and her friends arrive on the scene just as the Sagittarians become the astrologer’s next victims. Pretending to still be under Trueman’s control, Clyde pulls off a ‘sweet talking’ bluff that gets him, Sarah, Luke and Rani inside the building; however, Trueman detects the presence of the intruders, and despatches his assistant Cheryl to find them. While Luke and Rani set off to find the emergency mains switch, Sarah and Clyde are captured by Cheryl and taken to Trueman. Gloating in triumph, the astrologer forces his prisoners to kneel before him so that they can witness his apotheosis first hand. Sarah tries to reason with Trueman but the man is too far gone, believing that he is the most important person in all of creation, and about to become the very centre of the universe – the Ancient Lights will take him out into space, where he will use their power to take over every living creature in existence. As Trueman summons all the Pisces, the stellar conjunction begins: a massive energy beam stabs down from space and converges on the theatre, channelling straight into Trueman. Rani and Luke locate the power box high up in the studio’s lighting gallery; but as Rani tries to pull the lever she discovers that a power shield prevents her from activating it; at that moment Trueman calls out to the penultimate star sign, Ares – and Rani finally falls under the astrologer’s influence. In desperation Luke reaches for the power switch… and finds that he can touch it! Luke cuts the building’s electricity, ending Trueman’s transmission – but the astrologer is unfazed: he is now radiating with the awesome power of the Ancient Lights. Trueman turns to Sarah and announces that there is only one zodiac sign left to take over: Taurus, Sarah’s own star sign… Joining Sarah and Clyde on stage, Luke realises that because he was never born, he is immune to the influence of the Ancient Lights; he immediately grabs the hands of two of the inner circle, short-circuiting their link and breaking the connection to Trueman. As his victims are restored to normal, Trueman collapses to his knees, the power within him waning as the stellar conjunction moves out of alignment. Sarah appeals to the astrologer to give up the power of the Ancient Lights, but Trueman refuses to go back to being a nobody – and as Sarah and the others look on, Trueman’s body atomises, the energy within blasting up into the sky and out into space… Some time later, as world’s press report the urgent initiation of an investigation into Trueman’s ‘publicity stunt’, Rani returns home to find her parents back to normal and looking forward to their tea. In Sarah’s attic, Clyde’s smugness at his “single-handed” saving of the world is swept away by the realisation that Trueman took his mobile phone. Luke is also cheerful, having realised that his being different saved the world; Sarah agrees that they should celebrate his individuality, making this his special day every year…

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Thomas Knight (Luke), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer), Anjli Mohindra (Rani Chandra), Ace Bhatti (Haresh Chandra), Mina Anwar (Gita Chandra), Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith [Voice]), Russ Abbot (Martin Trueman), Carryl Thomas (Cheryl Farley), Joanna Bending (Linda), Nicholas Osmond (George), Sagar Arya (British Newsreader), Anthony Debareck (French Newsreader), Lachele Carl (Trinity Wells [American Newsreader]), Ed Hughes (Stuart Farley)

Directed by Michael Kerrigan
Produced by Matthew Bouch
Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner
A BBC Wales production

TX (CBBC):
27th October 2008 @ 5.15pm
3rd November 2008 @ 4.35pm on BBC 1

Notes:
*Featuring Sarah Jane Smith, Luke, Clyde, Rani and Mr Smith