'Short Trips': 'Dalek Empire' edited by Nicholas Briggs

Everybody remembers Doctor Who's most terrifying monsters, the metallic, murderous Daleks!

Here they are again in a collection of ripping yarns that draw upon the events and themes of Big Finish's acclaimed series Dalek Empire.

But never fear, no prior knowledge is necessary. The good Doctor in his many incarnations is on hand to guide us through the terrible events before, after and during the Daleks' ruthless onslaught.

Featuring stories by Nicholas Briggs, Justin Richards, Joseph Lidster, Simon Guria and more

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'Kalendorf' by Nicholas Briggs

Some time after the human-Velyshaan war has ended, Kalendorf, Knight of Velyshaa, is sent to Vega VI to attend an important meeting that will forge an alliance between both races. However, things do not go as planned: Kalendorf’s contact, Alby Brooks fails to arrive, and then Vega City is destroyed as a military space craft crashes onto the planet surface, shot down by an approaching Dalek fleet. As Kalendorf pulls himself from the wreckage and runs for his life, the Daleks begin bombarding the city and its citizens; in the ensuing bloodbath, Kalendorf is saved by a young woman named Susan Mendez – a woman destined to play an important part in his life…

Notes:
*Featuring Kalendorf and Susan Mendez

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'Natalie's Diary' (4 Parts) by Joseph Lidster

When a woman named Holly decides to working on a degree on Dalek history, her professor sends her a series of extracts from the diary of Natalie Fulton, one of the few survivors of the Daleks’ invasion of Manikis. Holly learns that Natalie’s evening in the pub with her friends was cut short when news came in that the city was under attack by a Daleks fleet. In the ensuing chaos, Natalie, Ted and Shona encountered a man called the Doctor, and his two friends, Ace and Hex. The Doctor was apparently killed while distracting a Dalek so that the others could escape; meanwhile, pursued by Daleks and Robomen – human zombies under Dalek control – Natalie and her friends escaped into the city’s underground tunnels. Shona was soon killed by her Robotised father, but the others managed to escape detection, and eventually reached the surface. After Ace decided to go back for the Doctor, Hex, Natalie and Ted arrived at a small farmhouse, where they were captured by the owner, a lady named Theresa who was working for the Daleks under duress. Refusing to give up, Hex encouraged Shona to help overpower their captor, and having freed the others, they made their escape. They eventually found refuge in a remote village, which had so far evaded Dalek rule. Here Hex received word that his friends were still alive: Ace had been busy organising a resistance movement, while the Daleks had begun dying from a virus engineered by the Doctor. With their hope renewed, Natalie and Hex joined the villagers in defending their homes from the approaching wave of Daleks… Back in the present, Holly is shocked to learn that the Daleks have now ppeared in the skies of her own world. However, thanks to Natalie’s diary, Holly knows exactly what to do to stay alive, and so she and her boyfriend flee the besieged city…

Notes:
*Featuring The Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex

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'Alby' by Sharon Gosling

Agent Alby Brooks is sent to kill his former lover, Susan Mendez, who is now working for the Daleks. Angry that his duty conflicts with his feelings for Suz, Alby leaps at the chance to engage a lone Dalek in battle with his new space fighter; however, both receive heavy damage in the conflict, and are forced to crash land on a small moon. After bailing out before the crash, Alby manages to locate the wreckage of his ship, only to find the damaged Dalek lying nearby, its weapons now useless. While working on repairs to his ship’s radio, Abby holds in a philosophical discussion with the Dalek, discussing the concept of hope, and learning that Suz is now known as ‘The Angel of Mercy’. Having finally contacted his superiors for help, Abby sits back to await rescue, aware that the Dalek’s fellows are not far away…

Notes:
*Featuring Alby Brooks

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'Private Investigations' by Ian Farrington

Hoping to get funding for his research on the planetoid SK-12, formerly the planet Malite, Doctor Colem Litchem of the Landaluze Corporation presents a lecture at a respected university. Using incomplete records from his ancestors’ history, Colem describes the involvement of a man known as ‘The Doctor’, who appeared one day with grave warnings of an imminent attack by the Daleks. Malite’s Premier Mercado initially seemed to take heed of the Doctor, but when the Daleks began their attack, he then accused him of being a traitor in league with their attackers. Colem notes that references to the Doctor have been found in records from many other worlds, along with talk of a resistance leader named ‘Ace’; furthermore, Colem’s research shows that it was Mercado who betrayed his world to the Daleks; when Mercado fled to the moon of Haiduk, the Doctor and Ace gave chase and managed to thwart his plans – although the planet below was still devastated by the Dalek assault…

Notes:
*The narrative refers to the Seventh Doctor and Ace; it's likely that this ties in with the events described in 'Natalie's Diary' (which also features Hex), so I'm placing this story just after that

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'Suz' by Sharon Gosling

Now a prisoner of the Daleks, Suz reflects on how her defiance in the face of the Dalek Supreme’s threats led her to become ‘The Angel of Mercy’. Seeing her refusal to give up hope, the Dalek Supreme saw a way to improve the efficiency of its human workforce, by allowing Suz to visit each world under Dalek control and letting her suggest ways of boosting the slaves’ morale. Suz initially believed this to be an opportunity to make the captives stronger, until she saw the contempt for her actions in her associate Kalendorf’s eyes; together the two of them then formulated a plan: to use Kalendorf’s telepathy to sow the seeds of dissent amongst the Dalek’s prisoners…

Notes:
*Featuring Susan Mendez

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'The Best Joke I Ever Told' by Simon Guerrier

Having finished his latest television show, comedian Zeet Frenzy meets two strangers in his dressing room, who introduce themselves as the Doctor and Mel. To Zeet’s surprise they condemn his highly-popular show, complaining that his use of jokes concerning Daleks is in bad taste. Zeet defends his comedy routines, explaining that he uses his show to inform the audience on current events while giving them what they want. In an effort to change Zeet’s mind, the Doctor and Mel transport him to the moon of Guria in their space ship, disguised as a blue box, to the remains of Lunar-city Carvoni, which has been devastated by a Dalek attack. On arrival the trio are detected by Daleks, but to Zeet’s surprise, they recognise him and decide to take him and the others prisoner rather than exterminate them. While Mel is taken for interrogation, the Doctor manages to free Zeet and himself, and thwarts the Daleks’ invasion plans by giving Zeet the opportunity to blow up the evil creatures’ base. In the process Zeet panics and flees in an escape capsule; however, when he is rescued by the solar system ship Cavalry, he is astonished to find himself hailed as a hero. Returning home, Zeet realises that his two Dalek props, Org and Borg, are in fact real Daleks, who are using their comedy sketches to trick the audience into believing that the ruthless creatures are no real threat. The Doctor reappears in Zeet’s dressing room, and reassures him that Mel is alive and safe; after he has left in his ship, Zeet sees a way to dispose of the two Daleks and boost his ratings at the same time: by giving his audience an on screen death scene they will never forget…

Notes:
*Featuring the Sixth Doctor and Mel

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'Hide and Seek' by Ian Farrington

Space Fleet pilot Timmins is assigned to assist Captain Tillyard on a mission to rescue a group of refugees from a Dalek attack. The ship soon arrives at the collection zone and the survivors are brought on board, but the evacuation is jeopardised when thousands of Daleks arrive and immediately open fire. With the help of two strangers, a man called the Doctor and his young companion, Jo, Timmins manages to get the ship and everyone aboard clear; having evaded the Daleks, the captain then gives the order to head for the planet Credence, where she plans to lay low; the pilot is concerned that they will not have enough fuel, but the Doctor helps out by improving the performance of the ship’s engines. Some time later, Timmins overhears Tillyard contacting the Daleks on the ship’s radio, informing them of her vessel’s imminent arrival on the occupied world of Credence. Realising that the captain has betrayed them to the enemy, Timmins warns the Doctor, and together they confront her over her duplicity; however, the captain defends her actions, and firmly believes the propaganda that says they will be safer under Dalek rule than they would be running from capture. When the ship lands on Credence, Tillyard leaves the vessel and attempts to talk to the Daleks waiting for them – only to be ruthlessly gunned down by the evil creatures. Bundling everyone back into the ship, the Doctor orders Timmins to make an immediate lift off; using the last of the ship’s fuel, they escape into space and encounter several other ships from the fleet on approach to the planet. Leaving Timmins to warn his fellows of the Dalek threat below, the Doctor and Jo make a discreet exit…

Notes:
*Featuring the Third Doctor and Jo

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'The Eighth Wonder of the World' by Simon Guerrier

Visiting Charles Newton at the archaeological excavation site of the funerary temple of King Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Doctor and Evelyn are astonished to find a depiction of a Dalek on a section of millennia-old artwork. Concerned and intrigued, they travel back to Halicarnassus in 223 BCE, to look through the city’s library for any mention of the evil creature; having found a reference to a cursed tomb containing a sarcophagus that guards its master, the time travellers journey to the Valley of Kings, where they find an ancient frieze depicting the Dalek – and the Doctor’s First Incarnation. It seems that during the Doctor’s encounter with the Daleks at the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, when he was being pursued for his theft of their precious Taranium Core, one of his pursuers was left behind by its comrades; the Dalek was subsequently found by a slave named Aku, who used the creature’s power to become king. When King Aku eventually died, he ordered that the Dalek be buried with him in his tomb; conserving its last reserves of energy, the creature stayed in the tomb for hundreds of years, but continual disturbances by grave robbers led it to seek sanctuary elsewhere. Following a hunch, the Doctor and Evelyn visit the Collosos of Rhodes, where the Doctor creates a beam of light to summon the Dalek; the creature soon takes the bait, but on recognising the Doctor, it immediately attempts to kill him. The destructive beam from the Dalek’s weapon causes the Collosos statue to fall down around them, and the Doctor only just manages to escape as the Dalek is crushed beneath tons of collapsing masonry.

Notes:
*Featuring the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn

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'Mutually Assured Survival' by Justin Richards

Following the death of her lover in a Dalek attack, Sasha Vredenburg volunteers to join Galactic Union Security. She is sent on a mission to the frontier world of Astronomar, to collect essential information concerning the attack plan of an imminently-approaching Dalek invasion fleet. Sasha manages to survive for two years, sending back regular intelligence reports that prove vital to the war effort; but when she is finally rescued by a covert operative, instead of returning home, Sasha is taken to a top secret base in orbit around the planet Minikis. Here she is astonished to find a captured Dalek saucer, together with many other items seized from their enemies such as high-level technology, Robomen, Ogrons – and several Dalek prisoners. Sasha’s boss, Georgi Selestru reveals that the Daleks have devised a means to convert Minikis’ sun into a neutron star, an act that will result in the death of millions; however, hope for the inhabitants lies with Sasha, as the base also contains several humans that have been converted into Daleks – one of whom is Leon, Sasha’s lost lover. Although Sasha’s attempts to reason with Leon and the other human-Daleks prove fruitless, the Dalek prisoners are more conducive, agreeing to help locate the source of the beam destroying the sun in order to save themselves. When the beam is found to emanate from the Dalek saucer, Sasha realises that the human-Daleks are attempting to commit suicide, regardless of the cost to those around them. The Daleks and human-Daleks are allowed to board the saucer, but after the beam is deactivated, the Daleks promptly fulfil a secret deal by exterminating the tormented hybrids. Realising that the Daleks are now free to take the saucer, Sasha sends the ship falling into Minikis’ atmosphere, sacrificing her own life to destroy her enemies.

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'Museum Peace' by James Swallow

An elderly Kalendorf visits a museum exhibition displaying trophies of his world’s victory in the Dalek War. Believing that children should be made aware of the losses suffered during this terrible time in their world’s history, Kalendorf is disheartened to hear a schoolteacher downplaying the horrors of the wars to her class. Walking amongst the exhibits, Kalendorf soon encounters a mysterious man; using his telepathy, he is surprised to learn that the stranger is the Doctor, the man he fought the Daleks alongside many years ago on the planet Spiridon. However, both men are unaware that one of the Daleks on display is far from dead – over the years the evil creature has been recharging itself, surreptitiously carrying out repairs to its casing so that it can kill a visitor it has recognised: Kalendorf. However, the arrival of the Doctor surprises the creature, confusing it over which of its notorious enemies it should expend its final reserves; with its vision fading, the Dalek opens fire – only to kill a small child instead. Kalendorf reacts immediately and guns down the Dalek, then, saddened that the boy has become a new casualty in an old war, he carries the child’s corpse outside to his schoolteacher. Meanwhile, the Doctor quietly slips away, never to know peace from his greatest enemies…

Notes:
*Featuring the Eighth Doctor and Kalendorf

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Publication Date:
December 2006


Notes:
*Published by Big Finish