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universe. Mestor may have somewhat theatrically billed himself as 'The Magnificent', but it would have been more accurate if he had called himself 'The Merciless'.
    As the squadron made visual contact, the onboard computers automatically started to scan the freighter, transmitting the information back to Control on Earth for analysis.
     
    Everything seemed to be going well. All that Hugo had to do now was challenge the freighter and order it to return to Earth. If its captain refused, then he was allowed, under intergalactic law, to open fire and disable the ship. The freighter would then be towed back to Earth.
    At least, that was the theory.
    As the squadron took up its attack formation, Hugo's radio started to crackle with an urgent message from Intergalactic Control. It stated he was about to arrest a freighter that had been lost, believed destroyed, eight months earlier.
    Momentarily confused, Hugo peered out of his cockpit and read off the registration number emblazoned on the side of the ship's hull - XV 733. Confirmation was immediate - it was the lost freighter. Hugo smiled. Not only would he become a hero, but he would also pick up a fat salvage fee.
    As he calculated how he might spend his new-found wealth, an irregular pulsing broke in on his headphone. Quickly the noise settled down and become an intergalactic distress call. Remus's fiddling had worked, but, alas, too late. A moment later the freighter went into warp drive and disappeared down a crack in time. Unless Hugo acted quickly, his chance of promotion and wealth would follow a similar descending spiral to the bottom of nowhere.
    To become the sort of hero Hugo desired to be isn't a difficult thing. It doesn't require great intelligence or courage, wit or humour, or any of the other attributes prized so much by human beings. Hugo's sort of heroism, that is political heroism, simply requires two things: to be in the right place at the right time; and for the act to receive public approbation, backed, of course, by those holding social and political authority. Sometimes, especially if the act of heroism is particularly stupid, it helps if the perpetuator dies. True heroism, like saving someone from a burning space shuttle, requires enormous courage, presence of mind and compassion for your own species, especially if you don't know the person you're saving. True heroism cannot be overpraised. Political heroism is a shabby imitation of the real thing and is best left to those with shabby, mediocre ambitions.
    Hugo Lang, starfighter pilot, was not only politically motivated, but was also greedy for salvage money. He was also aware that if both fame and fortune were not to allude him, his next move had to be a bold one. It also had to be the right one.
    Rapidly, Hugo barked orders into his radio, then flicked an override switch on his control column. A moment later, followed by his squadron, he disappeared down the same hole in time the freighter had taken.
    Perhaps it was his lack of experience, or simply his desire for success, but no-one at Intergalactic Control could understand why the obvious had not occurred to Hugo - the XV class of freighter was incapable of warp drive.
    Azmael paced up and down the bridge of his ship annoyed with his own stupidity. It had been his intention to take the twins to a safe house on Titan Three where he would be able to fulfill his plan.
    Now he was being pursued by six starfighters, with little chance of escape. To engage them in battle would be suicide. Even though the heavy armaments of his craft could outgun most ships in the universe, a concentrated attack of six starfighters would prove too much for the freighter's defensive force shield.
    Angrily, Azmael slapped the console in front of him. It had taken him weeks to convince Mestor of the viability of his plan. Even if the freighter could destroy the fighters, Mestor wouldn't allow him to stay at the safe house.
    Rapidly, the Time Lord pressed a series of buttons on