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screen, and it soon appeared as a definite shape. Using a scanner, they were finally able to discover what exactly they were dealing with.
    ‘A TARDIS,’ declared Kendron, as Tekker’s mind worked overtime. ‘I wonder,’ he mused. ‘Could this be the Doctor’s return?’
    The Borad, also observing proceedings, was delighted to see the emerging TARDIS, which now materialised inside the Inner Sanctum chamber. He too relished the Time Lord’s return, but for other selfish reasons.
     
    4

Return of the Time Lord
    Sezon lurched forward, reaching automatically for his blaster. Startled, he turned to see his comrade still fast asleep. Cursing the fact that he too had fallen asleep, the self-made combat soldier stirred the glowing embers of the camp fire. The five hour Karfelon night had passed, and the twin suns of the planet were out in all their wickedly hot glory.
    ‘Sezon,’ came a quiet voice from within the cavern.
    Sezon instantly recognised the half-sleepy tones of Katz who stretched and yawned. The two met by the mouth of the cave for their usual first-light meeting.
    ‘Damn it, Katz, I fell asleep on watch.’ Katz half smiled, forgiving the broad-shouldered warrior, but knowing how serious the consequences could have been if guardoliers had paid them a visit unannounced.
    ‘You’re just too tired,’ said Katz, ‘we all are. The life we lead is tearing us apart. We’re just not trained for this type of existence.’ This did little to soothe Sezon’s feelings in the matter and he trudged around the cave, displeased.
    ‘If it were one of the others, I’d have had their hides!’ he growled, wishing there was someone else to have his.
    Katz built up the fire to cook some breakfast. There was never a lot to eat, a few currants, danjek berries, roasted nuts and hot fruit juice. Much the same as the other two meals of the day. Sticking to military storage targets, the regiment hardly ever got close to raiding food supplies, and all that remained was the sparse vegetation of the planet’s steamy surface.
    Katz and Sezon were once respected scientists of the Central Citadel, some six solar orbits back. They remembered suffering the rule of the Borad for a similar time until things became too unbearable to continue. Yet the Karfelon was basically a peace-loving being, and it went against the grain to take up arms and fight; the very reason why the majority simply knuckled under the dictator’s degrading rule.
    At the same time Katz and Sezon decided to rebel, diplomatic relations were severed with their neighbouring planet Bandril. The Borad had broken the Treaty of Co-operation set up a long time back by the historically famous Doctor. The agreement outlined a trade treaty whereby Karfel made regualar exports to Bandril of grain, which was grown and packed in special climate-adjusted domes near the Central Citadel. It was food vital to a planet without the power or expertise to do the same for itself. In fact Bandrils’ rising population depended on the food supply, and their leaders were very concerned at the break in diplomacy. But until now the Borad still allowed grain to be exported, though the price had quadrupled. Katz realised the time had come for the power crazy ruler’s own ends to be satisfied. Much of the payment was in solar power cells, and the Borad had collected enough.
    Things gradually deteriorated to a critical level. As trade was halted completely, the Bandrils threatened an all-out attack. Even at this moment a battle fleet was being prepared to enter Karfel’s stratosphere. It seemed unbelievable that any ruler would encourage such a destructive move on his own world, but this was exactly the course of events about to take shape.
    Katz, still very much a woman despite her torn and frayed battledress, adjusted her hair in a pool of water at the far end of the cave. She used to have a mirror until it was smashed during a fight with guardoliers. Mirrors no longer existed on the planet.