h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As Burning Cage ended on a shock cliff-hanger, the Doctor and a Dalek seemingly working together as they tried to avoid a shadowy gestalt creature.

With the first third of this story established I decided to move away from this area and concentrate on an unforeseen event, this would eventually becoming the foundation for the latter half of the epic.

INTERLUDE: PHILLIPS

Returning back to Gallifrey, the story told of its destruction and so it should have laid but instead I started to bring back a feel of dread, of darkening despair as a nice comparison to the events portrayed in the foreground.

Phillips puts the last part of his plan into action, with the seeming corruption of time taken place, his character is nothing more than mopping up loose ends.

Thus amongst this vast ruined citadel I was imagining a vast Amphitheatre, a huge range of seats while a menangerie of assorted aliens, some recognisable while others I wanted to remain large unknown. If ever I wanted to use or create stories into the future I would use beings that are large seen as monsters.

The Quesellians for example were vast glowing jellyfish, something that could never be captured truly but to have an auction where various pieces of Gallifreyan technology are being sold, to the reader it would have been more likely that an unknown party are involved.

Though surprisingly the leader of this event is Phillips himself, thus his involvement as instigator of the proceedings is well displayed as the back story of 'interludes' becomes the centre of attention particularly when the Time Lords appear.

These are rogues or 'renegade' Time Lords summoned back to Gallifrey by Rassilon's spirit.
I envisioned many strange designs of clothing with many impossibly dressed or looking Time Lords trying to break down the boundaries established Time Lord hierarchies of Deadly Assassin and Arc of Infinity.

The key figures of Katyen, an example of Time Ladies everywhere was supposed to be the daughter of the President, someone whose noble bloodline has fallen into a fierce savagery. A spirit of strength not seen in the weak, cowardly arrogrant figures.
Taseth was more oriental in appearance, a wiseman whose youthful appearance gave him a much more open-minded figure, again another example of deterring figures in Time Lord society.
Among their number is Artrem and his friend Nicole.

Doubtless though this imagery becomes action orientated when the Time Lords declare a conflict to the aliens to abandon their home world which result with a vicious conflict lasting not very long but to suddenly smashing this interlude, The Doctor becomes part of this mythos earthing it to established continuity.

Though at this point seemingly Phillips quickly leaves but not before a return to 'chit-chat' with the Doctor culminating in the Red Dalek defending the Doctor. Echoes of the the Daleks' manipulating characteristics comes into play. With this Dalek being outed as the last of its kind, it is given a place on Gallifrey.

The aliens despite their ungreatful actions are given asylum due to the Index's advance across the universe of creation, thus with this part earthed into existence the Doctor leaves Katyen and Taseth in charge of the re-building while Artrem is appointed the diplomatic Attaché to the aliens.

Discovering what has happened to Earth, the Doctor leaves them all alone to investigate what effects Phillips has committed.

SCREAMING LOCK

This story was originally called 'Sign of the Dark' and appeared on a future Earth outpost but I changed and adapted it to my needs, though the year is not given there is very little to conveyy that it is the far future and a twisted one at that.

My reasons for this was to make it wholly believable by cutting any links to established history, by making the story no longer recognisable. I was considering a city or town on a series of islands, the only possible link to global warming.

Though as an extra bonus I wanted to make Earth so dark and twisted that even the Doctor felt reviled and that his reputation as a flame cutting through the darkness would come to greater effect here.

Populating a town with 'Mad-Max' style outlaws only a little more civilised was the best thing, particularly Sanstone who I envisioned has a thick Texan accent as he spoke.

Though the villains present were largely nothing more than shining, powerful robotic bulks like the servicer 'mummies' in Pyramids under control of an unscrupulous scientist Veldan. Someone with a white smock and waxy hair, the Archetypal scientist in all of this.

I wanted to have as few good people as possible and create a dark fantasy almost like a Time Burton film/ crossed with anime where an 'Empress' is searching for a key that will make her a god.

Necromancy and violent horror complete with the graphic portrayal was necessarily needed to convey the atmosphere of sickening particularly at the start of the second episode, Mr Sanstone's departure was suitably grisly. I wanted to make the reader sickened yet thrilled to read on.

With a secret buried on, the Doctor somehow defies convention and takes the key to the Empress, during this story cliche is forgotten as in his opening moments when he is confronted by Sanstone over the many grisly corpses in his midst, he is not placed as the Murderer but instead is congratulated for it.

It almost seems that the atmosphere is infectious and the that the Doctor is becoming suitably contaminated though towards the end, horror plays a part as the scientist Veldan resurrects the former keeper of the key with crude necromancy while the Empress stands there watching.

To continue to break tradition Godhead is achieved but there is no happy ending but a cliff-hanger, The Index descends upon Earth devouring all including the TARDIS, this was the most powerful image and significant thing thaty I could use to give the Doctor a feeling of weakness, a man exposed to his very bones as the Index bares down on him...