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

INTERLUDE: THE EVE OF THE WAR.

The massive metal doors burst inwards under the repetitive bombardment of the thermo-lances. As the two tireless men worked a third, enigmatically waited in the shadows.
As the ice melted from around the seals, the door slid open admitting a darker room.
Advancing into the room, the two men pulled lit torches from their belts.
They appeared to be in a control room of some sort?
'This will do' replied the enigmatic figure as he swept into the room.
'What is this place?' asked one of the men in a thick guttural moan.
'This is the control centre and it seems that the power can still be connected? They merely switched it off, how quaint?' the Man replied and started to flick on various alien looking instruments.
Immediately the vast room lit up on its own and the two men dropped their torches.
'You want us to do some more digging, boss?' asked one of them.
'No, just remain silent' the man said and typed in the correct combination. Immediately a screen appeared before him, vast and round coming into static.
'Excellent! Now to establish a connection?' the man replied feverishly and carried on.
The two men scratched their head but as they tried to figure out why this man should want to go to the outer limits with them in tow a voice suddenly sounded out: Harsh and Metallic.
'Attention! Attention! This Command Control relay your message?'
The man smiled and looked towards the screen as it warped and twisted into a recognisable image.
A vast control room of some kind of alien race and on the screen one of them appeared.
'Identify yourself?' it ordered.
'My name is of little importance but what I have to offer you is very interesting' the man replied.
'You are intruders! You have penetrated our command net. Who are, you answer!' the creature squawked.
'I stand in what was once the centre of operations here on Spirodon. I want to help and in turn you can aid me' the man replied and grinned but it was lost on the creature.
'We do not require assistance from inferior creatures!' the creature grated.
'No, but I want to help you. I want to speak to the Supreme Dalek, I have a proposition for it!' the man grinned as the Dalek glided away from the screen.

Torl, the lesser looking man stepped back as the gleaming creature stepped away from the screen.
The enigmatic figure was smiling but Torl was panicking. Where was the money him and Ajac had been promised?
Just then the wide image changed to encompass a vast, glowing chamber rather like that of a giant courtroom.
At its centre stood a tall gleaming creature of gold and black, exactly like the one who had answered him, while behind it on many consoles worked hundreds of Black Dalek.
'I am the Supreme Dalek!' grated the gold creature.
'At last we can talk, discuss things face to face' the man replied and noticed the Dalek's eyestalk wobble erratically.
'Discuss? The Dalek race requires no assistance from inferior creatures!' grated the Supreme but the man instead shook his head.
'Really? And how many defeats have you suffered, an invasion of Earth, the annihilation of Davros even the entombment of this force of yours. All caused by the same man-the Doctor!' the man explained in a bitter sarcastic tone.
'The Doctor will captured and exterminated in due time!' the Supreme replied but the man shook his head.
'No, you see I can help you there. I will give you Gallifreyan information, everything from trandsuction codes from many eras to the exact frequency modulation that Time Lords regenerate at!' the Man announced.
'Why would you do this?' the Supreme asked suspiciously.
'Merely to ensure that power be placed in the right hands. We share a common foe. I want the Time Lord eliminated and I know that you can do it, you will usurp their power and dominate the system. You will become the masters of time!' the Man explained.
'What do you ask of in return?' the Supreme asked as the Man walked closer to the screen, smiling as he did.
'Quite simply, to annihilate the human race! Do we have a deal?' the Man replied.

'You what?' Ajac murmured with a level of fear and confusion. 'Where's the money? Where's the money you promise?' Torl muttered.
The Man simply gave them a harsh look and pulled free a small oblong cylinder and fired.
Ajac screamed as the ray hit him, he was thirty-one, forty-one, sixty-one he finally screamed as his dry lifeless bones clattered to the ground.
'Ajac!' Torl screamed and ran at the man but immediately he too felt the burning sensation and then a second later his lifeless skull hit the ground hard.
'As you can see, I care very little for the humans' the Man replied.
'You will help us to conquer Gallifrey?' the Supreme asked.
'Yes I will, everything you need to destroy the Time Lords I will give freely as long as can destroy humanity, that is all I ask for' the Man replied.
'We agree to your proposal, you will transfer all information to us immediately!' the Supreme grated hard.
'What? And leave myself unguarded against deception. No I will leave everything here on Spirodon for you, everything you need. The Time Lords will fall and with them- their champion- The Doctor!' the Man hissed agitatedly.
'A ship is being dispatched to you now. Nothing will stop the Daleks, nothing!' roared the Supreme and the man smiled.
'Of course it won't, You will be utterly supreme in your attack, new Skaro beckons!' the Man replied as the image faded away.
Turning on his heel he noticed the bones but thought nothing of them.
Phillips smiled with much satisfaction.
'The Diversion is in place and now for the humans!' he said to himself as a footnote and slowly warped away to nothing.
The Countdown was ticking away, they would find the information in the craft, they would succeed and he would have revenge!

The control room resounded with the metallic pulse. Just then twin doors slid up admitting an occupant into the room.
It was completely black as it glided to the centre of the control station; another creature grey and blue like all the others swivelled to respond.
'Report' it snapped.
'We are arriving at the precise co-ordinates. Ship will lock onto city surface. We will meet planetfall in sixteen rels' the technician reported.
'Excellent! Prepare all scout units. The area is to be contained immediately!' ordered the Black Dalek.
'I obey' replied the technician.
The Black Dalek glided effortlessly from the room, the doors closing as it went.
Entering another room a red Dalek glided forward.
'Report?' the Black Dalek snapped.
'Scientific Division ready to begin examination of the artefacts. We await confirmation from the scout units' the Red Dalek replied.
'Good. We will arrive shortly any resistance we meet will be exterminated!' the Black Dalek grated.
From outside the squat, powerful disc descended through the clouds directly above the ancient city.
The moment the smoke cleared, a ramp slid down and the entrance slid open.
Six gleaming Daleks glided down the ramp and off into the city's surface shaft.
In the control centre the Black Dalek waited patiently.
'Unit one reports no life forms present!' came the scout leader's voice into the communicator.
'This is scout five, I have located the artefacts. We require transport skimmers!' it replied.
Swivelling round the Black Dalek looked towards the screens.
'Analyse for possible danger and return the ship immediately!' it grated.
'We obey' chorused the Daleks.
'Dispatch a transport skimmer to their position!' ordered the Black Dalek.
'I obey!' replied a technician.

As the Black Dalek glided back into the laboratory section, a hovering platform stood some distance away as other Daleks worked.
The Red Chief Scientist approached the Dalek leader.
'Report?' it grated.
'Our analysis is complete all objects here are in complete detail. The unknown alien has given us the Transduction clearance codes for five hundred years. We now know a frequency that our weapons can be set to halt regenerations in Time Lord bodies!' the scientist reported.
'Excellent, begin alteration all weaponry' the Black Dalek reported.
'I Obey. Additionally we have been given plans of a superior weapon that the Time Lords possess. Known as De-mat gun, it can destroy anything!' the Red Dalek added.
'Begin work to assemble a working copy!' ordered the Black Dalek.
'I Obey' reported the Red Dalek.
Gliding back into the control centre the Black Dalek approached the communications console.
'Activate Hyperlink to Skaro Control!' ordered the Black Dalek.
'I Obey' replied a technician and the screen shifted and warped into an image of the Imperial Council. The golden form of the Supreme Dalek awaited it.
'Report Black Dalek?' it ordered.
'We have recovered the new artefacts, we can penetrate the Gallifreyan defences, we can affect the deaths of Time Lord resistance, we have the means Conquer without great loss!' the Black Dalek replied.
'Are all safety checks made, there must be no attempts made to disrupt the new stratagem!' the Supreme ordered.
'Analysis has been carried without any obstructions' the Black Dalek reported.
'Then we can Conquer Gallifrey, the Time Lords will be exterminated! We will be the Masters of Time, we will triumph! Victory for the Daleks!' the Supreme grated.
Immediately the atmosphere was filled with heavy gratings from all Daleks present.
'Victory for the Daleks! Victory for the Daleks! Victory for the Daleks! Victory for the Daleks!'
While standing in the far corner, the seemingly distant form of Phillips smiled.
'This will do perfectly!' he simply said and warped out of the room.
The Countdown was set in motion, counting down towards the end!