Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Goddess Quandary (audio story)

Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Goddess Quandary, or simply The Goddess Quandary, was the twenty-seventh Bernice Summerfield audio story released by Big Finish Productions. It was the fourth audio story of the sixth season, released in February 2006.

This story featured Keri, a character who was first introduced in the 1994 Virgin New Adventures novel Legacy. This was the second time that Keri appeared on audio; the first was the free-to-subscribers Making Myths where she was voiced by Sarah Mowat. On this occasion, she was voiced by Jane Goddard.

Publisher's summary
Legend has it that the mighty warlord Aldébrath will return to defeat the enemies of Imogenella. Should the need ever arise.

When the monks of Etheria stumble across what they claim is Aldébrath's last resting place, it looks like the legend might come true. If nothing else, the monks could make some cash from tourism — perhaps even enough to repair the monastery roof. All they need is a certain professor of archaeology to verify their claim.

Simple. You think?

Bernice soon finds herself trapped in a race against death on an unstable planetoid where there's more to the tomb than meets the eye. Mind you, the monks aren't all they appear either — oh, and Benny's old friend Keri wants in on the audience share.

Plot
''On Liberation Day, Parasiel, a student on the Braxiatel Collection, asks Benny about what has happened to Braxiatel and Ms Jones. The story, Benny says, goes back to an adventure of hers in the planetoid field of Etheria.''

Father Secundo and Abbot Primus contact the Collection to verify that the remains inside an ancient spaceship on Etheria are that of Aldébrath, legendary saviour of the Imogenella star cluster, and make a deal with media company Sol Tri-D to cover the matter. Braxiatel sends Benny and Sol Tri-D sends Keri, who board the same Palistani spaceship and catch-up with one another on the journey to the Great Monastery of the Holy Order of Etheria. They meet Father Secundo and the ailing Abbot Primus, whom Keri visits in the night and asks about the spaceship, which seems to be a freighter rather than a warship.

Benny flies to the ship with Brother Myriad, but they crash after being hit by a rock and Myriad is killed. As she makes her way to the ship, Keri learns from Father Secundo that he is one of many clones of Abbot Primus, who cloned himself to rebuild the Order after the Festari War wiped out his brothers. The other clones went out into the universe but Secundo remained at the monastery and has since rebuilt the Order again with clones of himself, known as Myriad. To keep herself from being executed, Keri pretends to convert to Secundo's religion and promises to broadcast the Word of his God.

Benny meets another Myriad on the planetoid and deduces his true nature. They reach the ship, which is indeed the Fervent Hope, and find that Aldébrath's mind was deposited in the computer matrix and lives on. She enters Brother Myriad's mind and transmats herself and Benny to the monastery, offering to help spread the word of God through a holy crusade. Keri brings Abbot Primus, whom Secundo has been keeping artificially senile, to the chamber and he disagrees with Father Secundo's plan, but Benny insists that Aldébrath goes ahead as she has realised that her weapon is a virus which spreads love and peace through belief in the Goddess. Abbot Primus finally dies and Father Secundo promises to remember and honour him.

Aldébrath returns to the matrix of the Fervent Hope to be taken to the Collection, being acquainted with Braxiatel, and Keri asks Benny to accept her apologies for deliberately putting her in danger for her own career. Benny says that she might be able to forgive her in time and returns to the Collection, where she learns that Ms Jones has disappeared.

''Benny realises that Parasiel does not want to know about Ms Jones but about Braxiatel, who has vanished, possibly because of Jason. Having had enough of secrets, Benny decides that perhaps Parasiel should know the truth.''

Cast

 * Bernice Summerfield - Lisa Bowerman
 * Ker'a'nol - Jane Goddard
 * Secundo - Duncan Wisbey
 * Aldébrath - Lizzie Hopley
 * Parasiel - Paul Bryant

Worldbuilding

 * Ker'a'nol (known as Keri to her friends) is a Pakhar.
 * Stellis Gad is a "multi-zillionaire business tycoon".

Continuity

 * Benny first met Keri in Legacy.
 * Benny mentions inviting Keri to her wedding. (PROSE: Happy Endings)
 * Keri would later assist Benny and the Twelfth Doctor in Big Bang Generation.
 * Parasiel went to Benny's lecture recounting the events of the Fifth Axis occupation of the Braxiatel Collection. (AUDIO: Death and the Daleks)