Admiral Beatty Arrest Sensation (short story)

Admiral Beatty Arrest Sensation was a Dateline 2066 short story printed in TV Century 21 that contained elements from the Doctor Who universe.

Notably, Unity City, a location introduced in The Daleks comic story Duel of the Daleks, reappeared here.

Summary
In Unity City, Universal Secret Service agents move in on World Navy Chief Admiral Washington Beatty's private apartment on 56 Avenue at dawn. They find him peacefully sleeping in bed and arrest him for espionage on the spot, having been tipped off to Beatty's activities by a mystery woman. Beatty himself persists in pleading his innocence, making no attempt to escape and repeatedly stating "I'm not guilty, it is all a pack of lies". The agents proceed to search the apartment and soon find micro-film and tapes containing World Navy secrets, confirming his betrayal. Later in the morning, a shocked populace awake to the news. It is promptly broadcast all over television and people who had known Beatty for many years (and indeed much of Unity City's population) jam the vision phones to the World Government headquarters in an effort to discover the truth. In the meantime, speculation spreads rapidly as to the name of the annoymous tipper, with the most popular guess from the newspaper offices being Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward.

On Venus, less than a month after earthquakes destroyed Pangad, rebuilding commences. Architects and building experts from across the solar system join forces band together to make Pangad the pride of Venus once more, planning to build the new city around a massive sports park.

On Mars, the first meeting of the Solar Emigration Committee is convened to discuss ways of promoting emigration from the planets of the solar system to the newly-discovered planet of Tolanor. The meeting goes smoothly, with experts predicting that Tolanor's perfect climate, soil and natural resources will make it an important planet of the future.

Elsewhere, it is announced that the British Crown Jewels are to be sent to Canberra for the 2066 World Fair. The statement released by London further details that a World Air Force Wombat will be placed at the disposal of the British government for the duration of the festivities.

Meanwhile, reports emerge from Marineville that the underwater nation of Sargassa has tested a devastating new weapon. A Marineville official is fast to claim there is no cause for alarm at this latest development, stating Sargassa had never shown any hostility to other nations and that he did not think they would start now. Commander Shore also comments on the situation, saying that developments in the Sargassan area would continue to be watched closely.

Characters

 * Washington Beatty
 * Commander Shore
 * Penelope Creighton-Ward
 * USS spokesman
 * Marineville official

Worldbuilding

 * The penalty for espionage is deportation to the prison island of Alcatran.
 * Washington Beatty was born in Dallas in 2012. Following school, he joined the World Naval Training College in Cleveland where he gained grade one passes across the board.
 * Beatty was made Sub-Lieutenant on the Oregon upon graduating but later transferred to Washington to become Naval Attache to Bereznik.
 * In 2042, Beatty was made commander of the World Navy base at Gibraltar where he met Chief Admiral Greg Cooper, then assistant to World Navy Chief Stevenson Lido.
 * Upon Lido's retirement, Cooper replaced him and selected Beatty as his assistant. Beatty later replaced Cooper after his sudden death in 2059.
 * The destruction of Pangad is one of the gravest disasters in the history of Venus.
 * The transport of the Crown Jewels for the World Fair marks the first time they have been allowed out of Great Britain where they are kept in the Tower of London.
 * The Wombat has a three man crew: pilot, co-pilot, and radio controller for the Dart I, a tiny escort fighter launched from the Wombat's back in the event of an attack.
 * Marineville has been aware for some time that the Sargassans were on the verge of a major breakthrough in undersea rocketry. The firepower of the tank-like craft they tested is greater than anything they had previously produced.

Story notes

 * The references in this story to the presence of the British Crown Jewels at the 2066 World Fair foreshadowed the events of the Stingray comic story The Medallion Mystery, which began in TV Century 21 three weeks later.

Continuity

 * It is stated by the USS that the date of Beatty's trial will be announced shortly. It was eventually set for 26 February 2066. (COMIC: The Archives of Phryne)
 * Lady Penelope was once a reporter for TV 21. (COMIC: Duel of the Daleks, The Return of Mr. Steelman et al.)
 * Lady Penelope is now the editor of her own magazine. (PROSE: Time Barrier Busted)