XL5 Crew Detained on Astra! (short story)

XL5 Crew Detained on Astra! was a TV21 Stop Press short story containing elements from the Doctor Who universe which was published in 2014 as part of Network Distrubuting's Supermarionation boxset.

The story featured the inhabitants of the planet Astra, which was first mentioned in Doctor Who's The Rescue. The Astrans, meanwhile, were a semi-regular fixture during TV Century 21's original run, having been introduced in the The Daleks story Duel of the Daleks.

Summary
Following the destruction of a flagship of the Astran space fleet, Fireball XL5 is forced to land on Astra's surface while its crew are seized by officials of the Kaplan's Imperial Guard. They stand accused of launching a missile seconds before the explosion, an attack attested to by three Kapts and apparently proved by electronic log recordings. The Kaplan denounces the incident as a "flagrant act of war" but Earth's reaction is swift. Commander Zero of the World Space Patrol insists that XL5 could not have carried out a hostile act as the ship's main body lacks armaments. Sources on Astra soon deny this but the office of the World President issues a statement which regrets the loss of the flagship but ultimately sides with the World Space Patrol in its denial of any involvement.

Elsewhere, the World Intelligence Network chief Shane Weston refuses to confirm reports that his organisation are engaged in activities on the Bereznik border. This rumour surfaced after the experimental Psychotron device was stolen from a laboratory in Geneva. Adding to speculation, the inventor of the device is hospitalised after an accident during the trials of the new equipment.

Meanwhile, the TV 21 Time Machine is busy reporting on happenings in the 1960s. In September 1960, air bases in Nevada receive advice from the Supercar laboratory at Black Rock regarding an out-of-control aircraft in the area following the inadvertent activation of one of Dr Beaker's inventions. In September 1969, British Intelligence are reported to be investigating the theft of a suitcase containing "secret information" from Parish Priest Father Stanley Unwin.

Characters

 * Commander Zero
 * The Kaplan
 * Shane Weston

Worldbuilding

 * The Astrans speculate that Fireball XL5 could have ejected a space mine in the absence of any armaments on the main body.
 * The Psychotron is intended for use on the battlefield and is claimed to be able to control the will of enemy troops by means of ultrasonic waves.
 * The Supercar team are said to be working on a solution to their "problem".
 * Stanley Unwin's suitcase was taken from his Model T Ford following a minor collision on Eaton Lane "yesterday afternoon".

Story notes

 * This story is another crossover with Fireball XL5, Joe 90, Supercar and The Secret Service.

Continuity

 * Fireball XL5 was observed seemingly destroying an Astran flagship. (COMIC: Flash: XL5 Crew Held on Astra)
 * Ambassadors had been leaving Astra in the run-up to the hotly-anticipated civil war. (COMIC: Flash: XL5 Crew Held on Astra, PROSE: Fireflash Mk II Bound for New York)
 * TV 21 have started their reports on the exploits of Stanley Unwin. (PROSE: Fireflash Mk II Bound for New York)