The Bird of Fire (short story)

Summary
The Doctor is disturbed from his rest by Tegan when Kamelion raises the alarm that the TARDIS is about to have an imminent collision. Joing Turlough and Kamellion in the console room the scanner shows no sign of an obstacle just empty blackness. A small egg appears above the central rota and quickly begins to grow until it hatches into an angry fiery bird. As the bird attacks and the room starts to heat up Kamellion is overpowered and the others make their escape to another part of the TARDIS. Unless they can do something soon the bird will kill them and feed on the TARDIS so much that the bird, a Phoenix (believed by the Doctor to have been extinct), will rip the TARDIS apart.

From the secondary control room the Doctor searches for a nearby star that could be used to lure the Phoenix out of the main console room. Locating Rogos X, largest star in the Vistarn system, the Doctor races back towards the main control room. Removing his jacket he walks into the console room which is by now like a furnace. He brings Rogos X up on the scanner and the Phoenix, drawn to the flame, leaves the TARDIS as it arrived. Later the Doctor explain that what the Phoenix saw on the scanner was just an image of Rogos X projected onto the blackness of the vortex.

With the Doctor once more in control of the TARDIS he sets a course for the Eye of Orion.

Characters

 * Fifth Doctor
 * Tegan Jovanka
 * Turlough
 * Kamelion

Continuity

 * The TARDIS' secondary control room first appeared in DW: The Masque of Mandragora.