The Human Factor (audio story)

 was the second story in the Dalek Empire I audio series produced by Big Finish Productions. It advanced sixth months from the previous story and covers a period of approximately three additional months. Firmly establishing this as the first of Big Finish's stories told over a long period of (in-universe) time.

Publisher's summary
The Earth Alliance seems powerless to stop the Dalek invasion of the galaxy.

Enslaved by the Daleks, along with billions of others, Susan Mendes and Kalendorf must find a way to turn the tide against these metallic monsters...

...or the galaxy will be lost forever!

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * Susan Mendes - Sarah Mowat
 * Kalendorf - Gareth Thomas
 * Narrator - Joyce Gibbs
 * Wernay / Drudger / Gurian - Ian Brooker
 * Morebi - David Sax
 * Alby Brook - Mark McDonnell
 * Gordon Pellan - John Wadmore
 * Highness - Adrian Lloyd-James
 * Daughter - Georgina Carter
 * The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs and Alistair Lock
 * The Dalek Emperor - Nicholas Briggs

Astronomical objects

 * K5000 is one of Garazone's many moons.
 * Guria is at the edge of the Daleks' advance into the galaxy. It was previously one of the Earth Alliance's largest suppliers of fossil fuels.

Daleks

 * The Dalek Supreme claims that the Daleks have conquered a thousand planets since their invasion of Mutter's Spiral began six months earlier.
 * Once the top of a Dalek's exterior casing is removed, a message is sent to Garazone Central, alerting the Dalek Supreme.
 * Fifty Robomen were assigned to K5000 by the Daleks. All of them were killed by Morebi and his rebels.

Individuals

 * When the Daleks invaded Garazone, they killed Morebi's entire family. In order to save his own life, Morebi surrendered, for which he has never forgiven himself.
 * Highness has ruled Guria since birth. Daughter is his heir apparent.
 * Alby came from a broken home and became involved in crime as a youth in the slums on his homeworld of Proxima Major. He joined the Earth Alliance military as a means of escape but "got into trouble." He was given a reduced sentence since he agreed to work for Earth Security.
 * Alby's legs were blown off when an assault vessel crashes on the Gurian rig to which he and Pellan were brought after being captured by the Daleks. He is given a pair of prosthetic legs.

Organisations

 * Prior to the Dalek invasion, the Rhinesberg Corporation, for which Suz worked as a geologist, had a major contract with the Earth Alliance Space Security Service relating to something called Project Infinity.
 * An Earth Alliance fleet of battle cruisers succeeds in destroying the Dalek fleet in orbit of Guria, thereby liberating the planet. They are assisted in their efforts by the Gurian rebel forces. Daughter succeeds her father, who is exterminated by the Daleks, as Highness of Guria. The Earth Alliance leaves behind an orbital defence fleet, which is destroyed by the Daleks during their second invasion of Guria two months after they were forced to evacuate.

Technology

 * Alby and Pellan spent six months in hypersleep, a form of suspended animation, aboard an Earth Security scout ship during their trip to Garazone.

Titles and offices

 * Throughout the galaxy, the human slave labourers refer to Suz as "the Angel of Mercy" as she gives them hope.

Continuity

 * After removing Suz from Vega VI, the Daleks transport her to the Garazone system, a "backwater" of the interstellar spacelanes which the Eighth Doctor and his companion Charley Pollard had visited in the 26th century. (AUDIO: Sword of Orion)
 * This era is later revisited in AUDIO: Return of the Daleks, which bridges this story and the next.