Vanguard (UTNS audio story)

Vanguard was the first story in the audio anthology, Extinction, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Matt Fitton and featured Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Ingrid Oliver as Petronella Osgood.

Publisher's summary
From a state-of-the-art bunker beneath the Tower of London, Kate Stewart leads a secret army protecting the Earth from extraterrestrial threat. Crashed UFOs, strange meteors, a giant lizard in the Severn - all business as usual for UNIT.

While Scientific Advisor Osgood attends a 'skyfall' incident with Colonel Shindi and Captain Josh Carter, Kate's duties take her to visit Devlin Future Tech, and reclusive billionaire Simon Devlin.

Journalist Jacqui McGee is also on FutureTech's case, and nothing's going to get in the way of her story: a product launch that will change the world...

Plot
At the Severn Bridge, Colonel Shindi and his men, including Captain Josh Carter, shoot at a six-metre crocodilian with rubber bullets to keep it in the water before Kate arrives, telling the Colonel that they need only reunite the crocodilian with its spacecraft in a hangar in Newport. As Kate wants an end to the shooting, Josh heads to Osgood's mobile laboratory and takes the pacifier she has built, jumping into the water to use it.

Jacqui McGee of Orbit TV News continues to attempt to get an interview with Simon Devlin without success and calls Tim Stevens into her office for a talk.

Kate returns to the Tower of London after speaking with the Prime Minister and confirms with Colonel Shindi that the crocodilian has departed safely. Whilst Colonel Shindi sees little promise in Josh, Kate says that he has potential and that they could complete his training despite him having left Sandhurst prematurely. However, she tells the Colonel to do what he thinks best.

Jacqui produces an invitation and a security pass, informing Tim that he will be attending the opening launch of Devlin's 3D printers with her and will be secretly filming. She asks his opinion on what colour wig she should wear.

Osgood attempts to display her counter-energy beam for Josh but it explodes, after which Kate arrives and asks her if she was planning on attending the launch at Devlin Futuretech with her. Osgood declines and Kate leaves whilst Josh heads off to see Colonel Shindi.

At the launch, Kate meets Jacqui and catches her out, knowing that the name on her badge belongs to a sixty-year-old man and recognising her from television. Kate is surprised by the journalist's knowledge of UNIT and her father but pretends to be part of a simple science board before they are called in for the launch by Jenna Gold.

Colonel Shindi scolds a sarcastic Josh and tells him to obey his orders and not to take unnecessary risks. Osgood calls and tells the Colonel that Pharos 2 has made contact. Meanwhile, using a pass, Tim sneaks into Devlin Futuretech's Warehouse 9B and observes the packing of the 3D printers. Osgood tells the Colonel and Josh that, whilst tracking the crocodilian's departure, Pharos spotted an approaching meteorite with strange behaviour, and they head to the area that it is predicted to land.

Tim arrives in a storage area and, after seeing an Auton, leaves Jacqui a voicemail promising to send footage. Jenna orders an Auton to follow him.

The recorded presentation ends and Devlin demonstrates a printer by quickly printed a wireless microphone and a pen. Jacqui questions how Devlin can afford to distribute all of the printers, one which he shrugs off.

Osgood zeroes in on the meteorite's projected landing site whilst Tim is surrounded by Autons and confronted by Jenna. She insists that she and the Autons give him a tour of the rest of the area.

To be completed.

Cast

 * Kate Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
 * Osgood - Ingrid Oliver
 * Colonel Shindi - Ramon Tikaram
 * Captain Josh Carter - James Joyce
 * Simon Devlin - Steve John Shepherd
 * Jenna Gold - Karina Fernandez
 * Jacqui McGee - Tracy Wiles
 * Tim Stevens - Derek Carlyle
 * The Nestene Consciousness - Nicholas Briggs

Continuity

 * Robotic ravens are being installed at the Tower of London. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)
 * Kate wants to replicate the TARDIS language translation capabilities. (TV: The Masque of Mandragora, et al.)
 * Osgood mentions the Pharos Project. (TV: Logopolis)
 * Osgood has read the UNIT files on the Nestene and Autons. (TV: Spearhead from Space, Terror of the Autons)