The Phaser Aliens (short story)

The Phaser Aliens was a short story published in Doctor Who Annual 1973. It featured the Third Doctor and Jo Grant.

Summary
Strange lights are seen in the sky in the Australian outback. All of the world's diamonds disappear, followed by its carborundum and steel. The Institute Contra Aliens (ICA) is set up, even though no-one has seen the aliens. The Doctor is invited to join and concludes that the aliens are able to put out of phase the vibrations of light waves so that they remain invisible. He concocts a pair of spectacles that show him the aliens and their craft. He persuades others to use the glasses but they either fail to see the aliens or deny that what they see exists. He sets Jo to making more of the glasses while he adapts the technology to make a weapon. Despite claiming that the aliens seem peaceful and that he has no time for diamonds the Doctor feels that Earth should be inviolate against invasions and uses the weapon, mounted on a helicopter, to slaughter a small number of the creatures. The glasses Jo has made will help more pilots to attack the aliens, their ships and the strange tapered towers they live in. This will return their collection of the hardest materials that these insubstantial creatures have encountered.

Characters

 * Third Doctor
 * Jo Grant

Continuity
to be added