Order of the Daleks (audio story)

 was the two hundred and eighteenth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Mike Tucker and featured Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Miranda Raison as Constance Clarke.

Publisher's summary
In the Galactic Census, idyllic Strellin is recorded as a Grade Three planet – its inhabitants possessing neither advanced technology, nor knowledge of other worlds. Accordingly, Strellin is protected: landings by off-worlders are strictly prohibited. Unless, of course, those off-worlders are officials of the Galactic Census itself, come to investigate the origin of a mysterious sub-space signal – a signal no native of Strellin should be able to send...

Breaking all local by-laws, the time-travelling Doctor and his companion L/Wren Mrs Constance Clarke (AWOL) have only just landed on Strellin, too. But they and the Census officials aren't the only off-worlders to have come here. Inside a nearby monastery, the monks of the reclusive Brotherhood of the Black Petal are guarding a strange and terrible secret. Something that might bring disaster not just to Strellin, but to every civilised world in the galaxy!

Part one
Twin novices Rosco and Gabber sneak around their monastery, trying to find what is kept hidden. Rosco is too scared, so Gabber enters the dark secret room, screams, and then runs out. Pleading with him for answers, Rosco finds that Gabber cannot speak.

The Doctor and Constance materialize on a hill beside a herd of Brandelak on the planet Strellin, on their way to visit the Brotherhood of the Black Petal. They are accosted by Census Assessor Pendle and Probationary Assessor Asta, who berate them for arriving on a Grade Three Planet, a medival society with no knowledge of other worlds. Pendle and Asta themselves are investigating a strange signal being transmitted from the monastery. The four make their way there while observed by Rosco and Gabber, who reach the monastery before them and inform Brother Boswyck of the "demons," although he assures the travelers are just strangers.

Upon reaching the monastery, the Doctor experiences a "mental twinge," theorising that someone is trying to make telepathic contact. Aware of the approaching strangers, Raspak gathers the guards and takes the Doctor and Pendle to the Abbot, while Constance and Asta (who the Doctor claims are boys) are locked in a cell. In the presence of Abbot Tanapal, Pendle claims to be merchants but the Doctor gets straight to the point and asks the Abbot if he knows about a signal being broadcast, to which the Abbot denies. They are locked in the cell, and the Abbot informs Raspak that the strangers are from another world, and to search the moors for their craft.

The four visitors now together in the cells, the Doctor remarks that both the Abbot and guard are aware of something with the signal. The cell door is then unlocked and Boswyck enters, freeing them. He explains that during the Autumn harvest, a "star" crashed nearby and the Brotherhood, dedicated to all life, went out to see if they could help the survivors. They nursed some and brought their ship back to the monastery, but now he fears the Abbot is under their influence. He has prayed for divine help, and he believes the visitors are that help.

Leaving the cell, they overhear that the Assessors' ship has been captured, which would pose a great threat should they access the ship's technology. Boswyck bids Rosco to help the Doctor and Pendle get to the ship while he takes Constance and Asta to investigate the survivors. Inside their chamber, Constance can just see what the creatures look like when another enters the room, and Asta is immediately overcome with fear: the creature is a Dalek and it informs them they are prisoners.

Part two
The Dalek asks why there are unauthorized intruders, and Boswyck quickly explains that the "novices" are here to help the Sleeping Ones. The Dalek is satisfied, but orders that nutrients are required. Bowyck takes Constance and Asta away.

Meanwhile, the Doctor, Pendle, and Rosco arrive at the spaceship to find a blacksmith hammering the hull. An alarm sounds and the Doctor quickly alerts them that the fuel lines could rupture. Raspak takes him and Pendle to the Abbot, whom the Doctor tries to reason with, experiencing another mental twinge; for a moment, the Abbot was trying to tell him something. But then he orders the two intruders to be taken to the chapel. Boswyck, Constance, and Asta reach the chapel and see that the Brotherhood gives blood for the Daleks' nutrients. The Doctor and Pendle are brought in, but before they can be drained, the others create a distraction and save them, informing them the aliens who crashlanded are Daleks.

The TARDIS is found and brought to the Abbot, who recognizes it and realizes who the Doctor is. He orders the guards to find them and two Daleks serve as reinforcements. Using secret tunnels, Boswyck leads the others towards the Daleks' workshop, hiding from two Daleks along the way. The creatures discuss their orders from the Black Dalek, pointing out that production on casings for the other Daleks will be slowed. The Doctor finds their saucer's black box turned into a transmitter in the workshop, and learns that the specialized force were part of the Emperor's Personal Guard, on their way to Skaro from invading Kantra. Several Brothers enter, but they do not notice the intruders. They focus only on their work and don't speak of it, because their larynxs were removed to allow the Daleks to speak. The Doctor plans to confront the Abbot, who he and Boswyck believe are under the Daleks' influence, and Asta suggests the others make a distraction.

While the guards pursue a ringing bell, the Abbot meets the Doctor, who reveals the Black Dalek behind his throne. He tries to reason with the Abbot that he's being controlled by the Daleks, but the Black Dalek explains the truth: its and the Abbot's minds are working in symbiosis, and soon the mind of the Daleks will be spread to every being in the galaxy, and beyond to the universe!

Part three
The Abbot summons two Daleks to apprehend the Doctor, but he takes a lantern from the wall and smashes it, the fire immediately affecting the lead in their new casings, and he escapes down their secret passage. Meanwhile, the others are still hiding in Boswyck's room; when Constance inquires about the black flower, he becomes defensive. The Doctor returns and explains the Abbot's and Dalek's conection, and Boswyck offers to show them the truth.

As the Doctor, Pendle, and Boswyck, aided by Rosco and Gabber, flee the monastery on sleem, Constance and Asta watch the spacecraft as Daleks comment that the human slaves cannot penetrate it, but a Dalek can. When they leave, the two women sneak aboard the craft through the emergency hatch and disconnect the transmitter circuit. Then they hear a noise and realise one of the Dalek mutants has climbed inside the ship.

Believing Boswyck is a traitor, Rosco takes the sleem and returns to the monestary, leaving Gabber who refused to come with him. The travelers hear the sounds of vulteen circling them, as they are still an hour from the mountain and it is getting dark.

The women hurried to leave but the mutant attacks Constance, who stabs it with a screwdriver. They leave the ship and are accosted by Raspak and the Daleks, the latter ordering that their blood be used to heal the injured Dalek. Meanwhile, the Doctor, Pendle, Gabber, and Boswyck use torches to defend against the vulteen and drive them away.

In the Abbot's chamber, the symbiotic link is broken, the Black Dalek demanding nutrients. The Abbot realizes there may still be a chance. Raspak and the other brothers collapse and Constance and Asta escape to Boswyck's room, where Asta finds a recipe for the "dream flower," the black plant the brotherhood is dedicated to.

The vulteen driven by daylight, Boswyck collapses and explains the link with the planet is broken. They hurry again until they reach their destination: a valley of black flowers, which the Doctor recognizes and thought had gone extinct. The extract of the dream flower is known to cause hallucinations and allows the brothers to share a collective mind. As the wounded Daleks fed on their blood, they became connected too, and their influence began to take over, the brothers becoming more angry. He brought Pendle and the Doctor here to destroy the flowers. If the Daleks take the chemical back to Skaro and synthesise it by the gallon, the Dalek mind could literally rain down on planets.

Before they can do anything, the Assessor's spaceship comes down to land, the Doctor commenting that it's no doubt Constance and Asta, but Pendle asks how they could know where to find them. The ship lands and a Dalek emerges with Rosco. Boswyck thinks he betrayed them, but the Doctor comments that it's the Dalek link. The Dalek demand the Doctor surrender. He refuses, and the Dalek fires a plasma weapon acquired from the ship: they once again have the capacity to exterminate, and the Order of the Daleks will reign supreme!

Part four
The Dalek tries to kill Boswyck and Gabber takes the shot and dies, and while the Dalek's weapon recharges Rosco breaks his link, rips the weapon out of its socket, and blasts the Dalek. Leaving Boswyck behind, the Doctor, (with a vial of Dream Flower extract) Pendle, and Rosco board the ship to return to the monastery.

With their own vial, Constance and Asta confront the Abbot and attempt to break his link with the Black Dalek, but Dream Flower perfume lets him take control of Asta. Constance talks her out of it, and they escape down the tunnel, where they meet the Doctor, Pendle, and Rosco. The Doctor plans to return to the Abbot while the others try again to destroy the transmitter, though the Daleks have already sent a message to the main Dalek fleet.

The Doctor, having drank the vial, adds his mind to the collective and helps the Abbot break the Daleks' control. Meanwhile, Pendle sabotages the tanks for the injured Daleks as a distraction while Asta uses the transmitter to call the Galactic Census for help. The Dalek creature kills Pendle, and Constance leads the workshop brothers to attack the Daleks and destroy their casings. The Abbot tells the brothers the Daleks are demons, but the Black Dalek takes control of Raspak and tries to kill the Doctor.

The brothers burn the Dalek, and the whole place begins to go up in flames. The Doctor tries to save Raspak but he struggles to hold the Dalek from taking control of the Doctor, and lets him leave as the fires spread. The fires consume the monastery and Rosco appears with the last Dream Flower in existence, as on the mountainside smoke appears: Boswyck stayed behind to destroy the other flowers. The Brotherhood will relocate and Asta will help ensure the planet is protected from the Daleks, and the Doctor and Constance leave in the TARDIS.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Colin Baker
 * Constance Clarke - Miranda Raison
 * Pendle - John Savident
 * Jane Asta - Olivia Hallinan
 * Boswyck / Raspak - Robbie Stevens
 * Rosco / Gabber - Sam Fletcher
 * Habrild - Joseph Kloska
 * Tanapal / The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs

Continuity

 * The Doctor notes the absence of terraforming machines on Strellin. (AUDIO: Shield of the Jötunn)
 * The TARDIS travellers are once again mistaken for demons. (TV: The King's Demons)
 * The injured Daleks include some of the Emperor's Personal Guard. (TV: The Evil of the Daleks, The Partings of the Ways)
 * Before they crash-landed on Strellin, the Daleks were involved in the invasion of Kantra. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)
 * During his fourth incarnation, the Doctor previously visited another Grade 3 planet named Ribos. (TV: The Ribos Operation)
 * The Daleks move via their psycho-kinetic power. (TV: Death to the Daleks)
 * The Doctor uses the lesson Borusa told him about lead to escape the Daleks. (TV: The Invasion of Time)