Mission to Galacton (short story)

Summary
At the height of the Dalek Empire, before the Last Great Time War, when a constant fleet of freight ships carried plundered resources around the universe, the Daleks were constantly in search of new planets to strip of their resources in order to advance their own Empire. Dalek saucer X-K Beta-19, coming out of hyper-drive, comes across Galacton (third planet around a sun). Detecting a high level of Radio-Activan at the planets core the Daleks decide to drill into the core, energise it and use it as fuel for the Dalek Seventh Fleet.

From the taskforce of 200 Daleks, a small landing party led by Dalek Section Leader, arrives at a clearing in the dense jungle and locates seven drilling sites. Commencing drilling, and without any obvious opposition, all surplus Daleks are recalled while enrichment energiser capsules are readied to be inserted into the bore holes. On the recall two Daleks fail to respond with an automatic distress signal being received from one. Dalek Attack Squad Delta comprising of three Daleks is dispatched from the saucer to investigate. At the source of the distress signal near to one of the bore holes, the Dalek squad finds the battered and scattered remains of the two Daleks. From the mound of Earth thrown up by the drilling, creatures arise out of the ground, composed of the very ground themselves. The ground creatures red eyes watch and their huge giant craggy arms swipe at the Daleks, knocking them flying and smashing them to bits. The images of the brutal attack are seen in the control room of the Dalek saucer, as they watch, they see one of the Daleks thrown towards the edge of one of the boreholes before falling down the hole towards the planets core. As the rock creatures begin to move towards the saucer the order is given to begin immediate evacuation. The blast from the ships engine is enough to shatter some of the rock creatures and the Dalek ship makes its escape to rejoin the main saucer.

Miles beneath the ground however the Dalek Attack Squad Leader, stuck on a ledge, stirs and its systems comes back online. Unable to escape the shaft it decides to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Dalek Empire. Using the last of its power, it powers up its weapons and fires into the core. The blast penetrates the core and molten rock surges to the surface. Onboard the Dalek Saucer, the Dalek Commander is triumphant – the planet’s core has been energised and is ready to be taken on as fuel, the hostile alien life form has been exterminated, and the planet of Galacton destroyed. “DALEKS CONQUER AND DESTROY”, the chant of the Daleks echoes around their ship.

Characters

 * Daleks

Continuity
to be added

Timeline

 * Mission to Galacton occurs after: to be added
 * Mission to Galacton occurs before: to be added