The Exterminators (audio story)

 was the first instalment of Dalek Empire III, and the ninth release in the Dalek Empire series overall. It described the response of the people of Mutter's Spiral to an approaching Dalek invasion.

Publisher's summary
At the end of Dalek Empire II: Dalek War...

Galactic Union special envoy Siy Tarkov set off from planet Velyshaa with vital information warning of an imminent Dalek invasion of the galaxy.

Twenty years later... and the only proof Tarkov ever existed is a garbled message, calling for help. But no one is listening.

"...some kind of virus... disease... Am putting myself into cryogenic suspension... Please come... please... vital... The Daleks are... Daleks will conquer, destroy... exterminate--"

Plot
On the return trip from Velyshaa, Siy Tarkov and the crew of the star yacht Crusader were infected with the Neutrotransmitter Failure Syndrome (NFS) plague when they stopped at Scalanis V to refuel. Over the next twenty years, it spread throughout the Border Worlds, killing millions, resulting in the declaration of a galactic state of emergency. The origin of the NFS plague is unknown.

Commander Frey Saxton, the leader of the Graxis Wardens, believes that the native primates on Graxis Major are evolving. However, her second-in-command, Dan Culver, is more sceptical. The Wardens' latest recruit, Kaymee Arnod, arrives on the planet on Saxton's birthday. Kaymee, who had been descending to the surface of Graxis Major in free-fall in a space suit, followed the wrong descent trajectory and arrived in the wrong location. This occurred because of a collision in her descent. Shortly before being rescued by Warden Telligan, Kaymee hears the sound of an energy blast followed by a scream.

The Wardens are baffled by the makeshift nature of the leaf bandage around Kaymee's injured leg. They seem to have been applied by one of the native primates, who are not believed to be intelligent enough to do so.

The Galactic Union's operational security commander, Georgi Selestru, tells Galanar that Tarkov's warning of a Dalek invasion was buried away by the Galactic Union Council. They wanted to maintain a peaceful galaxy and to prevent another Great Catastrophe. Selestru's interest was piqued when a race calling themselves the Daleks offered assistance to the inhabitants of the Scalanis system in developing Variant 7, a possible cure to the NFS plague. The Crusader was eventually found drifting in space, more than twenty years after Tarkov had set off from Velshyaa. By this time, he was the only survivor of the crew. It took another two years to transport his cryo-pod to Galactic Union HQ Planet Nine, having been passed from ship to ship in the interim. However, it is unknown who actually discovered the Crusader.

The Border Worlds are governed by the Border Worlds Confederation Cabinet. One of its representatives, Provost Carneill, is working for the Daleks, who dismiss Warden Harley's death on Graxis Major as an "unfortunate accident". They claim that their main priority is to cure the NFS plague and save millions or billions of lives.

Saxton determines that the Wardens are no longer alone on Graxis Major. The object which collided with Kaymee during her descent was not the Wardens' jet as Kaymee originally believed. Further evidence of this is provided by Culver, Telligan and Davin are attacked by what they believe to be a robot. However, it is a Dalek. After Davin is exterminated, Culver and Telligan drive their vehicle into it, making it explode. After examining the Dalek, Saxton realises that it is not a robot but a cyborg as it contains organic material.

Before the outbreak of the NFS plague, there had been unrest on the Border Worlds. Their inhabitants objected to the centralised bureaucracy of the Galactic Union, claiming they did not understand life on the frontier and had no right to govern them. These political tensions were worsened by the plague, leading to the formation of the Confederation of the Border Worlds Ruling Cabinet.

As a result of the NFS plague, Tarkov is suffering from tinnitus and has trouble speaking. While it is unlikely that he is going to die from the plague, he has little chance of recovery. To gather more information about the Daleks and as proof of their intentions, Selestru and Tarkov intend to travel to Velyshaa to interview the elderly Saloran Hardew.

Following the arrival of Provost Carneill on Graxis Major, the Graxis system is placed under the jurisdiction of the Dalek Empire. The Daleks claim to be acting on behalf of the Border Worlds Confederation Cabinet.

Cast

 * Galanar - David Tennant
 * Georgi Selestru - William Gaunt
 * Siy Tarkov - Steven Elder
 * Frey Saxton - Ishia Bennison
 * Kaymee Arnod - Laura Rees
 * Provost Carneill / Steward - Oliver Hume
 * Dan Culver - Peter Forbes
 * Telligan - Greg Donaldson
 * Sergic - Jeremy James
 * Davin - Philip Wolff
 * Susan Mendes - Sarah Mowat
 * Saloran Hardew - Karen Henson
 * Suit/Patient/Officer/Scavenger - Peter Forbes
 * Snubby/Pilot - Jeremy James
 * Harley - David Sax
 * The Daleks / Pilot - Nicholas Briggs

Worldbuilding

 * Susan Mendes believed that the Dalek Emperor might have had a contingency plan even in the aftermath of the galaxy-wide destruction instigated by Kalendorf 2,500 years earlier which later became known as the Great Catastrophe.
 * The Graxis Wardens' mandate is to preserve the natural ecology of the Graxis system.
 * The Border Worlds consist of approximately 50,000 inhabited planets.
 * Kaymee's paternal grandparents first met while serving as Wardens in the ocean patrols on Graxis Minor. They were highly thought of by their fellow Wardens.

Continuity

 * Susan Mendes refers to the "Victory or Death" telepathic programming planted in her mind by Kalendorf, which resulted in not only the near complete destruction of the Daleks but the Great Catastrophe 2500 years earlier, resulting in the collapse of civilisation throughout Mutter's Spiral. (AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter Four)
 * The message depicting a Dalek fleet amassing on the outskirts of Mutter's Spiral was deciphered by Saloran Hardew's aides on Velyshaa at the behest of Siy Tarkov, who subsequently warned the Galactic Union of the imminent Dalek invasion. (AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter Four)
 * Tarkov recounts the events of the three Dalek wars to Selestru. (AUDIO: Invasion of the Daleks to AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter Four)
 * It was the Daleks who discovered Tarkov's star yacht, the Crusader, adrift in space. However, his cryogenic pod was removed and taken to Galactic Union HQ Planet Nine by Selestru before Tarkov could be captured. (AUDIO: The Demons)