The Orbitus (comic story)

 was a comic story original to The Dalek World, a Dalek annual of the 1960s. It was highly unusual for not including even a single panel that featured the Daleks. Instead, what featured was a brand new piece of Dalek technology called an "orbitus". Otherwise, this story was an extraordinary case of a comic strip set in the Doctor Who universe which had no Doctor, no Daleks, no companion, no recurring villain, and no Time Lords.

Summary
It's 18 October: young Roger Marlow's birthday. Not only has his father, Captain Rod Marlow, returned from a deep space mission, he's also received an unusual gift. On a world from which the Daleks have had to retreat, Captain Marlow has found an orbitus, a robotic "pet" that can do practically anything. Roger gives his new toy a try and finds it supremely useful. It will do his homework, tell him a story, clean up his room — anything he tells it to do.

The next day, Roger converts it into a high-tech anti-grav skateboard and rides it into town. This attracts the attention of Karsoff and Sheer, two "space gangsters" who are amongst the universe's most-wanted men. They recognise the orbitus as a powerful piece of Skarosian technology. With it, they know they can pull off any bank heist imaginable. Therefore, they kidnap Roger and hold him for ransom: one kid, they tell his parents, for one orbitus.

While Rod attempts a solo rescue of his son, the orbitus figures out that his master is in trouble. It rushes to Roger's side, just as Roger's dad seems to be getting himself into trouble with the two robbers. The orbitus breaks Roger out of captivity, then helps Rod clean up the two thugs. Roger's mother arrives with the police. As the criminals are being escorted away, the police tell him that he's eligible for a reward for the capture of the two bank robbers. Roger makes sure the money goes to worthy causes, rather than his own bank account. His already ample reward is the orbitus.

Characters

 * Roger Marlow
 * Orbitus
 * Captain Rod Marlow
 * Mrs Marlow
 * Karsoff
 * Sheer

Worldbuilding

 * At one point, Karsoff exclaims that the Orbitus must be the only one outside of Skaro.
 * Roger Marlow was born on 18 October 2601.

Production errors

 * In a typing error, the Orbitus' sensor systems "detect their is something wrong" rather than there.

Continuity
to be added