'Jinx Ship' Blasts Off For Mars (short story)

'Jinx Ship' Blasts Off For Mars was a Dateline 2088 short story printed in Action 21 that contained elements from the Doctor Who universe.

Summary
In conjunction with Action 21 beginning its coverage of the fourth Zero X mission to Mars, Captain Paul Travers vows to end the bad luck which has afflicted the Solar System Exploration Centre, with Travers and his crew having to be saved from death on their last mission by International Rescue. Travers goes on to admit that he and his crew will be forced the unexplored regions of Mars with no support on account of the limited resources of Kahra and the crisis on the Astran border keeping the World Space Patrol busy. However, he states "But if we learn a little bit more and beat that jinx, it'll make the risk worthwhile".

Meanwhile, Mayor Lionel Lurie of Kahra holds a press conference which backs up Travers' predictions, with Lurie saying Kahra would not sent out search parties should the Martian Exploration Vehicle find itself in trouble. Expounding on Kahra's plight in further detail, Lurie explains that they could not spare the manpower, which has decreased in the wake of the Mysteron War due to people returning to Earth, nor the machines, for which they could not afford the necessary fuel in order to arrange a rescue mission.

Also linked to Travers' comments, the Astran space fleet confronts Earth's Tenth Space Fleet, leading to the World President issuing a message to the population. He assures citizens that despite current appearances there will be no war with Astra and confidently voices his belief that it is only a matter of time before they realise the Mysterons represent a common foe.

Finally, Action 21 proudly advertises the commencement of a "special series of adaptations" based on the autobiography of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward.

Characters

 * Paul Travers
 * Penelope Creighton-Ward
 * The World President
 * Lionel Lurie

Worldbuilding

 * The first Zero X mission to Mars was abandoned due to sabotage while the second reached the Red Planet but crashed upon its return to Earth.
 * Both trade and travel interests switched from Mars to the outer Galaxy during the 2070s. The World Government stopped the billions of dollars in payments which kept the city "in style" as a result.
 * A picture depicts Fireball XL5 leaving Earth's orbit to join the Tenth Space Fleet.

Story notes

 * The details in this story pertaining to the first and second Zero X missions are references to the Thunderbirds film Thunderbirds Are Go.
 * This story posits that Paul Travers' first successful command of Zero X comes after Captain Black's ill-fated expedition to make it possible for the reprints of Zero X and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons comics to be set simultaneously within Action 21. As originally presented, Travers and his crew's adventures in TV Century 21's Zero X comic strip came first, beginning on 21 January 1967, while Black's mission was first mentioned in a cover story later that year on 2 September.

Continuity

 * The third Zero X mission to Mars was led by Captain Black and aimed to find the source of the "strange radio signals" received from there, ultimately beginning the Mysteron War. The loss of Black's expedition was reported in PROSE: Capt. Black Mars Expedition Lost! while its unexpected return to Earth was depicted in COMIC: SPECTRUM.
 * Budget cuts have reduced Kahra to "a sterile shadow of its Sixties glory". The Kahra described here has been seen in many stories of note to the Doctor Who universe, beginning with COMIC: The Bitter Cold Dish.
 * The Astran space fleet have come face-to-face with the Tenth Space Fleet, as seen in COMIC: Space Border Battle and COMIC: Ceasefire — But War Tension Mounts....
 * The World President promises there will be no war with Astra. He and the Astran ambassador later formulated a plan for a peaceful outcome in COMIC: President Offers Peace....
 * The President describes the Astrans as a people of intellect, a fact previously stated in PROSE: Information Service.
 * Action 21's series on Lady Penelope begins with an "adaptation" of the events of COMIC: Mr. Steelman.