Cyber-Hunt (novelisation)

Cyber-Hunt was the second instalment in the Novelisations in Time & Space series. It was written by Callum Phillpott, adapted from Nick Briggs' script (writing as "Martin Peterson") for the 1998 audio story. It features Carson's Planet, which was also seen in Briggs' "Death to the Daleks!". Unlike the original version, this story contained the licensed usage of Aurichall from P.R.O.B.E..

Publisher's summary
A Cyber War rages throughout the galaxy. The Earth-aligned worlds are fighting for survival against the cold, emotionless might of the Cyber Bloc - an alliance of planets whose inhabitants have undergone cybernetic conversion in the name of racial superiority.

Award-winning journalist Olivia is reporting from the front-line, when all her assumptions about the Cyber War are shattered, not only by a terrifying encounter with the enemy, but by the arrival of a wise and mysterious traveller. The result is a deadly Cyber-Hunt, in which human and machine creature are tested to the limit and the balance of galactic power is at stake.

Plot
In 2777, the Tellurian Alliance have retaken Carson's Planet from the Cyberons once again. Though the warship Fearless was too late to get involved, it detects a lone Cyberon has survived the battle and to the disgust of embedded journalist Olivia, Captain Halloran declares a "Cyber-Hunt": a trophy hunt, portrayed as a morale booster for the men. Both Olivia and Halloran have been lovers in the recent past and their relationship is frosty; she stays excessively professional so he can't find a reason to send her off the ship.

The Cyberon itself is wounded and attempting (and failing) to disobey its protocols when it encounters a wandering pipe-player, who is being shadowed by a man in black robes. It reluctantly follows its protocols to try and kill the piper, and the Tellurian squad are shamed by Olivia into assisting him; the piper appears nameless and unclear how they're there. When battle commences, Halloran and Sergeant Paisley Grange's men are systematically killed off. Halloran refuses to accept the hunt is over and orders Olivia to take the wounded piper back to the ship. However, the Cyberon gets to it first and the ship is destroyed, forcing the Tellurians to seek shelter in nearby ruins until they can summon help. (The Cyberon also sends a signal to its own fleet and Olivia - who has a cybernetic implant to record footage - picks it up, assuming it to be a strange dream)

For the piper, time briefly freezes and he informs the man in black that he requires more time to make progress. When it's unfrozen, Halloran is irritated by the piper's apparent inability to remember much of his past and Olivia decides to name the wanderer "Fred", after her pet goldfish, for sake of something to use.

The group discovers the remains of a Cyberon lab and Fred is horrified to realise it was working on nanotechnology that would convert humans into Cyberons. Soon after, Olivia hears an SOS message from someone and guides them to the ruins, only to learn it's the wounded Cyberon asking for help. Halloran guns it down despite its pleas but the fight damages the lab, causing nanotechs to escape; Fred makes contact with the man in black and learns to warn Halloran to keep his wounds covered. This is too late and Halloran will begin to convert.

Unaware of Halloran's fate, Fred questions Olivia about the vision and voices she's getting through her implant. Learning from her that the Cyberon was being emotional, he starts to examine the dead warrior - which turns out to still be half-alive - only for the work to be interrupted by a converted Halloran and Grange is shot. Unknown to Fred, the man in black has stepped in to alter time so Grange's wound isn't fatal and his gun is loaded with gold bullets so he can save them from the Experimental Unit. The confused Grange says he "blacked out" instead of being dead.

The original Cyberon has now lost most of its fluid and is gaining memories and emotions again, remembering its name was Lewis, but the reinforcements it summoned have now arrived regardless. The Tellurians are captured for conversion but Lewis saves them by converting the ship's nanotechs to attack cybernetic rather than organic material, while Fred successfully programs a Cyberon escape pod.

In the aftermath, Olivia arranges for Fred to become an accredited journalist. Fred makes contact with the man in black to confirm the Cyberon's nanotechnology efforts have been set back: in return for this and being separated from his past, his homeworld is restored and his disguised ship returned.

Characters

 * Fred
 * Olivia
 * Halloran
 * Paisley Grange
 * Holbrook
 * Stevens
 * Andrews
 * Sanders
 * MacKentire
 * Cyberon Commander
 * Man in black
 * Lewis

Worldbuilding

 * Partially converted humans are counted by the military as Cyberons and not human civilian deaths - this is despite cybernetic augments being common since the 24th century.
 * The human colony on Phobos possessed a distinct culture which was disrupted when Cyberons invaded and the Earth Alliance took in the survivors. Sanders was assigned a gender on Phobos which was interpreted by the Earth-centric perspective as a non-binary identity.
 * MacKentire grew up on a Solace Industries colony.

Continuity

 * The Tellurian Alliance of the audio is retconned to be the Earth Alliance, as depicted in Flight of the Cyberons, during a period when Earth is under Cyberon occupation.
 * The Cyberons are led by a Cyberon Commander. (PROSE: Flight of the Cyberons)
 * Carson's Planet is rich in resources, making it a frequent part of galactic conflict. (AUDIO: "Death to the Daleks!")
 * Fred remembers being close friends with Ria, (COMIC: Party Animals) as well as Truman. (PROSE: Deadfall)
 * Fred is half human on his mother's side. (TV: Doctor Who)
 * Fred angrily calls himself "Loom-sucking". (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible, et al.)
 * Lorelise is the main language on Aurichall. (PROSE: The Blue Scream of Death)
 * Some Cyberons are weak against gold, but the Tellurian Alliance doesn't make gold-firing weapons (refering to TV: Revenge of the Cybermen) as it's easier to simply throw bombs.