Venus (The Batmen)

Doctor Venus was a member of the crew aboard the Fireball XL5.

Early 2065
In January 2065, Fireball XL5 was ordered to investigate an automatic space mayday from Area 4 of Sector 25, which they discovered was coming from a space freighter. Venus stayed behind on Fireball with Mat while Steve investigated on his own. When Steve was attacked by Batmen, Venus mistakenly pronounced him dead. (COMIC: The Batmen) News of his apparent death quickly reached Space City. Asked by reporters about the astronaut's condition, Commander Zero stated "I am completely confident in Dr. Venus's ability to deal with the situation". (COMIC: Genesis of Evil) After getting some rest, and with some prompting from Mat, Venus was able to revive Steve from his coma by warming him with blankets. Following an update from Commander Zero, the Fireball crew then pursued the freighter to an asteroid in hyperspace and began to search it on jetmobiles. However, Venus was captured by Batmen after briefly separating from Steve and Mat to examine a glint of metal buried in the dust. (COMIC: The Batmen) News of this also reached Space City, with Commander Zero storming from the day's press conference with an abrupt "No comment" when the subject was broached. (COMIC: Genesis of Evil) Steve and Mat were soon after captured themselves trying to rescue Venus. At this point the leader of the Batmen gave Steve an ultimatum: either disarm Robert and surrender Fireball or see Venus dropped into a deadly lake, with Steve agreeing to save his crewmate. Later, as the Batmen's leader celebrated his victory after taking Fireball for a test-run, Venus and Mat both questioned Steve on their next course of action but Steve only told them not to worry and that everything was going according to plan. When the leader passed close to Robert, Steve ordered Robert to grab him, with the robot's grip tearing off his wings and exposing him as a human wearing a spacesuit. Not wishing to risk the wrath of the World Space Patrol to protect the impostor, Valeen, who quickly emerged as the Batmen's new leader, awoke the crew of the freighter from their "frozen sleep" and allowed them and the Fireball crew to leave peacefully, with Fireball setting a course back to Earth. (COMIC: The Batmen)

In March 2065, Space Station M5 launched an emergency rescue ship in a desperate bid to save Venus, Zodiac and Professor Matic. At that moment they were stranded in space with only the life-giving effects of their oxygen pills keeping them alive. (COMIC: Power Play) A later report, which was printed on the front page of TV Century 21 on 13 March, mentioned that Venus had finally collapsed from lack of oxygen, (PROSE: Superjet Shot Down) as earlier predicted by TV21, which had remarked there was "little hope" of the ship reaching the Fireball crew before the effects of the pills wore off. (COMIC: Power Play)

In April 2065, Space Station K17 reported the total destruction of the planet Saharis, causing fears to grow for the Fireball crew, (COMIC: Duel of the Daleks) though they were unharmed. On 24 April, Venus was pictured in Fireball XL5 alongside Steve and Robert the Robot in an front page TV21 article with the headline "Zodiac's Rescue Bid!". (PROSE: Zodiac's Rescue Bid!)

The Space War and the Ant War
to be added

After the Ant War
In October 2065, when an explosion occurred in the atomic booster motors of Fireball XL5, (PROSE: Fireball Explosion!) the ship became marooned on an asteroid while repairs were carried out. Steve Zodiac later went missing despite contact not being lost, with Commander Zero telling the press that Venus and Professor Matic had already radioed in their reports. (PROSE: FAB1 Back in Action!)

In 2066, Venus investigated the missing ten man construction crew on Syntex with Zodiac, Matic and Captain West. After finding them, one dead and the others on the brink of insanity, they returned to Space City after the same unidentified aggressors started to head in the direction of Earth. When World President Nikita Bandranaik ordered that cobalt bombs be dropped to neutralise the threat, Venus was one of those evacuated on the Seabug. (COMIC: The Syntex Mystery)

Shortly after this, Venus went on holiday to Miami Beach. However, she was abducted by Damacles as an "item of merchandise" to trade for XL5. Both Zero and the World President rejected Steve's pleas to agree to the deal until the President's printing telex informed him that Earth's top scientists had also been abducted. Steve eventually found Venus chained up in Damacles' base in Brazil and was rescued when Steve tackled a rifle from a guard moments before her execution could occur. They investigated the rest of the base and were met with the lifeless of corpse of Damacles, who had been impaled with a sword for failing Bereznik. They later convened in Space City with Zero and Matic. (COMIC: The Black Ship) While XL5 underwent repairs for "minor structural complications", Zodiac and his crew were said to be enjoying a well-earned local holiday. (COMIC: Legacy of Yesteryear)

While on a good-will mission to Styrax in October 2066, a death sentence was passed on Colonel Zodiac and his crew. (PROSE: Time Runs Out For Thunderbird 3)

Behind the scenes
Doctor Venus originates from the television series Fireball XL5.