The Ribos Inheritance (audio story)

 was the second and final story in the audio anthology Silver and Ice produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Jonathan Barnes and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush and introduced David Rintoul as Garron.

Publisher's summary
The Doctor and Mel arrive expecting Suntime on Ribos, but find a world still shrouded in snow and ice - but it’s not just the climate that’s gone awry...As forces plot against the young King, a soothsayer predicts doom. And out in the wilds, the Doctor finds wily conman Garron caught up in events on Ribos once again.

Part one
On Ribos, King Kari is told by the Seeker that the Duke of Hishtar, one of his advisors, is a traitor. Kari ignores the Seeker's suggestion that he be burnt and instead exiles him from the city of Shur. Hishtar speaks out against him and tells the commoners that the Ribosians need to take back their planet.

Mel finds the Doctor in the Cloister Room, brooding about the changes he sees for himself in the future, and comforts him. After Mel advises him to live in the moment, the Doctor decides to take her to Ribos in the Suntime; whilst the TARDIS does materialise at the time the Doctor intended, they find that it is still Icetime. The ice that they step out on begins to crack and they run to solid ground, but the TARDIS is submerged and they are chased up a tree by a wild Shrivenzale. After a while, the Shrivenzale falls asleep and they try to get away quietly, but it gives chase once again until Sandarr the Barbarian slays it.

Sandarr takes the Doctor and Mel to her village to stay for the night. Whilst it is said that the unending Icetime is a punishment from the gods for greed, pride and sin, Sandarr does not believe in the gods and was told by her father that he saw strange lights that could be responsible. She advises the Doctor and Mel to see the wizard.

Kari comes to wonder if he had done the right thing in exiling Hishtar, having heard rumours that he is stirring up an army. The Seeker offers to consult her bones whilst he prays to the gods. He hears a robotic voice which he recognises as that of the gods and is told that he is loved and respected and should go to sleep. The voice wakes him up later on, warning him of a dangerous shapeshifter from beyond this world who could be of use. This stranger has many names and faces but is best known as the Doctor.

Part two
Sandarr takes the Doctor and Mel to the home of the wizard and stands guard outside. The Doctor recognises the wizard as Garron and is able to convince him that he is the same Doctor that he met twenty years ago. Garron begins to tell the story of how he came to be here, but Sandarr interrupts and warns them that her people believe they are witches and plan on killing them and burning their bodies. They escape through the caves and head north towards the Desolation of the Plains before Sandarr instead suggests hiding at an abandoned town that her people believe is haunted by spirits and blood-suckers.

Kari has Shur searched for the Doctor and tells the voice that he is nowhere to be found. He consults with his advisors, who offer no advice about how to deal with Hishtar and his rebellion. The Seeker informs him of her prophecy of the approaching magus, but Kari is unimpressed as he has already heard of this from the gods and wonders if he really needs her. Later, the voice tells Kari that they have found the Doctor.

In the abandoned town, Garron tells the story of how he came to Ribos; on Designate 9, he bought a device that extends meteorological conditions and planned on turning Ribos into a world of permanent winter, going straight and selling package holidays to holidaygoers. The lock and key of the device were stolen from him by brigands whilst he was in Shur and he has since heard a rumour that a strange key was sold to the rebels. The Doctor decides that he and Garron will go to Shur whilst Mel and Sandarr go in search of the rebels, but the rebels, led by Hishtar, find the four of them first.

The Doctor is transmatted to Kari by the voice of the gods. He tells Kari that he will help him defeat the rebels and suggests that the phrase "resistance is useless" could be a good one to use.

Part three
to be added

Part four
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor – Sylvester McCoy
 * Mel – Bonnie Langford
 * Garron – David Rintoul
 * King Kari – Homer Todiwala
 * Sandarr – Vivienne Rochester
 * The Seeker / Baladin Smith / Computer Voice – Issy Van Randwyck
 * The Duke of Hishtar – Paul Bazely

Continuity

 * Mel mentions the Sixth Doctor and his regeneration. (TV: Time and the Rani)
 * During his fourth incarnation, the Doctor met Garron. Twenty years have passed since then. (TV: The Ribos Operation)