Skulduggery (short story)

Skulduggery is a short story in the Kaldor City series. Written by Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore, it centers on a scheme by Carnell, at the behest of Landerchild, to assassinate Chairholder Uvanov.

Summary
to be added

Characters
(in order of appearance)
 * Landerchild
 * Carnell
 * Uvanov

Continuity

 * The story takes place shortly before AUDIO: Death's Head. It acts as prelude to those events shedding additional light on the motives of its various characters.
 * The main body of the story involves a discussion between Carnell and Landerchild in which they concoct a plan to assassinate Uvanov using a skull covered in contact poison. This attempt will take place in AUDIO: Death's Head.
 * The assassin that Carnell and Landerchild plan to use, Hume, as featured in AUDIO: Death's Head, will be tricked into thinking he has consumed the antidote to the contact poison beforehand.
 * At the conclusion of the story, Carnell informs Uvanov of the assassination attempt under the guise of it being a way to find out the nature of Iago’s and Justina’s relationship with each other and where their loyalties lie. Carnell doesn’t reveal to Uvanov that Landerchild is the one who instigated the assassination attempt. Iago and Justina's romantic relationship began in AUDIO: Occam's Razor
 * There is a two-man research and ore processing station in Zone 9 on the edge of the Blind Heart Desert. It features in AUDIO: Death's Head as manned by Sheen and Rov.
 * The skull in AUDIO: Death's Head is revealed to have likely been that of either Sheen or Rov. Carnell and Landerchild articulate that Cotton should and probably has stripped the flesh from one of the technician's heads and used the skull as the one that Uvanov is presented with.
 * Alternatively, an analysis of the series by author Dale Smith, postulates the simplest explanation, as emphasized by the title of AUDIO: Occam's Razor, is that Cotton simply used the real skull of Taren Capel that was already located in The Company stores. In AUDIO: Hidden Persuaders Taren Capel's skull is shown to have been in the possession of The Company all along.
 * Carnell remembers the arrival of the TARDIS, an event he was unable to predict. (PROSE: Corpse Marker)
 * During a party, held at the time the Firstmaster murders were taking place, Strecker implied to Landerchild that Iago and Justina were in a romantic relationship with each other. The Firstmaster murders, along with the party, take place in AUDIO: Occam's Razor.
 * Carnell is aware that Cotton is working for Landerchild. This will be revealed in AUDIO: Taren Capel.
 * Carnell refers to the Taren Capel incident that occurred on Storm Mine Four. Landerchild is also aware of real story behind what happened. (TV: The Robots of Death)
 * It is believed by various cults within Kaldor City that Taren Capel walked away free into the Blind Heart Desert. (In TV: The Robots of Death he is strangled to death by a Voc Robot.)