Story 211.3 - The Crossharbour Fugitive part three

by Hugh Bryant

Crossharbour Refuelling Station enables long-distance space travel between distant nebulae, housed on an uninhabited planet that is countless lightyears from the human sector of space. It is operated by the Myrmalir – fungal creatures that emit a phosphorescent glow and live to serve their benevolent ruling force: the Hypogene.

The skeleton crew is made up of Bark, the curmudgeonly but devoted senior coordinator counting down the days until he can see his son again, and Bramble, a promising doctoral candidate whose research could change her people’s future if she doesn’t get distracted by artefacts from the planet’s past. Because there is more to this planet than the Hypogene has told them, and an unusual influence is guiding them to discover long-buried secrets.

The Moonray has not long left Crossharbour when a colossal tragedy leaves only one survivor: Solent, a junior pilot who is so terrified by what happens that he claims he can’t remember anything. A feral force is threatening the continued existence of life in this corner of space, with Crossharbour itself in terrible peril.

When trouble with the TARDIS leaves the Doctor and Kim-Ly trapped on Crossharbour, the daily difficulties of adapting to a completely alien way of life is the least of their worries. As a web of deception and danger reveals itself, the travellers must do all they can to survive the consequences of unearthing the truth…