Doctor Who: Combat Rock by Mick Lewis Read Free Book Online Page B

amusement.
    ‘Och, it’s only a touch of sea water. Don’t be such a wee wet English lassie.’ He obviously found this very amusing.
    Wina seemed to understand the joke and joined in his laughter, which only made Victoria sulk even more.
    They were sitting in a long, slender motor canoe which was heaving through the ocean towards the dark hulk of Papul, visible on the horizon. Wemus was steering the canoe, the rather dilapidated engine emitting dense gusts of smoke that occasionally obscured him altogether. Sea spray doused the travellers on a regular basis as the canoe cut through the choppy waves at a surprisingly swift pace.
    The Doctor was studying the huge outline of Papul. It was obvious the island was considerably larger than Batu. It extended across the horizon to east and west as far as the eye could see. Mountains reared up from the forest which crept from the shore to strangle the peaks.
    ‘Have you ever been to Papul before?’
    The Doctor turned at the question and blinked at the young Indoni merchant who had spoken. He had quite forgotten about the extra passengers Wemus had managed to enlist to join the little expedition, so excited was he about visiting the jungle island. Jungles had always fascinated him, from the purple rainforests of Kolith, replete with monitor lizards the size of buildings, to the golden swamps of Aerny Dhu, where it was said the Juices of Everlasting Life could be squeezed from certain leaves. And now the unexplored wildernesses of Papul beckoned, teeming (according to Wemus) with the richest flora and fauna to be found anywhere on Jenggel.
    ‘No. Why, have you?’
    The Indoni had introduced himself as Ussman. He was small with a tall head and a tousle of hair. He had rather mischievous eyes that betrayed his playful nature. The Doctor had warmed to him straight away. His friend Budi was more serious and good-looking, although his charm had so far been completely unsuccessful on Wina, Victoria and Santi, upon whom he had tried to use it repeatedly. The Doctor liked him too, despite his insistent flirtatious attempts. The third new member of the party, however, he had taken an instant dislike to.
    This was Drew. He had messy blonde hair down to below his collar, a pubic whisp of a moustache, a thin, weak face and watery eyes. He was from Magnow, an Earth colony satellite just outside the Jenggel System. He was slippery and unpleasant, and tried to mask his objectionable nature by minimally shaking hands with whomever he was talking to.
    The fact that his palms were always slick to the touch didn’t help his case at all.
    ‘Never,’ Ussman replied, forcing the Doctor’s attention away from the looming mass that was Papul. ‘But I like a good adventure.’
    ‘Is that what you’re here for?’
    Ussman smiled, but it was Budi who answered.
     
    ‘No, we’re here to see if there’s anything good to buy.’
    ‘And then sell,’ Ussman added.
    The Doctor smiled. ‘Ah, I see you are entrepreneurs of a kind’
    Budi obviously didn’t know that word. ‘No, just merchants, looking to make some money.’
    ‘You speak almost perfect English,’ Victoria cut in, trying to ignore the spray that had mottled her clothes.
    ‘It helps us to be convincing to tourists,’ Ussman said with a cunning but endearing smile. ‘It helps us to be better...
    entrepreneurs’ He emphasised the word for Budi’s benefit.
    ‘What do you think you’ll find in Papul that you could possibly trade?’ queried the Doctor.
    Ussman smiled and stared out across the red-coloured ocean towards the island. The palm trees were becoming more defined now as they approached. The mountains varied from titanic peaks to a peculiar succession of mounded protuberances bulging from the greenery like warts on a toad’s back. The trader grinned. ‘Things the civilized people of Batu and beyond would pay good money for, believe me, Doctor.
    Accoutrements of a primitive society that would look very good on the wall of