Then by encouraging him to expand his empire, country after country, until he ruled most of the world.'
'Why pick on Napoleon?' asked Serena.
'He was the conqueror I needed, the only man who could have pulled it off. He invaded England, he even conquered Russia. In fact he died of pneumonia, contracted during his victory parade in Moscow. On his death, the Empire collapsed.'
'As you had foreseen?' suggested the Doctor.
'As I had foreseen. On the collapse of Napoleon's World Empire, the conquered countries split up into separate mini-states discreetly encouraged by some of my colleagues.
Most of them had started out as separate little kingdoms that gradually unified Germany, Italy, Spain. They simply reverted to type. Take England for example. It split into three separate kingdoms, England, Scotland and Wales any two of them usually at war with the third.'
'Why?' asked the Doctor simply. 'Why do all this?'
The Countess's blue eyes were shining with excitement.
'Don't you see, Doctor? For the sake of the Game! For the sake of a hundred Games!'
The Doctor nodded. 'Games which you and your kind control. I'm beginning to understand.'
'I had a sudden inspiration during the Napoleon-Wellington Game. Why settle for an unwieldy boring contest, with hundreds of thousands of men on either side? The First and Second World Wars were no better. But the same excitement and intrigue could be gained from a hundred little wars.
Attack and defence, victory and defeat, espionage and treason, alliance and betrayal, all on a miniature scale. Each of these mini-kingdoms is controlled by one of us. We form alliances and break them. We compete against each other.'
'You don't seem to be doing very well at the moment,' said Serena. 'As far as I can tell this little kingdom of yours is starving and in ruins.'
'Several neighbouring states combined against me,' said the Countess. 'Unfortunately, they had superior technology.
But I'll recover.' She turned to the Doctor. 'What do you think of my Grand Design?'
The Doctor paused for a moment before replying. 'It's ironic, really,' he said at last. 'I owe my present position to the fact that I encountered another totally unscrupulous race small beer compared to your lot, but evil enough in their own little way. They called themselves the War Lords, and they, too, were aided by a renegade from my own people.'
'Really?' The Countess sounded bored. 'And what did they do to arouse your disapproval?'
'They kidnapped human soldiers from different time zones on Earth, brainwashed them, and set them down on an empty planet to continue, as they thought, fighting their own wars.'
'An interesting concept, Doctor,' said the Countess.
'What's your point?'
'The War Lords had a purpose to form an army to conquer the galaxy. It was an evil purpose but at least it was a purpose. Whereas you...'
'What about us, Doctor?'
'You are more evil than the War Lords ever knew how to be. They played war games with kidnapped soldiers. You're playing war games with the whole world. You know the worst thing about you and your kind?'
'I'm sure you'll tell me, Doctor.'
'You have no purpose. None at all. You do evil just for the fun of it. Death and destruction, slaughter and suffering, poverty and starvation all to keep you amused.'
'We have to do something,' said the Countess mockingly.
'Immortality can be so boring. To manipulate human affairs, to risk death by taking human form relieves the monotony.'
'What are you?' whispered Talleyrand. 'A ghost or a goddess?'
The Countess laughed. 'I have been called both in my time. We are transcendental beings, Prince Talleyrand we exist on another plane. We can interact with your world, but we are not of it.' She surveyed the little group before her.
'Now then, what am I to do with you?' She paced up and down for a moment. 'You, Prince Talleyrand, can be of use to me. I have need of a skilled diplomat. There are strategies to plan, alliances to forge.'
Talleyrand looked hard at the Doctor for a moment, then he bowed. 'I should be honoured to serve you, Countess.'
Serena was horrified. 'You're really going to help her?
Help to maintain this horrible world she's created.'
'You forget my past history, Lady Serena.'
'Someone once told me you were the King of Turncoats,'
said the Doctor. 'I thought it harsh then, but I see now that it's true.'
Talleyrand spread his hands. 'It has always been my policy to serve the winner the regime that is actually in power. Since this future world seems to be ruled by the Countess and her friends, I really have no alternative.'
The Countess turned to the Doctor. 'There is a place for you too, Doctor, if you are prepared to earn it. To begin with, you will deliver to me your time machine, and explain its workings. Our time-travel ability is limited. Your machine may be of use to us.'
'Is that all?'
'By no means. Your sabotage of the submersible's atomic drive shows you are a scientist of some ability. I need a scientist to devise weapons for me to counter those of my enemies. Superior rockets, more efficient guns, more powerful explosives...What do you say, Doctor?'
'You want me to give you my TARDIS, reveal its secrets, then manufacture weapons for you? Is that all?'
'Precisely. What do you say?'
The Doctor's tone was utterly matter-of-fact. 'I should sooner die.'
'Don't be hasty Doctor. That is precisely the alternative.'
The Countess contemplated Serena. 'As for you, my dear...I'm afraid I really don't have any use for you.'
'Or I for you,' said Serena contemptuously.
'Mind you,' said the Countess thoughtfully, 'I daresay my men would see things differently.' She raised her voice. 'How about it, Squad Leader? Could you and your lads find this young lady a good home?'
The squad leader gave a broad grin. 'Be a pleasure, Commandant.'
'If you dare harm her ' began the Doctor furiously, and then broke off.
The Countess smiled. 'Ah, perhaps I was wrong. I do have a use for you, Lady Serena. I'm sure you could resist any amount of pressure yourself, Doctor. But suppose the pressure was applied to Lady Serena? Could you bear her her suffering?' suffering?'
'Yes he could,' said Serena furiously. 'The Doctor will do his duty, just as I will.'
'We'll see,' said the Countess. 'I'll give you some time to think it over. Squad Leader! Take these two back to their cell.' She indicated the Doctor and Serena. 'We'll give them a few days to cool off.'
'Yes, Commandant. Feed 'em, Commandant?'
The Countess considered. 'Usual bread and water.
Tomorrow. When you've locked them up, inform my chef that the other gentleman will be dining with me tonight. Tell him to lay on something extra special in food and wine. Prince Talleyrand is used to the very best.'
'Very good, Commandant.'
'And send a squad to search around the area where the prisoners were captured. They're to look for any kind of alien machine.'
'Right away, Commandant.'
The Doctor wasn't too worried. The TARDIS was some way from the area where they'd been picked up, and the soldiers wouldn't recognise it if they found it.
As they were marched away, the Doctor and Serena heard the Countess saying, 'You don't know what a pleasure it is to have you here, Prince Talleyrand. I've been starved for good company. My men are fine fellows, but even their officers are pretty uncouth. There's just nobody worth talking to.'
'I have frequently made the same complaint at the Emperor's court,' said Talleyrand. 'I'm sure we shall have many stimulating discussions...'
The Doctor and Serena were marched down endless stairs and thrust back into their cell.
'You stay here on guard,' said the Squad Leader to the other soldier.
'How long?'
'Till I send someone to relieve you if I remember.'
The cell door slammed shut behind them.
Chapter Twenty-nine.
Turncoat
The Doctor sat on the stone bunk, contemplating the long night before him. Not that the days to follow promised much more. He was pretty sure he could resist any personal pressure. Time Lords have great control over their own physiology. He could put himself in a coma where he would feel no pain. If all else failed, he could stop both his hearts and die. But Serena...
Somehow she seemed to pick up on his thoughts. 'Don't worry about me, Doctor. There's a way out for both of us if we have to use it. what galls me is the idea of letting her win.'
'She hasn't won yet,' said the Doctor. 'Don't forget Talleyrand.'
'Talleyrand's gone over to her, surely? You heard him.
Turned his coat again just as he always does.'
'It was the logical thing to do,' said the Doctor.
'You didn't do it.'
'The logical thing for him. Everyone expects Talleyrand to be treacherous. It's his great advantage.'
They made themselves as comfortable as they could on the stone bunk and the long hours crawled slowly by. The Doctor was half dozing when Serena jabbed an elbow into his ribs.
'Someone's coming!'
'Maybe it's the bread and water,' muttered the Doctor.
'That's not till tomorrow.'
They heard voices in the corridor outside the cell. To Serena's astonishment, one of them belonged to Talleyrand.
'You there!' it said authoritatively. 'Stop dozing at your post. The Commandant wants to see the prisoners again.
You're to take them up to her, at once. Look alive!'
Then the guard. 'Why'd she send you?'
'I have no idea. Because I was there, I suppose? Do you want to argue with her about it? Fetch them out!'
They heard the heavy bolts drawn back and the door was flung open.