Having spent a month or so in Earth 1289 A.D. it was nice to once again be back in the TARDIS. Of course, our latest destination has left a bit to be desired.
We arrived here on what we now know as Marinus earlier today on the shores of a great sea of acid, as Susan found out when she dropped her shoe in. As one approached the sea, the shore in fact turned from sand to glass.
We found a few little one-man submarines which were apparently designed to travel beneath the acid, along with the rather gruesome discovery of an empty sort of frog-man suit. It had a rip in it and so we surmised the acid must have gotten to its inhabitant, and, well, I don’t think I need say anymore.
We spotted a great building in the distance and I reasoned that the sea must be some sort of defence mechanism. Susan had gone back to the TARDIS to retrieve a new pair of shoes, so Chesterton, Miss Wright and I went back to the TARDIS to find her and then planned to investigate the distant citadel.
The treacherous child was nowhere about, so we decided to look for her which took us to the building, where we split up.
As it turns out, several of the frog-men, whom we now know to be called the Voord, were attacking the building, and Susan, Miss Wright and I were all in turn chased or attacked by the creatures, but rescued and then imprisoned by Arbitan, a fellow dressed in Monk’s robes who is the building’s sole inhabitant.
Chesterton was still free, and I must admit he is one resourceful little schoolmaster. He turned the tables by rescuing Arbitan from an attacking Voord, which proved to him we were no enemy and convinced him to let us go free. At least momentarily.
He took us to the heart of the building, a room housing a great construct he explained was The Conscience of Marinus. Their civilisation’s technology had peaked 2,000 years ago with this device which began as a sort of adjudicator machine, an infallible judge and jury. As time went on, it was further developed to influence the people of Marinus, deciding right and wrong for them, eventually eliminating robbery, murder, all crime, even hate and fear from the populace. After about 700 years of this utopian existence, however, there arose one to oppose it, I believe named Yartek. He and his followers, the Voord, began a revolt with the intention of capturing the Conscience. Knowing how dangerous a weapon the Conscience would be in the wrong hands, the leaders of Marinus scattered the five key circuits throughout Marinus, with only Arbitan knowing the location of all five.
The population of Marinus had dwindled until now only Arbitan remains. He has finally improved the Conscience so it would be immune to Yartek's attempts to subvert it and use it as an ultimate weapon. He must stay to protect the building and the Conscience, however, and so cannot journey to bring back the keys himself. He says he sent his daughter last year, but she has not returned. He asked us to find them for him but we refused, choosing not to get involved and returned to the TARDIS.
When we reached the TARDIS, however, the old blackmailer had placed a force barrier around it, refusing to allow us into our ship unless we helped him find his precious “keys.”
And so we were forced to agree and he outfitted each of us with a little teleportation bracelet, a sort of travel dial, pre-programmed to take us to the hidden location of the keys. Miss Wright, either out of curiosity or impatience, triggered hers first and we quickly followed.
When we arrived, however, Miss Wright was nowhere to be found. Chesterton did find her travel dial, however. With blood on it.
Based upon the teleplay by Terry Nation, first broadcast on BBC 11th April 1964
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