After their gruelling experience on the planet Varos, the Doctor had suggested to Peri that they needed a trip to a more restful setting, and suggested the planet Verilax.
“You’ll love it there Peri,” he had told her in his usual bombastic way. “As a botany student, you’ll be enthralled by the varieties of flora there. It has some of the most lush jungles I’ve ever seen. You can amuse yourself by sniffing the flowers while I have a tinker with the Tardis. I fancy taking another crack at that Chameleon Circuit…”
Peri went to her room to change. Her favorite outfit of leotard and shorts ought to be very suitable for a lush jungle, she thought. She picked out the bright pink leotard she’d worn when they encountered the Cybermen in London, and slipped it on. Standing in front of her mirror, she admired the way the tight spandex clung to her full, round breasts. She wondered briefly if the Doctor ever noticed how damn hot she was, but dismissed the thought quickly. She was pretty sure his brilliant mind had no time for such mundane things.
A short while later, she returned to the control room where the Doctor stood in his ridiculous multi-coloured outfit and gestured at the scanner screen with a typically theatrical gesture. The screen showed a beautiful scene of lush jungle and amazingly colourful plants. “Voila!”, he cried.
“Looks lovely Doctor! Are you sure it’s safe though?”
“Safe? Safe? SAFE??” He made a dismissive wave of the hand. “It’s PERFECTLY safe! There are no dangerous predators, and the native Verilaxian humanoids are a very placid bunch. There’s absolutely nothing to fear. Now off you go!”
So saying, he activated the door controls and the Tardis control room filled with the sounds of bird and animal cries from outside, and the musky smell of the verdant jungle. With a shrug and a smile, Peri walked outside.
After wandering happily some distance through the jungle, admiring the incredible variety of flowers and plants and trees on every side, Peri found herself stepping into a clearing. It was a circular gap in the trees with a stone dais in the centre. Around the edges, were stone pillars covered with carvings. But her attention was taken by the small green pulsing gem stone that rested on top of the central dais. Something about it was mesmerising to the beautiful young brunette. She walked forward to get a better look.
At that moment a harsh voice cried out from the edge of the jungle. “Defiler! Death to unbelievers who trespass in the Sacred Grove!”
Peri spun round to face the source of the voice, and as she did, she stumbled and her hand came to rest on the pulsing green gem…
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