Power Play was an instalment ofThe Daleks, set afterGenesis of Evil. It was composed of several one page comic strips which lacked individual names.

Plot[[edit] |[edit source]]

TheDalek Emperor oversees the completion of newDalek City. ThenDalek instruments detect a strange object arriving onSkaro, which unbeknownst to the Daleks in aspaceship. They cover the city in sand to hide it from the invaders. The ship is owned by theKrattorianKest. He sees the fortune of sand waiting on theplanet and sets hisslaves to work gathering it. Realising they are at risk of being discovered, the Emperor orders them destroyed. However, the magnetism from the Dalek City begins disrupting Kest's ship's instruments and it tells the slaves they can rest. The Emperor has them examined and learns that two slaves,Sala andAstolith, are planning a rebellion against Kest. The Emperor believes this is the chance for the Daleks to seize the ship for themselves.

Meanwhile, Sala'suncleAndor betrays his niece and warns Kest. Kest instructs Andor to find the rebels and bring them before him but Sala is captured by the Daleks while exploring outside and is nowhere to be found. The Emperor offers to help her and the others fix the problem with the ship's instruments. As Kest interrogates Astolith as to Sala's whereabouts, Astolith punches Andor in the face in anger before Sala reappears and tells them of the Daleks. She leads Astolith, Kest and some of hisguards to the city but once they are gone, the Daleksslaughter the guards around the ship and move it into the city for study. When Kest notices his ship had gone he threatens to kill Sala but she and Astolith manage to shove him and his guards off the edge of the mountain range. Kest survived the fall.

The Daleks finish their records of how the ship is constructed but they sill do not know how to operate it. Sala and Astolith try to sneak past them so they can escape the planet with the other slaves. Kest finds his way into the city and the Daleks capture him. He offers to show them how to fly his ship if they find and kill the rebels, with no intention of keeping his word. Sala and Astolith evade the Daleks and reach the ship, just as Andor is found cowering within. He shows the Daleks thepapers detailing how to operate the ship. At that moment, Sala, Astolith and the slaves take off and smash a hole in the roof of the Dalek City. Kest, Andor and several Daleks are killed in the blast-off but the Emperor sees it as of no consequence. They now have all the information they need to begin the construction oftheir own spacecrafts, allowing them to begin their conquest ofthe universe.

Characters[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Andor
• Astolith
• Kest
• Sala
• Dalek Emperor
• Daleks
• Kest'sKrattorianguards
• Kest'sslaves
• Steve Zodiac
• Doctor Venus
• Professor Matic
• Correspondent

Worldbuilding[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Space City officials fear for the safety of theFireball XL5 crew if theleader of the Batmen takesrevenge forRobert's attack.
• Thesubmarine carriers underTitan's control are heading for theU.S. Western Seaboard in direct line withMarineville. Attack is imminent.
• Spaceengineers report that because of a technical fault in theNeutroni Radar Satellite,Fireball XL5 pictures and report will be relayed viaLaser-Accelerated Spectroview.
• It has been reported thatSpace Station M5 has launched an emergency rescue ship in a desperate bid to save Zodiac, Venus and Matic who are stranded inspace with only thelife-giving effect of theiroxygen pills keeping them alive.
• APentagon correspondent reports that the3rd Battalion of theUS Army has been rushed to theBrazilianJungle.
• Scientists at theNaples Laboratory of Seismographic Studies have issued a warning to theVesuvius area. Pressure is building up in thevolcano and aneruption is expected within the next twenty-fourhours.
• Jodrell Bank reports that contact lost withOmega-Minus device. Space City officials are concerned but confidentXL Patrol Ships will be able to track and destroy but this confidence is not echoed at Jodrell Bank.

Notes[[edit] |[edit source]]

• The comic shows the origins of theDalek space travel program, first seenon television inThe Dalek Invasion of Earth. The Daleks are in the process of researching space travel in the next story,Duel of the Daleks, andThe Amaryll Challenge later shows the Daleks developing and testing their first spaceships.
• A new version of the title frame byRichard Jennings makes its first appearance in the fourth instalment, replacing that of the rather tall and thin Daleks used from TV21 Issues 1-6; and would be used until Issue 51.
• The comic also shows the construction of theDalek City seen in the television storyThe Daleks.
• In2005,Altered Vistas released an animated adaptation of this story.

Reprints[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Doctor Who Weekly33-34 in black-and-white
• Doctor Who Magazine183-188 in colour
• DWMS The Dalek Chronicles in colour

Continuity[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Marineville are waiting for an attack. (PROSE:Fireball Surrenders!)
• The arrival of theKrattorianspacecraft intoSkaro's atmosphere is detected byEarth'sSpace Agency and reported upon on13 February2065 (PROSE:Fireball Surrenders!) and theSpace News Agency would then release a comment describing the situation on Skaro as "extremely confused" due to the presence of the Krattorian ship on20 February of the same year. (PROSE:Titan Declares War!)
• TheBrazilianjungle crisis is ongoing. (PROSE:Superjet Shot Down,Jungle Terror!)