'Nonsense,' said the Doctor cheerfully.  'One can always bodge something up.'  Though in this case it was going to be difficult, he thought.  'Tell me about this Quest of yours?'

'It's for a missing space ship, Doctor... our sister ship, the P7E.  We get signals from time to time, we track it and lose it, track it and lose it...'

The Doctor felt the long hopeless years of searching that lay behind the words.  'But surely after all this time... there won't be any survivors?'

'Probably not.'

'Then why go on?'

Jackson paused.  'The P7E was carrying colonists.  The entire future of the Minyan race depends on our finding her.'

'Ah, I see!  Does the P7E carry regeneration equipment, too?'

'Yes, Doctor.  And the most advanced computer we ever developed.  Something far more important, too, at least to us.  It carried our future, the future of the entire Minyan race.'

'A Race Bank?'

Jackson pointed to a coffin-shaped crystal case set into the main console.  It was empty - but through the transparent lid the Doctor could see two shallow depressions; they might have been made to hold two enormous eggs.  'The place is prepared but the Race Banks are not there,' said Jackson sadly.  'They would give us the chance to establish a new people on a new planet - Minyos II.'  Jackson stared at the fast-approaching nebula.  'At least, that was the theory.  It's all finished now, of course.'

The Doctor's mind had been busy during Jackson's recital.  'Oh, I don't know,' he said cheerfully.  'Seems a pity to give up now, after all you've been through.  Anyway, I've had an idea.  There might just be a ghost of a chance, if it's at all compatible...'

The Doctor pulled a tool kit from under the console and sorted out two metal connector-clips.

'Compatible?  If what's compatible?'

'You'll see!  K9!  Where are you, boy?  Come on, heel, K9!'

Jackson watched in astonishment as the robot dog glided into the control room.  'What is it?'

The Doctor knelt down and patted K9's head.  'He's my second-best friend, aren't you, K9?'

'Affirmative.'

The Doctor plunged his arms inside the control console, wrenched out two lengths of cable, fastened the clips to their ends and attached the clips to K9's ears.  'Now, let's try it out.  Can you feel anything, K9?'

'Affirmative.  Contact established.'

'Good!  From now on, you're in charge.  We want to avoid that nebula.  It's all yours, K9 - you're onl'