The Dalek Gambit (audio story)

was the third and final story of the third series of The New Counter-Measures, and the final story in the Counter-Measures range as a whole, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Roland Moore and featured Simon Williams as Ian Gilmore, Pamela Salem as Rachel Jensen, Karen Gledhill as Allison Williams, Hugh Ross as Toby Kinsella and Carolyn Seymour as Suzanne Clare.
According to the producer, David Richardson, the series' original conclusion was intended to be The Hollow King. However, the story's standalone nature, and fan popularity, resulted in further entries in the series to wrap things up with a better sense of closure.
Following up on the events of The Movellan Manoeuvre, which was released on the same day, The Dalek Gambit serves as the true grand finale and a send-off to the main characters. In celebration, the story pit Counter-Measures against the Daleks, the foe they first fought during their debut appearance in Remembrance of the Daleks.
== Publisher's summary ==
After the Movellan attack, the new Counter Measures team discover that key scientists who helped the Movellans are being murdered. Rachel Jensen realises that the Daleks are behind it.
Soon the team finds itself in the middle of a desperate war between Daleks and Movellans. As casualties mount, the Daleks plan to explode a bomb to wipe out the Movellans. Unfortunately it will also destroy all life on Earth.
Rachel finds herself struggling to diffuse the bomb as the clock ticks down. The stakes are high and this time not everyone will make it out alive...
== Plot ==
Rachel, Ian and Allison are walking around the remains of a factory that was destroyed in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak. Ian says that the place has been sealed off until the completion of their investigation into what technology was left when the Movellans were stopped.
Rachel notices a door that she doesn't recall seeing before. When they pass through the door, they find themselves in what appears to be a testing room with a group of deactivated Movellans inside. Rachel tells everyone that Ian walked through a motion detector and that they need to stay still in hopes that the defense system won't arm. Unfortunately, a cobalt bomb is activated, and with no way to escape, the group has no choice but to attempt to defuse the bomb, which Rachel sets about doing while the others give her some space.
After defusing the bomb and escaping the warehouse, Rachel is told that the Counter Measures Team are relaxing in the meeting room with some cake that Sir Toby brought in. She tells Allison that she is working on developing a portable version of the EMP machine using Movellan technology before deciding to put it away with the other pieces of technology they have recovered. Rachel admits that she enjoys carrying out research and analysis for the Counter Measures team more than being caught in a gunfight.
In the meeting room, the team are enjoying Sir Toby's cake while Allison explains what she found out while studying the deactivated Movellans at the factory whilst adding that she created a list of people who might have helped them. When Ian asks about Lady Clare, Toby says that after she retreated, he and Allison began planning to break into one of her houses. Allison adds that they found correspondents from some robotic experts who gave Lady Clare and the Movellans advice on adapting production using Earth's resources. Whilst Allison and Toby break into Lady Claire's house, Rachel and Ian are tasked with talking to the robotics experts, starting with Dr. Harlan Jessop.
Rachel and Ian arrive Dr. Jessop's house to find that the front door has been smashed open and Dr. Jessop is dead with no signs of injury on his body.
Toby tells his colleagues that two other robotics experts on the list have been killed in similar circumstances to Dr. Jessop in the last 24 hours, believing that Commander Vallan is responsible for their deaths. Rachel tells them that they must find Lady Clare, but there's been no trace of her since the incident at the factory. Allison decides that they should ask another person on the list: Professor Michelle DuPont. Rachel realizes that something about the deaths of the experts seems familiar to her.
== Cast ==
* Group Captain Gilmore - Simon Williams
* Rachel Jensen - Pamela Salem
* Allison Williams - Karen Gledhill
* Sir Toby Kinsella - Hugh Ross
* Lady Suzanne Clare - Carolyn Seymour
* Maurice Vallan - Cyril Nri
* The Daleks / Sergeant Tulley - Nicholas Briggs
== Crew ==
* Music - Nicholas Briggs
* Based on characters created by Ben Aaronovitch
* Cover Art - Ryan Aplin
* Director - Ken Bentley
* Executive Producer - Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
* Producer - David Richardson
* Script Editor - John Dorney
* Sound Design - Joe Meiners
* Writer - Roland Moore
== Worldbuilding ==
* Movellans use cobalt bombs.
* The Daleks murder Harlan Jesep, Michelle Dupont, and several other top robotics experts.
* Commander Vallan is of the Fourth Movellan Strategic Fleet.
* According to Vallan, the Dalek-Movellan War has been raging for centuries, but both sides have access to time travel.
* Rachel shuts down the Dalek force field using the Fibonacci sequence.
* Allison salvages a time warp drive.
* Suzanne Clare is aided by Jenkins.
* Rachel knew the only way to leave Counter-Measures was to die.
== Notes ==
* Originally, the cover featured Grey Daleks but it was changed to feature Bronze Daleks before release. Both variants have been depicted battling the Movellans on television, in Destiny of the Daleks and The Pilot respectively.
* This story was recorded on 6 June 2019 at the Moat Studios.
* This was the final appearance of Pamela Salem as Rachel Jensen.
== Continuity ==
* From their raid of the Movellan warehouse, Counter-Measures has acquired a sonic lance, Suzanne Clare's portable teleport, dispersal mine, and a Dalek gun. (AUDIO: The Movellan Manoeuvre)
* Ian notes that the Daleks have a different design (TV: Dalek, The Pilot, et al.) to the Daleks Counter-Measures is familiar with. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)
* Movellans use guns resembling pink cones. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)
== External links ==
== Footnotes ==
Category:The New Counter-Measures audio stories
Category:2020 audio stories
Category:Stories that use Nicholas Briggs' The New Counter-Measures theme
Category:Stories set in the 1970s
Category:Stories set in London
Category:Dalek audio stories
Category:Movellan audio stories