~Prologue~

A flock of birds sitting in the branches of a sturdy oak was very surprised indeed when a door opened in the side of the tree and a man clad in black velvet emerged. The birds took to the air indignantly, scolding the tree with loud, startled squawks before scattering in all directions. The man in black, the Master, took no notice whatsoever. Standing in front of his TARDIS, he stretched his arms as he assessed his surroundings. The area seemed safe enough, and he began to relax — a bit.

The Master was exhausted from one of his frequent last-minute escape efforts and badly in need of a rest. The kind of place that would not normally interest him in the least suddenly seemed appealing: he wanted a dull planet, a peaceful place conducive to relaxation. While still in the Time Vortex, he had picked this planet, Yyrikk, for a holiday. The TARDIS data banks informed him that Yyrikk was mainly agrarian, described the climate as pleasant and warm, and characterized the natives as "eccentric but harmless - a cheerful, friendly folk." He had materialized on Yyrikk hours ago but remained in the TARDIS to do some thinking.

The Master thought of himself as a man of simple needs. All he wanted was power, complete and total power, and he didn't think he was asking for too much. He was the Master, after all! But his attempts to procure the power which was his due always ended in disaster. Quite a lot of ventures had gone sour on him recently; maybe it was about time for his luck to change. And since this trip to Yyrikk was for the purpose of rest and relaxation only, nothing could possibly go wrong.

It was the Master's intention to remain in or around the TARDIS for most of his visit, but he had deliberately materialized within walking distance of a large town picked up by his sensors. Although it was hard to imagine what he might need that the TARDIS could not provide, the Master prided himself that he never left anything to chance. Feeling confident that he was prepared for any eventuality, he started out for a brisk walk. It wasn't until much later that the Master realized there was simply no way he could have prepared himself for what happened during his holiday on Yyrikk.