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• The Dalek Chronicles
  • Introduction
  • Genesis of Evil
  • Power Play
  • Duel of the Daleks
  • The Amaryll Challenge
  • The Pentaray Factor
  • Plague of Death
  • The Menace of the Monstrons
  • Eve of the War
  • The Archives of Phryne
  • Rogue Planet
  • Impasse
  • The Terrorkon Harvest
  • Legacy of Yesteryear
  • Shadow of Humanity
  • The Emissaries of Jevo
  • Road to Conflict
  • Return of the Elders
  • Deadline to Doomsday
• Other Dalek Chronicles Web sites
  • Altered Vistas
  • The Dalek Chronicles

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Trying to find ways to strengthen Dalek casings, lowly worker Zeg is exposed to dangerous rays after a freak accident. This accident strengthens his casing, but also makes him dangerously unstable, and he challenges the Emperor to a duel, believing he should be Emperor of the Daleks. Will his strength be a match for the Emperor’s cunning?

Art by Richard Jennings

Part One

Zeg is busy trying to strengthen Dalekenium when the Oquolloquox, a fierce gale that occurs every six years, strikes his laboratory. The explosion of chemicals and metals soaks through his casing, giving him a feeling of joy.

Illustration from the original Dalek Chronicles

Part Two

Zeg is found in the wreckage of the laboratory and taken for tests. His outer casing has become much stronger, and capable of resisting Dalek firepower. He christens this new metal metalert, and decides that, because he is stronger, he should now become Emperor.

Part Three

When Zeg withstands the firepower of even the Black Dalek, the Emperor decides they must consult the Dalek Brain Machine. The Machine decrees that they must have a duel to decide who rules the Daleks.

Part Four

The duel begins. The Emperor sets a trap for Zeg and topples him into the acid river.

Zeg takes a not-so-fatal plunge into a river of acid – CGI render from the Altered Vistas production of Duel of the Daleks.

Part Five

Zeg survives the acid. He tracks the Emperor to the mercury geysers and appears to blast the Emperor into fragments.

Part Six

However, the Emperor has planted an inflatable decoy of himself and now attempts to divert the geyser to destroy Zeg’s casing. Again, the plan fails and the Emperor flees to the old Dalek workshops for a last desperate attempt to destroy Zeg.

Part Seven

Luring Zeg inside the old Dalek workshops, the Emperor finall destroys him with liquid air. Now the Daleks will improve metalert and conquer the stars.

• This story was originally published in issues 11-17 of TV Century 21.
• The Dalek Brain Machine is seen here for the first time.
• Zeg is the first of only eleven Daleks in the entire canon of Doctor Who to have a name. The others are Alpha, Beta, Omega from Evil of the Daleks, Makkith, Sukatri, Adellus and Odalon from the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip Children of the Revolution, and, of course, Sec, Jast, Thay and Caan from Doomsday.
• The Black Dalek makes his first appearance in the strip.
• Altered Vistas CGI adaptation of Duel of the Daleks was released in October 2004 and is available from their site: www.alteredvistas.co.uk.