'War of the Empires' (2 Parts) by Roger Price

Elizabeth and Timus are negotiating with a representative of the Sorsons - a race of advanced non-humanoid aliens - to try to end the war between them and the Thargons, but their attempts are unsuccessful. Elizabeth contacts the Lab and tells her fellow Tomorrow People that the Galactic Federation is powerless to prevent the Sorsons and Thargons entering Earth's area of closed space. After the Sorsons land on the moon and begin construction of a base, the President of the United States of America sends a space-shuttle to investigate. Tim detects the arrival of the Sorson and Thargon spaceships, and John and Mike decide to jaunt up to try to stop any fighting; but the battle begins before they can act, and the American space-shuttle is caught in the middle. John and Mike save the crewmen, Evans and Ricardo, by using matter transporters to send them back to their base; however, despite contacting both fleets, they are unable to prevent the battle from ending. Elizabeth returns to the Lab, just as General Vishishnu and his Sorson fleet enter Earth’s atmosphere; one ship lands near the White House and the Sorson representative promises to help the President defend the planet, and gives him a Barluminite raygun to stop the Tomorrow People interfering without harming them. John and Elizabeth jaunt to the Galactic Trig to discuss the Sorson landing on Earth, but the committee’s lack of interest angers John, and he is charged with contempt by the chairman, arrested, and sent to the Proctor Detention Centre with his telepathic powers removed. Mike and Hsui Tai jaunt to the White House, but the President accuses them working for an alien power and withholding advanced technology; he shoots Mike with the Raygun, and imprisons him and Hsui Tai. The Sorson General, Vishishnu, begins training American pilots, including Evans, so that they can defend the solar system. Andrew jaunts to the Oval Office to rescue his friends, but is captured after the President uses the Barluminite raygun on him. But Andrew is only pretending: he ducked when the gun was fired, and he uses matter transporting bands to return to the Lab with Mike and Hsui Tai. Andrew suggests threatening the Trig with a Sorson spaceship in order to rescue John, and they jaunt onto one of the spaceships. Eliciting the aid of Evans, they travel to the Trig, where an artificial intelligence refuses to release John until his case has been heard. Evans opens fire, and the Chaircreature releases him. The Tomorrow People return to the Lab, where Tim, defying instructions from the Federation, informs them that their membership has been suspended. Meanwhile, the Sorson General is furious that Evans has taken a ship and destroyed other Sorson ships, and tells the President that his fleet will depart, leaving the planet at the mercy of a Thargon fleet heading for Earth. John and Elizabeth jaunt to the Thargon flagship, and mange to stop the Thargon General from destroying the Earth as part of his mission to render all planets uninhabitable by Sorsons. America’s deep space radar has detected the Thargon fleet, and the President orders the use of nuclear weapons. When John and Elizabeth are unable to dissuade him, they return to the Lab, where Timus is waiting. Timus wants them to return to the Trig to state their case so that they can be reinstated into the Federation, but the Tomorrow People refuse, as the imminent Thargon attack is more important. The American missiles destroy a Thargon ship, and the aliens prepare to retaliate. The Tomorrow People use their ability to generate illusions to make the Thargons think that there is a large fleet of Sorson ships attacking them, which draws their fire away from Earth. John and Mike jaunt to the Thargon flagship, stun the crew and then program the flight computers to split the fleet in two and send them in opposite directions. The Tomorrow People jaunt to the Galactic Trig, where Timus tells them that a committee has declared that the Federation has become too bureaucratic and out of touch; everything will now change: new laws are to be enforced, and closed worlds will be protected. The Tomorrow People are re-admitted to a new Galactic Federation.



Nicholas Young (John), Elizabeth Adare (Liz), Michael Holoway (Michael Bell), Misako Koba (Hsui Tai), Nigel Rhodes (Andrew), Philip Gilbert (TIM / Timus), John F. Parker (American President), Richard Bartlett (American General), David Baxt (Morgan Evans), Oliver Maguire (Thargon General ), David Cann (Chaircreature), Terry Woodfield (Sorsen Captain), Percy Herbert (Thargon Commander), Anthony Stafford (Thargon Officer)

Directed by Vic Hughes

TX:
'Close Encounter' - 29th January 1979
'Contact!' - 5th February 1979
'Standing Alone' - 12th February 1979
'All in the Mind' - 19th February 1979

Notes:
*Featuring John, Elizabeth, Mike, Hsui Tai, Andrew, Tim and Timus