The Serpent’s Whisper: Nyder’s Poisoned Bargain
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Nyder interrupts Gharman, insisting on a private conversation of vital importance. Gharman agrees to meet with Nyder later to discuss his concerns about Davros's megalomania and willingness to sacrifice everyone for the Dalek project.
Nyder suggests the lower level detention room as a safe place to meet, away from Davros. Gharman agrees to meet Nyder there as soon as possible, unaware of Nyder's hidden allegiance.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Feigned vulnerability masking cold, ruthless intent—his performance is flawless, designed to exploit Gharman’s moral conflict.
Nyder enters the cave with the precision of a predator, his body language a study in controlled urgency. He approaches Gharman with a fabricated story of disillusionment, his voice dripping with manufactured empathy. His posture is slightly hunched, as if burdened by the weight of his supposed moral crisis, but his eyes remain sharp and calculating. He proposes a private meeting in the lower level, ensuring Gharman’s trust by exploiting the scientist’s own fears about Davros’s megalomania.
- • To gain Gharman’s trust and lure him into a trap in the detention room.
- • To dismantle the resistance by identifying and isolating dissenters.
- • Gharman’s moral conflict makes him vulnerable to manipulation.
- • The resistance can be crushed by turning its members against each other.
Cautiously optimistic, clinging to the hope of finding an ally who shares his fears about Davros’s project. His moral conflict makes him susceptible to Nyder’s deception.
Gharman is initially dismissive of Nyder’s request, his focus elsewhere, but Nyder’s mention of Davros’s tyranny piques his curiosity. He listens intently as Nyder feigns disillusionment, his guarded expression softening slightly. Though cautious, Gharman is hungry for validation—his moral conflict over the Dalek project leaves him vulnerable to Nyder’s calculated empathy. He agrees to the meeting, unaware that he is walking into a trap.
- • To find an ally who can help him challenge Davros’s Dalek project.
- • To validate his own moral concerns about the Daleks’ creation.
- • Nyder’s disillusionment with Davros is genuine, and he may be a potential ally.
- • The resistance needs more voices to challenge Davros’s tyranny.
Warily attentive, balancing the need to protect his companions with the weight of his knowledge about the Daleks’ future. His moral conflict is palpable, though he remains focused on the immediate threat.
The Doctor is present in the cave but remains in the background, his attention focused on the growling experiments and the safety of Sarah and Harry. Though he does not directly participate in Nyder and Gharman’s exchange, his presence adds an undercurrent of tension—his awareness of the Daleks’ potential for destruction looms over the scene. His cautious demeanor reflects his broader struggle with the moral dilemma of intervening in Skaro’s history.
- • To ensure Sarah and Harry’s safety in the cave.
- • To gather information about Davros’s plans without drawing attention to himself.
- • Nyder’s deception is a threat to the resistance, but intervening directly could alter the timeline.
- • Gharman’s moral conflict makes him a potential ally, but his trust in Nyder is misplaced.
Anxious but determined, their fear of the cave’s dangers is tempered by their trust in the Doctor and their shared mission. Sarah’s denial of fear masks her underlying tension, while Harry’s admission of nervousness reflects his honesty and vulnerability.
Sarah and Harry are present in the cave but are not directly involved in Nyder and Gharman’s exchange. Their focus is on the growling experiments, their anxiety palpable. Sarah denies being scared when Harry teases her, but her alertness betrays her unease. Harry, though nervous, remains attentive to the environment, his fear tempered by his loyalty to the Doctor.
- • To stay safe in the cave and avoid drawing attention to themselves.
- • To support the Doctor in his mission, even if they don’t fully understand the stakes.
- • The growling experiments are a immediate threat that must be avoided.
- • The Doctor’s leadership will keep them safe, even in dangerous situations.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The growling experiments serve as a constant, ominous backdrop to the scene, their feral sounds piercing the suffocating shadows of the cave. Though not directly referenced in Nyder and Gharman’s exchange, their presence adds an undercurrent of tension, reminding all characters of the dangers lurking in Skaro’s depths. The Doctor identifies them as one of Davros’s failed creations, heightening the sense of urgency and peril in the cave. Their growls are a stark reminder of the consequences of Davros’s experiments and the moral cost of the Dalek project.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The detention room is proposed as the meeting place for Nyder and Gharman, a location Davros never visits. Its seclusion makes it ideal for private conversations, but it also serves as a trap—Nyder’s true intention is to betray Gharman and extract information about the resistance. The room’s claustrophobic confines and dim lighting contribute to the sense of secrecy and danger, as Gharman unknowingly walks into a situation where his trust will be exploited.
The lower level of the cave is a shadowed, suffocating expanse that Davros avoids entirely, making it the perfect setting for Nyder’s deception. Its isolation amplifies every whispered conversation, turning the space into a cradle for betrayal. The oppressive darkness presses in, heightening the tension as Nyder feigns defection and Gharman clings to the hope of finding an ally. The cave’s growling experiments echo distantly, adding to the sense of impending danger and moral ambiguity that permeates the scene.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Davros’s Dalek Project looms over the scene as an unseen but ever-present force. Nyder’s deception is a direct manifestation of the project’s influence, as he seeks to crush any dissent that threatens its completion. The project’s tyrannical demands are what drive Gharman’s moral conflict and Nyder’s betrayal, as both characters grapple with the consequences of Davros’s obsession. The project’s shadow is cast over every conversation, a reminder of the power it wields and the lives it will destroy.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Planning the trap and agreeing where to meet."
"Agreeing to help is contrasted with The Doctor and companions entering the caves."
"The Doctor and companions entering the caves is contrasted with NYder planning his trap."
"Planning the trap and agreeing where to meet."
"Planning the trap contrasted with entering the ventilation ducts."
"The Doctor and companions entering the caves is contrasted with NYder planning his trap."
Key Dialogue
"NYDER: *Gharman, I must talk to you. It's of vital importance.* **Subtext:** *Nyder’s urgency is performative—his real goal is to isolate Gharman, not confide in him. The word ‘vital’ is a hook, designed to exploit Gharman’s guilt over his own complicity in Davros’s crimes.*"
"NYDER: *You know that I have served Davros faithfully for many years. I've never questioned anything he has ever done. But he has become a megalomaniac. He's ready to sacrifice everything and everyone, including us, just so that the Dalek project can be completed.* **Subtext:** *Nyder mirrors Gharman’s own fears back at him, using Davros’s name as a weapon. The shift from ‘faithful servant’ to ‘megalomaniac’ is a rhetorical trap—Nyder positions himself as a fellow victim, not a spy. The phrase ‘including us’ is the bait: it implies shared stakes, shared danger, shared purpose. Gharman’s silence here is his first step toward the noose.*"
"GHARMAN: *Where can we meet in safety?* NYDER: *The only place Davros never goes is the lower level.* **Subtext:** *Gharman’s question is desperate—he’s already committed to the lie Nyder is selling. Nyder’s answer is a masterstroke: the lower level isn’t just a location, it’s a symbol. Davros’s absence there makes it sacred ground for rebellion… or ambush. The word ‘safety’ is a cruel irony, foreshadowing the detention room’s true purpose as a cage, not a sanctuary.*"