Post by Fitz Kreiner on Jun 3, 2010 16:05:06 GMT
Day five, The Doctor’s Dilemma.
I was stood outside the TARDIS with Tom. It had landed rather typically slap bang in the middle of the grand hall in the Pharaoh’s palace. I could imagine his reaction to seeing the blue box appear out of nowhere in his grandest hall, he must consider it an eyesore. He didn’t seem to show it though; he had said, on our journey into the palace, that there was to be a grand celebration tonight. He didn’t seem overly concerned about the Drachnith.
“Life must continue as normal,” he had said when I challenged him. “If the people see us panic then there will be chaos.”
I guess I could understand that. I imagine it must have been the same during the Blitz, carrying on as normal to show Jerry he hadn’t destroyed your morale. I was certainly trying to put on a brave face stood here with Tom. He’d understood my fears and was stood with his arm round my shoulders. It was only a small gesture but it felt more comforting than being in a concrete bunker half a mile underground. It’s strange what a little physical contact does to you.
The door to the TARDIS opened and the Doctor appeared. He had his pocket watch in his hand and a worried look on his hand. He breathed in deeply as he slipped the watch back in his waistcoat pocket and looked at us both.
“Well,” he said finally as he locked the door. “We’re a little further out than I thought.”
Typical! The TARDIS has landed us in the wrong time! She’s done that before; when I met the Doctor he was meant to be taking me to the Great Exhibition in the 1800s, instead we ended up in the 41st century.
“Go on, what’s the damage,” Tom asked.
The Doctor looked sheepish when he answered. “To put it in understandable terms, that is, going by the human calendar,”
“Cut to the chase,” Tom cut in, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s 80,000 BC,” the Doctor said. “73,000 years before the Anubians arrive on Earth. That means the Sontaran-Drachnith war doesn’t happen for another 81,000 years.”
“So, it’s one hundred thousand years ago?” I asked.
“That’s one way to put it, at least from your time,” the Doctor said.
“Doesn’t that help us with what’s happening here?” Tom asked.
“I’m afraid not,” the Doctor replied.
I felt that sinking feeling again. We were all back together finally after what seemed like so long and the you-know-what had seemed to hit the fan.
“So, what does it mean?” I asked. The Doctor had lost me again.
“Unfortunately, I can’t find any records of anything relating to the Anubians or Drachnith this far back, or in Zarik Hulfrak’s ‘Comprehensive Guide to the Universe’,” he said.
“Typical,” Tom sighed.
I looked across at him in time to see him roll his eyes. I could understand his frustrations and I’m sure the Doctor felt the same; it was just that Tom was voicing them. I could still see the anguish in the Doctor’s eyes. He so desperately wanted to save the lives of this planet, but didn’t know whether he should. Suddenly a thought came to me.
“Look, whatever happens, happens. You know that the Anubians come from Anubis, and you know this from the future, so surely by knowing that, whatever will happen, if the Drachnith attack, the Anubians will survive. You’ve said that the two of them have had clashes for millennia, is that any different to what England and France went through for nearly a thousand years?” I said. I was rather proud with that, if I say so myself.
“Oh Jess,” the Doctor said, gripping me by the arms before doing the repeating name thing. “Jess, Jess, Jess, Jess, Jess. You are wonderful. Of course, why didn’t I think of that?”
I stood there in shock as he kissed me on the forehead before skipping off out of the great hall and down a passageway. He was gone before either Tom or I had a chance to speak. I looked at Tom who replied with a shrug. There are times when the both of us are confused about the Doctor’s behaviour. I’d hoped that my little speech had helped the Doctor and if it had then he’d at least tell us, but as usual, he seemed confined to his own little world.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Tom said after several seconds.
“What?” was all I could manage as a reply.
“Well, you’re the one who said whatever it was that excited him,” Tom replied.
I was slightly confused. “Well, I only said that basically whatever will be, will be,” I said.
“Que sera, sera,” Tom replied. “That can’t have been it surely.”
Ok, now Tom was confusing me. I must have said something that the Doctor picked up on totally and Tom half picked up on. I knew what I said, but I didn’t think I’d said something overly prophetic. I mean, I’d said something I was proud of, but I doubted I’d just found the answer to all this.
“I was just stating the facts,” I said almost defensively.
“No, I know,” Tom said, putting his hand round my shoulder again. I could almost feel him thinking. “Even if there’s a war here now and the Anubians survive, they could still be decimated, and that means that billions of people will die. If there isn’t a war, then no one dies. Well, no one else. But something tells me the Drachnith are going full tilt here, they’re well within Anubian space, heading here, and I somehow doubt that the Anubians are going to just sit back and let them get away with what happened on Intheop.”
“You mean, whatever happens it’s likely there’ll be war?” I asked him.
Tom just nodded as a reply. If there was definitely one thing all three of us had in common, we didn’t want a war, and we’d go out of our way to stop an alien invasion. I’ve done it before, we all have. I think I was still in shock about having seen Intheop destroyed and knowing that thousands of people would have lost their lives. The Drachnith seemed like they were an unstoppable force who would just destroy without reason. I shuddered when I thought that, it made me think of the Daleks. Now there’s a race I could happily live the rest of my life without ever seeing again.
“Come on, let’s try to find him,” I said slipping out of Toms arm and grabbing his hand, leading him down the way the Doctor had gone.
I was still apprehensive about what was going to happen. Both Tom and I thought it was likely there would be a war, and the Doctor seemed adamant that he was going to stop it. I was a little confused, especially after all that he’d said about not interfering back on Intheop. Mind you, he’s not one to sit on the sidelines and watch. I always had an idea that he’d get himself involved somehow.
When we found him, he was in the middle of a chat with Rameso, who it seemed he’d accosted in the middle of a corridor. The Anubian looked rather surprised at whatever it was the Doctor was saying, and knowing the Doctor, it was probably with good reason.
“So, 100,000 years ago,” I said to him before he had the chance to launch into one of his long speeches. “What happens now? We’ve got a potential war, but we know that the Anubians survive. What is it that got you so excited back there?”
“We’re in the early history of Anubis,” the Doctor said looking at me intently. “The Prefecture is only a fraction of the size it will be, about three or four solar systems, not the half galaxy it will be. This is the first major meeting between the Prefecture and Drachnith Assemblage.”
“So we’re fine then?” Tom asked. “We can just head back to the TARDIS and move on somewhere else?”
I knew immediately from the Doctor’s face that this wasn’t the case. I could see Tom nodding beside me out of the corner of my eye. He knew as well.
“Alright, what is it then?” he asked.
“The exact history of this region of space is not known, not even to the Time Lords. What happened in the first meetings and conflicts between the Drachnith and Anubians was lost in the wars. All that is known, in those first conflicts, there were no rules. It was a fight for survival,” the Doctor was in one of his explanation modes.
“Surely that’s more reason for us to get out of here as soon as possible?” I asked.
I could still see that the Doctor wasn’t convinced. There was that look of anguish in his eyes again. I could sense Tom beside me wanting to ask the same question that was in my mind, that I knew the Doctor was anticipating and was trying to find the best answer for us.
“It’s very possible that our presence here exacerbated these incidents,” he said eventually. “The Drachnith and Anubians had already arranged to meet, but to the Drachnith, who are vastly paranoid, it may seem as though we’ve been favouring the Anubians. We’re still in a time when the Time Lords powers were well known throughout most of the advanced civilisations; they know mostly of the old times, Rassilon, the original interventions with species that caused Gallifrey to adopt non-intervention. And this far out, these stories are relatively new to everyone. There’s the distinct possibility that the Drachnith believe that we’re here to supply the Anubians with the weapons of the old time, they could be simply trying to defend themselves against what they thing is an alliance to wipe them out.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I looked over at Tom. His mouth was open and I could swear that there was a look of horrified realisation and remembrance on his face. He’s never said anything about his past, before we met him. I don’t know why the Time Lords did what they did to him, but I know they’d messed with his mind, so probably he doesn’t know himself.
I had to say it; “I’ve no idea what you mean.”
“Ok,” the Doctor said looking around us. He gestured to a small room and led us inside. We sat down around the small table in the middle of the room. “Long ago, on Gallifrey, the Time Lords weren’t all like they are now. They were young, idealistic, liked to think of themselves as Gods. They went out into the universe and engaged in activities regardless of any consequences. They found themselves having to fight many wars with incalculably powerful creatures as a result of their meddling. To fight them, they had to construct weapons which could harness the raw power of Time and the universe themselves; Bow-ships, D-Matt guns, Time Scoops and N-Forms were all part of their arsenal.
“In time, these weapons and wars entered legend; some even became folk tales throughout many planets’ histories. Some of these weapons were so big and so powerful they punctured holes in the fabric of reality, these punctures were sealed with shells which in time became planets and stars in their own right and when those stars die, they form a black hole. The Time Lords make a point of keeping an eye on these stars.”
“Ok, the history lecture is fascinating,” Tom said, cutting the Doctor off. “But what’s this got to do with what’s happening here?”
“I’m getting to that,” the Doctor said. “This all happened many millennia ago, however, Anubis is so far out, that these stories will be only just reaching here. The Time Lords wars touched many galaxies throughout the universe, but not here. The front lines never came this far out, the Time Lords were able to contain these horrors that much. But the stories still reached here. To the Anubians and Drachnith, the Time Lords are still this all powerful race, even though by this time, they’ve long since adopted non-intervention.”
The Doctor stopped and we sat in silence for a while. He was letting Tom and I get our heads round all this, and I needed a bit of time, I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. I’d seen the Time Lords time loop the Cybermen when they threatened the whole Milky Way, but from what the Doctor was saying, that was small time compared to what had been before. And it also seemed that the Doctor was saying that his people used to be rather aggressive and confrontational. I wasn’t too sure what to make of the Time Lords I’ve met before, so unless the Doctor and Tom are the two exceptions to the rule.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said. I wanted to make sure that I’d got it all right. “The Drachnith are paranoid, and you’ve accidentally landed us ten times further in the past than you initially thought, where the stories of the legendary Time Lords and their all powerful weapons have just reached them. They now think that we’re here to supply these weapons to the Anubians, who are just starting to expand, and so they think that they’re going to attack them, so the Drachnith attacked first to stop them?”
“Yes, yes, I’m afraid so,” the Doctor said. “I’m sorry; Jess, Tom, but I’ve landed us right in the middle of something terrible.”
I could see now why he was so torn. If we hadn’t landed here, all this may never have happened. We’ve landed places before and managed to stop invasions and attacks and save lives, but this time, we’d caused it all. If we hadn’t arrived in time for the conference, then none of this may have happened. We could have been the cause of all their wars. It was a really heavy thought. I didn’t quite know how to take it.
“It’s not your fault, Doctor,” Tom said, eventually breaking the silence. “No one could have foreseen this and certainly no one’s blaming you. Just because we arrived here, doesn’t mean that it’s our fault. If the Drachnith are as paranoid as you say they are, then this could have all gone tit’s up from the very beginning anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened, would it?”
The Doctor looked across to Tom and smiled. I could still see the sadness in his eyes. “No, of course, thank you Tom. Your faith in me really means a lot, both of you,” he added looking at me. I didn’t need to be a Time Lord or telepathic to know what was coming next. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” I said without even waiting. Tom nodded as well.
The Doctor stood up and tugged at the lapels of his coat and then checked his pocket watch. “Then when the time comes, go along with everything I say and do. In the mean time, play along with the Anubians, enjoy the pomp and circumstance tonight. They know the Drachnith are coming, but they’ll be offended if we don’t attend tonight. There’s nothing we can do now until the morning.”
“And what do we do then?” I asked.
“I’ve got a couple of ideas, but at the moment, they’re sketchy at best, and rather risky, for everyone involved,” the Doctor said. He had his hands flat together and was tapping his bottom lip with his index fingers, which he always does when he’s thinking.
“So what do we do until then?” Tom asked.
The Doctor looked round as if he was seeing us for the first time since we’d arrived. He looked us up and down. I suddenly felt very self conscious. I hadn’t had a chance to change in days, and had only had the one shower since I arrived on Intheop.
“Well, I think you two had best pop back to the TARDIS and get yourselves scrubbed up and rested. We’re bound to be in for quite a night,” he smiled.
That sounded like a good plan to me, I was dying for a shower and change of clothes. “Yeah, sure,” I said, aware that I was grinning again. No matter how bad the situation gets, there are times the Doctor does get you grinning. It’s like he can reach into your mind and say the right thing to really put you at ease.
“Righty-ho; where shall we meet you later?” Tom asked.
I got the distinct feeling that Tom, like me, didn’t want to lose the Doctor again during tonight. Not with all this hanging over us. I got the feeling it bothered him as much as it did me. The Doctor checked his pocket watch again before looking at us and replying.
“I believe Theodihad said something about it being in the Grand Hall, so you won’t have far to go. I’ll be around, I just need to mock something up first,” he said, rather enigmatically. And that was that, he turned and walked down out of the room and down the corridor.
“I guess that’s that then,” I said to Tom.
“Guess so,” he replied with a shrug.
“Well then, that’s my cue for a shower, it’s long overdue!” I said.
“Don’t hog all the hot water,” I heard Tom shout after me.
At least he was still joking. We both knew that no matter how much you used, there was plenty of hot water on the TARDIS. The Doctor had said that the TARDIS was nearly infinite in size, so surely that meant that the water tanks were nearly infinite in size; or at least, very, very big!
Ok, so several hours later and I can’t tell you how good I felt. A hot shower and change of clothes was just what the Doctor ordered, in more ways than one! Considering that there was a big party or something like that organised for tonight, I’d for a party-ish look. I’d found a gorgeous red and black dress in one of the wardrobes, rather tight fitting and gothic looking. It went well with a really nice pair of black stiletto boots I’d found as well, which seemed to fit perfectly. I finally felt like me again, and me who was ready for a good night.
I walked into the console room to find Tom sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen alcove. He’d clearly had the same idea as me; I don’t think I’d ever seen him looking so smart. He had a rather crisp white shirt, black trousers and black jacket on. He scrubs up well, and even his black eye and split lip don’t look so bad now.
“Looking good,” he said when I walked in. It’s not often he says something about the way I look, unless it’s to tease me. I found myself blushing because of that. “Shall we?” he asked.
I smiled and slipped my arm through his. I imagine we made a pretty good looking pair, well; at least I like to think we did. If I say so myself, the dress I’d picked really picked out my figure perfectly. Well, you’ve got to wear something that makes you feel good, haven’t you?
With Tom, I stepped out of the TARDIS, but it wasn’t the party that I was expecting. The Grand Hall was almost deserted, other than a few Anubians running about from one door, across the floor and then disappearing through another. I looked up at Tom, and he returned my look, whatever was going on, we’d clearly missed out on it all.
“You know he’ll have had something to do with this somehow,” he said. I knew he meant the Doctor.
I looked down at the dress and boots I was now wearing. “There’s no way I’m running in this lot,” I said. Flat shoes or boots, I don’t mind at all, but heels like the ones I was wearing; only an idiot would run in them, and twist their ankle in the process.
“I don’t think you have to right now,” Tom said.
I looked up about to ask him what he meant when I saw for myself; the Doctor was walking across the Hall towards us, rather quickly. He had a look on his face that worried me.
“What is it?” I asked. I almost didn’t want to hear the answer.
“It seems we didn’t have as much time as we thought,” he said.
I heard Tom sigh loudly beside me. “What’s happened?” he asked. We sometimes have to ask the Doctor a couple of times before he tells us what he’s on about or what’s happening.
“The Drachnith have arrived,” he said. His tone was really grave and it worried me. “Their war fleet has surrounded Anubis and the City Ship has entered the solar system, it will be here in about six hours.”
Now I knew it, we were in huge trouble.
I was stood outside the TARDIS with Tom. It had landed rather typically slap bang in the middle of the grand hall in the Pharaoh’s palace. I could imagine his reaction to seeing the blue box appear out of nowhere in his grandest hall, he must consider it an eyesore. He didn’t seem to show it though; he had said, on our journey into the palace, that there was to be a grand celebration tonight. He didn’t seem overly concerned about the Drachnith.
“Life must continue as normal,” he had said when I challenged him. “If the people see us panic then there will be chaos.”
I guess I could understand that. I imagine it must have been the same during the Blitz, carrying on as normal to show Jerry he hadn’t destroyed your morale. I was certainly trying to put on a brave face stood here with Tom. He’d understood my fears and was stood with his arm round my shoulders. It was only a small gesture but it felt more comforting than being in a concrete bunker half a mile underground. It’s strange what a little physical contact does to you.
The door to the TARDIS opened and the Doctor appeared. He had his pocket watch in his hand and a worried look on his hand. He breathed in deeply as he slipped the watch back in his waistcoat pocket and looked at us both.
“Well,” he said finally as he locked the door. “We’re a little further out than I thought.”
Typical! The TARDIS has landed us in the wrong time! She’s done that before; when I met the Doctor he was meant to be taking me to the Great Exhibition in the 1800s, instead we ended up in the 41st century.
“Go on, what’s the damage,” Tom asked.
The Doctor looked sheepish when he answered. “To put it in understandable terms, that is, going by the human calendar,”
“Cut to the chase,” Tom cut in, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s 80,000 BC,” the Doctor said. “73,000 years before the Anubians arrive on Earth. That means the Sontaran-Drachnith war doesn’t happen for another 81,000 years.”
“So, it’s one hundred thousand years ago?” I asked.
“That’s one way to put it, at least from your time,” the Doctor said.
“Doesn’t that help us with what’s happening here?” Tom asked.
“I’m afraid not,” the Doctor replied.
I felt that sinking feeling again. We were all back together finally after what seemed like so long and the you-know-what had seemed to hit the fan.
“So, what does it mean?” I asked. The Doctor had lost me again.
“Unfortunately, I can’t find any records of anything relating to the Anubians or Drachnith this far back, or in Zarik Hulfrak’s ‘Comprehensive Guide to the Universe’,” he said.
“Typical,” Tom sighed.
I looked across at him in time to see him roll his eyes. I could understand his frustrations and I’m sure the Doctor felt the same; it was just that Tom was voicing them. I could still see the anguish in the Doctor’s eyes. He so desperately wanted to save the lives of this planet, but didn’t know whether he should. Suddenly a thought came to me.
“Look, whatever happens, happens. You know that the Anubians come from Anubis, and you know this from the future, so surely by knowing that, whatever will happen, if the Drachnith attack, the Anubians will survive. You’ve said that the two of them have had clashes for millennia, is that any different to what England and France went through for nearly a thousand years?” I said. I was rather proud with that, if I say so myself.
“Oh Jess,” the Doctor said, gripping me by the arms before doing the repeating name thing. “Jess, Jess, Jess, Jess, Jess. You are wonderful. Of course, why didn’t I think of that?”
I stood there in shock as he kissed me on the forehead before skipping off out of the great hall and down a passageway. He was gone before either Tom or I had a chance to speak. I looked at Tom who replied with a shrug. There are times when the both of us are confused about the Doctor’s behaviour. I’d hoped that my little speech had helped the Doctor and if it had then he’d at least tell us, but as usual, he seemed confined to his own little world.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Tom said after several seconds.
“What?” was all I could manage as a reply.
“Well, you’re the one who said whatever it was that excited him,” Tom replied.
I was slightly confused. “Well, I only said that basically whatever will be, will be,” I said.
“Que sera, sera,” Tom replied. “That can’t have been it surely.”
Ok, now Tom was confusing me. I must have said something that the Doctor picked up on totally and Tom half picked up on. I knew what I said, but I didn’t think I’d said something overly prophetic. I mean, I’d said something I was proud of, but I doubted I’d just found the answer to all this.
“I was just stating the facts,” I said almost defensively.
“No, I know,” Tom said, putting his hand round my shoulder again. I could almost feel him thinking. “Even if there’s a war here now and the Anubians survive, they could still be decimated, and that means that billions of people will die. If there isn’t a war, then no one dies. Well, no one else. But something tells me the Drachnith are going full tilt here, they’re well within Anubian space, heading here, and I somehow doubt that the Anubians are going to just sit back and let them get away with what happened on Intheop.”
“You mean, whatever happens it’s likely there’ll be war?” I asked him.
Tom just nodded as a reply. If there was definitely one thing all three of us had in common, we didn’t want a war, and we’d go out of our way to stop an alien invasion. I’ve done it before, we all have. I think I was still in shock about having seen Intheop destroyed and knowing that thousands of people would have lost their lives. The Drachnith seemed like they were an unstoppable force who would just destroy without reason. I shuddered when I thought that, it made me think of the Daleks. Now there’s a race I could happily live the rest of my life without ever seeing again.
“Come on, let’s try to find him,” I said slipping out of Toms arm and grabbing his hand, leading him down the way the Doctor had gone.
I was still apprehensive about what was going to happen. Both Tom and I thought it was likely there would be a war, and the Doctor seemed adamant that he was going to stop it. I was a little confused, especially after all that he’d said about not interfering back on Intheop. Mind you, he’s not one to sit on the sidelines and watch. I always had an idea that he’d get himself involved somehow.
When we found him, he was in the middle of a chat with Rameso, who it seemed he’d accosted in the middle of a corridor. The Anubian looked rather surprised at whatever it was the Doctor was saying, and knowing the Doctor, it was probably with good reason.
“So, 100,000 years ago,” I said to him before he had the chance to launch into one of his long speeches. “What happens now? We’ve got a potential war, but we know that the Anubians survive. What is it that got you so excited back there?”
“We’re in the early history of Anubis,” the Doctor said looking at me intently. “The Prefecture is only a fraction of the size it will be, about three or four solar systems, not the half galaxy it will be. This is the first major meeting between the Prefecture and Drachnith Assemblage.”
“So we’re fine then?” Tom asked. “We can just head back to the TARDIS and move on somewhere else?”
I knew immediately from the Doctor’s face that this wasn’t the case. I could see Tom nodding beside me out of the corner of my eye. He knew as well.
“Alright, what is it then?” he asked.
“The exact history of this region of space is not known, not even to the Time Lords. What happened in the first meetings and conflicts between the Drachnith and Anubians was lost in the wars. All that is known, in those first conflicts, there were no rules. It was a fight for survival,” the Doctor was in one of his explanation modes.
“Surely that’s more reason for us to get out of here as soon as possible?” I asked.
I could still see that the Doctor wasn’t convinced. There was that look of anguish in his eyes again. I could sense Tom beside me wanting to ask the same question that was in my mind, that I knew the Doctor was anticipating and was trying to find the best answer for us.
“It’s very possible that our presence here exacerbated these incidents,” he said eventually. “The Drachnith and Anubians had already arranged to meet, but to the Drachnith, who are vastly paranoid, it may seem as though we’ve been favouring the Anubians. We’re still in a time when the Time Lords powers were well known throughout most of the advanced civilisations; they know mostly of the old times, Rassilon, the original interventions with species that caused Gallifrey to adopt non-intervention. And this far out, these stories are relatively new to everyone. There’s the distinct possibility that the Drachnith believe that we’re here to supply the Anubians with the weapons of the old time, they could be simply trying to defend themselves against what they thing is an alliance to wipe them out.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I looked over at Tom. His mouth was open and I could swear that there was a look of horrified realisation and remembrance on his face. He’s never said anything about his past, before we met him. I don’t know why the Time Lords did what they did to him, but I know they’d messed with his mind, so probably he doesn’t know himself.
I had to say it; “I’ve no idea what you mean.”
“Ok,” the Doctor said looking around us. He gestured to a small room and led us inside. We sat down around the small table in the middle of the room. “Long ago, on Gallifrey, the Time Lords weren’t all like they are now. They were young, idealistic, liked to think of themselves as Gods. They went out into the universe and engaged in activities regardless of any consequences. They found themselves having to fight many wars with incalculably powerful creatures as a result of their meddling. To fight them, they had to construct weapons which could harness the raw power of Time and the universe themselves; Bow-ships, D-Matt guns, Time Scoops and N-Forms were all part of their arsenal.
“In time, these weapons and wars entered legend; some even became folk tales throughout many planets’ histories. Some of these weapons were so big and so powerful they punctured holes in the fabric of reality, these punctures were sealed with shells which in time became planets and stars in their own right and when those stars die, they form a black hole. The Time Lords make a point of keeping an eye on these stars.”
“Ok, the history lecture is fascinating,” Tom said, cutting the Doctor off. “But what’s this got to do with what’s happening here?”
“I’m getting to that,” the Doctor said. “This all happened many millennia ago, however, Anubis is so far out, that these stories will be only just reaching here. The Time Lords wars touched many galaxies throughout the universe, but not here. The front lines never came this far out, the Time Lords were able to contain these horrors that much. But the stories still reached here. To the Anubians and Drachnith, the Time Lords are still this all powerful race, even though by this time, they’ve long since adopted non-intervention.”
The Doctor stopped and we sat in silence for a while. He was letting Tom and I get our heads round all this, and I needed a bit of time, I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. I’d seen the Time Lords time loop the Cybermen when they threatened the whole Milky Way, but from what the Doctor was saying, that was small time compared to what had been before. And it also seemed that the Doctor was saying that his people used to be rather aggressive and confrontational. I wasn’t too sure what to make of the Time Lords I’ve met before, so unless the Doctor and Tom are the two exceptions to the rule.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said. I wanted to make sure that I’d got it all right. “The Drachnith are paranoid, and you’ve accidentally landed us ten times further in the past than you initially thought, where the stories of the legendary Time Lords and their all powerful weapons have just reached them. They now think that we’re here to supply these weapons to the Anubians, who are just starting to expand, and so they think that they’re going to attack them, so the Drachnith attacked first to stop them?”
“Yes, yes, I’m afraid so,” the Doctor said. “I’m sorry; Jess, Tom, but I’ve landed us right in the middle of something terrible.”
I could see now why he was so torn. If we hadn’t landed here, all this may never have happened. We’ve landed places before and managed to stop invasions and attacks and save lives, but this time, we’d caused it all. If we hadn’t arrived in time for the conference, then none of this may have happened. We could have been the cause of all their wars. It was a really heavy thought. I didn’t quite know how to take it.
“It’s not your fault, Doctor,” Tom said, eventually breaking the silence. “No one could have foreseen this and certainly no one’s blaming you. Just because we arrived here, doesn’t mean that it’s our fault. If the Drachnith are as paranoid as you say they are, then this could have all gone tit’s up from the very beginning anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened, would it?”
The Doctor looked across to Tom and smiled. I could still see the sadness in his eyes. “No, of course, thank you Tom. Your faith in me really means a lot, both of you,” he added looking at me. I didn’t need to be a Time Lord or telepathic to know what was coming next. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” I said without even waiting. Tom nodded as well.
The Doctor stood up and tugged at the lapels of his coat and then checked his pocket watch. “Then when the time comes, go along with everything I say and do. In the mean time, play along with the Anubians, enjoy the pomp and circumstance tonight. They know the Drachnith are coming, but they’ll be offended if we don’t attend tonight. There’s nothing we can do now until the morning.”
“And what do we do then?” I asked.
“I’ve got a couple of ideas, but at the moment, they’re sketchy at best, and rather risky, for everyone involved,” the Doctor said. He had his hands flat together and was tapping his bottom lip with his index fingers, which he always does when he’s thinking.
“So what do we do until then?” Tom asked.
The Doctor looked round as if he was seeing us for the first time since we’d arrived. He looked us up and down. I suddenly felt very self conscious. I hadn’t had a chance to change in days, and had only had the one shower since I arrived on Intheop.
“Well, I think you two had best pop back to the TARDIS and get yourselves scrubbed up and rested. We’re bound to be in for quite a night,” he smiled.
That sounded like a good plan to me, I was dying for a shower and change of clothes. “Yeah, sure,” I said, aware that I was grinning again. No matter how bad the situation gets, there are times the Doctor does get you grinning. It’s like he can reach into your mind and say the right thing to really put you at ease.
“Righty-ho; where shall we meet you later?” Tom asked.
I got the distinct feeling that Tom, like me, didn’t want to lose the Doctor again during tonight. Not with all this hanging over us. I got the feeling it bothered him as much as it did me. The Doctor checked his pocket watch again before looking at us and replying.
“I believe Theodihad said something about it being in the Grand Hall, so you won’t have far to go. I’ll be around, I just need to mock something up first,” he said, rather enigmatically. And that was that, he turned and walked down out of the room and down the corridor.
“I guess that’s that then,” I said to Tom.
“Guess so,” he replied with a shrug.
“Well then, that’s my cue for a shower, it’s long overdue!” I said.
“Don’t hog all the hot water,” I heard Tom shout after me.
At least he was still joking. We both knew that no matter how much you used, there was plenty of hot water on the TARDIS. The Doctor had said that the TARDIS was nearly infinite in size, so surely that meant that the water tanks were nearly infinite in size; or at least, very, very big!
Ok, so several hours later and I can’t tell you how good I felt. A hot shower and change of clothes was just what the Doctor ordered, in more ways than one! Considering that there was a big party or something like that organised for tonight, I’d for a party-ish look. I’d found a gorgeous red and black dress in one of the wardrobes, rather tight fitting and gothic looking. It went well with a really nice pair of black stiletto boots I’d found as well, which seemed to fit perfectly. I finally felt like me again, and me who was ready for a good night.
I walked into the console room to find Tom sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen alcove. He’d clearly had the same idea as me; I don’t think I’d ever seen him looking so smart. He had a rather crisp white shirt, black trousers and black jacket on. He scrubs up well, and even his black eye and split lip don’t look so bad now.
“Looking good,” he said when I walked in. It’s not often he says something about the way I look, unless it’s to tease me. I found myself blushing because of that. “Shall we?” he asked.
I smiled and slipped my arm through his. I imagine we made a pretty good looking pair, well; at least I like to think we did. If I say so myself, the dress I’d picked really picked out my figure perfectly. Well, you’ve got to wear something that makes you feel good, haven’t you?
With Tom, I stepped out of the TARDIS, but it wasn’t the party that I was expecting. The Grand Hall was almost deserted, other than a few Anubians running about from one door, across the floor and then disappearing through another. I looked up at Tom, and he returned my look, whatever was going on, we’d clearly missed out on it all.
“You know he’ll have had something to do with this somehow,” he said. I knew he meant the Doctor.
I looked down at the dress and boots I was now wearing. “There’s no way I’m running in this lot,” I said. Flat shoes or boots, I don’t mind at all, but heels like the ones I was wearing; only an idiot would run in them, and twist their ankle in the process.
“I don’t think you have to right now,” Tom said.
I looked up about to ask him what he meant when I saw for myself; the Doctor was walking across the Hall towards us, rather quickly. He had a look on his face that worried me.
“What is it?” I asked. I almost didn’t want to hear the answer.
“It seems we didn’t have as much time as we thought,” he said.
I heard Tom sigh loudly beside me. “What’s happened?” he asked. We sometimes have to ask the Doctor a couple of times before he tells us what he’s on about or what’s happening.
“The Drachnith have arrived,” he said. His tone was really grave and it worried me. “Their war fleet has surrounded Anubis and the City Ship has entered the solar system, it will be here in about six hours.”
Now I knew it, we were in huge trouble.