2. The Value of Crystal Fragments
Back aboard her sailing spaceship, Princess Cigihana had a drink in her personal bar. She had a bottle opened and poured a drink into a glass on the bar. Over the past few hours, Cigihana became frustrated with the persistent attentions of Emsterdon and Azkai as well as the arrival of the Doctor and Bill and being pursued in space by Daleks. She had to cool down and let off some steam. She left the strategy handling to people like the Doctor and Nomark.
As Cigihana drank away, Bill entered, slowly approaching before clearing her throat. “Err…excuse me, your majesty.”
Cigihana turned to see Bill. “Is there something I can do for you?” she asked, not very kindly.
“I just wondered…if I could join you,” Bill said, rather nervously. “Have a drink with you if that’s alright, your majesty.”
Cigihana sighed away. “Look, I don’t need charity. I don’t want anyone to keep me company…”
“Actually, I just…wanted to chat up with you,” Bill interjected. “I’ve never met a princess before and…I think you’re amazingly stunning.”
As soon as Bill said that, Cigihana regarded her rather differently from thereon. She smiled at her. Something she hadn’t done often recently.
“What’s your name again?” the princess asked.
“Bill,” her admirer answered. “Bill Potts, your majesty.”
Cigihana’s smile broadened. Bill’s heart melted.
Placing her right hand on the bar stool next to her, Cigihana said, “Come and sit by me, dear Bill.”
Bill smiled as she made her way over to sit next to Cigihana. The princess took the bottle she opened and poured another drink into another glass.
“Fancy some Tinkari juice, Bill?” the princess asked.
Bill shrugged. “Never tried it.”
“You’re going love it,” Cigihana told her. “Trust me, I do. It sizzles the taste buds.”
Once the princess placed the glass in front of Bill on the bar, Bill took the glass nervously and said, “Alright. I’ll try anything different.”
With that, Bill took a sip. Eventually she became startled by what was in the glass. She’s right, Bill thought. It does sizzle your taste buds. Cigihana laughed once she saw Bill’s reaction to the drink. Bill couldn’t help laugh either.
Very soon, Cigihana placed a hand under her chin, looking at Bill curiously.
“What’re you doing?” Bill asked.
“Just studying you,” Cigihana cheekily said. “I always do when I have a new admirer in my presence.”
Bill mimicked what Cigihana was doing, as she placed a hand under her chin. “Yeah! I can do that too, you know.”
Both laughed once they realised what they were doing.
“Tell me something, Bill,” Cigihana eventually said. “What are you to the Doctor? Are you his servant? Are you betrothed to them?”
“No,” Bill answered, continuing to try out her drink. “I’m not any of those. We’re just good friends, the Doctor and I. We travel together.”
“Odd arrangement,” Cigihana teased. “Mind you, he’s got a plucky partner.”
“And I’m not for men,” Bill told her. “I’m just into in girls really.”
“That’s narrow-minded,” Cigihana teased. “I’m all men and women.”
“Good for you,” Bill said, before cheekily saying. “Even though you dish other opinions in the room when you’re a princess.”
Cigihana gave a mock-gasp and said, “Sacrilege! How dare you speak to a princess like that? I shall have you flogged!”
Both laughed again whilst giving an affectionate embrace to each other. A moment of silence ensued.
Eventually, Bill broke the silence, “I take life at home isn’t all plain sailing for you, your majesty. Hope you don’t mind me saying that.”
Momentarily uncomfortable at first, Cigihana soon said, “You guessed that, did you?” After a pause, she went on, “My father expects me to choose a husband or a wife by the end of the week. He’s rather opinionated about those sorts of things, my father.”
Bill sipped her drink before she said, “Yeah, tight timing that. Could you just not choose a husband or a wife? Tell him you find it difficult to choose someone?”
“I could,” Cigihana said. “But my father would probably disown me if I told him that.”
“That’s pretty harsh,” Bill remarked. “How much time have you got left?”
“About two days.”
“Two days?”
“It’s part of a contract my father wants to fill in for the solicitors,” the princess explained. “I’d rather just enjoy a curry night with the girls than consider my personal future when I become queen.”
After a moment’s pause, “So those two admirers of yours, Emsterdon and Azkai. They don’t meet with your approval?”
“Oh, I like them enough,” Cigihana said. “Emsterdon is lovely when it comes to concerning nature and the environment. Azkai’s a bit dim-witted, but I like it when he helps out in a tight spot concerning heavy building work as well as a possible war on the way.”
“So, the problem is?”
“Well, you saw what happened. The two competed for me and I found it overbearing. I don’t know who to choose anymore. They’ve become so annoying in their attentions towards me; I don’t care about who I marry. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s how I feel.”
After a few moments’ silence, Bill flirtatiously said, “Well, you can always marry me. I don’t mind.”
Laughing away, Cigihana remarked, “You’re so impetuous, aren’t you, my dear Bill.”
“No really,” Bill went on. “I’ve always fancied myself being a ruler of a castle. They do have castles on your home planet, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do actually,” the princess answered. The two laughed together before silence ensued again. “Your offer is very generous, dear Bill,” Cigihana eventually said. “I’d accept it greatly, but my father would disapprove. He tells me that I have to marry someone from a royal bloodline, whether I like it or not. My father’s strict on protocol, you see. So it’s either Emsterdon or Azkai, I’m afraid.”
Rather put out, Bill soon shrugged. “Yeah well, I suppose I can’t fight tradition like that. Too complicated, I imagine.”
“Very,” Cigihana answered. “But who should I choose? The pretty insect girl or the muscle-bound boy. It’s very hard to choose.”
Thinking for a bit, Bill soon offered a suggestion. “Can I make an observation, your majesty?”
“Please do,” the princess said.
“I don’t if you’ve noticed, but there’s clearly tension between your two admirers,” said Bill.
“Really?” Cigihana said, mock-surprised. “And your point being is?”
“Don’t you think that’s kind of the point?” Bill went on. “There’s a possibility that the two might like each other. It’s bound to happen. They might not be willing to admit it, but it’s their attentions towards you that brought them together.”
Cigihana became intrigued. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying maybe you shouldn’t wonder about whether to choose either Emsterdon or Azkai to marry you,” Bill said. “Maybe you should consider bringing the two together before any disruption between your planet and theirs is caused. It’s a starting point, but do see what happens when you go from there.”
The princess pondered on this suggestion more from Bill, becoming even more intrigued.
Just then, a red alarm sounded all over the ship. Both Bill and Cigihana became startled once they heard the alarm system go off in the bar.
“What was that?” Bill asked.
“Proximity alarm,” Cigihana told her. “It seems that a ship is coming into our position in space.”
“I hope it’s not the Daleks,” Bill said. “I hope they haven’t got into the nebula with us already!”
“Look!” the princess pointed.
Bill looked to see where the princess was pointing. They saw out through the bar window that a ship coming towards them. It seemed to be adrift, traversing through the nebula. Bill and Cigihana became curious as they finished up their drinks and soon left the bar to re-join the others.
On the bridge of Cigihana’s ship, the Doctor argued with Nomark. They’d been made aware of the proximity alarm and they also saw the ship drifting in space towards them. Sparta stood by whilst the Doctor and Nomark argued with each other.
“I can’t use the Zorbius crystal fragment to take your lot and this ship away,” the Doctor argued.
“You must save the princess!” Nomark insisted.
“Believe me, Nerdy Boy,” the Doctor said. “I would love to save your Crown Cow!”
“My name is Nomark,” the pilot/bodyguard/adviser said irritably. “And her majesty is Cigihana!”
The Doctor ignored Nomark as he went on, “But using the Zorbius crystal fragment inside the nebula is very risky. I can’t utilise it if it’ll cause damage to your ship. Even with my TARDIS in tow, I can’t use the crystal fragment whilst still in the nebula.”
Nomark turned to Sparta, “Couldn’t all of us get into your ship, Sparta? We could get away in your ship as fast as we can whilst escaping the ship that’s approaching us in the nebula. Once we’re out of the nebula, the Doctor can then use the Zorbius crystal fragment.”
“My ship can only accommodate three people,” Sparta answered blandly. “There won’t be enough space for the seven of us, I’m afraid.”
“We can still give it a try,” Nomark said encouragingly.
“It’ll still be a bit too crammed for us to fit in,” the Doctor told Nomark. “Besides, I don’t think my TARDIS can fit into Sparta’s ship unless I had it lying down. And that will take up more space.”
Just then, Emsterdon and Azkai entered the bridge from one side whilst Bill and Princess Cigihana entered the bridge from the other side.
“I’ve an idea on how to repel those Daleks coming towards us,” Emsterdon announced.
“No! My idea’s better,” Azkai butted in. “We can use my robot football technology to fire football missiles at the Dalek ship coming towards us.”
“That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard,” Emsterdon said. “My idea’s better! We can send insect drones right at the Daleks to finish them off!”
“No! My idea’s better!”
“No mine!”
“No mine!”
“Mine!”
“Mine!”
“MINE!!!”
“MINE!!!”
“Enough,” Cigihana shouted impatiently. “Just shut up, the pair of you! Use one of your ideas already!”
“The princess is right, just shut up, the pair of you!” the Doctor told Emsterdon and Azkai off. “Except don’t use one of your ideas. They’re stupid enough as they are.”
Emsterdon and Azkai became affronted.
The Doctor went on. “Besides, has anyone noticed about the ship coming towards us?”
“What about the ship?” Nomark asked, curious.
“Come on, Nerdy Boy,” the Doctor continued. “I thought it would’ve been obvious by now.”
“Nomark,” Nomark complained. “It’s Nomark!”
The Doctor ignored him. “It isn’t a Dalek ship!”
“What?!” Cigihana exclaimed.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Bill said. “I thought it was just me that noticed it.”
Everyone looked to see and it turned out that the Doctor was right. It wasn’t a Dalek ship coming towards them in the nebula. It was something else. Everyone was surprised by that.
“How come we didn’t realise it was a Dalek ship before?” Azkai wanted to know.
“Probably the hot air that’s going around in people’s brains,” the Doctor commented. “Bill and I have clear heads and make a lot of sense. The rest of you don’t.”
More people became affronted by the Doctor’s words but they kept silent.
“But if it’s not a Dalek ship, then what it is?” Nomark wondered. “It’s not Tendrastan surely.”
The ship got closer into view. Once the Doctor saw it more closely, he became horrified.
“No,” he muttered under his breath. “It can’t be. It simply can’t be.”
Bill noticed the horrified look on the Doctor’s face and she nudged him gently. “What is it, Doctor? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“You’re not far off, Bill,” the Doctor answered. “It’s a Gallifreyan ship we’re seeing here.”
“What?” Bill became astonished before working it out. “You mean; that ship up there. It’s a TARDIS.”
“It’s definitely from my home world,” he went on. “From my people – the Time Lords. It’s a TARDIS de-cloaked, Bill.”
“De-cloaked?” Bill checked.
“Look at it,” the Doctor pointed out to her. “You can see it’s a simply a bland cylinder shape in space.”
Bill looked and saw what the Doctor said was true. It was a bland cylinder shape in space.
“Yeah so?”
“The ship’s chameleon circuit must’ve been damaged,” the Doctor deduced. “Whether in a skirmish or something, I don’t know. I wonder who’s piloting that TARDIS.”
“It could be someone that got hurt or knocked on the head,” Bill commented. “How did the ship get into the nebula in the first place? Where did it come from exactly?”
As everyone pondered about what was going on, the Doctor soon had Princess Cigihana order her subjects to bring the mysterious TARDIS into her sailing ship’s cargo hold to investigate whether anyone was inside it. Cigihana soon agreed and had Nomark carry out the orders.
Eventually, they brought the weary Gallifreyan ship into the cargo hold of Cigihana’s ship. It took a while to bring it aboard, but thankfully no Daleks or Salvador interrupted them. The Doctor, Bill and the others were relieved they weren’t caught in the time they spent in the nebula.
Once the cargo hold had depressurized and the oxygen levels were restored to normal, everyone including the Doctor, Bill, Cigihana, Emsterdon, Azkai, Nomark and Sparta came in to marvel at the dishevelled TARDIS machine before them.
“So, this is what a naked TARDIS looks like,” Bill commented.
“In a manner of speaking,” the Doctor said.
“How does one open it?” Cigihana asked.
“You can’t open a TARDIS on the outside, Crown Cow,” the Doctor told her. “It has to be opened from the inside. A TARDIS is symbiotically linked to its owner. Unless of course someone else has a key to unlock the TARDIS from the outside.”
“Which you don’t have obviously,” Bill pointed out.
“No,” the Doctor admitted. “Unfortunately.”
“Well, we’ll just have to wait until someone opens his or her TARDIS from the inside.”
“Exactly,” the Doctor patted Bill affectionately on the shoulder.
“How long will that take?” Emsterdon wanted to know.
“We could be here all day waiting for someone to come out,” Azkai remarked.
At that moment, the dishevelled TARDIS opened. Its door slid open wide.
“Aha,” the Doctor cheered triumphantly. “Saved by the bell!” Taking out a ring-a-ding bell from his frockcoat pocket, the Time Lord gave it a ring-a-ding for everyone to hear.
“Have you had that in your frockcoat pocket all this time?” Bill asked, surprised.
“Bigger on the inside pockets,” the Doctor pointed out.
Eventually, a dishevelled man came out of the dishevelled TARDIS. He wore a track-suit. The man fumbled towards the Doctor and the others, grey-haired and weak. He soon collapsed to the floor once he was two centimetres away from his ship. The Doctor went over to kneel beside the man and check on him. Bill joined and knelt beside the Doctor.
“Hold on, hold on,” the Doctor said to the old man. “We’re here to help you.” He then called out, “Anyone got a first aid kit? Anyone?” Becoming impatient, he said, “Come on, come on, a man’s dying here.”
“I’ve got herbal remedies if they’ll help,” Emsterdon said.
“That’ll do,” the Doctor said. “Bring them over here!”
“Right you are.”
With that, Emsterdon came over to join the Doctor and Bill. She handed over the herbal remedies she had which the Doctor took.
“Thanks very much, Insect Girl,” the Time Lord said.
Emsterdon didn’t mind being called ‘Insect Girl’ by the Doctor. She’d have to get used to it if he was eccentric. Having taken the remedies from her, the Doctor began to apply them to severely weakened Time Lord on the floor. Bill cradled the old man’s head. Unfortunately, the remedies didn’t quite work.
“Argh, these are rubbish,” the Doctor remarked, giving them back to Emsterdon who was a little hurt by his words. Cigihana noticed Azkai trying to place a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but he decided not to in the end.
Meanwhile, the injured man on the floor looked up to the Doctor and Bill and reached up a hand. He grabbed the Doctor’s left shoulder and whispered weakly, “Maximus. My name…is Maximus.”
At his final breath, the old man Maximus fell back to the floor in a death-like state. Everyone became astounded by this.
“What happened to him?” Bill asked. She then noticed the clothes he was wearing. “He’s in rages. Like he’s been fighting in a war.”
“I can guess which war that is,” the Doctor said, rather morbidly.
Just then, on the floor, the old man began to glow brightly. Fire was coming out of him.
“Ah,” the Doctor realised. “I think we should all stand back!”
“W-W-What’s happening?” Bill wanted to know once she saw the old man called Maximus glow bright.
The Doctor lifted Bill up from the floor. “Stand back, Bill, and cover you eyes,” he told her before he turned to the others. “Same goes for you lot too. Unless you’re an android and can’t be affected by a fireworks display.” He indicated Sparta. The android just stared back at him.
“But what’s happening?” Bill wanted to know, sounding impatient. “Why is that old man glowing?”
Before the Doctor could answer, everyone saw the old man’s glowing body intensify. Pretty soon, the old man was enveloped in a great fire. It erupted strongly in the cargo hold. Thankfully, the ‘fireworks display’ didn’t damage the ship to the point it tore the cargo hold apart. Soon, the fires died down. Out from the flames like a phoenix was a young woman in place of the old man. A dark-haired young woman. She was still wearing the track-suit. Bill was surprised at this. Like Cigihana, she found this woman beautiful. She couldn’t help fancy her too.
The young woman instead of the old man woke up after having gone through her regeneration. She stared at everyone who stared back at her. “I say,” she declared, sounding posh-like according to Bill. “That was a rough ride, wasn’t it?”
Eventually, the young woman sighed deeply before she slumbered into unconscious again and fell back to the floor.
Once this happened, Cigihana called out, “Nomark! See that this young woman is taken to sick bay!”
“Don’t you mean the infirmary?” the Doctor asked.
“I mean, the sick bay,” Cigihana said irritably.
“But… but before,” Nomark stammered. “Before, she was an old man…”
“I know,” Cigihana said impatiently. “You don’t have to remind us all. Just get a move on, will you? Get the poor woman to the infirmary, Err, I mean the sick bay!”
The Doctor grinned at Bill once Cigihana made that mistake.
“Very well, your majesty,” Nomark answered before he set about finding someone to carry the young woman from the cargo hold to sick bay.
“Is there anything I can to do to help?” Emsterdon offered.
“Me too,” Azkai joined in. “Though my muscles are better than a Zangy woman’s.”
“This isn’t the time for a competition,” Emsterdon told Azkai off.
“Thank you very much, you two,” Nomark said before he turned to Sparta. “Mr. Sparta, would you be willing to give a helping hand in carrying this young woman to the sick bay. I’m sure your excellent android strength will come in handy.”
“Happy to oblige, Mr. Nomark,” said Sparta blankly.
With that, Sparta came over and lifted the young woman called Maximus up from the floor. He carried her off to the ship’s sick bay with Nomark, Emsterdon, Azkai and eventually Princess Cigihana following him. Once they’d gone, Bill looked to see the Doctor deep in thought.
“Is something bothering you, Doctor?” she asked.
Gradually turning towards Bill, he said, “Most strange, isn’t it? First we deal with Salvador and the Daleks. Now we attend to a Time Lord who came in a TARDIS that appeared in the same nebula that we’re in. The two incidents can’t be connected surely.”
“Time Lady, surely,” Bill tried to correct the Doctor. “Considering that she’s a woman now. Do Time Lords have sex changes then?”
Ignoring Bill, the Doctor continued. “Unless the two incidents are connected somehow. Zorbius must be the link to them both. We didn’t find out what that trace of Zorbius crystal fragment was for this sector of space when we picked it up in the TARDIS, did we? It’s all in plain sight, I know it is. I just can’t see it.”
After a moment’s silence, the Doctor and Bill soon left the cargo hold and headed for the sick bay to find out what was happening with the Time Lord lady called Maximus.
In sick bay, the Time Lord lady called Maximus recovered. As she lay on her sick bed, Maximus slowly regained consciousness and saw the Doctor and Bill looking down on her. Both were concerned, though Bill’s face was genuine whilst the Doctor’s face had a frown to it.
Rising up to speak to them, Maximus asked, “Have I been asleep?” She stopped, becoming puzzled. She realised her voice was lighter and livelier compared to her previous incarnation. “Hold on. My voice sounds different.” Turning to the Doctor and Bill again, she asked, “Tell me, have I become a green-skinned man with a lot of hair? Or have I become an ordinary-looking man with a big red nose?”
“Like Pinocchio?” the Doctor asked shrewdly.
“Yeah, if you like,” Maximus responded, not getting the reference. “Is that the name of a dragon?” Just then, Maximus touched her face. She looked at her hands and became surprised. “Why! These aren’t men’s hands! Have I become…?” Thinking for a moment, she then asked the Doctor and Bill, “Have any of you got a mirror I can borrow?”
Cautiously, Bill said, “Perhaps you’d better wait until you’ve fully recovered…”
The Doctor wasn’t one for caution though as he took out a small handheld mirror from his frockcoat pocket and gave it to Maximus. “There you go! Have a good long look at your brand-new face.”
As the Doctor got a sharp thud in the ribs by Bill for being so insensitive, Maximus looked at herself in the mirror. She became very surprised to see a woman’s face in it.
“Is this supposed to be me?” she asked. Once Bill and the Doctor nodded their heads, Maximus took a few moments to digest this information. “Wow! I’ve wondered when I would get to another woman’s body. It’s been eight regenerations since the last time I had one.”
“So you’ve got three regenerations left,” the Doctor deduced. “You’re in your ninth body, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” the woman answered. “Yes, I suppose I am.”
“You must’ve seen many things in your lifetimes.”
“Well, a fair amount I dare say,” Maximus said proudly. She looked at the Doctor curiously. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“You should,” the Doctor told me. “I’m the Doctor. Everybody talks about me on Gallifrey.”
The woman became astounded. “The Doctor! You mean…the Doctor! Oh I’m such a huge fan of yours!”
“I should’ve guessed,” the Doctor grumbled, as he walked away, annoyed. “Another one of my fans.” He turned back to her. “Listen, I haven’t got time to sign autographs.”
“In fact, I’m your biggest fan ever on Gallifrey,” Maximus went on. “You’re my hero, Doctor! You saved us all! You saved the Time Lords during the Time War! After a long, bloody war with the Daleks, you saved us all and we won!”
“Oh yeah, you did mention something about saving your planet in a war,” Bill recalled to the Doctor.
“Oh yes, he did,” Maximus said as she took Bill in. “You must be his assistant. Human, I take it.”
“Assistant?” Bill reacted, perplexed. “I’m not his assistant. You make it sound like I’m his lab partner.”
“Well, you are, aren’t you?” Maximus wanted to know.
The Doctor had hinged on Maximus words ever since she mentioned the Time War. Speaking directly into her face, he asked, “Time War! You came from the Time War, didn’t you?”
“Yes I did,” Maximus replied. “It’s one of the reasons why I came here. I escaped the Time War to stop a Dalek fleet that was already escaping the Time War.”
“Dalek fleet?” Bill reacted startled.
“We don’t know how they did it, but one Dalek fleet managed to slip through the time locks of the Time War,” Maximus explained. “I was sent out on a scout mission to find out what was happening. It happened all so fast that I lost contact with Gallifrey and ended up in the time vortex for millions of years. Hence why you saw me as an old man before I regenerated. I was a sprightly youth before I chased the Daleks. I’ve kept in touch with home and heard how you Doctor froze our planet to save us all from the Daleks destroying us. I eventually managed to escape the time vortex and ended up here in this nebula. By then, I was frail and old when you found me.”
“Wow, you’ve said a mouthful,” Bill remarked. “A convincing mouthful but still a mouthful. It must’ve been hell for you to be stuck in that time vortex for millions of years.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Maximus admitted. A sad smile on her face. “But I braved through my isolation. Kept my spirits alive with reading entertaining literature and such.”
The Doctor eventually took Bill to one side, addressing his concerns about Maximus. Maximus watched them nearby on her sick bed.
“The Dalek fleet that escaped the Time War,” the Doctor said. “That must’ve been the one I sent one of the Salvadors to. He must’ve helped the Daleks to escape whilst I fought in the Time War.”
“So that Dalek fleet Salvador commanded was from the Time War,” Bill deduced.
“Perhaps I should’ve known better,” the Doctor pondered. “I was trying to end the Time War forever at the time. I’m glad I didn’t use the Moment, but still my actions in the Time War have consequences.”
“What are we going to do about Maximus? Are we going to keep her?”
“That’s sort of something I had in mind, yes.”
“I can still hear you, you know,” Maximus interjected briskly.
The Doctor looked away from Bill to see Maximus. Grimly smiling, he went over to her and said, “Dear Maximus, I need your help.” Taking out the crystal fragment he had in his frockcoat pocket, the Doctor showed it to Maximus. “I have this Zorbius crystal fragment.”
“Zorbius?!” Maximus reacted, astonished.
“I’m being chased for it,” the Doctor explained to her. “That’s from Daleks as well as an old enemy of mine – Salvador.”
“Can I see it?” the Time Lord lady asked.
The Doctor obliged, handing over the crystal fragment to her.
Once Maximus took it, she examined the crystal fragment in her hands. She was amazed to see it. “Well, isn’t that a coincidence. I have a Zorbius crystal fragment too! See?” With that, the Time Lord lady took out her Zorbius crystal fragment from one of her track-suit pockets, showing it to the Doctor and Bill
“Whoa!” Bill exclaimed, amazed. “Where did you get that?”
“It must’ve been what the TARDIS picked up,” the Doctor explained to Bill. “We arrived too early before it entered the Goseker system.” He then asked Maximus, “Can I see?”
Maximus obliged, handing over her crystal fragment to the Doctor. The Doctor took it, examining it in both hands. Soon the crystal fragments glowed brightly in the Doctor and Maximus’ hands. No-one said anything whilst this was happening. Everyone became astonished by it. Soon, the Doctor and Maximus chinked their crystal fragments against each other. It was like chinking champagne glasses.
“Snap,” the Doctor said.
“Snap,” Maximus replied, smiling.
“That is pretty awesome,” Bill remarked before silence ensued again.
“There’s a lot of work to do,” the Doctor eventually told Maximus. “Using this crystal fragment of yours can help us get an advantage to repel the Daleks.” The Time Lord soon pocketed Maximus’ crystal fragment in his frockcoat pocket. “The Daleks and Salvador are trying to obliterate the Goseker system. Bill, me and others are trying to stop it from happening.” The Doctor turned to Bill. “Isn’t that right, Potts?”
“Oh yeah, sure,” Bill answered. “Any little helps as Tesco says.”
The Doctor turned back to Maximus. “Will you help us?”
Gradually, Maximus willingly obliged. “Of course, Doctor. I’m happy to assist in any way I can.” She soon pocketed the Doctor’s crystal fragment in her tracksuit pocket. “The crystal fragment I used sustained me whilst I was trapped inside the time vortex aboard my TARDIS.”
“And you never thought of using it to escape?” the Doctor challenged her.
“Crystal fragments like that are limited in power,” Maximus replied. “You should know that, having one yourself. Besides, I didn’t want to risk damaging the fabric of time. I waited eons until the Daleks made their move before they escaped into this system of space we’re in.”
“You’re smart, Maximus,” the Doctor smiled at her. “I’ll give you that.”
“So, where do we start?” Maximus asked eagerly. “How are we going to defeat the Daleks and this Salvador person you mentioned?”
“Where exactly do we go from here, Doctor?” Bill wanted to know.
The Doctor turned to face Bill, “With Maximus’ help and two Zorbius crystal fragments, we’ve got a better chance of fighting back against Salvador and the Daleks. It’s a surprise they won’t see coming.”
Grinning delightedly, the Doctor headed out of sick bay. Bill followed. Maximus, having recovered quite quickly, tagged along too.
Meanwhile, on the planet Tendrasta, the Daleks were already attacking and exterminating people. People fled left and right whilst the Daleks shot them off one by one. Some barely managed to escape. Salvador relished in the destruction, seeing why the Doctor hated the Daleks so much.
“This is glorious,” he declared. “The Doctor can’t break through the barrier I’ve created around the planet. There will be total destruction on Tendrasta!”
“The Doctor must not be underestimated,” the Command Dalek grated nearby.
“That’s an understatement coming from a Dalek,” commented the dark lord. “I thought you’d be pleased that I’ve managed to secure our victory.”
“You have not fulfilled your side of the bargain,” the Command Dalek reminded him. “There is still the possibility that you will betray us.”
Annoyed at this, Salvador asked, “Why is it that you manic machines don’t trust me yet?”
“Daleks do not trust other lifeforms so easily,” the Command Dalek grated. “Daleks have superior brains.”
“I’m every bit as Dalek that you can possibly imagine!”
The Command Dalek glared at Salvador. Almost mocking him. “You are deluded.”
“I can easily change myself into a Dalek if it makes you feel any better,” the dark lord offered.
The Command Dalek glared again. “Humour is not acceptable in Dalek society.”
“So I’ve gathered,” Salvador growled. “It’s why I’ve come to admire you so greatly. It’s why I rescued you and led you out of the Time War in order to defeat the Doctor.”
“You still have the task to separate yourself from the Doctor in your DNA bondage with him,” the Command Dalek told him. “Probability factor of task to be achieved is uncertain, but most unlikely.”
That silenced Salvador for a bit. Despite the tension between him and the Command Dalek, they continued to watch the destruction caused in the major city of Tendrasta.
“I’m pleased the Doctor can’t interfere whilst the barrier around the planet is up,” Salvador declared. “Your patrol ship around the nebula he’s in should keep him out of the way respectably.”
Just then, Salvador felt a headache coming on. He groaned and groped his head.
The Command Dalek looked at him. “What is happening?” it demanded, irritated. “Why are you contorting in pain?”
“Receiving…communication…” was all that Salvador said.
Just then, he heard a voice – a Glaswegian voice – calling out to him. “Hello there! Enjoying yourself, Salvy boy? I’m sure you are. In fact, that’s why I’ve come to stop you!”
“Doctor!” Salvador muttered, astonished. “How did you manage to escape?”
“The Doctor is here,” the Command Dalek panicked.
“And I’ve got another Time Lord who’s helping me out here,” the Doctor continued. “She’s been chasing you for a very long time.”
Just then, another voice spoke. A young female voice. “Hello, Salvador. My name’s Maximus. I was once a man, but now I’ve become a woman. I like this new body of mine. Anyway, like the Doctor said, we’ve come to sort you and the Daleks out. We’ve got two Zorbius crystal fragments to do it.”
“What?!” Salvador exclaimed, horrified.
“We’ve got twice the amount of power,” the Doctor told him. “We’ve also managed to break down the barrier you’ve created around Tendrasta. There’s more where our two Zorbius crystal fragments came from. So you’d better watch out and you’d better not cry, cos we’ve got Santa Claus on our side!”
“See you later, Salvy boy,” echoed Maximus.
“See you later, Salvy boy,” echoed the Doctor.
Like a communications channel switching off, the Doctor and Maximus ceased talking. Salvador soon got up off from the ground. The Command Dalek looked down upon him, disapprovingly.
“You have failed to honour your bargain,” the Command Dalek grated.
Looking up at the Command Dalek, Salvador said, “Didn’t you hear him, Command Dalek? The Doctor said he’s broken down the barrier surrounding this planet with two Zorbius crystal fragments.”
“What is the significance of that?” the Command Dalek demanded sceptically.
“He may have repelled our Dalek forces momentarily,” Salvador said, “but we can still fight back. We can send Dalek ships up to him. Or better yet, I can do something to cripple the Doctor and his friends. What’s it going to be?”
The Command Dalek considered for a moment, wondering which option was best.
In outer space, the TARDIS spiralled in Tendrasta’s orbit. The Doctor and Maximus used the Zorbius crystal fragments in their hands to break through Salvador’s barrier. Bill, Cigihana, Nomark, Emsterdon, Azkai and Sparta were with them. They stood in the TARDIS doorway. The Doctor warned Cigihana’s group about coming along and suggested they stay behind on the princess’ sailing ship to keep out of trouble. But Cigihana insisted upon coming. She had to see what the Daleks had done to her planet. The others tagged along. The sailing ship remained in the nebula, piloted and maintained by low-ranking personnel including security and engineering. Everyone saw the carnage caused by the Daleks on Tendrasta. There were firestorms occurring in many continents.
“This is obscene,” Cigihana declared. “How dare they ravage this lovely planet?!”
“There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” Nomark remarked.
“The Daleks don’t believe in reason,” the Doctor told the princess and Nomark. “And they’ve never been good on poetry. I should know. I was there to witness them performing Shakespeare.”
“So what do we do from here?” Bill enquired. “Any chance of landing on the planet?”
“Oh yes,” the Doctor replied. “Every chance of landing, no problem there. It’s just a matter of what we do when we get onto the planet. How do we find Salvador and his Dalek chums?”
“And how do we weaken the hold they have on this system?” Maximus wondered. “If what I’ve heard about Salvador is true…”
“Oh it’s bound to be true, believe me,” the Doctor interjected.
“…Then he’ll be intensifying the carnage caused on this planet with his matter manipulation powers,” Maximus continued.
“We can’t allow that to happen,” Cigihana proclaimed. “We can’t let these horrible Daleks and this Salvador ruin everything that’s on my home planet.”
“A while ago, you were concerned about your curry night with the girls,” the Doctor remarked.
Cigihana ignored the Time Lord whilst Emsterdon stepped forward. “I’m willing to help in any way that I can, dear precious princess,” she offered.
“Same goes for me too, your glorious majesty,” Azkai stepped in.
The two could’ve bickered about it in their competition for Cigihana’s affections, but they thought better of it. Now was not the time. Cigihana was relieved about that.
“Don’t worry,” the Doctor tried to reassure everyone. “I’ll think of something to sort this out, trust me.”
“Well you’d better hurry up, Doctor,” Bill told him. “Pretty soon, there won’t be much of a planet left.”
Suddenly, the TARDIS got violently attacked. Everyone felt it as they staggered back from the doorway. They soon saw Daleks coming up to attack them from the planet’s surface.
“Oh no!” Azkai cried. “We’re in big trouble now!”
“Duh!” Emsterdon scoffed. “You think?”
Getting back to his feet and closing the TARDIS doors, the Doctor ran back to the TARDIS console. Everyone else got up and joined him.
“Change of plan,” he announced. “We’re going to park the TARDIS onto the planet surface anyway.”
“That could be dangerous,” Bill pointed out.
“Very probably. But I don’t want us to be pounded upon by Daleks whilst we’re in orbit of Tendrasta.”
“The TARDIS shields will hold up though, won’t they?”
“Against Daleks, yes. Against Salvador, not so sure about.”
Just then, the TARDIS got violently jerked about. Everyone lost their balance. It was like everything was being pulled down. Velocity was increasing.
“What’s happening?!” Nomark demanded to know. “Why is the TARDIS jerking all of a sudden?”
“The TARDIS is being pulled down by a gigantic hand,” Sparta’s monotone voice rang out.
“You need to work on your jokes, Boring Android,” the Doctor told him.
“I am not joking,” Sparta stated. “The TARDIS is being pulled down to the planet Tendrasta by a gigantic hand. Look to the TARDIS scanner and see.”
The Doctor did as Sparta said as he looked to scanner. He became horrified by what he saw.
“Oh, you really have gone too far this time, Salvy boy,” the Time Lord muttered.
Everyone soon saw what was on the TARDIS scanner and they became horrified.
“What is that?” Emsterdon demanded to know. “Where did that hand come from?”
“It can’t have come from the planet surface,” declared the princess. “It just appeared out of nowhere.”
“That’s not a real giant hand, is it?” Bill checked with the Doctor.
“No Bill, it isn’t,” the Doctor answered. “That giant hand is a form of matter created by Salvador himself.”
“The Dalek attack was meant to distract us, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was. It’s not us making landfall on the planet. It’s Salvador doing it for us.”
Via TARDIS scanner, the Doctor saw that they were about to enter the planet’s atmosphere.
“We’re not going to survive this,” Azkai panicked. “We’re going to die! WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!”
“Oh, call yourself a brave boy,” Emsterdon mocked, holding onto the railings of the Doctor’s TARDIS. “You’re not the champion of your home planet. You’re a fraud! A big fraud!”
“Will you stop being so mean to him,” Cigihana told Emsterdon off. “He has every right to be afraid like I am. Like we all are.”
Bill came up beside the Doctor. “Will we survive this? Will we get to the planet surface in one piece?”
“I don’t know, Bill,” the Doctor replied. “I really don’t know.”
“Okay, well, how much probability would you say we’ll survive this?”
“About 56 per cent, I should think.”
“Oh, right.”
“Ish.”
Bill didn’t like how the Doctor added that little ‘ish’. It wasn’t long before the TARDIS landed with a bump on the planet surface. Everyone became rattled and shaken up once this occurred. Fortunately, the TARDIS interior wasn’t severely damaged. Mostly everyone was in one piece. The Doctor checked everyone was okay. Emsterdon complained about spraining her ankle once she slid on the TARDIS floor, but the Doctor reassured her that she’ll be okay.
“Do we go out there?” Bill asked. “Do we venture into the unknown with Daleks and nasty Salvador?”
The Doctor pondered for a bit. “Any chance it would be night-time outside?” he asked the princess.
“Yes, I imagine so,” Cigihana replied, checking her watch.
The Time Lord soon fetched a couple of pocket torches and couple of walkie talkies from the TARDIS cupboard. He gave one pocket torch and one walkie talkie to Bill, keeping the other set for himself. “Let go out there and see what it’s all about, shall we?”
With that, Bill and everyone else followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS.
Stepping out of the TARDIS, the Doctor and the others walked on the planet Tendrasta. They were in a forest. The Time Lord took in his surroundings, putting a finger in his mouth before testing the atmosphere. It was breathable. A fair distance away from a nearby firestorm caused by the Daleks, the Doctor and the others survived the current environment they were in, provided they didn’t dawdle.
After debating what they should do, the Doctor came to a decision. “We should split up in two groups. Find our way to Salvador and the Daleks’ hideout in two directions.”
Everyone became astonished. “Are you being serious?!” Nomark objected.
“Of course I am,” the Doctor replied. “By splitting up, we cover more ground. The group that finds the hideout first can let the other group know where they are in order to meet up.” He addressed Bill. “Bill, you and Maximus take Boring Android and Nerdy Boy in one direction,” he indicated Sparta and Nomark. “Your pocket torch and walkie talkie working alright?”
Bill checked to make sure. She switched her torch on and off first. It was working. She then switched on her walkie talkie to speak into it. “Testing, testing. One, two, three. Testing, testing.”
The Doctor had his walkie talkie switched on already. He pressed into it, saying, “Receiving you loud and clear, Bill.”
“Then we’re good.”
“Excellent!” the Doctor said satisfied. “I’ll take Crown Cow, Insect Girl and Arnold in the other direction.”
“Call us by our proper names,” Azkai complained.
“This is no time for larking about,” the Doctor ignored him. “Time is pressing. Now if either me or Maximus uses one of the crystal fragments first to weaken Salvador and his Daleks, then the other group should provide additional power if the need arises a distance away.”
“Can that be done?” Bill checked. “If one group is a distance away from the other group using one of the crystal fragments?”
“It’s not ideal,” the Doctor admitted. “I prefer close contact between the two Zorbius crystal fragments to provide full power to our predicament. But yes, it can be done.”
“But both your crystal fragment and Maximus’ should work as beacons in order to trace the other. My group can meet up with you in order to provide additional power without getting lost in the forest.”
“That is a good point, Bill,” the Doctor remarked approvingly. “Very well. If one of us finds the Salvador/Dalek hideout first, that group should wait for the other group to come and meet up with them to provide the extra power needed to disable our enemies’ plan. Otherwise, one group should get started if time is really pressing and Salvador and the Daleks are advanced in their plans.”
“I think that’s feasible enough,” Maximus remarked. “Don’t you think, Bill?”
“Yeah, no problem,” Bill joined in. “Anything to take out Salvy boy and his Daleks whatever it takes.”
“I’m not satisfied about this,” Cigihana protested. “I don’t want to walk about in a scary, creepy forest at night with Daleks about.”
“I’m with the princess,” Emsterdon joined in.
“Me too,” Azkai added.
“You stay out of this,” Emsterdon told him off.
“Make me,” Azkai challenged her.
“Stop it, both of you,” said Cigihana irritated.
“Fine,” the Doctor retorted. “Stay in the TARDIS, why don’t you? Put your feet up, Crown Cow; Insect Girl and Arnold.”
“Stop calling us those names,” said Azkai, irritated.
“You just don’t like the name he keeps calling you by,” Emsterdon scoffed.
“Shut up,” Azkai snapped back.
The Doctor continued. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll happily go into the forest alone whilst Daleks try to exterminate me. I’m sure you three will be happy to have that on your consciences.”
At that, silence ensued. Cigihana considered for a moment. The Doctor’s words made her feel bad about herself. Emsterdon and Azkai were also feeling bad.
“Very well, Doctor,” the princess said. “I’ll accompany you in the forest. But only to avoid having to put up with these two in your TARDIS.” She indicated Emsterdon and Azkai.
“Hey!” Emsterdon protested.
“Oy!” Azkai protested.
“Thank you,” the Doctor thanked the princess. “And let’s try and keep the bickering to a minimum when we don’t want Daleks to hear us in the forest, shall we?”
“Your majesty,” Nomark tried interjecting to the princess. “I don’t think you should go with …”
“My decision is final,” Cighana told her pilot/bodyguard/advisor off. “The Doctor will be my bodyguard from now on, Nomark. As well as these two losers unfortunately. You and the android Sparta will bodyguard Bill and Maximus for me. Alright?”
“Very good, your majesty,” Nomark replied.
“Thank you, your majesty,” Bill winked at Cigihana.
“Not at all,” Cigihana winked back. “Anything to see to it that a fellow admirer is protected. As well as the Doctor’s friend.” The princess turned back to the Doctor. “Shall we set off then?”
“Yes,” the Doctor replied. “Let’s set off on our travels, shall we?”
Before the two groups parted, Bill went over to the Doctor and gave him a hug. “Good luck, Doctor. Take care of yourself.”
Feeling uncomfortable about the hug Bill was giving him, the Time Lord patted her gently. “You too, Bill Potts. Take care of yourself too.” Pausing for a bit, we went on, “We’ll get out of this alive, don’t worry.”
Letting go, Bill looked at the Doctor and said cheerily “Come on! Living puddles, weird robots, big fish, haunted houses, and Salvador and the Daleks. This is part of our everyday lives, isn’t it?”
The Doctor smiled at her. Eventually, Bill re-joined Maximus, Nomark and Sparta as they were about to set off. The Doctor looked to everyone and said, “The same goes for everyone else. Good luck and take care, got that?”
“Loud and clear, Doctor,” Maximus said enthusiastically. “See you later!”
“You and I still have a lot to talk about,” the Doctor told Maximus. “About your escape from Gallifrey and the Time War.”
“Looking forward to it,” Maximus replied cheerily.
With that, the two groups went off in different directions. The Doctor, Cigihana, Emsterdon and Azkai headed in one direction whilst Bill, Maximus, Nomark and Sparta headed in the other. Bill wondered whether going with Maximus was better. Whilst she liked Princess Cigihana, she couldn’t help overhear her nagging at the Doctor about his group about to trudge through swamps before the Time Lord told her to shut up. Maybe Maximus would be an interesting person to chat to instead.
One hour later, Bill, Maximus, Nomark and Sparta trudged on through the forest, getting closer to one of the villages affected by Dalek firepower. Most of the villages they’d seen so far on their journey had been ravaged greatly. Horrified at such a loss of life, Bill was reminded that things like this often happened with the Doctor. It didn’t make it less comforting. She hadn’t expected to see what she’d seen to be so severe. Maximus tried to reassure her that they’d be alright as they trudged on. Bill liked Maximus very much, finding her a comforting presence at times.
Meanwhile, Nomark and Sparta had their conversation.
“If you’re willing to work for us at Tendrasta’s High Science department, I’m sure I can put in an application for you,” Nomark said.
“That is most generous of you,” said Sparta monotonously. “But I prefer to lead a solitary life.”
“Of course, of course,” Nomark replied. “I’m just so fascinated by you Noti pirates and your technology. There must be quite a lot of you around.”
“Not so much,” Sparta replied blankly. “The few of us that are left get commissions frequently to carry out certain business transactions.”
“It must be an honour to be a Noti pirate.
“Honour does not come into my programming. But it gives me satisfaction.”
Whilst Nomark and Sparta talked, Bill whispered to Maximus, “I take Noti pirates aren’t like the pirates we have on Earth.”
Smirking, Maximus said, “To sort-of quote from ‘The Princess Bride’, I don’t think ‘pirate’ is a word the Noti pirates think it means what it means.”
“You’ve seen ‘The Princess Bride’?!” Bill was astonished.
“The Doctor is a fan of Earth culture,” Maximus said. “I thought I’d be a fan of Earth culture too.”
“You’re quite a fan of the Doctor, aren’t you?” Bill observed, amused.
“Yes I am,” Maximus said. “He’s a big hero of mine. It must be an honour to be the Doctor’s friend.”
Lowering her voice for Maximus to hear, Bill mimicked Sparta. “Honour does not come into my programming. But it gives me satisfaction.”
Bill and Maximus laughed. Sparta was oblivious to their laughter whilst Nomark was talking to him. Silence ensued between Bill and Maximus for a moment.
Breaking the silence, Bill enquired, “You came from a…Time War, is that right? And you claimed the Doctor’s a hero. Why’s that…?”
Maximus wasn’t able to answer Bill’s question. The Time Lord lady hushed her up as well as hushing Nomark and Sparta as she became entranced by what she saw before them. Everyone became silent like Maximus said. Bill now saw what Maximus had seen. She too was surprised to see a Dalek saucer parked a few metres ahead of them.
“It’s gigantic!” Bill exclaimed.
“Is that it?” Nomark asked, astonished. “The Daleks and Salvador’s hideout?”
“It must be,” Maximus replied. “It’s the only thing that hasn’t been burnt down in the forest.”
“How come that Dalek saucer ship isn’t affected by forest fire?” Bill asked.
“Protective forcefield surrounding it,” Sparta suggested.
“Yeah that’s probably it,” Bill admitted.
“We have to find a way inside,” Nomark said.
“Wait, wait,” Maximus stopped him. “Let’s see if we can make use of the Zorbius crystal fragment we’ve got.” She began to take out the crystal fragment she had in her tracksuit pocket. “Let’s try and change the Dalek saucer’s position. Take it off this planet altogether. Perhaps reverse time to prevent it from ever landing on Tendrasta.”
Bill became dubious. “I’m not sure that’s wise idea. I’m sending a text to the Doctor to let him know what we’ve found.” With that, Bill took out her mobile and began to send a text to the Doctor.
“Don’t worry, Bill,” Maximus tried to reassure her. “The Doctor’s crystal fragment will respond to my crystal fragment once it starts glowing! I’m sure he’ll realise…”
“That’s far enough, you four,” said a dark sinister voice behind them.
“Stay where you are! Do not move!” grated a threatening metallic voice.
Bill, Maximus, Nomark and Sparta stayed perfectly still. Bill had just finished texting the message she wanted to send. Her thumb pressed over the ‘send’ button gently.
“Turn around,” said the dark sinister voice behind them.
“Yes! Turn around!” the threatening metallic voice joined in.
Eventually, Bill, Maximus, Nomark and Sparta turned around to see Salvador and the Daleks, led by the Command Dalek. They couldn’t help be scared. Sparta of course just gave a blank stare. Maximus barely had a chance to use the Zorbius crystal once she touched it.
“You have all fallen into my trap,” declared Salvador, eyeing Bill intently. “And you to be caught so that the Doctor can rescue you. Things never change when his companions are in distress.”
Salvador laughed out loud mockingly. Bill looked up at him, grim and apprehensive. She hoped the Doctor would receive her text message in time.
© Tim Bradley, 2020
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