Accidental Evolution.

-A Doctor Who fan fiction by theICEBear

Setting: The 10th Doctor, Rose and Mickey travelling just after the Girl in the Fireplace.

Summary: As the Doctor and Rose travel up and away from Earth, they go to the Chton Empire in the 51st Millenium to pick up a few spare parts and end up in quite a pickle as a war starts between the Chtonians and the Time Agency, which endangers the time line. In the middle of it all the crew of the TARDIS makes discoveries about themselves and the history of Jack Harkness. And that is just part one. Note that this story due to its nature will diverge from the 2nd season universe as it tries to do more than just explore existing natures and give points of view. This is more of a plot bunny that stuck in my head after watching Season 1 on DVD before catching season 2 up until Age of Steel. I stopped it early because of the coming end of the 2nd season and the Rose-related event that might make me stop watching as I am watching for the interplay of Rose and the Doctor and don't feel like investing in a new companion be it Captain Jack or anybody else.

Part 1: The One-sided Chess Match

Chapter 1: Opening moves

The TARDIS lurched and shook. Mickey was shocked at the brutality of the trip. He could barely remain standing as the Doctor guided towards whatever location he had picked as their next landing spot. He was beginning to doubt his reason for choosing to come along. It all seemed too dangerous all of a sudden. He had reasoned his chances with Rose, if he still had any, were bigger if he was actually around her. Closer to understanding her life even if a voice in his head was constantly warning him how dangerous this was. There was another bump then. "This is insane," he said.

Rose stared at him, "What?" She looked shocked like this was a normal ride. He really hoped it wasn't. He had his experiences with aliens now. And it was enough to harden him a bit. Compared to what he had seen so far, maybe this wasn't so bad.

"There we are," the Doctor said and flipped a switch. The throbbing of the TARDIS engine stopped.

"So where are we?" Rose seemingly bursting with energy was bouncing around the Doctor looking ecstatic. The Doctor just smiled and walked towards the doors.

"Welcome friends to the 51st century, we're just landed on Eridani IV one of the largest commercial space ports the Universe will ever see," the Doctor explained as he and Rose stepped out first. He heard Rose's gasp and followed them out.

He couldn't help himself. He had to stand and gape. There he was, he had seen aliens, he had seen the space ships and had even mentally confronted the idea of travelling in time, but it hadn't prepared him to this. It was like taken out of the grandest of sci-fi fantasies. Space ships parked row after row like on a giant airport going all the way to the horizon. Every where there was ships taking off, landing, manifesting or whatever it was called. And they seemed to come in all shapes, sizes, colours and technologies. "Wow," he gasped.

Rose gazed at him and gave him an indulgent smile as if she hadn't also just been dumbstruck. "So Doctor, why are we here?" He had to ask.

Rose looked at the doctor with an appreciating smile on her lips and he grinned back at her as if they were both in on some joke he wasn't. "We're here Mickey, my boy, because we are. Adventure will find us if it wants, but mostly I just wanted to show you guys this place and pick up a few parts for the TARDIS. I am running low on a few things and I'd loathe to let the old girl down," the Doctor explained.

"Adventure will find us if it wants to. Is that how you go around? No plan, nothing what so ever," he blurted in shock. He had imagined it a bit wild but nothing like this. How could they do this? How could they not have some sort of travel plan.

Rose just shook her head and followed the Doctor to a square set in the floor next to the TARDIS. "Well come on," she said and waved for him to follow. That girl was way too bossy at times... Although as usual her smile and presence was strong enough to make him forget it. He followed berating himself why he had gone along on a whim.

The square glowed for a moment and suddenly they were teleported somewhere else. They stood in a massive long corridor big enough to fit in the entire Big Ben sideways and standing up. Everywhere aliens and only some of them humanoid walked. And like Rose had promised it seemed to him like they all spoke English. He also noticed that a species looking like spiders the size of his car with a humanoid torso was predominant. "Doctor what are those?" he heard Rose inquire with a look towards the spider creatures.

"Those are the Chtonians. One of the great races in the history of the Universe they're great shipbuilders, artists and philosophers, but don't underestimate them just like the humans they can most certainly fight back. They've got an empire encompassing entire galaxies and they defend it and the law inside it like a mother would her kid. They're quite an interesting species really... Both internal and external skeleton, telepathic and quite nice. I had one aboard the TARDIS a while back. In the end he had to leave though, his family needed his help running their planet," the Doctor rambled while they walked down the massive road side structure filled with small vendors and hundreds of walking aliens.

He was sure this was what culture shock felt like. Seeing all of this, all of these beings, each and everyone of them a sentient space faring race made him realize how big the universe was and how insignificant he was. Again his doubts resurfaced. He stopped for a moment and nearly lost sight of the Doctor and Rose who were with no seeming ill effects enjoying the sights and chatting. He ran to catch up, when the Doctor suddenly dashed off towards a stall that was manned by what surprisingly looked like a human. Rose followed along as did he.

The Doctor withdrew his universal tool the sonic screwdriver as he walked up to a terminal next to the stall, while Rose started browsing what looked like scrap lain out carefully on the desk. The Doctor came back around a few moments later and started following Rose's example. "What are we looking for," he asked feeling a bit left out.

Rose looked at him and said, "No idea, but this looks a bit like something I've seen before." She said and pointed towards a tiny black rod like device.

"Ah, well, done Rose, it is one isn't it. They are rather small when folded together. Did you ever find out where Jack usually hid it?" The Doctor asked and waggled his eyebrows.

Rose giggled and replied, "yeah, but only because he told me that he had to take it out before... you know dancing." She looked about ready to burst out laughing again. He had never seen her like this on a regular basis. She was almost like a school girl full of energy and wonder not giving a thought it seemed to the dangers out here.

However suddenly as he watched her face, her smile stiffened and she stared towards the Doctor, who was in turn staring out a massive see-through panel showing yet another huge airstrip. He looked it over. The ships were all of the same type though unlike the one they had landed on. And they all looked rather serious. They were huge, black, spidery things built in an ominous mix of organic curves and glowing energy ports which he couldn't tell if they were engines or cannons.

"What's wrong?" She asked wondering what was causing the Doctor's expression. The entire planet seemed nice and friendly even the big spider creatures seemed friendly enough although having only met them for the first time what she felt might be entirely off-base... or was very likely to be.

"Those ships," the Doctor said in a tone he usually reserved for end of the world kind of things. She took a step side ways to get the view shared between the Doctor and Mickey.

"What off 'em," she asked. She realized that the ships looked both dangerous and alien, but there was just a feel coming off of them that seeming rather more friendly than they looked even behind their shimmering shields.

"Well, they probably dangerous look at 'em," Mickey said and gestured towards the window.

"No, it's not that Mickey. Well not true they are rather dangerous, however that is not the problem. That out there is the main Chtonian battle fleet, each ship more than capable of incinerating a planet. That is as it should be, however what is worrying me, is their shields. They're equipped with Time Shields, which is not something they usually have," the Doctor said.

"Time shield, what's that," she interjected.

"A defence against manipulations in the time line. If something changes the timeline those aboard those ships won't be affected. It is a stand-off measure often employed by lesser races involved in some sort of war involving time manipulation," the Doctor explained.

"Lesser races... You're calling the race who made this and those a lesser race," Mickey said with a hint of righteous anger in his voice. She winced. She no longer had any illusions about the technological superiority of the Time Lords compared to humans especially after all her travels within the TARDIS.

The Doctor turned and for a moment she saw the intensity of her first doctor in his eyes. "Yes, Mickey, lesser races. Both the Humans and the Chtonians are millions of years behind in comparative evolution at this point. One day they'll evolve to something the Higher Races will respect. Maybe... Now those shields they're only a good defence if your enemies are time-travellers, who don't have full access to the Time Vortex... This is wrong there shouldn't be a struggle right now," the Doctor turned towards her with a worried look. The old doctor she thought would have been walking around almost manically going off somewhere anywhere, but the new one was different that way. Sometimes just sometimes he had the same energy, but in times like these he was more likely to stop and think a bit before dashing off.

"Let's go back to the TARDIS, I need to check something," he said and pulled out his sonic screwdriver and somehow commanded the transmat to shunt them back to their early spot just outside the TARDIS. The by now familiar disorientation of a teleportation set in then she was in front of her home. They walked inside, Mickey was obviously unhappy, she knew it hadn't been a good idea to bring him along. Something just told her bringing him along was wrong. It was intuition but that was all she needed to feel uneasy. It was intuition that had taken on her life's greatest adventure. It was intuition, talking and quick thinking that saved her life when it was needed, she had very little else to rely on.

Mickey was looking annoyed while the Doctor fiddled with the instruments of the TARDIS looking for something. "Aha," he suddenly said and gestured triumphantly towards the screen.

She after looking around and wondering for a moment walked over to see what he was going on about. It was a map of the stars with lines and strangely coloured blotches underneath it. Behind it all a stream of letters seemed to flow as well. "What is that supposed to show," she asked in confusion turning her head as if that would change anything.

"This, my pretty flower, shows us that someone or something is involved in some sort of massive time manipulation in this section of the Milky Way as you call it. There you see, someone has removed an entire race from space-time and there, several attempts to stunt the growth of another civilization. Someone is fighting across time, as I feared," he said and added, "My dear old girl let's strengthen your protection against outside manipulation."

He was talking to the TARDIS again. Other people, Mickey probably from the look on his face although that seemed to have been present since they left Earth, would think it eccentric. She thought it was rather charming if a bit funny.

"Now we're safe from these things inside the TARDIS, but we have to find out who is doing these crimes then stop them," the Doctor explained, when suddenly there was a feeling of cold dread in the ship and the TARDIS rumbled in protest against something.

The Doctor sprang into action, jumping from instrument to instrument. "Aha, aha there you are. Time travelling devices using warp drives... yes I see. Now where did you come from and where are you going," he babbled as he jumped around the console. She stepped out of the way knowing that she didn't understand enough about the TARDIS to get what he was talking about or help anyway.

"What are they doing Doctor," she asked after the display changed again.

"They're carving up the Chtonian empire planet by planet. Look there, they've just changed the history of that planet. No no no no no!" The doctor suddenly yelled.

"They destroyed them... They just made an entire race destroy itself. Murdered millions and all their descendants through time. Foolish meddling morons," he turned and gave her an intense look. "We must stop them and set things right," he explained then fell silent for a moment staring at her and Mickey. She immediately nodded just the thought of someone doing this sent shivers down her spine.

She knew that look on the Doctor's face. He didn't want to admit it, but it was in times like these the Doctor missed his own race. Missed someone to help him who had the knowledge and power to protect the universe. These were the moments she felt like she was letting him down. Jack would have been a help now she was sure. She had never really been much help. No, she had decided she mustn't think like that. She had done things. She decided to jump right into it. "What do we do?" she asked trying to be as enthusiastic as possible.

"Yeah," Mickey replied trying to sound like her it seemed.

"First of all we need to find out who the other guys are before we can figure out how to defeat them," the Doctor said. He went back to the TARDIS console with a look of focus. She knew what that meant. This might take a little while.

"Come on," she said and pulled Mickey away before he could hover over the Doctor's shoulder to see what he was doing, "There are still a lot of places in here I haven't shown you."

This was bad, he knew it. His two travelling companions didn't know, although maybe there had been a glint of suspicion in Rose's eyes. These kind of disruptions were bad in every way thinkable. Time wars were by definition nasty. It had occupied the majority of the Time Lords time preventing things like these. Now there was only him. He understood his predecessor's blunt almost manic nature, but he was different. He could brood, but there was a better option. Doing something about it all. The indications were on his screen. There one, two, three violent removals of Chtonian allies. Ah and finally they made their fatal mistake. The TARDIS had finally picked up their trail. He punched the activation switch. The dear old girl launched into time and space with good speed.

A few moments of travel later his dear Rose, unknowing heroine at large burst into the room followed by a more reluctant Mickey. "Doctor, did you find them?" she asked.

"Of course, the Doc did, why do you think we're flying," Mickey replied for him. He knew another thing about himself then. He hated nicknames... with a passion.

"The Doctor or just plain Doctor, not Doc, nothing else," he immediately retorted keeping his eyes on the display in front of him and manipulating the TARDIS' controls. Fascinatingly it seemed their new opponent wasn't heading for one specific point in time rather to a point within the chaos of the Time Vortex..

"We're right behind it now, everyone hang onto something things might get a bit bumpy," he said, seeing Rose immediately grabbing hold of something way before Mickey, he nearly grinned. He might consider Mickey's presence a bit, he had hoped to patch things up between Mickey and Rose, but it looked like it might be too much of a burden. Still he'd better focus on something else. There was a whopper of a job ahead of them. Finally the TARDIS swung onto the space time track of their quarry and it lead to a place in space but outside regular time.

"There we are, there is no getting away," he said and guided his ship onto the final approach. There was another powerful shudder and they had landed.