A Friend from the Stars Chapter 1, a sarah jane adventures fanfic

Throughout the universe, from the beginning of everything to the end of it all, from one edge of existence to the other, there are few species more legendary than the Time Lords. Everything about them is shrouded in mystery, from their planet of Gallifrey, to the birth of their race, and especially their ability to travel through all of time and space at will. For millennia, this proud people were at the heart of existence, watching over all of creation from their domed city and dusty planet, like a race of gods would look down on what they had built. No other creature in all of the universe had such power, such respect, or such legend. Compared to the rest of every galaxy, they were immortal angels. Until, very quickly, they weren't.

You see, the downfall of the Time Lords came about through one of their own. A renegade time traveller, known to many as the Doctor, had come across a strange and terrifying race called the Daleks. Destroyers and conquerors, they killed anything and anyone who was different, gliding across the shattered worlds in their armoured bodies to continue their purpose; preserve their race, and exterminate all else. And this Doctor managed to stumble right into the heart of them, of many of their wars and massacres across the ages, stopping each and every one. Until one day, after so much blood and death, the Time Lords issued the Doctor a mission. To destroy the creator of the Daleks before they could ever be born, ridding the universe of their destruction and saving the trillions of lives they had killed, not to mention the infinite number of those that could come into their crosshairs. The Doctor tried to carry out this crucial task… and he failed. And his failure brought the almighty race of Gallifrey to the attention of these merciless monsters.

There were attempts to nip conflict in the bud, of course there were. Time Lords who did not want to go to war, those who saw the conflict as pointless or unwinnable. But still, there were those on both sides who were more than willing to bring the destruction about. For personal gain or some higher purpose, it didn't matter. The reasons were irrelevant. Only the goal mattered. And, eventually, and to the great misfortune of the universe, the goal was reached. And so began the Last Great Time War. Daleks versus Time Lords, preservation versus extermination. There were many other races involved, those looking to gain power or prestige by fighting one side or the other. The war raged for centuries, with the ability of time travel, soon gained by both sides, allowing the bloodshed to extend across eternity. No area of time was safe, no minute left uncontested in the great struggle. Planets were lost, civilisations were destroyed, and there was seemingly no end in sight. It seemed to many that the Time War would only end when the universe itself was gone. But fortunately, this was not the case. Although the price that peace came at was high.

For, in the final days of the War, the same renegade that had allowed the massacre to begin, this mysterious Doctor, finally decreed No More. He trapped the two instigator races, the Daleks and the Time Lords, in a Time Lock, trapping them in one area of existence so that the remaining peoples might live. He sacrificed his own people, his own home, so that others might still retain theirs. And so, the conflict ended. The Time Lords and Daleks fought until neither was left, and the Time War was finally over. And the Doctor was alone. Or so he thought.

For, out of this bloody struggle, there were others. Survivors who had scratched and clawed their way free, those who had refused to join either side and so had been spared, and those who had hidden, who had run away and buried themselves so as to escape persecution, and to continue their work, preserving themselves and their race. Both Daleks and Time Lords were left, although in such small numbers that they might as well be extinct. And many, drawn as if by some magnet, ended up on Earth, a small planet whose people would reach out across the stars. And the battle raged on, with Dalek against Time Lord, and even some cases of Dalek or Time Lord fighting themselves.

But, there was one, one who had seen the horrors of the Time War, and had chosen to merely live. To do their best to eke out whatever kind of life they could still have, to travel and to see, and, once in a blue moon, to help those they encountered. To try and honour the civilisations lost by protecting those that remained, to make amends for the countless slaughtered by saving any they could find. Any man, any woman, any child. Any father or mother, any brother or sister. Any, I don't know… Headmaster's daughter?

And that, is where our story truly begins.

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Clyde Langer lay on the bedroom floor of Rani Chandra, one of his best mates. The owner of the room in question was sitting at her desk, going over her notes for a test they had next week. Clyde thought about doing the same. After all, he didn't want to completely fail the subject. But, he decided against it. There'd be time for study later. Besides, his mind was focused on more pressing matters. Namely the big event his class had the next day that he'd been inadvertently responsible for.

He'd been into art for quite a while, just doodling whatever came into his head on whatever surface he could find. It had driven his mum mad when he was younger, but in the end, he became quite good at it. He kept it quiet, of course. He was seen as the cool kid to most at school, and he didn't want to jeopardise it by suddenly revealing his artsy side. There'd be those who would take it the wrong way, and then his life would be over. Besides, it had taken years to build up his rep, and until he left for whatever came after school, it was a barrier against any criticism others could throw at him. Until recently, he hadn't needed to bother with hiding it. There'd been no inspiration to draw from, nothing that could make him want to record the moment. His life had been school, games and sleep. Way too boring to even think about drawing. But them came that fateful day he'd met Luke Smith.

He hadn't ever dreamed that aliens could be real, much less exist on Earth. That discovery had both amazed and terrified him. His first encounter with another species had been with the Slitheen, and they weren't exactly the nicest bunch. But they'd been defeated, thanks in part to him. And he'd joined up with Luke, and Maria, and Sarah Jane, to protect the world from whatever else could be thrown at it. And, to be honest, it had been the best time of his life. Seeing so much, learning about humanity's place in the universe, and doing things that most people would never be given the chance to. His art side had been given so much material, so much more to work with, and, just like that, he had begun to draw again, to use pen, pencil and paper to record what he and the rest of the gang had been up against. And even when Maria had moved to America, with Rani coming in to take her place, he had never lacked for material. He would never admit it to anyone, but there was more than one picture in his ever-growing collection of the intelligent, fearless girl that had quickly become one of the most important people to him. But, these were hidden away, beneath mounds of Sontarans, Bane and others. He had even created pictures that drew from all of these, coming together to form something entirely unique. And still, he kept them hidden.

But then came the art competition that he hadn't even heard of, and Luke had taken it on himself to submit some of his work. He didn't hold it against the guy, of course not. On top of being a genetically engineered genius with the social skills of a toddler, he was his best mate, one who had only ever wanted the best for him. He could never stay angry at Luke. Still, he was a bit annoyed that he hadn't even been told about it. But there wasn't much he could do about it now. And it wasn't like the painting did anything to expose Sarah Jane's work. The most alien influence it had was the Sontaran blaster he'd used. Anyway, it had been submitted, it had won, and Clyde's artistic skills had been brought into the light. At least it was a picture that he didn't mind getting out. There were plenty of others that he'd rather throw into the sun than allow to be put on display. And there was something quite nice feeling about having a skill that others didn't, even if it was something that could be classified as uncool. And, to top it all off, something pretty decent had come out of it. He and his entire class would be the first to see the grand exhibition in the UK of the Mona Lisa. There were definitely worse prizes to be won. And the artist inside of him couldn't wait.

Pulling out his phone for a second, Clyde had a quick look for any new messages. None. The last one had been from Luke, telling him how he couldn't hang out that evening. Apparently, Sarah Jane had decided that his room was in dire need of a clean, and he was under house arrest until it was done. He felt sorry for the guy. Trying to find the line between genius Archetype and normal teenager wasn't a task that Clyde felt he'd ever be able to achieve. Still, for as sorry he felt for his best friend, it was nowhere near strong enough a feeling to make him decide to pop by 13 Bannerman Road. Not if he valued his head, that was. Letting out a tired sigh, he slipped the phone back into his pocket, and spread himself out on the carpeted floor. As he did so, his foot hit something under Rani's bed, and a rattle came from whatever he had disturbed. Bored enough to investigate, he swung his body around to take a look. It was a tin box, looking to once have been used to store chocolates. It was pretty old, metal dented in some places and colour coming away in strips. It had a nice new injury in the form of a quite substantial crater, looking suspiciously like someone had kicked it. Clyde surreptitiously looked over his shoulder. Rani was still at her desk, back to him and headphones firmly on her ears, head bobbing slightly to whatever she was listening to. He eventually made up his mind, and reached for the box. The least he could do was try and fix what he'd done, since he wasn't entirely sure what Rani would do if she found out about what had happened. That girl was seriously protective of her stuff.

Pulling the box out from under the bed, Clyde very carefully pulled the lid off, fingers inching over metal as he did his best not to make a sound. He didn't want to draw any attention should the metal decide to make a loud noise. After a minute, his task was complete, and he took a look into the container. It wasn't too big a dent from the inside, easily repairable. With even more care, Clyde pushed the metal protrusion back into shape, muffling the clicking and clacking of the job as best he could. Eventually, it was back in shape, and he chanced another look behind him. Rani, still at her desk, still none the wiser. He was about to fit the lid back on, when the contents of the box finally caught his eye. His curiosity really was going to be the death of him some day.

It was a strange collection, that was for sure. Odds and ends that seemed to have no connections filled the box, looking more akin to junk than the kind of things one would usually keep under a bed in a metal case. Some of the things look familiar. A golden coin with a chain through it, kind of like something from a pirate movie. An old bit of pink chalk. A funny looking rock with a shiny crystal poking out. And then, some of the items were just plain bizarre. A piece of a mask that looked reptilian, with a black eye cover reflecting his face. A small satellite dish with a broken end that must have once connected to something. A weird wooden shape, made up of small triangles that looked like it should have fallen apart a long time ago. And, at the bottom, hidden away, a picture. Pulling it out carefully, Clyde studied the worn photograph. Two people were smiling into a camera, their faces still visible despite the torn and battered edges. One was a young girl, looking perhaps 10 or 11, with a cheesy grin on her face. Smothering a laugh, Clyde realised that it was Rani. Those eyes were unmistakeable. Next to her was a woman, looking in her mid to late twenties, with olive skin and wavy black hair. Despite her youth, her skin smooth and free of any sign of age, the woman's eyes seemed ancient, dark pools of experience and wisdom that didn't belong on her face. Despite the smile, there was sadness visible, a sense of loss that made Clyde's heart reach out for her. Tearing his gaze away from the eyes, he kept studying the photo. On the woman's neck, just visible between her jawline and the edge of her shirt, was a tattoo. It looked like a screwdriver crossed with a hammer, although Clyde couldn't see it perfectly. Turning the paper over, he saw some writing on the back, scrawled in a hand that could only belong to a child.

Me and Auntie Nikki, Aged 9

"What are you looking at?"

The sudden voice from behind him startled Clyde, and he dropped the picture, rising quickly and slamming in to the edge of the bed that his head was partially under. Grabbing the hurt area with a muffled grunt, he pulled himself out and twisted round. Rani was standing above him, looking down with a look of curiosity mixed with irritation.

"Uh…it's…" he stuttered, trying to hide the box behind himself as he scrambled for a half-decent answer. Rani only looked at him, her expression promising dire consequences should he lie. He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry, I just kicked it by accident, and…"

"It's okay." Rani assured him, the scary look vanishing to be replaced by an understanding one. "I'm not cross. Just, next time try asking before you take a peek."

Clyde rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, of course." He muttered. Turning back to the picture, he couldn't quite suppress the question. "Who is that?" He asked. "I mean, I know the little one is you, but the woman?" Rani reached out a hand for the picture, and he passed it up to her.

"She was…is," she corrected herself quickly, "a friend of mine from when I was younger. She took care of me occasionally, and we grew quite close." A wistful smile grew on her face. "I haven't seen her in a few years, though."

"And these?" Clyde blurted out, silently slapping himself for the lack of tact.

"Presents." Rani said simply, reaching down to pick up the box. "She was a bit of a traveller, and she'd bring me bits and pieces from where she went." She grew quiet for a few seconds, looking into the box as if reliving old memories. "I always loved her gifts." She whispered.

"Do you know where she is now?" Clyde asked. He'd never seen Rani like this before, and wanted to know more about this mysterious Auntie Nikki.

"No idea." Rani declared, carefully closing the box once more. "She vanished when I started secondary school, and I haven't heard from her since. Probably travelling somewhere." She turned her attention back to Clyde. "Now, do you want to watch a movie? We've got a few hours until you have to go."

"Alright," Clyde agreed, doing his best to remember the conversation for a later date, "but I get to choose."

"Only if you get there first." Rani challenged, tossing the box on her bed and darting out the door, headed for the movie selection with Clyde hot on her heels.

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Hours later, Rani lay in bed, trying to get to sleep. Clyde had gone home a while ago, and her dad had told her to get some rest for the big day tomorrow. Honestly, she was really looking forward to it, a once in a lifetime opportunity that promised to be quite exciting. But still, she couldn't quite get to sleep, something gnawing at the back of her mind that kept rest from happening. Running over the events of the day, she eventually realised what it was, and wriggled around on the mattress, hand reaching down to grasp the metal tin. Pulling it into her lap, she opened it, fingers drifting over its contents until she pulled out the battered old picture. It had been ages since she'd last seen this, the last time being when she had put the tin there when she'd first moved in. As she stared at the smiling faces, her mind fell back to all that she had seen, all the memories that were contained in her precious little box.

She hadn't told anyone about the woman. Even her parents didn't know about the stranger that had quickly become such a huge part of their daughter's life. Even she had sometimes doubted what had happened, the events having once felt so strange to have really occurred. Well, until she had met Sarah Jane Smith, and then such things had suddenly become almost normal. Contrary to what the 13 Bannerman Road gang thought, Rani's first alien experience hadn't been with the slightly creepy Clown/ Pied Piper. It had been long before that, when she had met the person who had opened her eyes to the truth about the universe. She had been sworn to secrecy, however, her strange friend wanting to keep their existence strictly between the two of them. That didn't stop her from reliving the amazing, and occasionally terrifying, times in her head, enjoying the warm, fuzzy feeling she felt at the memory of her friend's smile. She had only ever known them as Nick or Nikki, or even their rather odd title. The Mechanic. Still, she had known exactly what they were, long before discovering Sarah Jane, long before her brief meeting with the Doctor. Her friend from the stars.

Closing the tin and pushing it back under her bed, Rani curled back up under the duvet, mind free of any more strife, as she slowly fell asleep. Eyes never leaving the small, battered picture of her and her closest friend on her bedside table.

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Everyone was talking loudly as they drew nearer to the International Gallery. Soon, they would be allowed to enter and see the Mona Lisa, on British soil for the first time in history. It really was an exciting moment, with even the kids not too interested in art looking forward to the event. From the back of the group, Luke, Clyde and Rani were talking amongst themselves, tuning out any outside interference.

"So, what picture did you send in?" Rani asked Luke, with Clyde taking an interest as well. He couldn't wait to see his work, hanging up on a wall in the famous gallery, and had told Luke not to let anyone else know what piece it was. One of his finer works, he wanted it to be a surprise, one that he was sure everyone would enjoy. Well, he hoped they would.

"I told you, Rani, I'm not allowed to say." Luke insisted. He'd been a bit sullen ever since the trio had met that morning, and Clyde still wasn't sure why. Sure, he'd had an argument with Sarah Jane, but it was only about his room's mess. Even he'd argued with his mum over the state of his bedroom before, but his anger or resentment of having to tidy had never lasted this long. Probably some reason that only Luke could have. He'd ask later.

"And I'm not saying a thing." Clyde crowed, enjoying the grumpy look on Rani's face. "It's a surprise, after all." His reasoning seemed to calm the girl down, and she didn't press the matter. Eventually, the class arrived outside the steps leading up to the Gallery's entrance. As Rani's dad began to speak, something about how to act once inside, Clyde took a look around. His eyes rested on something, and he nudged both Luke and Rani to get their attention.

"Weird place to put a vending machine, isn't it?" He asked, and the two looked where he was nodding. Indeed, there was a coca cola vending machine resting by the steps of the International Gallery. It had clearly been through a lot, looking old and a little bit out of date. None of the three were even sure where it was plugged in, as there were no cables visible. Nonetheless, the light in the sign was on, and someone was withdrawing a can from the slot. It seemed odd to Clyde, while Luke was running over the probability of it being placed there. Rani, on the other hand, was staring intently at it. It seemed… familiar to her, but she wasn't sure how. The sudden movement of kids ahead of them snapped them out of their thoughts, and they quickly rushed up the steps after the rest of their class.

Entering ahead of the others (running after aliens really did work wonders for a person's speed), Clyde deposited his phone in the tray, before moving over to the information desk. He quickly grabbed a booklet and paid the person at the till. His inner artist was screaming in delight, and he couldn't wait to indulge it. He had always loved the Gallery, coming there often when he was younger. Even now, he did his best to take a look around now and again, soaking in the artwork. It was like Candyland for him, and he was still struggling to believe that a piece of his art would be hanging up in there. Turning to find Luke and Rani, he almost ran into the man moving up behind him, obviously heading for the information booklets. Clyde couldn't see the guy's face, a pair of sunglasses and a hat covering the key features, although he was dressed in rather bizarre clothing. He didn't dwell on it for long, muttering an apology and moving past. Luke and Rani had also noticed the man, but didn't pay him any attention, instead also moving to stand with their friend.

None of them spotted the man's eyes behind his shades, far too old for his face. And none of them noticed the screwdriver and hammer tattoo that stretched up past his collar.

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Hope you all enjoy the first chapter.

To anyone whose first visiting, yes, I know, the Sarah Jane Adventures stopped years ago. But I loved it growing up, and I've wanted to do something Doctor Who related on this ever since I started.

I will be updating this semi regularly. Maybe once every week or so? I dunno. It will play second fiddle to my other stories, though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading this far, and please do leave a review. They really help keep me motivated (hint, hint)

TimeFury1347