Dossier: The Doctor
~ by Nerdiant ~
1
[Data Log 1]
This is the ongoing data log of Agent Thandrus.
The Shadow Broker has ordered me to follow a human called the Doctor. Initial research has proven difficult as I do not have this human's true name. Using the name "the Doctor" along with his physical description hasn't yielded any information from archived data logs or video communications. Apparently the Doctor showed up only a few months after the War. I am not sure if that is a coincidence or not, but it seems suspicious to me that a human with no prior history would suddenly become a recognizable name. Stranger still, quite a number of mercenary groups have begun to steer clear of any known "Doctor hangouts." It seems that the Doctor has begun to earn a reputation. It should be no surprise then that Aria T'Loak has put her feelers out for the Doctor. After reclaiming Omega, I can understand her concern. Omega doesn't need another Archangel on their hands.
[Data Log 10]
The Doctor has just left Palaven. It seems that he has made some powerful friends. Among them is none other than General Garrus Vakarian. According to the data and video logs, the Doctor defeated an army of something called "Cybermen" a few months ago. I have never heard of these things before and by all accounts they have no affiliation to the Reapers. A new type of geth, maybe? Based on the video feeds I received, the Doctor knew about these Cybermen and knew exactly how to destroy them. For this act alone, Palaven Command has decided to put their trust in this man explicitly. This is the second time that the Doctor has been called on by the Primarch to solve "a problem."
[Data Log 24]
It has been three days since we left Noveria. I did my best to keep my distance from the Doctor, but Noveria is such a freezing wasteland that it was hard to be inconspicuous. The target seemed completely oblivious to my presence, however. To any presence really. I have been trailing him for almost eight months now, and I have yet to find anything useful information. What I have gathered is only where he is from, Gallifrey, and what he calls himself, a Time Lord. I have never heard of Gallifrey before, but something tells me that this is a code word for one of the planets either in the Terminus systems or maybe in the Attican Traverse. It is clear that he is not from Earth or he else would have mentioned it. The fact that he is putting such a great effort into hiding the name of the planet he's from must mean something. And Time Lord? I have never heard of them. It sounds like one of those doomsday cults that reside in the Shrike Abyssal.
[Data Log 36]
After a couple of week of losing his trail, I was able to track the Doctor's signature from the Citadel to Rannoch. I am not sure how he was able to get there when he has no ship. I checked all the flights leaving the Citadel and at no time did the target book passage on any of the freighters. The disturbance at the Darkstar Lounge seemed to cause quite the stir. He has attracted the attention of less than savory individuals. He is incredibly aloof most times, but I sense that he is clever and wise beyond his years.
Once I found his signature, it was easy to find the target on the planet surface. It seems that he met up with a group of quarian marines. One of the quarians being the young admiral Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch, a companion to the late Commander Shepard. This target seems to be getting around with some of the old heroes of the War. I wonder if it is a coincidence. My suggestion would be to tail the other companions of the Commander. It could be that the Doctor will soon find his way to them.
[Data Log 52]
I believe I have found the "ship" the Doctor uses to travel. My eyes and ears on the Citadel have reported a blue box that appears from time to time. Data logs show that this box appears at the same time as a Doctor sighting. I have not seen this blue box myself. I doubt these rumors; however, there is no possible way for the Doctor to be able to fit in a small box and still have FTL capabilities.
I will message one of my contacts on Sur'Kesh. Perhaps he can piece this together for me.
2
Liara clicked shut the data logs and sat back in her chair. She had sent Agent Thandrus on this mission a year ago to tail this so-called Doctor and every report Liara received failed to paint a better picture of the man. So far the Doctor had managed to stop a hostile force on Menae and created a friendship with Garrus. It's good to know that Garrus is keeping busy, Liara thought. The Doctor also resolved a conflict on Rannoch that could have escalated to all-out war. Clearly he has principles, Liara reflected. Getting up from her chair, Liara paced her newly built office, with a hundred screens keeping her updated on the news of the worlds. To her left were more screens, these ones only showing the data logs coming in from her agents while to her right were access terminals for her personal mail, video communications and security feeds of her base of operations. While this place was not as grandiose as the old Shadow Broker lair, she preferred it here. Though in truth, she really preferred the Normandy.
Rounding her desk, she reached down and pulled a data pad that contained the dossier of this man, the Doctor. He had appeared out of nowhere, but his look and his mannerisms had caught the eye of a dozen Agents located in the Citadel. Once he appeared, Liara's data feeds blew up with information on his habits, his manner of dress, the people he talked to, and the strange colloquialisms. One report claimed he was from Earth, while another refuted the claim, saying that he was a sleeper spy from one of the colonies on Horizon. And yet another report claimed he was Cerberus' new Illusive Man. Liara laughed when she read that one; Cerberus couldn't possibly be so desperate as to bring back that moniker.
Reading through the dossier, two words jumped out at her: Time Lord, Gallifrey. She looked at these words over and over, her mind sorting through the volumes of historical texts and archeological discoveries from the hundreds of planets and moons in the galaxy. At no point had she ever encountered a race called Time Lords or a planet or moon called Gallifrey. This all continued to add to the mystery of the man, the Doctor.
Setting down the data pad, Liara made her way to one of the access terminals. She had found something quite interesting since she learned of the Doctor. Each time she did a custom search for "the Doctor" new entries would be found. These were not just new and recent accounts, but older retellings of stories and oral histories. Much older. A few hundred years older. In these annals of history were stories of a strange man in strange clothes who came to save this colony, defeat that enemy, or discover this new bit of technology. How was it that the Doctor, a man she had never heard of before in all her years was suddenly one of the most important men in the galaxy?
Crossing her arms, Liara walked away from the console and made her way to floor-to-ceiling window that faced the large sun of the Micah system within the Vallhallan Threshold. Her mind reeled with ideas and explanations and above all, more questions. There was no possible way that the Doctor could have been alive hundreds of years ago. Unless he had also been frozen, like Javik. Liara shook her head at the thought, "You weren't frozen." she said to herself, "Putting you in stasis would have implied that there were others like you. If there were others like you, there would have been records. There would have been ruins. Something. Anything!" She turned away from the window sharply, and made her way back to her desk. Standing above the consoles, she thought about contacting Garrus or Tali and simply asking them about the Doctor, but she stayed her hand. Contacting them would be an open invitation for them to tell the Doctor that the Shadow Broker was on his tail. On top of that, Liara wasn't even sure if Garrus or Tali fully trusted her now that she had resumed her role as the Shadow Broker. One thing that Liara was sure about was that the Doctor knew about the Shadow Broker and the legend behind the shadowy figure. She couldn't afford to have him know about her just yet.
Content with her decision, she sat down and sent a message to Agent Thandrus:
"Keep following the Doctor. I want a report every 12 hours. –SB"
3
Agent Renala Thandrus, human associate of the Shadow Broker, stopped in her tracks as she read the message coming through on her modified Sentry Interface. Giving a quiet acknowledgement to the orders from the Shadow Broker, Renala continued on her way. Ahead of her, she could see the Doctor as he made his way through the marketplace. They had been on Illium for only two days and part of her was growing a little impatient. It seemed that he had no intention of leading her to the blue box or giving her a shred of information by talking to the locals. It appeared he was perfectly content to just watch and listen.
Continuing his leisurely pace, the Doctor stopped and began talking to one of the shop owners in the main market area that led to the docking bay. Renala watched as he and the asari businesswoman talked about her wares and quickly took a seat on a bench overlooking the city. One thing Renala liked about Illium was its beautiful views. It served as an effective distraction from the corruption and greed that this place was known for. Of course, it was only business and Renala respected that, but she did silently thank the maker that she was in the information business which allowed her to travel and see the galaxy.
Keeping her head low, she kept her light green eyes on the target and watched as the Doctor laughed and pointed to the various items on the terminal. Renala knew that he wouldn't buy anything, but the fact that he spent so much time talking to these people made her wonder if he, himself, was gathering information. For himself? Or for someone else? Renala wondered.
After the Doctor thanked the shop owner, he went on his way, nodded politely to the other shop owners before going through a door that led to an access corridor that would take him back to the city commons. Getting up quickly, Renala tailed him and walked through the door. As she peered through the dim corridor, she strained her ears in the hopes of hearing the direction of his footsteps. Upon hearing nothing, she continued on her way.
Rounding a corner, she realized that she was utterly alone. The Doctor was gone. She began to curse under her breath in frustration until she heard a voice from behind her.
"So you're the one who has been following me." A quiet, serious voice said to her. Spinning around, her eyes fell on the Doctor in his tweed jacket, red bow tie and slightly ridiculous hair. "It seems that we have taken quite a journey together and I don't even know your name." Extending a hand, he introduced himself. "I'm the Doctor, and you are?"
Taking his hand, she shook it once and let it fall before she spoke, "Renala Thandrus," she said curtly as she tried to swallow down her failure. The Shadow Broker would be very displeased with her.
"Renala, lovely name!" The Doctor exclaimed as he took a small step towards her. His blue eyes peered down at her as his normal tenor voice continued, "So tell me, Renala, why are you following me? You've been at my back since Menae. You have been with me at Rannoch, at the Citadel, on Noveria, and now you are here." He eyed her up and down, sizing her up, "You don't seem to be a mercenary. They tend to keep their distance from me. So again," he took one more step towards her, "who are you?"
Taking a step back, Renala kept her eyes on him while making a mental note of all possible exits. "It seems that you have caught the eye of some very powerful people, Doctor. I was ordered to tail you and gather as much information as I could. It seems that you never existed until a year ago, and now suddenly you're a name to know."
The Doctor smiled slightly, even sadly, as he nodded in agreement. "Yes, I have been a little too exposed here. My fault really. But you know: new place, new people, new adventures. It's all very exciting!" Regarding her for a second more, he continued, "So these powerful friends of yours, what do they want with me? Are you to capture me? Am I to be taken prisoner? Or are they going to invite me to a lovely dinner? I've always liked a good dinner."
He stepped away from Renala, but her eyes followed him. Clearing her throat she did her best to provide an answer that she thought would satisfy him, "They don't want anything from you, Doctor. They only want to know who you are, where you came from and why you are here. In short, they just want information."
The Doctor chuckled lightly at that, "Information, yes. An information broker is what you are, am I right? I have heard of people in your profession. You deal in information and then you sell it to the highest bidder. Well!" he said as he turned away from her, "it seems that information on me now comes with a price." Crossing his arms, he turned his head to look at her, "Tell me. What do you know about me, Renala Thandrus?"
Looking at him through her Sentry Interface, she called up the dossier that she had been developing since the very beginning. She admitted that it wasn't a lot of information, but for now, she knew it was time to come clean with him. "You're 'the Doctor'," she began, "and only 'the Doctor.' You have not used any other name, but this is obviously an alias." The Doctor nodded, and Renala continued, "You pass yourself off as a human, and will sometimes use the name 'John Smith' when speaking to other humans. But what they don't know is that you are not human. You are a Time Lord." The Doctor kept quiet and motioned for her to go on. "On more than one occasion you have spoken of a planet called Gallifrey, but that planet does not show up on any known galaxy maps so this is clearly a name that you created to keep us from knowing where you are from." Renala began to walk towards him, and took a path to circle him as she continued to talk, "You do not own a ship, but I know that you travel in a big, blue box. I have not seen it, but there are eyes everywhere, Doctor." The Doctor nodded once more, but kept his eyes on the ground. "Somehow," Renala said as she turned to face him fully, "you have managed to make a name for yourself without running a mercenary gang, owning a corporation, or being a politician. You have made a name through your deeds. No wonder you have made friends with the companions of the late Commander Shepard." The Doctor's eyes flickered up to her, and his jaw clenched at the fact that she knew about his new friends. "Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch and General Garrus Vakarian. Yes, Doctor, those names are known to us. I was with you on Rannoch and Palaven, as you know."
The Doctor smiled stiffly before talking, "So you know about me. Good. I like to keep my secrets, but it seems you and your friends have learned everything they could about me. But in all your fact finding, you failed to find out a few things about me." Taking quick steps towards her he looked her down, "I don't like being researched, and I don't like it when I feel that my friends might be in danger."
Renala placed her hands behind her back and shook her head, 'You misunderstand me, Doctor. I do not wish to harm you or your friends. You wanted to know what I knew, and I've told you. My job," she said as she motioned to him, "is to gather information about you."
The Doctor eyed her suspiciously, "So who sent you? You obviously didn't wake up one day and decide to follow the old Doctor. So tell me," he said as he looked straight into her light green eyes, his voice dropping to one that conveyed the serious nature of the situation, "who sent you?"
"I did." the Shadow Broker's deep, raspy voice said through the eyewear on Renala's face. "I am the Shadow Broker, you've heard of me." It wasn't a question.
The Doctor nodded in affirmation, "I have. The keeper of information and secrets." Renala looked at him, but said nothing; she would let the Shadow Broker speak for himself.
The Shadow Broker continued, "Yes, Doctor. Information. And you," the voice said with a slightest hint of amusement, "have proven to be a difficult person to gather information on. I thought the work you did on Menae was just a story of being at the wrong place at the right time, but afterwards? Your dealings in Noveria, Rannoch, and half the planets in Council space have led me to believe that you are more of a major player than my competitors thought." There was a pause, and the Doctor eyed Renala as the voice continued, "My competitors are not as interested in you as I am. You intrigue me, Doctor. But my competitors," another pause, "they want your blue box."
The Doctor looked down and shook his head, but the voice continued, "I know what it can do, Doctor. And I can help you keep it safe."
The Doctor scoffed as he looked back up to the Renala. "You? Keep it safe? And tell me, Shadow Broker, what have you done exactly that would even make me trust you? You send your Agent to follow me through half the galaxy. You gathered information on me. You listened in on my conversations. You probably have my clothes tapped somehow," he said as his hand went up to check his bow tie for bugs.
There was silence before the voice calmly continued, "As I said, Doctor, you intrigue me. You are clearly a person of immense knowledge and your box, you ship, can travel through time and space." The Doctor clenched his jaw once more as the voice talked on. "I have seen the logs dating back hundreds of years. You must have known that the early humans would make a record of you somehow. And that the Protheans, the Thorian, the Rachni, all of them would have something about you. They knew about you. Even the Reapers have a record of a humanoid matching your very description."
The Doctor held out his hands to the side, "Then what do you want from me, Shadow Broker. You say your competitors want my blue box, and that you only want to help me. There must be a catch. There's always a catch."
The voice remained silent for a second before continuing, "I want to travel with you."
The Doctor took a step forward, a quizzical look on his face as he tilted his head towards Renala, "You want to do what?"
Even Renala's face mirrored the Doctor's confused look, "Shadow Broker?" she asked hesitantly.
"Doctor, I have dedicated my life to studying the ancient civilizations of those who came before us, but I have never been able to piece together their history. You could take me there. You could let me see what actually happened to them."
"You're an archaeologist!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Another one…" he said quietly with a shake of his head. "Typical."
The Shadow Broker went on, "I have to see what happened!" The Doctor narrowed his eyes as the voice that had been calm during their entire conversation was now sounding desperate.
The Doctor turned away from Renala and the voice of the Shadow Broker. "No, I will not take you with me." Turning to look behind him, he continued, "I don't trust you."
4
On the ship, Liara banged her hands on the desk and closed her eyes for a second. So close, she thought, I am so close. Pushing the communication button again, she continued, "Doctor! Wait!" But before she could continue, Renala's voice cut through, "Shadow Broker! The Doctor! He's going into his ship!" And through the speakers, Liara heard what sounded like an energy pulse being fired from Renala's omintool. "No!" Liara shouted, worried that the pulse would incapacitate, even destroy, the small ship.
Then there was silence before Liara heard the whooshing and whirling sounds of the TARDIS.
"He's gone," Renala said quietly. "His ship was here the entire time, cloaked from my sensors."
Liara cursed loudly and placed her head in her hands. For a few minutes she remained quiet, her mind racing with ideas and plans and assumptions and questions. Slowly she reached for the comm button and pressed it, and through Renala's interface, she heard her orders loud and clear,
"Find the Doctor and bring him to me."
5
Renala nodded as she responded, "Yes, Shadow Broker." She touched her interface and broke contact. For a brief moment her eyes looked at the spot where the TARDIS had been hiding and she shook her head. "Right here, the whole time it was right here." She sighed in frustration and tried to clear her head of everything she had just witness. Her thoughts then turned to the rather large task that she had just been given.
"I am going to need some help," she said to no one.
Just then, a soothing voice came out from the shadows, "Well, of course you are." Renala turned and watched as an asari appeared before her. This asari was not someone Renala had seen before and she was surprised by that realization. The asari was dressed from head to toe in a faded, form-fitting one-piece black leather outfit, with the collar going all the way up to her neck but leaving a small opening at the throat. The cuffs and the collar were lined in silver and there was a single silver strand of fabric that ran down the middle of her body to her waist. Sitting at her waist was an ornate belt of silver that was attached to a shimmering skirt of metallic blue and silver cloth. On her head, the asari wore a headpiece of silver that covered her forehead and the sides of her face. Between her violet eyes was a deep blue stone that hung from the middle of the headpiece. It was nothing unlike Renala had seen an asari wear before. It certainly wasn't asari made.
Renala watched as the asari approached her, and even though her instincts told her to run, all she wanted to do was stay right where she was.
The asari crept closer to her, her black boots making a light click as she walked. Speaking softly to Renala, the asari continued, "I can help you, you know." As she stood before Renala, the asari reached out and lightly touched Renala's face. "You want to help me, don't you?"
Renala nodded enthusiastically. All she wanted to do was help this asari. "Yes. I just want to help you."
The asari smiled beautifully and Renala's heart started to beat rapidly. Renala suddenly couldn't remember what had happened before the asari had shown up and frankly, she didn't care. This was truly turning out to be the best day of her life.
"Good," the asari said as she cupped Renala's face in her hands, "Today, I have chosen you to be my companion. We will find the Doctor together, you and I." Renala nodded slightly and mouthed the words "You and I."
Moving her face closer to Renala's, the asari smilled once more as her eyes turned the deepest black. Renala stiffened as the asari's hands clutched her face tightly, "I am the Matriarch," the asari said, "and it's time to embrace eternity."