The Wars over Wisdom – Ten + Martha
The dark , terrible clouds rolled in over the land. The shafts of light glistening between the trees vanished leaving empty shadows cutting through the forest. The breeze faltered and diminished leaving a stark and awful stillness radiating amongst the leaves. All forms of life retreated in to the undergrowth, they could sense something. There was a storm approaching. For what seemed like an age, but was in reality only a few seconds, silence fell and everything was still. Waiting with trepidation. The silence was deafening.
Then, the silence was suddenly shattered. A single fork of brilliant white lightning flashed down over the intense landscape, a shadow of it's devastating beauty remained in your vision seconds after the light had disappeared. With it followed a torrential downpour that pounded all life out of the very earth on which they stood. They were in trouble.
The Doctor and Martha had landed the Tardis in this desolate landscape only hours before. Then, it had been a deserted, chaotic yet terribly beautiful expanse of forest. They had walked together and talked for about an hour, away from the Tardis, the weather had been sunny and hot before. Once the humidity had started to rise and the dark clouds had rolled in, extinguishing the sun, they knew they were in trouble. All the wandering had meant they had lost their bearings and couldn't find their way back to the Tardis. They were forced to take refuge in a small cave in and mound of earth surrounded by wild and dense trees.
"So this is it then?!" said Martha angrily.
"How long do we have to stay here?" "And how are we going to find our way back to the Tardis?" "I just can't believe this!"
"Are you even listening to me?!" Martha stood up and hit the Doctor on the shoulder forcefully.
"Ow! Yes I am listening!," the Doctor replied, rubbing his shoulder.
"Will you calm down!" "Look, we will find the Tardis, we might just have to wait it out for the weather to pass, that all!"
"To pass? Look at it! How long is that gonna take exactly?" shouted Martha.
"How am I meant to know! Us Gallifreyans, despite our God-like demeanour and superior intellect, still haven't mastered predicting the weather yet okay!" "And stop shouting will you!"
The Doctor sat down on a rock and began to tinker with his sonic screwdriver. Martha looked at him incredulously and then with a sigh took a seat on a rock at the other end of the cave entrance.
"I'm sorry," the Doctor began. "There is no choice but to wait this one out."
Martha nodded, defeated.
"Fine alright, okay I'm sorry for shouting. I just don't like feeling helpless that's all," she replied.
The rain continued to crash down heavily on the ground outside, they sat for about ten minuets in silence, just watching and waiting. Martha hung her head and sighed, the Doctor ran his hands through his hair slowly.
"So...," Martha began. "What's this planet called then?," she asked.
"Well this is one of the moons of a planet called Wisdom, this particular moon is called Patience I think. I was going to bring you here to see the ancient ruins of the two tribes of Peace and Health. They built huge temples and monuments to the gods of their clans. They are quite a magnificent sight I'm told, even in ruins, but I forgot about the monsoon season here. The rain could last quite some time I'm afraid."
The Doctor looked over apologetically.
"Why Peace and Health?," Martha asked after some time.
The Doctor looked confused.
"I mean, why are those their clan names?"
"Well I'm not sure actually but their quite ironic considering why the cities are in ruin and the planet abandoned," he replied.
"Whys that?"
"They were constantly at war," he exclaimed. "The two clans could never agree and were bitter rivals. They were notorious across the galaxy, in every newspaper, on every news bulletin. 'The Wars Over Wisdom' they used to call it.
Martha smiled.
"What?," he asked, a grin spreading across his face.
Martha laughed.
"Nothing, its just that I'm not meant to be here. This whole thing is ridiculous. This, everything, time travel with you, me going where no human has ever gone before, it's bizarre. I could never get used to this!"
He smiled.
"Trust me, even when you've been doing this for as long as I have, you never get used to it," he replied.
"So..how long is that exactly, that you've been travelling?," Martha asked cautiously.
"Must be at least eight hundred years."
Martha looked shocked.
"Wow! I mean I knew you were all alien and Timelord and old and stuff, but really that long?!"
"Yes that long. And trust me, it feels like longer." "I've always been a wanderer, it was never my destiny to remain in one place for too long, I was always too curious about different world and species, so many questions, and this was my big adventure."
He looked at Martha, smiling.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way."