The Tardis hummed while it centered itself in time and space. Inside the Tardis, Nadine looked at the door with uncertainty. Clara and the Doctor had decided the new girl should have a crack at seeing her first world. The former smuggler was tempted to at least have her gun at the ready but she didn't need the Doctor to tell that such a thing would make a very poor first impression.

That didn't stop her from keeping the weapon on her belt, just in case.

She still had a difficult time comprehending the Doctor. The change in clothes made him look more a like a proper captain in blue overcoat, vest with a white undershirt, and pants with prominent black boots. The attire of a traveler, Nadine concluded, but there was something different.

He looked like a traveler with a purpose, a destination, even if he didn't know where it was. There was air of certainty in him. The Doctor burned with hope.

That hope gave Nadine the strength to move forward and open the door.

No matter what lay on the other side of that door, having the Doctor at her back and the fulfillment of a long cherished dream to be among the stars allowed the former smuggler to face the unknown.

What Nadine failed to consider was that whatever lay on the other side might be excited to meet them as well. The events on the Scarab VIII were proof that the universe could be a dark, cruel, place.

A lesson that would soon repeat for the worst.