Doctor Who: Guest of Honour

The following document is part of the UNIT archive, regarding suspicious versions of events on history are somehow remotely linked to alien interference. This particular fragment is a transcription of a court martial interview given by officer Manuel de Souza of Brazilian Imperial Guard. It was taken on Rio de Janeiro, just some days after the deposition of country's monarchy in late November 1889. It was keep confidential by National Intelligence Service of Brazil (SNI) till 1979 and then translated to English in 1982. Some names were maintained in Portuguese for historic accuracy.

It was in a staff assignation meeting about one year ago, when two other guards and I, were designated for the job of guarding the main entrances to the throne room, that my superior officer Second Grade General Jose Torres Saldanha told us about the existence of the White List. That list is a very small catalog of names of foreign people that have authorized access to the Palace. Each listed person had a specific method of checking his or her identity.

On November 13, the gate guard called me that Doctor Joao da Silva was asking permission to see the Emperor immediately. General Saldanha was not available so I was the next officer on duty to proceed with the White List procedures.

This man was in the list, but he was a real exception.

Disregarding his name, that by all means, Joao da Silva is the most common name on the Empire… I mean Republic. The man didn't seem to be Brazilian or Portuguese, he apparently was from Britain, anyway, no country of origin was listed along with his name in the list.

Every other person in the list had to get a reference from an ambassador, which could be called to check his id. The odd was that Doctor Joao da Silva had to be checked by the Emperor himself, and a guard of ten soldiers had to escort him.

I was not sure of that, so I had to check the log entries of his prior visits. The details became even stranger. He had two previous meetings with the Emperor listed in the books. The first was in 1877 when the Emperor installed those Gram Bell devices and the second was when the Emperor was ill after his visit to Araguaia in 1881. The officer that described the both events in the log explicitly noted they were not the same man. One was an old grumpy man that held a cane, the other a stumpy man in checkered trousers and suit.

None of those descriptions fitted the man at the gates.

'Hello, I'm the Doctor' He greeted me when his eyes verified my rank badge at my uniform 'You must be…?'

'Lieutenant Souza.' I'm promptly answered and analyzed his garments, he was wearing a trimmed suit that was fine if its color wasn't purple, and at his fits some had embroidered extension of his inner shirt, his shoes polished were reflecting the afternoon sun. His face was totally serious and serene.

'Nice to meet you, chap.' He shook my hand, nodded and expressed a timid grin. 'This is my English secretary, Sarah Jane Smith.'

The girl had an unusual hairdo, but was real pretty.

'You may well know the procedure. Ten guards will accompany you till the internal garden where the Emperor will attend you.' I stated, he accepted calmly. 'Your companion should remain here, at least for now.'

So the guards and I escorted him into the palace, by the peripheral corridor and then out to internal Palace. By that time the Emperor was sat in a bench, he was finishing a cup of mango juice. He took his handkerchief and pressed at his lips and his long white beard. Just then he acknowledged our presence, he paused for some seconds, probably trying mentally to count how many soldiers were there. He certainly understood the situation, his mysterious visitant had arrived. Then he called the maid that took his cup.

He called us, the guards organized themselves in a corridor formation, they drew their weapons and pointed to the Doctor. The Emperor stood up slowly and fitted the man for one minute. 'You all may go. Souza stay with us please.' The guard went away. We were all alone in the garden, just me, the Emperor and the Doctor.

'Come here, old friend.' The Emperor opened his arms requesting a warmly hug that was rapidly accepted. When they broke off, he shook his head. 'You are the least person I was wanting to see…'

I did not understand this statement on time, I even checked if my gun was in position if needed, he was just teasing the other.

The Doctor nodded. 'Pedro, you know that I not usually come for just a tea.'

'I was fearing that your presence would confirm the breezes of change that I was sensing.' The Emperor finished the phrase with a deep sigh. 'Will it take long?'

'Nothing more than a couple of days.' The Doctor held his hand at the Emperor's shoulder.

'Patricia, Patricia, come here.' The Emperor yelled calling back the maid, she approached him and he whispered something to her that I could not deceive, she shrugged then went away. He looked at the Doctor's face. 'We cannot fight the people, if they want that, they will have that. I just don't see a reason for that.' He grinned bittersweetly.

'For sure it is the wrong decision for now, try to get the big picture, is just the "new world" trying have the newest rules.' The Doctor paused, by then I noticed that he spoke fluently in the polite manner of contemporary Portuguese, but every word sounded dubious, as if he was not so sure what he was saying or was just reflecting the sadness from his friend.

The Emperor got wordless after that, The Doctor sighed and the moved his arms freely like if he was trying to relax. He went to the Emperor's ear 'Be sure of two real facts.' He smiled. 'First: You did the best government. And second: this new republic thing will not erase the first fact.'

'Thank you my friend. You know how to cheer up this old man.' By this time, the maid returned and she was holding a piece of fabric that she handed over the Emperor, the fabric turned to be a white pillowcase with some golden details picturing Royal Family blazon. 'What will happen to me?'

'You know that I already said too much.'

'Well, so I must finish this whim.'

'What are you pretending to do?'

The Emperor don't answered, he just stepped over some flower weeds and went direct to most decamped area of the garden, then just kneeled, his advanced age made this movement very brusque. I wasn't expecting that, nor had an action to take.

'Doctor, don't let me do this alone, help me out, come in.'

The eyebrows in the Doctor's face also could not decide its reaction, he followed the Emperor's path into the garden and ducked near him. The Emperor was filling his pillowcase with dirt from the soil. The Doctor helped him, they did not changed words until the job was done. The question "Why?" was still stamped in the Doctor's face, mine's as well.

'This is my last wish. I want to rest in peace with my head over Brazilian land, one way or another, if I didn't die here I will still be linked to this precious land. The land I loved and did everything my best to make one of the superior nations.' His tone was truly sad, he cleaned his cheeks, I was over some distance, can be sure if was dirt or tears the he removed.

'Yes, I think you would figure out this, so if you don't… I'm right, I might get exiled from Brazil and may never return. Time to reach out my old family in Portugal.' He stood up and looked to his friend. 'I tricked you, your silence answered my previous question! Exile!' They exchanged glances. 'You do not seem like yourself today.'

The Doctor went mute, as if some went wrong. 'Yes.' He cleared his throat 'I have a very serious matter to resolve here, before the hmm… the end.'

'Tell me, if this friend may still help you.'

'You really do. It is about those capsules I gave you the last time we met.'

'Your magic remedy! The one cured me from the paralysis I got from that venomous fish I eat at the Araguaia. I still didn't know if that was a unfortunate event or someone tried to kill me.' He laughed nostalgically. 'Yes, I remember, you left in such a hurry, you said that if you needed them you would come back and ask for it. Am I right?'

'Indeed you are. A friend is ill and this remedy may be the only solution.'

'So the problem is solved, it is in my safe.' The Emperor carried up the pillowcase. 'Some more days and this remedy would be lost forever, off course, you have always the perfect timing.'

They shared a heartily laughter.

'This is farewell then.' The Emperor hugged him, this time not so fondly as before. 'Well, I have to go, I will do some hidden packing, there is some things I want to keep with me.'

'Please Pedro, no goodbyes.' The Doctor responded.

They shook hands, The Emperor hold his friend's wrist firmly. 'You may wait at the gates, Patricia will give you the remedy.' And then he went away through the door leading to the internal chapel. He returned a second later 'Ha-ha, I got it, I just loved it, tell this "friend" that I wish the best for him.' It was the last time I saw the Emperor. He was grinning, he was happy as was all my memories of him.

By this time I was convinced, that this Doctor chap, was just a random spy or informant sent by some support organization. I was aware that a military force was secretly gathering to try a take over the government, but nobody at my regiment knew about how and when it should occur, if it would occur. The Doctor was just sure that it was going to happen.

The other interesting aspect of that conversation was about the "Araguaia Potion". The Emperor once visited the Araguaia Region and returned badly poisoned. Some days later he was as healthy as ever. It was an urban legend that he got some capsules that cured him, there were hoaxes by the time that he got the essence of the Fountain of Youth. But evidently the Doctor gave it to him, and was trying to get it back.

I escorted the Doctor back to the gates. Miss Smith was kept standing there all that time, she was sweating heavily, I don't know about dresses, but her dress was certainly not for a spring afternoon walking.

After about ten minutes, Patricia came to us 'Here it is the package the Emperor sent.'

The Doctor said goodbye to us and went away along with Miss Smith. I should not have followed him, but I did, I tried to keep some distance and heard what they were chatting.

'Doctor, did everything go well?' she asked.

'Yes.'

'Haven't the Emperor realized?'

'I think he did at the End, but he went along.'

'Did you get the capsules?'

'For sure, here it is, Miss Smith!' The Doctor took the package and showed her.

Suddenly a man riding a horse appeared from behind me and went directly into the Doctor's spot. The horse rider, stretched his arms and took the package from the Doctor's hand and was already escaping through the empty street. I tried to run and shot the thief but I didn't needed.

The Doctor had already taken a very small gun from his pocket and shot the thief. Just one and rightly shot. The thief was wounded, but he still had runaway, he dropped the package when he was hit.

When my mind eased, I could hear Miss Smith complaining: 'This was so wrong, this was so not "you", you are supposed to hold yourself.'

'Miss Smith, I didn't do all that to lose it and then lose him.' The Doctor walked quickly to grab the package in the ground. 'We should agree that this small happening can be kept just between us, yes?'

She agreed, he looked at me 'It counts for you too, did you understand it soldier?' His expression was now different, he was so sure of himself. 'Now, get lost.' His thin mustache seemed was someway very military to me.

They went away, I still distantly followed them, and this I went more carefully. By the corner of the Matacavallos Street, I spotted them again. They were beside a big blue box, there were some writing in it, but I can't remember. Miss Smith was not there, just the Doctor and another man.

'Did it work Doctor?' The Doctor asked the other man that was there, that was named as Doctor as well, they were wearing very similar clothes, but the other one was a blue suit. This man was taller and older, he had a fuzzy grey hair.

'A moment later, I would be paralysed forever.' He was stretching his legs around and said 'Yes, it can move now. Thank you Alistair. You are a excellent me.'

They looked at me, the Doctor with a mustache spotted me and yelled 'I said, get lost!'

I turned my back back to the corner wall, some seconds later I heard a strange sound. I looked back, both of them and the blue box were not there, as if it vanished in thin air. I can't explain that.

It confirmed the other legend about him, that he had some wizard power, that he would be here, and the next moment, gone.

Complement Report:
One day later, General Saldanha appeared in the regiment with a bullet wound.
There were found no other references of Leftenant Manuel de Souza.
The Emperor Pedro II was exiled from Brazil, returned to Portugal and died two years later. His body was returned to Brazil in 1921, he resides at the Petropolis' Cathedral.